Tow Vehicle - Jeep Wrangler to tow sport 16

[iamcrazy]

hi was wondering if anybody has towed / tried towing a sport 16 with a jeep wrangler 2 doors. both are spec to 3500 tow capacity. Also i am wondering on a scale from pretty good to total nightmare what ppl are thinking about that.

both 2doors and 4 doors have a 3.6L engine.
i currently own the jeep 2015 but was looking at maybe buying a Airstream trailer.
19 is defenetly too big to tow and i would hate to part with my jeep. ( big loss of value there)

[paiceman]

We owned a 2014 Wrangler for a while, two door and towed it behind a 38' motorhome. I have no idea the tow rating but I for sure personally would never tow with it. I have several million miles of driving over the years and found the Wrangler to be tipsy at best and just something I would not want to use as a tow vehicle. Fun to drive in places like Moab when we were there, but not towing.

[Echelon73]

Disclaimer: I have never towed a travel trailer with a Jeep Wrangler, but one idea would be to use a Hensley Cub hitch. The Jeep may feel more stable at highway speeds when towing than when not towing (the way it essentially locks them into alignment). I personally would not do it with a hitch that would allow any sway at all though. The super short wheelbase and high center of gravity have to be taken into consideration.

[GoWhereTowed]

I have not done that, but think it not a good idea. Be sure to talk to many people about the possibility. Hopefully you will get a lot of information on this thread.

[truckasaurus]

I've given this some thought as my wife drives a wrangler unlimited '13. There are people towing even larger AS with the Jeep but as I understand it the Jeep isn't rated to tow anything with such a large frontal area. I guess it's more suited to pulling pop ups and small utility trailers. The clincher for me is that I view the Jeep as a novelty vehicle . It can barely get out of it's own way even with 265 Hp or whatever claimed performance it really has let alone towing something.

[SteveH]

I tow a 17' Casita with a '15 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the four door version, and it does well. Previously I towed the Casita with a Toyota FJ Cruiser, and the Jeep does a better job. The Jeep is equipped with the factory tow package, and I do use an Andersen WD hitch.

If your Jeep has the tow package (basically just a receiver hitch and the 3.73 gears), power would not be the problem, but stability. The two door Jeep has a very short wheelbase, so if you try it, I would suggest a sway control WD hitch such as the Andersen. Yes, there are better hitches available, but many of them are too big and heavy for the combo you are considering, IMHO.

[lindaebrewer]

My DH has taught me that the question is not whether the TV will tow the TT but rather will it control/slow down/stop the TT on a downhill.

[Native143]

I have the 16' Sport Bambi and tow it with a V6 Toyota Tacoma, rated 6500 lb. towing capacity with the tow package. Tows like a dream, and no tow bar. Can't speak to the Jeep's capabilities, but be sure to get a higher rated tow package than needed. You may want to get a larger TT some day.

[CJ Winch]

With a short wheel base (2-door Jeep), you have to have a sway control and still that may not be completely safe. Imagine beginning to pull into the next lane on the freeway, then seeing someone in your blindspot and over-correcting - the oscillation may not be controllable with that short wheelbase! Too dangerous in my opinion. We use sway control on our hitch and tow a 25' AS Classic with our 2015 GMC Sierra 6.2 liter engine w/crew cab. IMO safety is always most important.

[ddbisho]

Appears people are providing sound advice regarding stability, handling and stopping capabilities.

You may also want to consider going to jeep forum.com and searching their forum or posting a similar question there.

[Loden]

I have related this before, but I was pulling a short wheelbase trailer (a Forest River RPod) with an FJ Cruiser, a vehicle I found to be more capable than a Wrangler, for several years. Only after totalling both the TV and the RV did I do the research in which I found the short wheelbase of the tow vehicle combined with the lateral flat-plate drag of the trailer put the combination in a conditionally unstable condition. I also was blissfully unaware that I was over capacity on brakes for any speed above about 55 MPH. The trailer and load were within the published limitations for the FJ Cruiser, but that did not make it safe. There are a series of studies done in Sweden on this issue.

