2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee

[mazoolah]

hi guys ,new to towing .Have just gotten a 20 ft. flying cloud and am pulling it with a 2004 jeep g.c. with the 4.7 ho .The jeep was not a tow package originally I added a resse hitch, o.e.m. wiring ,large trans .cooler ,p3 brake controller and mirrors. On both tows it pulled and stopped alright , but I feel that the jeep pitch's front to back to much .I will change the shocks soon and hope that helps (any advice on brand ?). But was looking for advice on possible spring and sway bar upgrades. I can find used tow package coil springs ,or new moog brand std. fitment (not specked for tow) fairly easy. I should mention it has standard coils now. I rather not band aid it with air bags .also jeep buffs recommend an Addco brand rear sway bar,how would that affect towing ? thanks for any input ! oh ya have an equl- I- zer hitch ,fitted ,also.

[dkottum]

If you could post a side photo of your Jeep and Airstream together set up with the weight distribution, as well as a closeup of your complete hitch with w.d bars hooked up and ready to go, there are many here who could advise you.

[mazoolah]

great idea, it might be a few days before I can however (probably Saturday) ,I have to store trailer away from home .I have a couple of "long shot" photos ,I'll post tonight that might help .The rear is down a bit but not so much as to unload the front end.

[Jim Flower]

My 2003 GC with the 4.7 HO & tow package never experienced Front to rear bounce. I think you may have your hitch assembly incorrectly set up as others have alluded to. Send photos. I just sent the thing to the junk yard. The 4.7 decintigrated with only 513,000 k on it.


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[Jim Flower]

I wasn't finished. I am trying to type this on my iPhone and the mike does not want to work. The Jeep toed a 25 ft Safari and recently a 20 ft GC, no problem. You should be able to make yours work ok. Jim


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[Jim Flower]

Try towed. Surprising I didn't use toad. Jim


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[mazoolah]

Jim ,what do you recommend for tire pressure? I didn't think of the hitch needing adjustment (dealer hooked it up ) but after reviewing the instruction booklet ,I will be making the measurement's of ride height, tongue weight etc. to see if any thing is in error. Still going to do shocks ,its much needed . any thoughts on a rear sway bar?

[Jim Flower]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

Jim ,what do you recommend for tire pressure? I didn't think of the hitch needing adjustment (dealer hooked it up ) but after reviewing the instruction booklet ,I will be making the measurement's of ride height, tongue weight etc. to see if any thing is in error. Still going to do shocks ,its much needed . any thoughts on a rear sway bar?

I used 44 lbs in the rear and 38 in the front. Good hp shocks will be a good addition but the sway bar most likely not if you ensure your weight distribution hitch complete with hitch sway bar are set up correctly. I used a Reese Dual Cam and it worked perfectly. Jim


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[mazoolah]

ok so haven't figured out how to post pics. yet. ha! but went over the set up instructions for the equal-I-zer hitch . my measurements show the front end (at the top of wheel well) 31" unhitched and 31 after hitch. rear is 32 before hitch ,30" after . over all the jeep looks like the tail is down ,but not extremely so .this was a quickie hookup ,35 lbs. air in the tires .will do another measurement next week with full tank of gas ,and the tires aired up higher. coupler and ball were both at same height ,21".

[crispyboy]

We have Bilstein shocks on our 2002 model and highly recommend them. We don't tow with the vehicle but the new shocks have done a lot to control the ride and body roll.

[Jim Flower]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

ok so haven't figured out how to post pics. yet. ha! but went over the set up instructions for the equal-I-zer hitch . my measurements show the front end (at the top of wheel well) 31" unhitched and 31 after hitch. rear is 32 before hitch ,30" after . over all the jeep looks like the tail is down ,but not extremely so .this was a quickie hookup ,35 lbs. air in the tires .will do another measurement next week with full tank of gas ,and the tires aired up higher. coupler and ball were both at same height ,21".

The Bilstein shock recommendation is a good one. It is also what I had. You are tail heavy so you should try tightening your chains by at least one link. You want the delta to be the same loaded as it is unloaded and that includes all your stuff as well. Maybe .5 inch lower at the back max. Also put more air in your tires. Jim


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[mazoolah]

For sure going for bilsteins ASAP. Will try for a set of tow package springs ,with all the off-roaders lifting their jeeps there must be some decent ones around . The equal I zer doesn't use chains ,but will bring it up one adjustment. Don't feel comfortable taking a big swing at it .getting squirrelly on the highway with 4500 lbs. on my tail is not my idea of rv fun = thanks everyone for helping me analyze the setup.

[mazoolah]

hi guys ,just went out again this week end .Was able to cat scale the whole rig .let me know what you think for the balance .front axle 2400 ,drive axle 2920 ,and trailer axle 4220 . trailer had full tank of water ,jeep had 2 people and modest load in trunk ,maybe 50 pounds at most. Ps. ,should I be posting this question on the equil -I- zer hitch thread also?

[Jim Flower]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

hi guys ,just went out again this week end .Was able to cat scale the whole rig .let me know what you think for the balance .front axle 2400 ,drive axle 2920 ,and trailer axle 4220 . trailer had full tank of water ,jeep had 2 people and modest load in trunk ,maybe 50 pounds at most. Ps. ,should I be posting this question on the equil -I- zer hitch thread also?

My weights from my 25' Safari were FA 2992, RA 3036, Airstream 6028. It looks to me that you could use a tad more weight on the FA. How does the Jeep sit? How does it handle? If you are comfy with it, perhaps you are good to go. Jim


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[mazoolah]

hi Jim, it still porpoises a good bit ,and the back end is on the low side .good to the equil- I- zer hitch instructions; but still lower than what looks right . think that 500 pound difference front to rear is to big ?

[Jim Flower]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

hi Jim, it still porpoises a good bit ,and the back end is on the low side .good to the equil- I- zer hitch instructions; but still lower than what looks right . think that 500 pound difference front to rear is to big ?

Yes on the 500 lbs being too big. The nasty ride and the low rear should be resolved in order to get you more safe and comfortable. Keep transferring weight to the front axel until the rear wheel well height is only .5 inch lower(max) than the front and then go to the scales again. You will know you have it right by how well it will handle when it is set correctly. I was using a Reese Dual Cam on my 2003 Jeep and even though the Safari had a much higher TW than your setup, I never experienced any negative performance issues. ( other than lousy fuel economy) good luck. Jim


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[Jim Flower]

Here is the 2003 & the GT. The Jeep is about .5 inch low at the back. Both Jeep and GT loaded for extended trip. Jim


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[mazoolah]

wow ! we could be twins !Almost ,same grand Cherokee ,silver of course ,ha! wish I could figure how to up load photos from my ipad .anyways really nice rig !!

[Andrew T]

You do need more weight on the front wheels, the front should be about 1/2" lower with the trailer on than it is without.

I think what you will find is that you can adjust the torsion bars to transfer more weight to the front wheels but as soon as you drive through a dip somewhere you will wind up twisting the receiver and be back where you started.

The problem with the Equalizer brand hitch is that the torsion bars are not tapered so they have very little range of motion. If you stay out of deep dips or remove the torsion bars before driving through them it will be fine.

Your springs are likely fine, good shocks make a dramatic difference, you can also sometimes improve your tire size.

Andrew T

[mazoolah]

Wanted to return to this old thread to follow up for anybody else using a similar setup . Best thing i did was a trip to cat scale , then shifted weight to front axle off the back .just a couple of washers on the equalizer did it . New shocks ( bilstiens) smoothed out the rest !