Can A Jeep Grand Cherokee really pull one of these trailers...???

Hi folks, just joined the forum as I am REALLY interested in buying a 2620 SD. However, I have been doing some quick math and I am a little concerned the 5000 lb tow rating on my 2000 GC 4.0L I-6 4WD isn't all that it appears on the surface.

The Vehicles GCWR is 7550. Impressive enough. However when you subtract the base curb wt. of 3970, that only leaves 3580 to play with. It appears the 2620 SD has a dry wt. of 2865 and a load of 1210. That comes up to 4075, or potentially 105 lb violation of the Jeep GCWR.

That seemed surprising to me, in light of all the hype Trailmanor makes on how most cars can pull these.

Am I calculating this correctly? If so, I guessmy options would be to carefully limit my load. However that raises another question and that is whether the Jeep's base curb wt. is dry or if I need to factor gas, people and gear as part of that load allowance.

Love my Jeep and hope there is a solution here...

Should have read the post from "cimsue". Looks like I found my answer. Darn!

I agree with some of the others. TM sure isn't being totally forth-right with their marketing hype. Taking into consideration typical upgrades such as cabinets and AC, as well as people, gas and gear, there is very little possibility this is really a safe towing option for my vehicle. Should have had a V8...

[Bill]

I hate to say it again, but on the tow ratings page, Trail Manor says

"Adding options, batteries, gear, fluids can increase loaded weights as much as 1000 pounds above the base weight of a specific trailer. You should add 500- 1000 pounds to the base weights to estimate the actual towed weight." Sorry, I find it hard to call that deceptive. By contrast, if you go the web site for Hi-Lo - TM's main competitor - you'll find that they link to the same Trailer Life list of tow vehicle ratings, but make no statement about the real towed weight of a Hi-Lo. Nor does anything appear on the FAQ page or the Specifications page. I think TM is one of the few manufacturers that is willing to make this statement - and although I can't prove it, I think TM does it as a result of the discussions on this forum.

There is lots of info in this forum about towing with a Cherokee, really starting with RockyMtnRay's stories in 2002 of towing with his Cherokee in the Rockies. After some discouraging attempts, he finally traded it in for a Tundra. As I recall, part of his disillusionment was in the relatively short wheelbase of the Cherokee, that always made him feel he was right on the edge of control. You can use the Search tool on the word Cherokee to find a lot of it, if it will help at this point.

Bill

Hello neighbor!
Yep, should of got a V8.
We had a 03 Tundra V6, but saw right away we needed the V8 so traded it in for a 05 V8 in 2005.
We have had no problems pulling the trailer up and down very steep grades to over 9,000feet in the southern Sierras (Sherman Pass/Kennedy Meadows).
Solution: Better tow vehicle.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by sandiegoscubadiver

Hi folks, just joined the forum as I am REALLY interested in buying a 2620 SD. However, I have been doing some quick math and I am a little concerned the 5000 lb tow rating on my 2000 GC 4.0L I-6 4WD isn't all that it appears on the surface.

The Vehicles GCWR is 7550. Impressive enough. However when you subtract the base curb wt. of 3970, that only leaves 3580 to play with. It appears the 2620 SD has a dry wt. of 2865 and a load of 1210. That comes up to 4075, or potentially 105 lb violation of the Jeep GCWR.

That seemed surprising to me, in light of all the hype Trailmanor makes on how most cars can pull these.

Am I calculating this correctly? If so, I guessmy options would be to carefully limit my load. However that raises another question and that is whether the Jeep's base curb wt. is dry or if I need to factor gas, people and gear as part of that load allowance.
Love my Jeep and hope there is a solution here...

Sorry to say but it is a little worse than that.

GCWR 7550 - TV Curb weight 3970 = 3580 - passengers & cargo ~800 = 2780 for your fully loaded trailer and fuel. My 2720 TM weighs just over 4000# on the scales, on most camp-outs and probably 4200 on some.

