aerocorey Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I've got a '90 LWB MJ and a '94 Xtra cab LWB Toyota Pickup. One of them is gonna become my off-road toy, and the other will be my DD/tow rig for the off road toy. The Yota is already lifted with 33s, and the MJ is at stock ride height. The MJ makes more HP and torque, the 4.0L is more reliable than the Yota 3.0L, it does better on fuel, and the MJ has a 500lb heavier curb weight. I've been reading up, and it looks like if I swap in an automatic, a D44, and some Big-Ton springs the MJ will be rated to tow 5000lbs. I think with a trailer with brakes, a hitch with load and sway control, and some defensive driving I should be able to safely pull the Yota with my MJ. So, my question is...what have you towed with your MJ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpdocdave Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 i'm going to be towing a jeep with my big ton mj. i know some people will say its crazy, but like you said, know what you're driving, it isn't gonna win any races, and keep it in a safe zone, i'll probably just cruise down the hwy around 55 or so. i also added an aux. trans cooler and trans temp gauge. i'd consider this a must, the aw4 gets hot from what i read. i also used 85w140 gear oil in the rear end. edit: i would suggest inspecting the metal brake lines throughout the chassis. if they are even close to questionable, don't tow untill you replace them. having a brake line pop could be pretty bad maxing out a smaller truck like that, mine are all new. same thing with all maintenance, service the transmission, inspect the brakes, make sure the rears are adjusted properly. inspect front end, ball joints, tie rods, stab. links and so on. and drive shaft u joints :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 With that set up, the capacity is 5000 pounds ONLY with trailer brakes and load distributing hitch. I have towed a 4500 (fully loaded) trailer a number of times over short distances (3.5 miles). No trailer brakes and I ran a stop sign on a steep downhill twice. Stock MJ brakes are not enough to be able to stop that. If you are going to do any serious towing with it, get a load distributing hitch, get a brake controller, upgrade the stock brakes with a dual diaphragm booster and don't even think of hooking it up to the bumper. Despite specs, the step bumpers rust from the inside out, and are not safe to tow anything heavier than a wheelbarrow with. Auxiliary tranny cooler in front of the radiator and trans temp gauge would not be a bad idea either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 heaviest thing I towed was an M715 on a skid steer trailer. the back end of the truck was sitting (bottomed out) on the shocks, and the only reason I towed was it was only 15 miles, and the skid steer trailer had a hydraulic brakes controlled by the tongue (you brake, tong depresses hydraulic valves and engages brakes on trailer equal to momentum on truck). would I do it again? nope. I'll flat tow another cherokee, comanche, or lighter...or use my tow dolly. I wouldn't tow any more weight than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpdocdave Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 . I think with a trailer with brakes, a hitch with load and sway control, and some defensive driving I should be able to safely pull the Yota with my MJ. i think he made it clear he's using trailer brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I would upgrade to the dual diaphram booster. And replace all my rubber brake lines. And maybe double piston KJ front brakes (at least I think KJs are the donors). Electric trailer brakes or surge? And if auto, I'd install the biggest trans cooler I could fit, and add a fan to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpnjim Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 When I had my longbed 4.0L 5spd 2wd, on 33's (w/3.07's) & a cap, my neighbor's tranny sh!! the bed in his minivan, while he was at work, about 25 miles from here. I thought my neighbor was going to ride in the van, and work the brakes, but for some reason he was scared to ride back there :dunno: @ almost 300lbs, he sat in the back, under the cap of my MJ :doh: (gf was with me in the MJ's cab) Flat towed the 3500+ minivan (guess), through tons of side streets, clutch abusing the poor 33's & 3.07's equipt MJ. Didn't tow as bad as I thought, but I'd get something with better brakes & a V8 if I was going to do it regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerocorey Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 I'd get something with better brakes & a V8 if I was going to do it regularly. Here lies the trouble. I can't have everything, and I want my Manche. I move alot, so I can't have more vehicles than I can drive and tow myself. If I got a full sized V8 it would be my DD, and I don't need to DD a full sized V8 (unless it's another Grand Wag!) I towed a 17' Bayliner around town with a busted tired SWB '88 when I lived in Utah. I was pretty impressed. I'm hopeful that a tuned up LWB will be up to this challenge. I think if it starts to look line the the MJ isn't up to the challenge I'll trade the Yota for something lighter before I trade the MJ for something heavier. Keep the comments coming. It's about what I expected...upgrade the brakes, use good trailer controls, tranny cooler, etc. Pete, that's a good tip about the KJ brakes. I didn't know they were possible donors, I'll look into that. As for electric vs. surge brakes, why don't you sell me on what you think is best? I'm here to learn... Has everyone seen the pic of the 5th wheel MJ with a camper on it? I figure if that guy can haul a 5th wheel camper... