towing a cherokee

[kymtnman]

hey all. planning to get a full size cherokee soon. my truck is a 1/2 ton 2wd chevy & i dont think its enough truck to tow a big cherokee on my trailer which doesnt have brakes on it. i called u-haul about a tow dolly and they would not rent me one,they said for a vehicle that size they would only rent a tow bar..so. my question is what is the correct way to flat tow a viehicle that has a auto trans & quadtrack... thanks in advance

[FSJ Guy]

A QT should have the front AND rear driveshafts removed to flat tow.

If you tell them it's an XJ Cherokee, you'll get your trailer. However, I would not recommend lying to them.

[fulsizjeep]

If you flat or dolly tow a QuadraTrac Jeep, it is best to drop the drive shafts for the axle(s) that has tires on the ground. On short flat tows, I have just put the QT (requires low range unit) and tranny in Neutral.

[blazer3664]

I wont swear to it, but I dont think flat towing is recommended for a QT equipped Jeep. Depending on how far, I would pull both drive shafts. Then the only thing spinning is the axles, which wont hurt anything.

Jim

Yea, fulsizjeep beat me to it, so......... what he said.

[fulsizjeep]

Yeah it is an XJ right? Right?

This XJ fit on a Uhaul just right...

[babywag]

Originally Posted by kymtnman

hey all. planning to get a full size cherokee soon. my truck is a 1/2 ton 2wd chevy & i dont think its enough truck to tow a big cherokee on my trailer which doesnt have brakes on it.

My .02

Towing isn't the issue, BRAKING is the issue, as well as safety (yourself and others sharing the road).

I've towed an SJ with a 3.0 v6 2wd ranger, towing it was no problem.
Stopping when idiots on the freeway cut you off, well that's another story.
I've used u-haul trailers, and dollies. The trailer is better.

Use a bigger truck, or a trailer with brakes if you're worried.

Last time I drug one home I borrowed a 3/4 ton truck and it was sooooo much better!!!!

[seventynine]

My '79 owner's manual states that you can tow a QT with a four wheels on the ground if you have a low range unit as Flint mentioned.

It says to make sure it was not in E-drive when it was shut off and to leave the tranny in Park with the Low Range lever in Neutral. Turn the ignition key to the "off postion" to unlock the steering wheel. There is no mention of towing it only limted distances.

Flat towning can get a little hairy though....expecially because of the lack of any kind of breaking on the towed vehicle. I had flat towed one of my CJs a few times with my Grand Cherokee and it jackknifed me a couple of times making sharp turns. Luckily I wasn't going too fast. I bought a trailer pretty soon after that.

Dean

[MischiefMan]

So Flint, how safe was that towing set up you've got there?

[flatbackdragon]

ANY two axle trailer for hauling autos are required to have brakes anyways, so your towing vehicle will have to have a brake controller of some kind.
yeah, your "XJ" (like Flints) will fit on their trailers and on their dollys.
as far as their dollys go, it will fit but as they articulate thru turns, the tires on your jeep may damage the plastic fenders as their tires move around on turns so the fenders do too, and depending on the size of tires on your jeep, the hold downs may not be long enough or fit around the tires as they should.

[imiceman44]

Originally Posted by seventynine

My '79 owner's manual states that you can tow a QT with a four wheels on the ground if you have a low range unit as Flint mentioned.

It says to make sure it was not in E-drive when it was shut off and to leave the tranny in Park with the Low Range lever in Neutral. Turn the ignition key to the "off postion" to unlock the steering wheel. There is no mention of towing it only limted distances.

Flat towning can get a little hairy though....expecially because of the lack of any kind of breaking on the towed vehicle. I had flat towed one of my CJs a few times with my Grand Cherokee and it jackknifed me a couple of times making sharp turns. Luckily I wasn't going too fast. I bought a trailer pretty soon after that.

Dean

I flat towed for years, I always put my QT and tranny in neutral, towed it with a K5 blazer, it was a tad heavier but I also drove 55MPH on highways and less on streets, breaking was adequate and even when people cut me off it wasn't too close, but I have eyes in the back of my heads as well as above my ears
Obviously a trailer is always safer and easier but for me it would also have added another 2200 lbs of weight to tow.

[CJ the noisemaker]

Originally Posted by FSJ Guy

A QT should have the front AND rear driveshafts removed to flat tow.

If you tell them it's an XJ Cherokee, you'll get your trailer. However, I would not recommend lying to them.

Yeah, an SJ is too manly to be an XJ

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by kymtnman

hey all. planning to get a full size cherokee soon. my truck is a 1/2 ton 2wd chevy & i dont think its enough truck to tow a big cherokee on my trailer which doesnt have brakes on it. i called u-haul about a tow dolly and they would not rent me one,they said for a vehicle that size they would only rent a tow bar..so. my question is what is the correct way to flat tow a viehicle that has a auto trans & quadtrack... thanks in advance

Where are you located at/
Where is the Chero?
I have both the truck and the trailer. My time can be bought cheap on weekends.

[Jeepstress]

Originally Posted by MischiefMan

So Flint, how safe was that towing set up you've got there?

It was my haul and it handled just fine - on flat and uphill. Coming down the 10,000 foot passes was a little hairy. Slow and steady, baby. Slow and steady! Truthfully - I wouldn't do that haul again with the mountain passes we have. The wag pulled just fine, but that is a lot of weight on the trailer for long steep descents. But I wouldn't hesitate to do it at lower elevations or reasonably level roads.

[jeepskater433]

The real question is how far are you going? if youre staying within 20-30 mile range I dont see a problem using a trailer and your truck, just tell uhual its a xj or a zj always worked for me and I actually used a tow dolly once and my 4.6l f150 to tow a wagoneer and it was fine, and braking wasnt too bad either, other than that ive used a full size trailer and the same truck to tow many other fsjs, just know your limits, dont speed or anything, and make sure you have enough distance for braking, as long as you do that you should be fine. Now if your going out of town to get it then thats a different story, I would do what babywag suggested and try to find a bigger truck.

[Kooldaddy01]

I've been thinking about flat-towing my Cherokee with a 3/4 ton conversion van. I drive tractor-trailer so I'm used to swinging wide around turns. How well do the front tires turn around corners? Does it track pretty straight on the highway at 55 or wiggle around a lot?

[kymtnman]

thanks everyone for the input,, ill be on good roads mostly three lane, some hills nothing too bad about 90 miles total.