What's the heaviest your NT Waggy/Cher's w/ 4" lift towed & convince me this was safe

[SeanKHotay]

OK, Class III+ luggers....What's the heaviest you've towed w/ your 4" lifted GW or NT Cherokee?

Now convince me this was safe. Pics would be greatly appreciated. Hint: I'd like to see a level tow vehicle. Functional trailer e-brakes and robust drivetrain are a given.

Tell me what equipment you used (open deck/enclosed trailer, drop tongue of x", load levelers w/ leveler bar rating, etc) and what you were towing.

TIA!

(Why? I'd like some lift (31" tires) but would like a 7K lb tow capability w/ enclosed trailer, vehicle inside, 1K lb load leveler bars, minimal drop tongue...*need* is 6K# for sure...and I've nearly given up trying to find a 2" lift)

[Wagoncrzy]

Bj's sells a 2.5" lift....I tow alot but my GW is down until I finish new motor.

[mark j]

I towed my '77 wagoneer about 270 miles behind my '72 with a dolly. Probably 6,500 lbs with the weight of the dolly, jeep, and stuff I had loaded in the back of the '77. This was with the 360/T400/D20/3.07's. It towed reasonably well- pulled straight, braking was barely acceptable. This included 4 decent ascents along the way. By the way- the '72 was running on the axles from the '77 (which had the '72 axles). This gave me disc brakes up from. I did miss the 3.73's that were on the '72 though. In the past I had towed a 3,750 lb car with a tow dolly and the 3.73's. This was a good match between weight and gears- I could easily pass even on grades. The drum brakes were the only failing point with this trip. I think a wagoneer can safely tow 4,500 lbs with stock brakes and no more than 3.31's and 31 inch tires. Any more weight, taller tires, or taller gears and you are asking for trouble on anything but flat ground or for short distances.

[fulsizjeep]

You are making good choice on the load levelers and sure make a difference in managing the load. We pulled a Wag behind a Wag on a Uhaul trailer about 150 miles over 10000 ft. passes. The tow Wag has SOA and no sway bar on front with AAL and block in the back for about 6" of lift with 31s. The hitch was a 4" drop. We had to take it real easy coming down the mountains but rode very well otherwise.

[SeanKHotay]

Thanks for the feedback, folks! A few questions:

WagCrazy: Yep, am aware of the BJ's set up. How's the ride around town? I've heard varying reports. Not so w/ a Skyjacker (all good so far). Also, I can get a Skyjacker 4" locally (Z&M's) for the price of BJ's kit shipped -and- have local support helping me for whatever reason...Left Coast-to-North Coast heavy shipping thing. I'll still go to BJ's for other stuff...

MarkJ: Yep, disks are an advantage and, if disks up front only, load levelers are a must, IMHO. Need to get the best possible weight distribution (even) to take full advantage of the disks and road friction.

I won't do a dolly again except for really short trips. I got real good catching fishtails dragging a GW from VA to MI...with two really scary moments.

Flint: Wow, impressive! Any issues braking or turning? What's an AAL anyways? I should've asked or searched before this...


Thanks again! Would love to see more the examples! Keep'em coming!

[janie]

What's an AAL anyways?

Add a leaf.

Sean, we've only had to tow our rigs short distances, so I'm not gonna be much help to ya. Hopefully Lindel will see this. I know he hauled a Wag from AR to TX and recently towed his GE from OKC back home.

[funhog]

GaWag tows his trail wag with his street wag on a pretty regular basis. He is at ECI but can probably give you some info when he gets back.

Don

[Serious Johnson]

Well, the most I've towed was probably a bit over 10,000 lb., but that was just a two-mile lumber run, and no, it was not at all safe. I've made 8 or 10 Carolina-Colorado towing trips with up to about 7,500 lb of enclosed 16' trailer.

'83 Wag, 360 (maybe 250-275 HP), T-18a, 208, D-44 & 20, 3.73s, 33s, 4" BDS springs, Rancho 9000 adjustables (really nice for this sort of work), Some old Ez-Lift w/d hitch & friction sway that came with my Airstream w/modified head for enough drop.

If I were building the Jeep again, I'd go the distance and use axles heavier than the AMC-20 & D-44. Even with the w/d hitch, I feel like I'm getting closer than I'd like to the axle's load capacity -- at least for long-term durability. Bigger brakes would also be very nice. And I'd use something other than the T-18a. As much as I like it, the ratio spread is such that I'm really revving the bejeezus out of the motor (6,500 RPM, according to datalogs) on long, steep grades with a big load.

On one of those 7,500 lb pulls, My Dear Wife following in her RX-8 said that we were running well over 100 MPH for a few miles there. Hey, I never claimed to be smart!

S.J.

[fulsizjeep]

The brakes were warmed up a bit on the downhill runs, but we would usually drop to second gear after cresting the pass. Engine compression saves on brakes. I have seen trucks hauling tandem axel trailers pass us smoking the brakes coming off Wolf Creek Pass and that looks scary.

This is 2 tons of hay on a 1700lb trailer. Not a bad haul for 20 miles or so at 50. Forget about adequate steering control of the front end on snow though...

[BenE]

What is a load leveling hitch?
I have the factory jobbies on my ?88 (the one that goes from frame rail to rail around the spare tire. It has what look like overload ?add a leaf? springs, and I added air shocks in the rear.

[SeanKHotay]

What is a load leveling hitch? <snip>

Also called a weight distributing hitch, it's a device that puts upwards pressure on the hitch-tongue connection. See an example here: Weight Distributing hitch

The clamps on the right hook on the A-frame of the trailer and the bars hanging from the chain do the actual work. The tongue at the right replaces the generic tongue normally used in the 2x2 receiver.

And, oh duh, AAL - Add A Leaf....should've figured that out. Thanks, Janie!

SJ, yeah, I've the RS9000X adjustables w/ the remote in-cab adjustment newly installed. Playing w/ it now, haven't tried towing anything yet.

I've a new engine & trans (shift kit, higher tension springs, etc) that should do the job but, yeah, I'm leery of the axles track & wheel base...

"d hitch" = Distributing Hitch, yes? I don't have friction anti-sway yet but keeping my eyes open...

Oh, and I've a picture that can *only* be the buliding you hauled down the hill ...if only I can get it pulled out of a PPS file...

[SeanKHotay]

<Bump>

Still not convinced. C'mon, I know we know how to do this...

[Fiodh. Argus]

this is sort of OT, but if you want to get a photo out of a Powerpoint show, display it and then hit the "print screen" button. it should copy a desktop screen capture to the clipboard and then you can paste it into an imaging program and save out a copy.

I am enjoying this thread

[Wagoncrzy]

Your right about the shipping for Bj's...I agree... Skyjacker was outa my price range at the time. As for the other questions...heavy load use.... a load distibution hitch...I agree ...spensive... and when the time arrives and I can afford 1 I'll buy too....Lastly I use a Teconsha brake controller...the only brake controller I would ever use.

[SeanKHotay]

OK, I have all that good stuff, all but an anti-sway/fishtail device...

...what my point is (and I do have one) is canvass the group for safe set-ups towing 5K lbs+ w/ a 4" lift.

My concern centers (a pun) around the vehicle's center of gravity v. the point loading of a heavy trailer load.

My thinking is this: W/ a 4" lift, that trailer's point load (the ball) WRT the vehicle's CG is that much lower than stock. Despite even weight distribution w/ all the right equipment driving down the road, in a braking or especially turning movement this is momentarily knocked out of whack, tending to a) raise and unweight the front end and 2) push the rear end around.

Am I crazy to be concerned about this? Don't worry, you can tell me...it wouldn't be the first time.