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Surge brakes work better with better tow vehicle brakes. But they are a pain to back up as you have to get out of the vehicle and disable them before you are able to. They also burn up the brakes on down hill slopes. I would say electric brakes all the way, but I have towed electric brakes extensively in my younger days, and they worked awesome when cold, but after 5+ hours of driving not so much. May have been adjusted wrong, who knows. It wasn't my truck or trailer, I was just the driver. After they cooled down they worked great again. Did jack knife on a downhill rounding the tip of Lake Erie in Duluth somewhere on route 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpdocdave Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 i'm with ya man, i will eventually have a ram 2500 diesel tow rig, but its not in the cards now, and even when i get that truck i'm not gonna give up the mj. so i'm gonna see how the ole mj handles it. i have an electric brake controller ready to go in, i'm no trailer brake expert, but it seems surge brakes are more on boat or construction applications i thought. electric brakes are gonna be more common on a light car hauler trailer. thats the other thing, i'm using a trailer around 1200 lbs, that is still long enough to distribute the load. a shorter trailer can limit how you set the tongue weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Having towed plenty of things without trailer brakes, I'd go with electric. Mostly for the ability to apply trailer braking with just a slight tap of the pedal. I would have loved to have had that ability a time or two. It is my intention to get a dolly with E-brakes for hauling my MJs around. (until I get that diesel Excursion at least :D ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanche09 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Pete, that's a good tip about the KJ brakes. I didn't know they were possible donors, I'll look into that. As for electric vs. surge brakes, why don't you sell me on what you think is best? I'm here to learn... Not KJ (they are single piston), you want WJ Calipers (twin piston) with the Akibono calipers (not Teeves). You would have to swap to WJ knuckles to run them and use WJ lower ball joints with MJ/XJ uppers. More info here: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1004721 95-96 XJ Dual diaphram booster/master is the most painless swap, but you can use ZJ or WJ boosters with more mods. With the upgrades/tips mentioned above you should be ok. Just drive smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerocorey Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 i'm with ya man, i will eventually have a ram 2500 diesel tow rig, but its not in the cards now, and even when i get that truck i'm not gonna give up the mj. so i'm gonna see how the ole mj handles it. i have an electric brake controller ready to go in, i'm no trailer brake expert, but it seems surge brakes are more on boat or construction applications i thought. electric brakes are gonna be more common on a light car hauler trailer. thats the other thing, i'm using a trailer around 1200 lbs, that is still long enough to distribute the load. a shorter trailer can limit how you set the tongue weight. Right with you here. I want a big nasty truck, but that's probably 7 years or so out. Eventually the MJ will get towed around with the Yota. Until that day she'll earn her keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Pete, that's a good tip about the KJ brakes. I didn't know they were possible donors, I'll look into that. As for electric vs. surge brakes, why don't you sell me on what you think is best? I'm here to learn... Not KJ (they are single piston), you want WJ Calipers (twin piston) with the Akibono calipers (not Teeves). You would have to swap to WJ knuckles to run them and use WJ lower ball joints with MJ/XJ uppers. More info here: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1004721 95-96 XJ Dual diaphram booster/master is the most painless swap, but you can use ZJ or WJ boosters with more mods. With the upgrades/tips mentioned above you should be ok. Just drive smart. I was probably thinking that the KJs were also dual piston since they require 16" rims. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanche09 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I was probably thinking that the KJs were also dual piston since they require 16" rims. I know they are single piston because my KK's are and they require 16" rims to clear the rear disk brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 KJs require 16s to clear the fronts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanche09 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 KJs require 16s to clear the fronts. LOL, ok... the rears too and its because of the rotor size with respect to the caliper not clearing... :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 all i know is the KJs. it's the front caliper body touches the inside of most 15 inch rims. Clearance can be made with some grinding on the caliper body. The "soft 8" rims are said to clear with no grinding. (or you can use pads that are 80% worn as I discovered). On KJs at least. I've never had any problems with the KJ rear disks clearing (they are smaller than the front). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comanche09 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 On KJs at least. I've never had any problems with the KJ rear disks clearing (they are smaller than the front). Thanks Pete, that's good to know. KJ rear brake swap would allow use of OEM 15" wheels. I've read that people that do the popular ZJ rear disk swap have to use to 16" wheels, a big reason holding me back from upgrading to disks. Guess the brakes got bigger on KK's as my 15" oem MJ wheels definately won't clear front or rear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akamcbird Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 :dunce: :nuts: :brows: :no: ...was comanche on comanche on comanche technology towed this bout an hour to get it into town, was ok at hwy speed but you could feel the cross wind. (i reallly reallllly wanted the d44 that it came with,all or nothing deal) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerocorey Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 As long as you towed it with your Manche it qualifies. :cheers: And I'm assuming the 44 is either in your trailer or in the bed of that truck since the cab is up in the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akamcbird Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 i pulled the 44 while the guy went to get the loader and tossed it in the bed of my truck. he pulled everything but the axle and after seeing the truck i woulda left it, if i didnt know what i was looking at. to be fair he told me it would probably sit on the trailer better if i pulled it. and yes towed with my '90 eliminator lucky for me there was a charity run down the side of the hwy that kept the coppers busy or ida proly got stopped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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