towing

[Southpaw]

looking to upgrade to tow package.  how do i mount a reese hitch. and can a 87 comanche  really pull 5000 lbs just had  my 4.0 rebuilt  and having the tranny done how about a radiator upgrade  any good bolt on aluminum choices thanks 

[Pete M]

when it was new it could absolutely tow 5k.   and that's with a stock radiator with an e-fan added.  but after 30 years the brake system is now, well, 30 years old so I'd focus on making sure it's up to snuff.  most if not all states require trailer brakes at a certain point, usually around 3k#. 

 

only an MJ hitch will bolt to an MJ so once you get one, all will become obvious as to how it mounts.   (basically it mounts using the frame mounts of the bumper)

[Limeyjeeper]

I believe you need a class B hitch, a 4.0 engine with auto trans, trans cooler and trailer brakes to get to 5,000lbs. I think towing 5,000lbs with a Comanche would be an experience!!

[Southpaw]

2 minutes ago, Pete M said:

when it was new it could absolutely tow 5k.   and that's with a stock radiator with an e-fan added.  but after 30 years the brake system is now, well, 30 years old so I'd focus on making sure it's up to snuff.  most if not all states require trailer brakes at a certain point, usually around 3k#. 

 

only an MJ hitch will bolt to an MJ so once you get one, all will become obvious as to how it mounts.   (basically it mounts using the frame mounts of the bumper)

thank you for the info , i am taking the truck to a local shop to have motor installed, i will have them do the brakes  and install a trailer brake. the camper  has electric brakes  I'm hoping it will  do the job  thanks again

[Pete M]

if the booster is original, I'd replace it.  preferably with a dual booster, but that's not a direct swap so I'm not sure if a shop will take that on.  should be a couple links about the dual boosters in the link in my signature.  

[Southpaw]

4 minutes ago, Limeyjeeper said:

I believe you need a class B hitch, a 4.0 engine with auto trans, trans cooler and trailer brakes to get to 5,000lbs. I think towing 5,000lbs with a Comanche would be an experience!!

I'm  looking for a class b hitch  trailer is 4000 lb  and quad is about 1000 

[Southpaw]

1 minute ago, Pete M said:

if the booster is original, I'd replace it.  preferably with a dual booster, but that's not a direct swap so I'm not sure if a shop will take that on.  should be a couple links about the dual boosters in the link in my signature.  

thanks read something about  brakes adjust as the load increases  and people don't like that  so they are replacing something . is that a major ordeal

[Pete M]

you're referring to the rear height sensing prop valve (which isn't serviceable and no longer available for replacement) and won't likely need anything done to it. 

 

people tend to not like it because they don't understand it and view it as just more work for them.  the bleeding procedure for MJs is unique because of that valve, so you'll want to print it up for the shop if you're keeping it.  it'll be in the link in my signature.

 

I highly recommend a weight distribution hitch and sway control. 

[howeitsdone]

1 hour ago, Southpaw said:

I'm  looking for a class b hitch

 

The only place you'll find a receiver hitch is used or new from @krustyballer16  and I'm not sure he's working on any at the moment. You might get lucky and find an old Reece somewhere, but can be very hard to do.

Your other alternative is an aftermarket bumper like Dirtbound, JCR, ARES, etc... with a receiver option or build one.

 

I remember there being a universal Reece that should work too with a couple holes drilled into the universal mounts. Don't remember the P/N at the moment though.

[ghetdjc320]

I have an original oem receiver hitch I might be letting go. Not positive though yet. The most solidly built setup though imo is to have the receiver directly in the aftermarket bumper. Dirt bound does not do that, theirs in an add on that hangs onto the bumper mounts. JCR used to make them but have since stopped. Hansens will make them but you have to call them to request it. Every once in a while krusty makes a batch. You may find one on Facebook also. 

[Airborne Janitor]

I purchased the hitch plates from @krustyballer16 and pulled a hitch from a Ford Expedition. Cut off the old mounting brackets and welded on the new ones. Obviously there's some fabrication involved but not a super difficult project and pretty cheap if you can weld (or know someone who can).

 

 

 

[Airborne Janitor]

You can also build your own tow wiring harness using a Cadillac STS connector for your Renix MJ. 

 

 

 

[gogmorgo]

This what my owner’s manual has to say about 5000lb towing.



Note the requirement for a heavy duty rear axle. If you’ve only got a Dana 35 rear axle, it’s not going to like moving that much weight around regularly. If you only move your camper a short distance a couple times a year you might get away with it, but it’s not exactly legal to exceed the manufacturer’s rating. 
If you’re planning on putting a quad in your bed, make sure as well that you’re not exceeding rear axle weight. If you do have a metric ton package it’s probably fine, but if you’re going down the road with the rear end on the bump stops and your headlights pointed at the sky with a giant trailer behind a tiny truck, you’re probably going to encounter issues if the wrong person sees. 

Here’s more info on trailer, vehicle, and axle weights. Also from owner’s manual. 
 

Also I don’t know what this “class B” hitch thing is. You want a class 3 for 5000lbs. The class 1 mentioned in the manual refers to the factory bumper hitch, which I can’t recommend using if you do have, even for lightweight things. Unfortunately the bumper structure is a rust trap and they tend to bend and break right in the middle there. Not ideal.

[Airborne Janitor]

And if you want an OEM auto trans cooler I got one for sale too, just shoot me a msg.

