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2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee for Towing
- Thread starter catdogcat
- Start date
Chris Bulovsky
New member
I think no one regrets extra power in their tow rig. A ford Explorer with a V-6 is a little under powered for a 22'. This I know for a fact. The V-8 should pull better. Most prefer a full size truck. A full size truck is built for such tasks. Sport utility trucks are for glorified cars that don't do any one thing good.......I'm clearly dissatisfied with the trailering characteristics of an old Explorer.
The saying of A jack of all trades and a master of none would apply to SUVs that are not full size.
The Jeep is probeable the lesser of all evil for that size of SUV for towing
but I think you will be wishing for a truck. I know I am.
How did you ever talk your girlfriend into buying a tow rig anyway? NICE!
She must like you.
Chris
The saying of A jack of all trades and a master of none would apply to SUVs that are not full size.
The Jeep is probeable the lesser of all evil for that size of SUV for towing
but I think you will be wishing for a truck. I know I am.
How did you ever talk your girlfriend into buying a tow rig anyway? NICE!
She must like you.
Chris
catdogcat - I had a 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with the 4 liter in line six, that was indestructible. I towed a flat bed trailer loaded with lumber regularly from Olympia, WA to The Dalles, OR. Loaded the trailer weighed 7,000 lbs.
My Jeep would go where no other four wheel drive vehicle would go. Over 10% of the miles on it was on rough logging roads, so rough I broke the drivers seat twice, wore out three sets of lifetime shocks and tore off so many mufflers, I quit counting. I broke one lower A frame on it. I did change the oil every 7,000 to 10,000 miles and only used DELO 400 in it.
When I sold it for $4,000 in 1991 it had 300,000 miles on it and still ran good and looked good. If Jeep made a pickup with an extended cab, I would buy it in a heart beat. I think the Jeep is the closest thing you can get to a C-Dory in a land vehicle.
My Jeep would go where no other four wheel drive vehicle would go. Over 10% of the miles on it was on rough logging roads, so rough I broke the drivers seat twice, wore out three sets of lifetime shocks and tore off so many mufflers, I quit counting. I broke one lower A frame on it. I did change the oil every 7,000 to 10,000 miles and only used DELO 400 in it.
When I sold it for $4,000 in 1991 it had 300,000 miles on it and still ran good and looked good. If Jeep made a pickup with an extended cab, I would buy it in a heart beat. I think the Jeep is the closest thing you can get to a C-Dory in a land vehicle.
flapbreaker
New member
Don't forget that tow rating is only part of the equation. Axle ratio plays a role too. Alot of trucks and SUV's have different trim levels/option packages. If they have a tow package ususally they have an axle/gear ratio made for towing. This might be why some people are not happy with their tow rig.
Anyway I'm towing with a Ford explorer sport trac. It's tow rating is 5,000 lbs. It does a decent job but if I was thinking of doing tons of towing I would consider a full size pickup. Although the stripped down Ford f-150 with the smallest v-8 is no better so don't be fooled into thinking all full sized pickups would be better than any SUV. The one intersting thing about my sport trac is it's wheel base is really long. Suprisingly it's longer than Fords Expedition even though my SUV is smaller. Long wheelbase helps keep the trailer from steering the boat. Anyway the explorer will do fine if you aren't going to trailer the thing long distances frequently.
Anyway I'm towing with a Ford explorer sport trac. It's tow rating is 5,000 lbs. It does a decent job but if I was thinking of doing tons of towing I would consider a full size pickup. Although the stripped down Ford f-150 with the smallest v-8 is no better so don't be fooled into thinking all full sized pickups would be better than any SUV. The one intersting thing about my sport trac is it's wheel base is really long. Suprisingly it's longer than Fords Expedition even though my SUV is smaller. Long wheelbase helps keep the trailer from steering the boat. Anyway the explorer will do fine if you aren't going to trailer the thing long distances frequently.
We had a '98 Grand Cherokee with the 318 V8 and it towed my 19' Jet sled just fine. The sled is a pig and weighs in around 4000 lbs. The Jeep never had a problem pulling but there were a few times when it didn't want to slow down too much. Mostly due to needing to adjust the brakes on the trailer! My '97 Dodge Dakota Extra Cab with the same engine was a far better tow vehicle though. And my '93 F250 Extra Cab Diesel is hands down the winner of the three!
We had a Grand Cherokee Limited with the V8 a few vehicles ago. It was easily the most "car like" ride of any of the SUVs we've owned, and well constructed. We did tow a 4000+ pound sailboat with it, and it was adequate. The Cherokee has a unibody construction rather than a frame like most SUVs/trucks. When we switched to a Chevy Tahoe, we noticed greatly improved towing manners; more weight, longer wheelbase, just felt more secure with towing. I sure wouldn't give the Jeep a thumbs-down, 'cause it's a great vehicle; though there are other vehicles in that class that tow better. On the bright side, you did say your girlfriend was buying it! :wink:
Best wishes,
Jim B.
Best wishes,
Jim B.