If you decide to go with the combination you have described, you MUST get one of the very expensive and heavy hitches from Hensley or Pro-Pride, else you will be an accident waiting to happen. My strong recommendation is to get a tow vehicle with twice the capability you need for the trailer along with a high-quality hitch. While you are at it, get new wheels and new Michelin tires for the trailer rather than the small set that comes with it.

All this will be unnecessary until you are on a long downhill run in a cross wind and have to swerve and brake suddenly. It is only then you will discover just how stable or unstable things are. The listed towing and load capacity of a vehicle are under "normal" conditions. Normal conditions do not include maximum breaking while attempting to swerve. The max breaking tests done to NHSB standards are straight ahead on a dry surface.

[Doc Foster]

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...v-65223-4.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f295...ed-134060.html

[CRH]

I have owned a Jeep or two for over 25 years. I would never consider towing a TT with a two door Jeep Wrangler. I think an evasive maneuver is a disaster waiting to happen....A four door?...maybe

[dkottum]

It's not about wheelbase alone, it's also about the leverage of sway to the steering axle determined by the ratio of wheelbase, to rear axle distance to the hitch ball. It's the same design principle of Hensley/ProPride (shorten or remove the rear leverage), but you probably don't need that style hitch in this case. You do need a perfectly set up hitch, tires are also important.

I believe Andrew Thomson of Can-Am Airstream in Ontario has set these up successfully and can help you. Forty years in business and thousands of hitch setups have proven their expertise. Here's a form you can send to them seeking their advise.

http://www.canamrv.ca/towing-expertise/contact/

[iamcrazy]

Ok
so pretty much doable but not advisable. .

[djarrett]

I had a 2014 A.E.V. high geared JK Unlimited and towed a 16 foot Conqueror Commander.
In East Tennessee on the Interstate it was always a white knuckle experience. If a Semi went by we were never sure if the truck was steering or the trailer. The transmission was also an issue. You would not get far pulling hills without an aux tranny cooler.

In the 4 door, it took 3 trips for me to sell the AEV and get a Land Rover LR3 for the 16. I would NEVER attempt it in a 2 door. I value living too much.

When we went with the 25 foot Eddie Bauer, I didn't look at minimal requirements. I went with Murphy's Law and got an F250. Me, my wife and our two children are worth the extra measure of safety the F250 affords us.

Can it pull it? Yes.

Would I recommend it? Heck NO!

[Len n Jeanne]

Originally Posted by iamcrazy

Ok
so pretty much doable but not advisable. .

Right. Another thing, is do you do much driving in the mountains? You might be struggling up some big passes.

When we had our 16' Bambi we towed it with a Toyota Tacoma. One advantage of a truck with a cap on the back is space for gear. There isn't a lot of storage space in either the 16' Sport or in a Jeep Wrangler. Something to consider for longer trips.

[AWCHIEF]

I have seen a lot of mostly youngish folks towing smaller Bambi sized trailers with their Jeep CJ/Wranglers. They all seem to have big smiles on their faces so it must be working just fine for them. I do not think I have ever noticed any WD used.

[SteveH]

The Jeeps as tow vehicles have some bad things going for them(short wheelbase), but they also have some inherent good design features, designed mostly for off road use which actually improve their tow handling abilities, and that is a very short rear overhang. Of course the original design intent was steep entry and exit angles for off roading, but the towing stability is actually a ratio of wheelbase to rear overhang. I know of several people towing 17' Casitas (basically the same size and weight trailer as a 16' Bambi with even the same suspension system), and there seems to be no problem at all.

My setup is a little different because my Jeep is the longer wheelbase Unlimited.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by iamcrazy

Ok
so pretty much doable but not advisable. .

One of our customers has a Wrangler 2 door model, and tows a 16 Sport all over the place. She loves it, but said she would rather have a larger tow vehicle. We've also had people tow them with minivans, also seemed to do okay, though not stellar.