mj payload & towing capability?

[wannabeMJ]

if My YJ is rated at 1400lbs could that mean i could pull my YJ on a flatbed with the MJ or would that be to much??

[WahooSteeler]

if My YJ is rated at 1400lbs could that mean i could pull my YJ on a flatbed with the MJ or would that be to much??

 

:hmm: Your YJ is rated to tow 1400lbs I'm assuming, but it weighs a lot more than 1400lbs. So to your question, if you had the "properly equipped" MJ capable of towing 5k lbs, you could pull it if the YJ and the flatbed don't weigh more than 5k lbs combined.

[kyleag89]

You guys think my 89 4.0 Aw4 can tow the XJ shell I have? There is no motor or trans in it.. I can get more money for scrap if I rent a dolly and tow it there rather than them picking it up.

[Automan2164]

Yep. No problem... I would suggest an auxiliary trans cooler and temp gauge for any extended hauling trips though... Heat is the AW4's worst enemy, and it likes to get hot while towing.

 

Rob L.

[kyleag89]

I better not try it.. lol I bought the cherokee for the AW4 because mine blew..

[Automan2164]

How far you have to go?

 

Rob L.

[kyleag89]

About 15 miles 10 of which are highway.

[Automan2164]

Take 'er easy, keep it out of OD, and you'll be ok.

 

Rob L.

[johnj92131]

You guys think my 89 4.0 Aw4 can tow the XJ shell I have? There is no motor or trans in it.. I can get more money for scrap if I rent a dolly and tow it there rather than them picking it up.

 

Real question is how far are you going to drag/tow it? What kind of brakes do you have on the drag/tow vehicle? What geography and traffic are you towing in.

 

I wrecked a trailer and tow vehicle on an 8 mile trip along flat, lightly traveled weekend San Diego Freeways about 12 years ago. So I am now MUCH more conservative. Problem was I did not have the trailer properly loaded, it was @$$ heavy and the tail wagged the dog in a very gentle merge situation. Nobody hurt at all, just $10K damage to my truck and trailer. Cheap at twice he price.

 

Yes, full electric brakes, sway control and class 3 hitch.

 

My suggestion, keep it slow, allow lots of distance to stop. See how it works. You should be OK for a few miles.

 

JJ

[kyleag89]

I got a guy from the local paper to give me $100 for it picked up.. I would only get $154 from scrap, so I figured I would do that. I would have to rent a dolly for $30 and then another $10 for gas.. I'm loosing $14... but knowing my trans and truck will be safe= priceless :thumbsup:

[AMC-MJ]

My little 2.5 I-4 / 4spd / 3.73s tows nicely . . . ATV's riding Mower's ECT . . . I can't wait for the repower tho !

 

I bet the 290 V-8 / 5spd / 4.10s will tow better :cheers:

 

engine is bought, offer made on AX-15 trans . . . still looking for the AMC-20 rear end :eek:

 

 

Mike

[Root Moose]

So who has actually towed a 5k lb load?

 

I ask because I want to equip my MJ with a flip pack camper and proper towing setup to tow my S2000 track car with a trailer and be able to camp out of the back of the truck for the weekend.

 

But if it is marginally safe feeling on the highway I'd rather not buy a weight distributing hitch and sway control and then not use it.

 

My Jeep is a SWB 4x4, 4.0/AW4. I'm not worried about brakes on the Jeep as it's soon going to get WJ brakes and rear disks to match my XJ. Being pessimistic I'm going to say that the total trailer load will be 2800+1500+300 = 4600 lbs. It'll likely be lighter.

 

Anyone done it?

[Root Moose]

Maybe I missed it, what is the max payload for the SWB? Do I subtract my tongue weight from the payload when figuring how much I can load the bed with?

 

Assuming 10% tongue from a 5000 lb trailer then tongue is 500 lbs. Do I subtract 500 from the payload to get what I can load the bed with?

 

TIA

[AMC-MJ]

What dose a 1995 GMC K2500 Diesel weight ? i towed that 45 miles just fine with my 4banger 4spd . . .

 

SWB/LWB = 1475lbs in bed 2.5 = 2,000lb's behind 2.8 = 4,200lbs behind and 4.0 = 5,000lbs behind.

 

Only difference was the Metric ton which carried 2209LB's in bed towed load stayed the same . . .

 

Mike

[Root Moose]

What dose a 1995 GMC K2500 Diesel weight ? i towed that 45 miles just fine with my 4banger 4spd . . .