 

 

 

 

The hitch, wiring harness, and transmission cooler are the "main" towing items. If you want to upgrade the payload capacity you'll have to get the Metric Ton components which would be the Dana 44 rear axle and the 3+2 leaf springs.

[AeroNautical]

I'm surprised the max tow required an auto back then, I figured the extra gear would be more beneficial on a manual, plus less drivetrain loss. I guess that's asking too much for the little old peugeot. 

[jpnjake]

14 minutes ago, PFCLeist said:

I'm surprised the max tow required an auto back then, I figured the extra gear would be more beneficial on a manual, plus less drivetrain loss. I guess that's asking too much for the little old peugeot. 

Plus the torque converter on the auto 

[acfortier]

I feel like any Max Tow package usually requires an auto. I know it's true for today's Gladiator. Doesn't surprise me it was required back then.

[88towmanche]

Lot of concerns pulling 5,000 lbs with a 30 yr old small truck.

 

Tongue weight alone is going to be 500-750 lbs - that's gonna make the rig squat - mine does with 250 lbs on the old springs.

 

I bought a helper air bag set up off amazon but am now looking at new metric ton springs when I swap out the axles to improve gear ratio - 3.07 gearing is unusable for towing - and this is just to tow around a 3,000 lb boat.

 

Weight distribution hitch set up going to add another 100 lbs to the squat....

 

Don't know much about electric brakes (usually tow boats & they are surge if equipped) - so not sure how you get that all wired up on an old jeep, i have it on my Sierra but that was all factory and worked great on a travel trailer I drug around with the family for years but there is no way I would have ever tried dragging that thing with the Comanche and it weighed in at 4800 - but not the same as pulling a boat.

 

I rented a uhaul tandem utility trailer and hauled a cord of firewood a couple weeks ago - figure total weight was around 2500 and it handled it fine, but it's working hard and you don't want to get into a hard braking situation - 5000 just doesn't seem doable on a regular basis without substantial mods.

[pizzaman09]

Our guess is we had about 6000 lbs between the trailer and what was in the bed.  Manual transmission 4.0L with a Dana 44, but with the standard springs.  Towed pretty well but we definitely took it easy.  Front end was a little vague.

 

This was only 2200 lbs of scrap metal when I got weighed after drop off at the scrap yard.  So total weight was up around 3000, quite easy to tow.

 

The brakes in my Comanche are very good, I'm running a stock original booster with some high performance Hawk pads up front.  

[gogmorgo]

If you’ve ever had to do a hill start with a heavy trailer and a manual you’d know why it would be rated for less. 5200lbs behind the ZJ and a left turn from a stop sign on a medium hill across a busy four-lane had me in low range to get moving and I still had to roast the clutch off. 
That’s not to say that manuals can’t be built for towing. You can definitely get a beefier clutch in there that can handle the stress better than the factory Jeep unit. My 5-speed GMC is good for 10k, near as I can tell same as the auto in similar spec. But again that’s a drivetrain built for moving the weight, not so much for being low fun and/or economical like a manual Jeep. Also the NV4500’s 1st gear ratio is 5.61:1, not 3.83:1 like the ax15 or 3.39:1 for the BA10/5 which definitely helps. Factor in the 4.10 rear axle and that’s a total reduction of 23:1, vs 11.8 for an ax15 on 3.07’s, 10.4 for the BA. You’d need an axle ratio of 6:1 to match that with an ax15, and I think that would cause more problems than it would solve. 

[pizzaman09]

22 minutes ago, gogmorgo said:

If you’ve ever had to do a hill start with a heavy trailer and a manual you’d know why it would be rated for less. 5200lbs behind the ZJ and a left turn from a stop sign on a medium hill across a busy four-lane had me in low range to get moving and I still had to roast the clutch off. 
That’s not to say that manuals can’t be built for towing. You can definitely get a beefier clutch in there that can handle the stress better than the factory Jeep unit. My 5-speed GMC is good for 10k, near as I can tell same as the auto in similar spec. But again that’s a drivetrain built for moving the weight, not so much for being low fun and/or economical like a manual Jeep. Also the NV4500’s 1st gear ratio is 5.61:1, not 3.83:1 like the ax15 or 3.39:1 for the BA10/5 which definitely helps. Factor in the 4.10 rear axle and that’s a total reduction of 23:1, vs 11.8 for an ax15 on 3.07’s, 10.4 for the BA. You’d need an axle ratio of 6:1 to match that with an ax15, and I think that would cause more problems than it would solve. 

It would be cool if someone made a gear splitter that fits between the AX15 and the T case.  I'd love to have 10 gears and twin sticks.

[cruiser54]

I just flat-@$$ wouldn't go down the 5000 pound towing road. Pun intended. 

[Manche1]

My truck could barely handle this. These  were not made for towing and if you do anything other than occasional light weight towing you need a beefier rig. I installed a hitch for my 800lb landscape trailer which is fine, but 5000+ pounds is living on the edge!

[ghetdjc320]

Had to really dig for this picture but the MJ handled this no problem. That was at least 3k. No trailer brakes either and plenty of hills and curves in traffic. 
 

On a side note, that’s the kind of tongue weight it took to finally level those general spring 4 leaf packs setup soa against the rubicon express 5.5” coils

[Southpaw]

On 11/29/2022 at 10:16 AM, Limeyjeeper said:

I believe you need a class B hitch, a 4.0 engine with auto trans, trans cooler and trailer brakes to get to 5,000lbs. I think towing 5,000lbs with a Comanche would be an experience!!

I'm hoping to find out  soon