Towing basecamp 20x w Jeep Grand cherokee

[kgottleib]

Hi Folks - I have a new basecamp 20x on order, yes I guess I might be waiting for it longer than expected, grrrrr..

I want to validate my Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel v6 is appropriate.

Key points:

1. There is very little published about the capabilities of this model, anything you read online about jeeps NEVER includes this specific model, yet Jeep boasts its abilities in its marketing

2. My jeep happens to be equipped with the Jeep heavy duty tow package.. what does this actually mean? Practically nothing as far as I can tell because I can't seem to find any information on the tongue weight capacity and I see some publications indicating that v6 jeeps only have a rated tongue capacity of 350LBs... WTF does a 6800 towing capacity mean if the tongue capacity is 350lbs? and what about the electronic sway and WD that comes with it? Is this worth anything? or will I still need a 3rd party Sway and WD set up?

Anyone with experience with towing AS with this model, or any Jeep Grand Cherokee, please advise.

Note, I rented a AS Safari16 gunnar that weighted about 2600lbs and had no problems towing at all, at least that I could tell.. no sway, easy handling, could accelerate uphills... but this basecamp is taller and heavier I believe... and I only towed it for a 5 hour drive, not really enough time for it to wear out tires to the point where they blow, which I have seen happens as I've read about it here in the Air Forums.. scary..

I have to drive 2 hours to pick it up when it is finally delivered, this means a 2 hour drive home with it, and I would hate to find out on the drive home w a brand new trailer that I screwed up.

Thanks in advance for anyone who can add value here, Jeep just hasn't publicized enough concrete and useful information about my model for me to feel 100% confident that I can just hook up and go.

Thanks

[Shiny16]

Good on you for starting a new thread. To highlight a few points from the other thread. You will have no issue pulling the 20 foot base camp. The limo it should be 7200 providing it has a factor installed hitch. You will need weight distribution as per Jeep for weights above 3500.

With my 2015 v6 limited I sometimes towed my 16 Sport (3500 pounds)with just a ball and it was fine. With my Caravel 16 (4500) I’m not comfortable going around the block without weight distribution. The headlights point up and the steering feels sloppy.

I’m sure there is probably not much difference between the v6 and EC towing wise other then some extra power.

[KCurtis]

Jeep Towing Number found here.

A good discussing on this subject here.

[Shiny16]

Originally Posted by KCurtis

Jeep Towing Number found here.

To be more clear on my previous post. I don’t think in the case of you EC diesel vs. the V6 you will find much practical difference when it come to towing the Basecamp 20 other then some extra power you will have with the EC. That is why I’m sharing my experience.

[dlkershaw]

kgottleib,

Grand Cherokee is a great choice. We towed a 22fb Bambi for three years (16,000 miles), including a 7,000 mile trip from NJ to Glacier in Montana with a 2014 Laredo GC, 6 cyl Pentestar engine. Equalizer hitch. No problems, plenty of power ( 15-17 mpg). Not sure of the exact specs of the Basecamp 20 but I suspect its similar to the Bambi.
Your choice of the Diesel should make the tow even easier. Your tow capacity should be between 6,200 and 7,000 pounds depending on your options from the factory, ( closer to the 7,000) I suspect.
We recently upgraded to a 2020 Jeep GC, all seems to be good with the new setup.
I would recommend a brake controller, if you have the tow package the wiring harness should be in the glove box, easy hookup under the dash (U-tube video).
Payload can be an issue, pack light and only take the necessities and you will be fine.

[SilverWind]

Originally Posted by kgottleib

Hi Folks - I have a new basecamp 20x on order, yes I guess I might be waiting for it longer than expected, grrrrr..

I want to validate my Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel v6 is appropriate.

Key points:

1. There is very little published about the capabilities of this model, anything you read online about jeeps NEVER includes this specific model, yet Jeep boasts its abilities in its marketing

2. My jeep happens to be equipped with the Jeep heavy duty tow package.. what does this actually mean? Practically nothing as far as I can tell because I can't seem to find any information on the tongue weight capacity and I see some publications indicating that v6 jeeps only have a rated tongue capacity of 350LBs... WTF does a 6800 towing capacity mean if the tongue capacity is 350lbs? and what about the electronic sway and WD that comes with it? Is this worth anything? or will I still need a 3rd party Sway and WD set up?

Anyone with experience with towing AS with this model, or any Jeep Grand Cherokee, please advise.