 

Mike

 

A K2500 is likely ~6000+ lbs. Did you flat tow it?

[AMC-MJ]

I tossed on the car trailer and off i went, tho i did crank the trailer brake gain all the way up . . . it got doggy on the hills but pulled the flat land decent . . .I Love them 3.73's can't wait for the AMC-V8 and 4.10's :cheers:

 

 

Mike

[Root Moose]

I tossed on the car trailer and off i went, tho i did crank the trailer brake gain all the way up . . . it got doggy on the hills but pulled the flat land decent . . .

 

 

Mike

 

Trailer big enough for a K2500 is likely over 2000lbs itself. LOL You're a wild man. At least no one was killed. :D

[AMC-MJ]

All my truck's tow 3x there weight ;)

 

I don't think the 2.5 is as weak as most claim . . .

 

Mike

[Pete M]

Maybe I missed it, what is the max payload for the SWB? Do I subtract my tongue weight from the payload when figuring how much I cna load the bed with?

 

Assuming 10% tongue from a 5000 lb trailer then tongue is 500 lbs. Do I subtract 500 from the payload to get what I can load the bed with?

 

TIA

 

 

max payload for any MJ except the Metric Tons was roughly 1500 lbs. that's the maximum your front and rear springs can hold up, so adding 500 on to the bumper (as far from your front springs as you can get) would drastically reduce the amount you can carry. A weight-distributing hitch will help out immensely if you plan to tow the maximum (which i wouldn't even attempt without an all new braking system). :thumbsup:

[AMC-MJ]

my brakes are all new ;)

 

:cheers: I still didn't exceed 45mph but it handled just fine to me not some thing i would with it every day tho . . . twice in a life time sure :cheers:

 

I wanted to see if it could be done so i did it truck with stood it i'm happy :bowdown:

 

2.5 / AX-4 / 3.73s

 

Mike

[Root Moose]

Yeah, I can see the logic to that. I guess if I use 1000 lbs as the max payload when towing (lower by 500 lbs, then factor in the 500 lb tongue load and 500 lbs of gear in the bed) that will work well enough.

 

I'm not certain how heavy the flip pack will be. I'm going to guess ~300-350 lbs and that leaves ~150-200 for camping type equipment. That's a lot of camping gear so it'll work I think. And like I said initially, the weight of the trailer will be under 4600 so that buys a little bit more payload.

 

I once flat towed a IH Scout II with a LWB Suzuki SJ-413 (Samurai). It wasn't pretty. It was so bad in fact that I stuck to the shoulder of the road and stayed under ~20km/h. It was a good thing I only needed to go about five miles. Every time I turned the steering wheel the set up wanted to jack knife. It was a very long five miles.

 

I really don't want to end up in a situation where I feel like the Samurai towing the Scout. That said, I'd really much rather use the MJ for the coolness factor than buying yet another special purpose vehicle (full size PU).

[Pete M]

I still think that with that much weight, a weight-distributing hitch should be on the short list (and don't forget an auxiliary trans cooler if you don't have one already).

 

 

don't forget to include people in the total weight. :D the GCWR means everything that didn't roll off the assembly line.

[Root Moose]

I still think that with that much weight, a weight-distributing hitch should be on the short list (and don't forget an auxiliary trans cooler if you don't have one already).

 

 

don't forget to include people in the total weight. :D the GCWR means everything that didn't roll off the assembly line.

 

Oh for certain, I'd be using a weight distributing hitch and sway control. I'm not sure how that's going to work on a 5" lifted MJ though. :)

 

Good point on the passenger weights, forgot about that. I can get the total trailer tongue weight down to 4300 lbs I think but that means no tools, spares or rain tires/wheels for the car. That could be tough.

 

It must be able to be fudged a bit. I mean, I've added about 500 lbs easily to my XJ in armour, bumpers, etc, etc. but I'd still go by the gross weight on the door placard.

 

Thinking about it - if the Jeep is not sitting nose high or whatever then a little extra weight shouldn't be a big deal. The weight can help control the trailer load better. And larger aftermarket springs, brakes, etc., etc. should effectively raise the gross loading. That's my theory anyway.

[Pete M]

your insurance won't cover anything if they find out you were over the gcwr and something bad happens.

[Root Moose]

your insurance won't cover anything if they find out you were over the gcwr and something bad happens.

 

Depends on the type of insurance you have. I'm not worried about it in my case. Good point though - worth mentioning for other people considering this kind of thing.