Will it pull?

[wakeflip]

Im looking for a new tow vehicle to pull me 04 xlv. Ive always loved the wranglers and can only imagine heading to the lake with the top and doors off on a nice summer day. If I find a 4x4 6cyl wrangler with a 5 speed trans, prob around 95-99, think it will be enough to pull it or is my boat too big?

[KG's Supra24]

dangerous .... And probably needs to be downhill both ways

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[newty]

I wouldn't even consider it.

[kaneboats]

Get an old Tahoe or an Expedition. They are going cheap right now with the gas prices steadily rising. Just looked for a Hyundai Elantra for the wife cuz she drives so much and they can't keep 'em in stock. Chevy dealer told me his #1 seller right now is the Cruze. Amazing what a buck or so higher gas does to the car market. I might try to trade up a few years in Suburbans just because.

[wolfeman131]

If you go this route, please call me prior to getting on the road so that I can get myself, my wife & children to a safe location.

Go old school & find an 70's era, full-size Chevy Blazer and cut the roof off! Like this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Blazer-/220975360354

[rdlangston13]

i wouldnt pull a pop up with wrangler much less a boat

[Boonejeepin]

The Wrangler's brakes are barely acceptable to stop itself. I think the XLV would steer the Wrangler.

[sandm]

From this:
http://cdn.wranglerforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16695&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1268270194

to this in less than a block :)
http://cdn.wranglerforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20349&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1276522877

[ryan_8099]

From this:
http://cdn.wranglerforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16695&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1268270194

to this in less than a block :)
http://cdn.wranglerforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=20349&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1276522877

Looks like it got a paint job within that 1 block too! ;)

[chawk610]

Another tube causes an accident... a story as old as time itself!

[KSmith]

Wranglers are only rated about 3500 pounds. Don't do it. I have a 2011 Wraingler Unlimited blue, and as cool as it would look with my boat behind it it just ain't worth the risk.

I put a front receiver hitch on my Wrangler recently to (in theory) allow be to move the boat around better on my driveway/parking pad/garage but that is as far as it will go hooked to the jeep. I haven't actually tried it yet as I havene't gotten the new parking pad project done yet, but within two weeks I'll have the contactor out here working on it :-)

[newty]

Another tube causes an accident... a story as old as time itself!

:DI was thinking the same thing!!! lmao

[DOCDRS]

Sandm. That's a beautiful pic. See how the boat is sitting perfect on the trailor via the stern straps. Safety first. I wonder if the driver had his seat belt on. Anyways , if the boat and trailor weight are less than the max allowed I wouldn't hesitate to pull it. Properly working trailor brakes will stop the trailor. Panic will cause a roll over regardless of a trailor. I have seen many more trucks and suburbans in unimaginable positions without trailors than with. Speed and lack of common sense are the major mitigating factors in accidents.

[sandm]

Looks like it got a paint job within that 1 block too! ;)

it's amazing how quick maaco can paint a car :)

[sandm]

See how the boat is sitting perfect on the trailor via the stern straps. if the boat and trailor weight are less than the max allowed I wouldn't hesitate to pull it.

doc, the best solution if you are over the max capacity of the tow rig is to remove part of the weight..
http://failwebsite.com/upload/488-1630/inappropriate-boat-trailer.jpg

[moombadaze]

Dont do it, Jeep's of that year had a whopping 1,000lb tow rating I beleive. Get a older blazer with the removable roof


red Jeep was even pulling a smaller, lighter boat than the white Jeep.

[wakeflip]

Properly working trailor brakes will stop the trailor.
That's something I didn't even think about. My worry was the boat being so heavy that it steer the back of the jeep. But if I have proper working trailer brakes I shouldn't have to really worry about that should I?

[KG's Supra24]

I know allot of the threads say diesel diesel diesel and its overkill, however, I don't feel it went that way. even in the same post you quoted it mentioned tow rating, which isn't up to snuff.

Id be surprised if it would even pull on the highway honestly not to mention how hard you would be working it.

I have pulled 4 Wheelers with a Wrangler and it was obvious they were back there.

They are simply weak, this is coming from someone that has had two and we are looking at getting an unlimited for my wife. My biggest holdup with her is its ability to get up to speed quickly with over size tires, let alone a trailer.

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[DOCDRS]

doc, the best solution if you are over the max capacity of the tow rig is to remove part of the weight..http://failwebsite.com/upload/488-1630/inappropriate-boat-trailer.jpgLove the pic and the creative imagination but missing what has been removed? I will note he needs new rear springs tho.

[DOCDRS]

Blah blah blah. As long as you are under the max tow rating of the vehicle and your trailer is up to snuff and you know its working and you have some common sense you will be fine. If your vehicle is not rated for the load you are trilering and you get in an accident then you may not be covered by insurance. The key is to have the owners manual to your vehicle and know exactly what it is rated for. Just because Jimmy redneck says you have to have a diesel with a gun rack to tow your boat cause it has a rating of 10000 lbs and sucks gas better than a 1000 a night escort means squat. Oops was that my outside voice. The engineers at the auto companies put limits on vehicles for a reason not because of Jimmy. Research and then use common sense when towing. Then ask yourself if the ramp is steep and wet will these tires pull my pride n joy up this slippery slope.

