Jeep tow vehicle

[Airstream330]

My wife and i are looking at the 23' and 25' Flying Cloud or International Airstream. We want something that we can tow with a stronger Jeep. Their spec says they can handle up to 7000 lbs when fully equipped with the right tow/hitch equipment. (cant imagine equiping it any other way). The GVWR on the above is marginally within the limit but I want to make sure we are not pushing too hard. Would love to know if anyone can confirm that. We have also looked at larger RVs but when we started looking for tow vehicles we realized that we do not want to drive and F250 or 350 truck as it is not a good vehicle for our non-towing needs. Anybody out there that can confirm a jeep would be adequate or is already using one?

[idroba]

I tow my '74 Argosy 20' (4200#, 720# tongue weight) with my 2012 Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 L hemi V8 and it does great. Although I am not near the 7200 # weight limit of the Cherokee, I would not have any questions about towing something larger with mine.

I am sure some will say that a 25' would be too big for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but based on my experience, of 10000 miles of towing a smaller unit, I think it would work fine.

Others may differ with me, of course.

[dkottum]

We tow our 25' with a 2012 Ram Express 5.7 Hemi 6-spd auto, reg cab 120" wheelbase. Same eng/trans as the Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee would probably handle better due to its independent rear suspension, however it's about $10,000 more.

Tows the Airstream with ease and handles and brakes very well. Also very nice to drive when not towing.

doug k

[TikiDaddy]

I tow a 93 29' with a 2007 jeep grand Cherokee. It is a diesel but has about the same rating as the hemi. I have only towed in foot hills and the coast with no problems. Mirrors were an issue but I bought some stick on extended ones. I do get sway when windy but hasn't been very much. I think it pulls pretty good.

[Bigventure]

Jeep just emailed me. They have a new Jeep coming out, to be announced at the North American Auto Show on Jan 14th. I know they will be making a new GC in a diesil with an 8 speed trans. With that said I would wait a few days before I make a decidtion.

[bolerama]

We tow our 2008 23 ft ccd international with our 2000 Grand Cherokee ltd 4 liter v8 with tow pack, and have no problems what so ever. We have been in the mountains of Montana with no issues. You just have to take it easy as with any vehicle. If you are looking for a vehicle, make sure you get the factory tow package (tranny cooler ,stronger brakes etc).
I can t wait for the diesel Jeep to show up, there is also a rumor that Dodge will be making a half ton pickup with diesel. Hopefully it wont be too expensive..

Paul

[Denis4x4]

I went back and forth on waiting for a '14 diesel GC and decided to buy the '13 with the factory tow package, hemi and 6 speed to tow my Safari 25 FB. My main concern was how the dealerships would handle diesel service. Too, I was not able to get a firm price or delivery date. I know that the GC diesels have been available in Australia, New Zealand and Canada for several years and owners rave about the towing performance. My dealer did say that there would be a premium price in metro areas. With diesel approaching $4.00 a gallon, not sure that it would pencil out.

[Jim Flower]

The relationship between diesel fuel and gas prices in Canaimuch closer than yours which means the diesel is still more cost effective and the service is excellent due to th

[Jim Flower]

Sorry, the iPad is really not working well. The price of diesel in Canada is much closer to the price of gas which makes the diesel Jeep more economical than the gas version and our service is excellent. The same cannot be said about operating the diesel in the US due not only to the fuel spread but the horrific diesel service availability from Jeep dealers. This may change eventually if more diesels are purchased. For the time been, the Hemi is the right decision even though the diesel provides superior performance.

[Airstream330]

This is all helpful. Been furiously googling at the same time as reading responses. Looks like the JeepGC is on the outside edge since the 25' GVWC is about 7300. I also want to be well in the comfort zone weather prairie or mountains, wind, etc. (at least as is reasonably possible). My idea is to have a TV that is also a passenger vehicle but options seem to be limited. At that weight it seems the next best passenger vehicle options are the Land Cruiser ( too expensive), the Commander ( don't make them anymore), or the Expedition ( currently looking at it as I noticed it in the thread. Decisions decisions. Thanks and any other input is very welcome.

[Denis4x4]

The factory GVW on my Safari 25FB is 7300. The net weight is around 5800. Like Airstream330, I looked at those numbers and figured the 15% fudge factor and only looked at TV's with at least 8000 pounds of towing capacity. Then, I weighted the trailer after removing five years of junk that was never used and with full propane tanks to come up with a new number: 6280 pounds ready to roll without water. We have some clothes, food staples, iPads, personal stuff and figure on buying groceries as we travel. We had six place settings of china, enough pots and pans to cater a large group, board games that were never played and iPads replaced books and magazines.
It helped that we were sailors (Catalina 30) and could provision for a 14 day trip.

I feel confident that the new GC will do the job towing in AS as well as providing daily transportation.

[TouringDan]

AS330

Welcome to the Airstream challenge of finding a TV that is not a 3/4 or 1 ton truck that will tow your loaded Airstream of choice, your family and also be a reasonable vehicle to drive solo, which may be 80-90% of the time. Be aware that the spec you need to watch the most closely is the TV GVRW and the RAWR (rear axle weight rating) of the TV. I would take a look at the 2013 Durango with the 5.7L motor and the new 8 speed tranny. I believe it is quite similar to the Jeep GC, but with a slightly longer wheelbase.

I am like a lot of forum members; I tow with a 1/2 ton truck. I am quite happy with my 08 Tundra 5.7L. It tows my Airstream fine along with all my stuff but it is a HUGE vehicle, so I wish that I could shrink it when driving solo.

I like Denis4x4 approach to load lightly by taking only what you really need.

Good luck, you are on the right track!

Dan

[JamuJoe]

There are a few threads on the Grand Cherokee. My 08 GC Diesel has been a champ towing our FC23FB in all conditions. Our tongue weight is actually 780 lbs fully loaded, somewhat over the 720 lbs rated capacity of our GC, (and well over Airstreams published tongue weight) but after 21,500 miles, I am confident in saying that it is a fully capable tow vehicle.

[Teton Stream]

I tow my 2010 '19 Bambi with a 2007 Jeep Gand Cherokee with the Mercedes 3.0L turbo diesel which has plenty of torque and cruising we get 17-19 mpg at 65 mph. I liked it so much I bought another 2007 GC Diesel. We are in the Tetons and western mountains and have absolutely no problems getting around boondocking off road. They are supposedly introducing the GC diesel later this year although the engine will be made by a subsidiary of Fiat (second hand info).