TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Technical Discussions > Towing and Hitching
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-13-2007, 11:53 PM   #1
ShrimpBurrito
Site Sponsor
 
ShrimpBurrito's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Sunny Beaches of Los Angeles
Posts: 3,233
Default How did you configure your Jeep Cherokee to tow your TM?

Howdy folks -

I just purchased a 2000 2720SL, and have a Jeep Cherokee (with a 4.0L) that I am hoping to tow it with. Given the various discussions on this board about towing this vehicle, I wanted to pick the brains of those who have forged the trail before me! How did you set yours up?

1) Which WDH? 750/7500? Any specific brand? Trunnion or round?

2) Which mirrors? The McKesh seem to be favored here, but do they work well on your Cherokee?

3) The Prodigy or Odyssey brake controller? The Odyssey has more mounting options, and given the tight space in the foot well, that might be better. Where on earth did you find space to mount it?

4) I haven't found a wiring harness to plug into the Cherokee, have you? I'm guessing I am going to have to wire it myself.

5) Did you install any upgrades on your Cherokee to make it more tow worthy? Beefier battery? Higher amperage alternator? Lower gear axle? Any suspension modifications (like spring inserts)? Bigger radiator? I already have an OEM auxillary tranny cooler, but what about an auxillary engine oil cooler?

I'm in Southern California, but will be making a cross country drive to the northeast this summer, and am willing to avoid the Rockies if necessary.

Thanks for your input!

Dave
ShrimpBurrito is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2007, 12:23 PM   #2
DaveRobson
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Dave,

My brother and I bought a 3023 this past April. He and I have a Cherokees, although I now use the wife's Liberty for towing. We got our WDH from the stealership. I would not get a round tube hitch. A number of folks have had issues of them winding up like a torsion bar spring. They also rely completely on the welds to keep from rotating, where the conventional square tube hitch has the additional reinforcement of the shape of the mount. Our bars are 800 lb, and they seem to be adequate.

For mirrors, I picked up a set of CIPA universal mirrors, and they work quite well. One thing if you get them: you have to fold, maybe 1/4 inch or less, the strap going to the top of the mirror. If you do this, it's quiet and peaceful at speed. Otherwise, it sounds like a giant mosquito outside your door. We found this out by accident when one mirror was noisy and the other wasn't, and I found the twist in the strap.

I have a Prodigy, and I love it. It is mounted to the right of the steering column on the lower dash in my Cherokee. Perfect position for emergency use, and out of the way otherwise.

I took mine in to a shop to have the wiring done. If you can find a factory wiring harness in a wrecking yard, that's the way to go, it just plugs right in. I wasn't able to find one, so the shop put in all of the required connections. Luckily, the Cherokees are wired for a brake controller already, regardless of whether they had a factory tow package or not. Look under your dash for a blue wire labeled "electric brake" with no connector on it.

I haven't upgraded anything on my Cherokee. It has a manual transmission, so auxiliary coolers aren't an issue. I don't believe you would need an additional engine oil cooler. The automatics have a 3.55 final drive already, so that should be fine. The manuals came with a 3.07, which is a little tall for towing. The only thing that was required was to change the rear end oil out for synthetic. We used Royal Purple, and it already has the limited slip modifier in it. As long as your Cherokee has A/C, I believe you have all of the fan upgrades, so you should be fine. Enjoy your trip.

Dave
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2007, 12:07 AM   #3
ShrimpBurrito
Site Sponsor
 
ShrimpBurrito's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Sunny Beaches of Los Angeles
Posts: 3,233
Default

Hi Dave,

Thanks very much for the very informative write-up! Greatly appreciated!

Dave
ShrimpBurrito is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:21 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.