I had just got married and had to move my wife’s stuff to another city 2 hours away. We fortunately had a trailer, but could my Jeep pull this trailer? Before hitting the road I did a lot of research to find out and here’s everything I found out.
Can a Jeep pull a trailer? Yes, on average a two door Wrangler can tow 2,000 pounds. This includes the weight of the trailer and contents on the trailer. The tongue weight should be 10% of Gross Trailer Weight (GTW) but not exceed 15% GTW. For a 2,000 lb towing capacity, tongue weight should be 200 lbs.
While the manufacture limits and capacities for towing will never change on your vehicle, there are several things to account for when pulling anything behind you. Some common misconceptions and helpful nuggets of information are outlined below.
Understanding What Limits Your Towing Capacity
If you look back through history, the towing capacities for a Wrangler or other main Jeep vehicles hasn’t changed much if at all. Right off the bat this should stand out to you on what DOESN’T strictly determine a tow rating and that is your engine.
The main things that come into play for towing capacity are in fact your wheel base and how much your vehicle weighs. When you look at a 3500 diesel truck, you immediately should notice how long the truck is and just the sheer size.
The table below gives a quick visual to the most common towing capabilities associated with different Jeep models (excluding the soon to be released Gladiator which will change the towing game). While nowhere near extensive, the chart allows you to notice some key points in tow capacities.
First, if you don’t know, a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited simply means you have the four door option. With that said, in the chart above you notice how the only difference between the two Wranglers is the four doors, hence a longer wheel base and slightly more weight.
When you see how much more the Grand Cherokee can tow compared to the four door Wrangler, you might ask, “Does the Grand Cherokee really have that much more wheel base than a four door Wrangler?” No, it doesn’t. But it does have a almost a thousand more pounds in weight.
Quick Disclaimer: I want to point out right now, weight and wheelbase ARE NOT the only things considered in determining tow capacity. They are two big things, but much more goes into determining the ratings.
So making full circle back to if a Jeep Wrangler can pull a trailer, again the answer is yes. The things you need to keep in mind though include the 2 door wranglers very short wheel base and the fact that the Jeep Wrangler is a very light vehicle.
As I stated earlier on, a vehicles tow rating will not change. The reason I say this is, Jeep Wranglers are the epitome of aftermarket customization. Many of those changes include stretching the wheel base and adding lots of weight from aftermarket parts like bumpers and other various equipment.
Physics would say, “Well I lengthened my base and added weight, why can’t I tow more?” The straight forward answer is, you can. But understand this, NONE OF THAT WILL HOLD UP IN COURT.
If you for some reason got in an accident while towing more than your vehicles stated tow rating, you will be responsible. So even with serious mods that would greatly increase your ability, I STRONGLY encourage you to never exceed manufacturer limits.
So…Why is Wheelbase and Weight So Important?
Okay, so we have established the importance of having a long wheel base and plenty of weight when towing, but why? Why are these things important? Without getting incredibly scientific and braking out the physics equations lets take a look at it.
Ultimately, it comes back to Sir Issac Newton’s First Law. This simply says that an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
In this scenario, your trailer is the object in motion and your vehicle is the outside force acting upon it. Getting the trailer moving is no problem for a Jeep. However, stopping a trailer is a different story.
With a short wheel base, a 2 door Jeep Wrangler will end up becoming the “object in motion” instead of the “outside force” when trying to stop simply because the trailer has more inertia and momentum.
Therefore, when you switch your vehicle with a long wheel base heavy truck, the inertia and momentum of the truck is greater, in theory, than that of the trailer being towed.
So while a four door Wrangler has the longer wheel base, the towing capacity isn’t greatly increased because the it doesn’t have significantly more weight to overcome the momentum of a trailer outside of capacity.
What Other Vehicle Aspects Affect My Towing Experience?
While this is not an in depth article into the art of towing, it is important that there are many things to consider outside of wheel base and weight. A few things we’ll look at include the transmission, axle ratio, and engine cooling.
The first thing that needs to be considered is your engines transmission. I won’t even try to answer this massive debate between whether an automatic or manual transmission is better.
Big truckers have been using manual transmissions for decades and many still swear by them. However, automatic transmission technology has come a long way. Unless you plan to tow every day all day, it mostly comes down to personal preference. Each has their advantages and disadvantages.
When choosing an axle ratio, its important to know what the numbers mean. The ratio is referring to the gearing that is inside of your axles differential housing. An axle ratio of a 3.73 (3.73:1) means that for every 3.73 turns of the drive shaft, the tire turns once.
As an axle ratio number gets higher, the vehicles tow capacity increases. This happens as the engine is capable of sending more torque to the wheels. However, you sacrifice your fuel economy. You’ll notice that vehicles designed for optimum fuel economy performance will have a relatively low axle ratio.
Lastly, its important to consider that when you’re vehicle is towing, your engine is working harder than normal and its important your cooling system accounts for that. Often times, a towing package on a vehicle will include a larger radiator.
What Do I Need to Tow with My Jeep?
Before you just go hitch a trailer up and start towing there are some things you will need to pull a trailer.
First, most Jeep Wranglers don’t come with a trailer hitch on the bumper. While you have the choice to run to Walmart and buy one to slap on, I suggest considering upgrading your rear bumper to something similar to this one that incorporates one into the bumper.
Not only does this give you better clearance, but you will have a more secure attachment that should be connected directly to your frame.
Next, you will need to have a proper wiring harness for your Jeep that allows your trailer brake and turn signal lights to correspond to your vehicles when you beginning braking or turning. You can find many universal harnesses on amazon that simply plug in.
Some things to inspect prior to towing include brakes, tires, and cooling.
Before hitting the road you want to make sure your trailer and vehicle have the recommended tire pressure for the load you are hauling. Also be sure to check the tread and wear on tires.
If your brakes aren’t up to the challenge of stopping your trailer and load, it doesn’t matter what else you have. So prior to towing, always make sure your brakes have been inspected and are of good enough quality to handle the extra work load.
Lastly, always ensure your engine has proper air flow and ensure the radiator is free from any blockage for debris that could hinder how much air is getting through.
Related Questions
What Jeep has the highest towing capacity? At the point of this article, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has a towing capacity of 7,400 lbs. However, the Jeep Gladiator will surpass the Grand Cherokee with a towing capacity of 7,650 lbs.
Do Diesel Vehicles Tow Better than Gasoline Vehicles? Ultimately, Diesel engines are considered for towing due to higher torque output, longer life span, and better fuel economy.
How Much Does an Average Pop Up Camper Weigh? Fully loaded pop up campers that come with a small kitchen etc. can weigh anywhere from 2,000 lbs or more. The opposite side of the spectrum can have pop up campers that weigh only 500-600 lbs.
