1975 Brutally Simple Daily Driver

[watchamakalit]

I never flat towed my cj7 however I trailered it behind a comanche once. Never again. Trailer and cj outweighed the mj. They just arent heavy enough. Full-size half ton at least. 

[Pete M]

flat towing is nothing like pulling a trailer. 

[watchamakalit]

28 minutes ago, Pete M said:

flat towing is nothing like pulling a trailer. 

I understand that. I once towed a 92 dodge spirit on a tow dolly from kansas city to fort wayne and it had several sketchy moments involved. That trip made me full aware of the need for a heavier tow rig. Not saying it can't be done, lord knows ive hauled much heavier stuff, just saying a half ton pickup would be much safer/comfortable. 

[neohic]

3 hours ago, Pete M said:

flat towing is nothing like pulling a trailer. 

Absolutely! I’m hoping for the best but planning for the worst with this trip. 

[Pete M]

I'm never trying it again unless the tow rig weighs at least twice the towed rig. 

 

honestly I'd keep the tow bar on and drive the Jeep.    I did 3k miles in my pos to get to moab.   

[neohic]

3 hours ago, Pete M said:

I'm never trying it again unless the tow rig weighs at least twice the towed rig. 

 

honestly I'd keep the tow bar on and drive the Jeep.    I did 3k miles in my pos to get to moab.   

 

Your POS has more leg room than mine! I remember... I drove it! 

 

I've been scheming a few options:

1. Renting a truck/trailer is around $1k
2. Renting a U Haul and a dolly is around $1k
3. Buying a YJ suspensions and brackets to make it all work is around $1k
4. Maybe piggyback on a trailer with another rig but it'll definitely be a squeeze for the cost of fuel
5. Throw together a tow bar for next to nothing and figure it out plus the cost of fuel

The problem with driving it out and back is the ride quality. Right now the tires live at 20# and there's probably more suspension in the sidewalls than there is in the leaf springs on the road. It's not completely horrible... but it's also not something I'd look forward to for 800 miles. Early last week I was ready for a "loose the shop moment" and start ordering parts to redo the whole suspension. Then the realization that should anything get delayed or go wrong that I wouldn't have a Jeep to take to Moab set in. Eventually, I need to address the awful suspension on this thing. Before I spend anything else on it, I should really see how it wheels! I've upgraded the engine (out of necessity), added a limited slip in the rear diff, added a super beefy transmission with a deep first gear, rock sliders, some creature comforts, and yet I've never really wheeled it outside of some basic trails around my place. It might be terrible! I might even hate it! I won't know until after this trip.

 

Before the trip, the top is coming off to ditch at least 300#. I'm not out anything to hitch it up and see for myself how it pulls. I'll throw the spare for the CJ and the truck in the bed for good measure. Years ago I used to flat tow my '72 Volkswagen all over with my truck or a '95 ZJ with a 4.0. Granted, there's about 1000# difference between the CJ and a Beetle and I completely understand how that affects the driving characteristics of the tow vehicle. Would it be a real super hero move to roll into Moab after driving all the way there?... you bet! Would it also be a super hero move to roll into Moab with my truck towing the CJ?... also yes. 

 

Flat towing will never be my first choice. People have been flat towing them for years though behind other CJs, station wagons, and other such vehicles that we'd look at as questionable now. So much of it comes down to being smart about it!... even if that means admitting that it just might not work out.

[Pete M]

safety aside, it's the constant fighting between the two rigs while moving down the road.  it was never, ever smooth like pulling a trailer.  braking, turning, going perfectly straight down the road.  it just always sucked and made for a mentally draining ride.    but your CJ weighs less, so maybe it'll be better?  I guess it certainly wouldn't hurt to tool around town and find out.  be sure to attempt a few panic stops.  the angle of the tow bar can induce scary weirdness in the tow rig when hard braking occurs, especially if not going perfectly straight at the time.

 

if you flat tow behind a rented box truck it'll be a bit less cash.  at least that way the tow rig is massive.

[89 MJ]

1 hour ago, neohic said:

Buying a YJ suspensions and brackets to make it all work is around $1k

I would think this would make it a better daily as well. Though time becomes a problem with this too. 

 

I will echo everyone else though, I wouldn't use the MJ, unfortunately. It would look cool, but I think the MJ is too light, especially in the rear. I don't even like towing 1500lbs in a trailer behind my MJ, I can't imagine double that.

[neohic]

51 minutes ago, 89 MJ said:

I would think this would make it a better daily as well. Though time becomes a problem with this too. 

That has been the biggest thing on my list of to-dos on this Jeep. It would’ve been epic to completely blow it apart before heading to Moab, but the delay with Ruff Stuff for my truck brackets was maybe the biggest deterrent. I priced everything this time through Barnes, and my finger was hovering over the “complete purchase” button. Then I thought about it for a day, and now I’m comfortably too late. I’m hoping to find out what I really need and don’t need with this trip. 

[neohic]

Moving forward on the CJ to Moab list. Would you believe that all of the tie rod ends are shot?… yup, I wasn’t surprised either. Parts are on order, but I wanted to give it some caster in the front axle also.

 

 

I added a 4° shim to the leaf pack because that’s what I had on hand. Ideally, I should be cutting the inner C’s and rotating them back to gain caster and I usually shoot for 6-8°. It’ll be way better than it was on the road. SOMETHING had to be better than the .5° of caster it did have. 

 

 

The tow bar got a coat of paint too. I started going through the Jeep and all the stuff that just lives in it. A bunch of it got paired down but I also added some tools for Moab. I’ll get more into creating additional storage for certain things once the top comes off and it’s easier to work in. Probably next weekend? I feel like Moab is creeping up quickly. 

[Pete M]

On 3/1/2026 at 7:03 PM, 89 MJ said:

I would think this would make it a better daily as well. Though time becomes a problem with this too. 

 

I will echo everyone else though, I wouldn't use the MJ, unfortunately. It would look cool, but I think the MJ is too light, especially in the rear. I don't even like towing 1500lbs in a trailer behind my MJ, I can't imagine double that.

 

 

it's even worse than you think because a flat tow adds 0 weight to the bumper to help plant the rear tires.   and if the bar is at the wrong angle, under heavy braking it can push down on the rear and pick up the front of the tow rig. 

[neohic]

1 hour ago, Pete M said:

 

 

it's even worse than you think because a flat tow adds 0 weight to the bumper to help plant the rear tires.   and if the bar is at the wrong angle, under heavy braking it can push down on the rear and pick up the front of the tow rig. 

In my experience, having the tow bar pointing down slightly helps in an emergency stop. When the tow bar is level or tilted up towards the hitch ball, that’s what adds to lifting the rear of the tow vehicle. While I still haven’t attempted this combination yet, I’m curious how it’ll pull. The times I’ve flat towed vehicles in the past have been lighter vehicles, and so much of a good or bad experience comes down to looking ahead at the trip, knowing your vehicle’s limits, and plain being smart about everything.