Note, I rented a AS Safari16 gunnar that weighted about 2600lbs and had no problems towing at all, at least that I could tell.. no sway, easy handling, could accelerate uphills... but this basecamp is taller and heavier I believe... and I only towed it for a 5 hour drive, not really enough time for it to wear out tires to the point where they blow, which I have seen happens as I've read about it here in the Air Forums.. scary..

I have to drive 2 hours to pick it up when it is finally delivered, this means a 2 hour drive home with it, and I would hate to find out on the drive home w a brand new trailer that I screwed up.

Thanks in advance for anyone who can add value here, Jeep just hasn't publicized enough concrete and useful information about my model for me to feel 100% confident that I can just hook up and go.

Thanks

I needed to drill deeply into my 2015 V-6 4x4 Grand Cherokee, HD Tow Package owner manual to satisfy most of my towing questions.

In our case the 3.6L 4x4 will tow 6,000 lbs with a max trailer tongue weight of 620 pounds.

The manual also says that with a gross trailer weight of 3,500 pounds or more it is mandatory use a weight distributing hitch. Our 68 Caravel is very close to 3500 loaded.

We're currently looking at a Equalizer/Fastway e2 WDS, rated 600 hitch/6000 lbs gross weight. Our Caravel hitch weight is 550, so close enough to the 600 spec.

We use the full blown 1000/10,000 Equalizer WSD with our Airstream 25 FB/RAM 2500 combo and love it. We also tow the Caravel behind the RAM with just a simple Reese sway bar attached. That's an option if your TV is a full size truck with a tow package.

[Halford1]

no issue with this TV towing Basecamp GO for it!

[kgottleib]

Thanks for the reply, gives me confidence I can tow it home from the dealer. That trip will allow me to get a feel for it.

[kgottleib]

Wow thanks, being a newbie I have a lot to learn, and I thought the 7-pin connector controlled the trailer break as is when you use your brakes, didn't realize a brake controller was needed for this to actually work. Reading your post prompted me to search on it and learned this quickly.

[Ken G]

I tow a 23fb with a GC ecodiesel- works great over the Rockies and mountains of west coast. (16mpg avg. on long trips in the western US) I have a blue ox WD hitch that some members bag on but it seems to work well. (1st WD hitch experience though)

[LiveStreamn]

We pulled a 22 Sport and a 19 Tommy Bahama with our Grand Cherokee all over the East coast. Never had an issue. At times it was easy to forget they were back there. Factory tow package and E-Qual-izer hitch.

[Jay22]

I’m not familiar with that power train but we easily tow our 2020 Caravel with a 2020 Jeep GC V-8 with towing package. We have a Equalizer hitch and use a Curt Echo brake controller. Trailer weighs about 5,000 lbs with 600 lbs tongue weight. Given the robust frame of the GC, I don’t think you will have any problems.

[MaineStreamer]

Easy. No problem. I used to tow my 20 foot safari with a 2014 grand Cherokee, and it did just fine. I switched to a truck with a cap in order to have more storage for extended trips, but the jeep was perfectly adequate for towing.

[Shiny16]

The Jeep is great. Just make sure you purchase a WD hitch prior to picking up the camper.

[AlbertF]

WDH is a good idea, but you may run into a little challenge, at least with a Basecamp 16 (I cut and pasted this from an older thread):

Originally Posted by Andrew T View Post
Conventional snap ups won't work as there is no space on top of the frame rails.

Because the fridge vents are on the front of the trailer the lp cover needs to be sealed to below the frame.

Pins for the torsion bar chains were common in the 60's when trailers were smaller.

Andy

[Piggy Bank]

Do remember the the basecamp 20 is "taller" than the basecamp 16 when you are doing your research. There is likely more information about the basecamp 16 out there.

One other aspect of towing that has not been mentioned is towing mirrors. You didn't confirm if your Jeep has extendable tow mirrors. If it does not you will need to address this as well. Don't kid yourself about this. Towing is much easier, more relaxing, and safer with good towing mirrors. A rear view camera does not substitute for this. They look at different fields of view.

The A+#1 towing mirrors are the McKesh mirrors with convex spots on each side. They are purchased on the Hensley Hitch website.

They look a little awkward, but give excellent field of vision, especially the 2 convex spots that allow you to see merging traffic on the on-ramp, or drivers changing lanes in multi lane interstate traffic.

Once you learn how to install they go on in about 2 minutes. My husband won't drive without them.