[Hoopskier]

Here are the numbers, Boat number are from the archive here, Jeep number are from the brand new wrangler. Check owners manual of your tow vehicle of interest.

Boat: 4,100 lbs
Boat and Trailer: 5,200 lbs

2012 Wranger Tow capacity (max.)

2 door: 2,000 lbs
4 door: 3,500 lbs

Would I do it? No, but to each their own.

[maxpower220]

I owned a 1998 Wrangler that had towing duties for my boat. I only had to go down the street to the ramp and did not tow it anywhere else. If that is all you have, it can be done. You will be over your towing limit, your trailer MUST have brakes, and you should not tow more than a few miles. Perhaps one of the newer 4 door models may work better, but not a Wrangler on that time period.

I had a difficult time (then) even finding a receiver hitch in 2".

[rdlangston13]

dont have much experience with jeeps but i did tow my LSV a couple times with my 3.0l ranger, once was damn near across houston. I think the ranger was rated at like 2,500 lbs or something and would NOT get up to speed on the high way unless you just stood in WFO and ran it at like 5,000 rpm. as far as pulling it out of the water i never had a problem but it was probably very very unsafe and i would never dream of driving in a hilly area at anything over 30 mph.

i know the OP asked about a jeep but i think the jeep and ranger probably have similar towing characteristics. the longer wheel base of the ranger might lend it a small advantage

[KG's Supra24]

Doc, it has nothing too do with Jimmy redneck and noone said he needed a diesel.

It has everything to do with tow ratings. The boat is possibly double what the vehicle is rated for.

I think you are providing false hope in this case.

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[jpetty3023]

Such an active topic we have going. I wouldn't be going very active with a jeep pulling the XLV. I think the towing numbers here don't lie and no reason to chance it. I know I would personally lose my mind if my family was hit by a vehicle towing outside of its rated tow capacity. You set yourself up for huge liabilities here. Better to err on the side of caution, not for jeeps or boats sake, but for families sake

[wakeflip]

To be honest, I just didn't even think to check the towing capacity of the wranglers before I made this post. Just thought it would be interesting to hear opinions. So my conclusion is, if it was local, I would probably go for it. But it's not. It's an hour of interstate driving to get to my lake house. And when I think about it, if somebody where to swerve beside me and cause me to swerve hard enough at high interstate speeds, a boat that exceeds the tow capacity by double would swing hard enough to jerk the rear end on the jeep and steer me into a disaster. Not worth the risk. I'll just keep looking. I like the expeditions like people stated before, but I don't like the 11mpg they get under normal driving. A friend of mine let me use his to pull my outback v. It was nice, but the gas mileage was terrible.

[wakeflip]

And before any ideas start getting thrown out for a tow vehicle, I want to keep it $5k and under.

[BensonWdby]

I used my Grand Caravan with the bigger V6 in it to tow my runabout for years. It was rated for 3500 lbs. Then tried to tow my 99 Mobius - burned up the transmission in 1 year.

I would never use and under-rated tow vehicle to tow.

It is not just about if it is possible to pull. You need to be able to stop. It would be a bummer if the boat pushed you (or maybe your wife) through a stop sign and got someone killed. Or maybe you could not stop as fast as you thought and ran over a kid in the neighborhood. Not worth the risk.

[jsly04XLV]

I've been pulling my XLV with my Tacoma but something with a little longer wheel base would be preferred. Towing capacity has more to do with brakes than engine power... doesn't matter if you can pull it if you have to prey that you can stop it.

[kaneboats]

Get a Crown Vic and put some air shocks on it. Nice and heavy, V-8, decent hwy mileage. Cheap!

[sandm]

I got told in January that when my 85 year old grandmother quits driving, I'm going to get her one owner '84 crown vic. got 110k on the clock and fully loaded.

it's a beast, but man oh man does it cruise like a lazy boy on the freeway :) and those leather seats are just getting soft..

[DOCDRS]

I like these tow threads. KG no false hope, I've been saying all along its about vehicle tow ratings. The auto engineers get paid to define these specs. Then its common sense as to the consumer and how they use the vehicle. If its rated you can tow. But also that being said if its a 95-99 I hope you have the brake lines and system inspected as they can rust out and fail over time. I have no idea what the rating is on a 95 wrangler but I do know he needs at least 5000 lb and prob closer to 6500 for an xlv or anything bigger than an Outback. My dealer tows his boats with a 1975 8 hp lawn tractor but that is just around his yard. :).

[DOCDRS]

The CV's had a 5000 lb rating till 1998 when they changed the suspension to improve ride but compromised towing down to 2000 lbs. .02