As Bill states TM does give a disclaimer but the comment that any vehicle with a 3500# tow rating can tow their largest trailer just seems a bit disingenuous to me. Especially when they have pictures of vehicles that clearly are not suited to the task of taking one of these things camping.

I've said it before and I'll say it again........Not many people go camping by themselves and take no gear with them .

BTW....We're neighbors too......we have a property in Fallbrook. We'll be moving down their full time in 2013.

Thanks Bill. I just got on to your Forum a couple of weeks ago and should have spent more time reading through the collective knowledge and experiences this great site offer.

On the subject of towing, I don't take acception to the fact there is fine print to read. I just think there shouldn't be fine print, especially when it comes to driving or towing safety/limitations. I know... the world is loaded with fine print and we need to be careful consumers.

Thanks again and keep up with the great forum! I now get to go home and explain to my wife why I now need to add buying a replacement vehicle in order to buy the camper... !

Any ideas on how that one will go??? Looking for creative ideas on selling this one...

Hello to my neighbors tuscany Bandit and HarveyRV on the Forum. Assuming I can figure out how to swing this (tow vehicle + new camper) would be interested in SoCal outings.

I had a Jeep GC I6 4L with 4wd and I towed a 3326 in Florida and had no trouble. I did put on a transmission cooler and air shocks on the rear. I also used a WDH. In the mountains of NC the Jeep really did not have all the power that I would have liked to get up the hills on the interstate. My speed sometimes droped to 40 to 45 MPH. I did not have trouble with breaking going up hill or down. I recently traded for a Jeep Commander and I have been very happy with it.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by Bill

There is lots of info in this forum about towing with a Cherokee, really starting with RockyMtnRay's stories in 2002 of towing with his Cherokee in the Rockies. After some discouraging attempts, he finally traded it in for a Tundra.

This is basically what we did. We have a Jeep Cherokee that had ~140,000 miles on it at the time we bought the TM, and we were preparing to make the cross-country drive with it to pick the TM up on the east coast and bring it back. Then I had visions of getting stuck in BFE Kansas with a trashed transmission, waiting a week to get a new/rebuilt one ordered and installed. Plus, I felt the tranny would fail at some point during the time we owned the Jeep if we towed the TM, but had confidence it would last if we didn't tow the TM. So that was a tangible $2,000 incentive. Combined with the borderline capability of the Cherokee to begin with, I decided it wasn't worth taking the chance and got a Toyota Sequoia.

The Sequoia has had zero problems towing where we go, and we go in the boonies like others here. However, when we have travelled with 4 adults and related gear in the car, there was a noticeable difference in handling, although I still felt completely comfortable and safe. But I wouldn't push it much beyond that with the Sequoia....probably no more than 6 adults (or the equivalent of other stuff). I do not have to do any weight calculations or be cautious about what we pack because of the TV's limited tow/cargo capability.

I can tell you that the Cherokee will not do well going up the Grapevine, or coming down for that matter. And the Sierras will be a bit challenging - you can go from 2,000 to 8,000 feet in just a few miles of curvy road, and with every foot in elevation gain, you loose HP in your engine.

I also personally like the additional weight and braking power of a full-size SUV to help stop on a dime in the nut-zo traffic we have on the freeways here in LA. People pull right in front of you and hit the brakes, apparently totally ignorant of the fact that you cannot stop nearly as fast as they can.

Notwithstanding all of the above, if I were always towing in the country flatlands of the midwest, I think a Cherokee would be absolutely fine.

To me, camping is about relaxing. If you can't relax while driving because of constant concerns about your TV, or anything else brought upon you by taking the trip, that really deflates the positive impact of the weekend.

Dave

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by sandiegoscubadiver

I now get to go home and explain to my wife why I now need to add buying a replacement vehicle in order to buy the camper... !

Any ideas on how that one will go??? Looking for creative ideas on selling this one...

That's easy. New vehicle = TM = lots of exciting camping adventures = high quality family time = memories you will look fondly upon for the rest of your life.

I can provide consulting services for a low hourly fee.

Dave