Walt,
I tried out a new Unlimited Jeep a couple of weeks ago, and that puppy is sweet. I was looking to maybe replace my current 98 Wrangler 4 banger (which I do not tow the TM with). So, I did some research on the towing abilities of the new unlimited for local trips around in this area, for the same reason as you want the Jeep.....a little 4 wheeln' on camping trips.
Regretfully I decided against the new Jeep, for the following reasons:
116" wheelbase is marginal at best for towing a 20' trailer.
The V6 engine is marginal also, but doable, especially with the 6 speed manual transmission.....you have a good choice of ratios with all of those gears.
The Jeep comes with a 4 wire trailer harness.....you would need to do a bunch of rewiring to get everything up to the 7 wires needed for the TM.
IMHO, the hitch is not doable. It is a class 2 hitch rated at 3500 lbs, with a 2" reciever. This hitch might be OK for towing a light boat to the lake, but not for towing something like the TM. Most class 2 hitches have a 1 1/4" receiver, for good reasons....so that you less likely to hook up something that would overload the hitch. Also, class 2 hitches are generally not recommended for WDHs. I would think that you should want to use a WDH with this vehicle. The weight carrying weight of a hitch is generally rated ~10% of the total hitch pulling rate...which in this case would be 350 lbs. The listed tongue weight for a 2008 2720sl is 392 lbs., and that probably doesn't include full propane tanks, and definitely doesn't include all of the other stuff loaded for camping....water being 1 of those.
I could have added the extra wiring, and replaced the hitch with an after-market class 3 (or better yet, a 4), and the Jeep might have been OK for towing the TM on local trips to the mountains around here. But even with all of that done, the Jeep came off of the line rated at a 3500 lbs towing capacity, and that is what would probably be considered if you were ever in an accident. With a loaded TM ready for camping, you are probably over this towing weight, and probably the GVWR for the Jeep.
For me, I don't that is a good setup for long distance towing. I decided since I couldn't tow my TM with a new Unlimited, then my old Jeep does just fine. And like you, I have another tow vehicle available for heavier applications.
Just my .02 cents worth.
Chap
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