Kevin Means
Site Team
I've got a towing "issue" that I was hoping others could help me with. We've been towing an Acura MDX with a Blue Ox tow bar for years. The Acura has always tracked smoothly and straight behind the motorhome.
A few months ago I picked up a 2006 Jeep Rubicon LJ (a slightly longer version of the TJ) and I had it set up for off-road use. It had less than 39,000 miles on it, and according to the mechanics at the shop where I took it, there were no signs that it had ever been driven off road. I still had them go through the entire suspension system and replace anything that they felt needed to be replaced. I also had them install 35" Toyo Mud Terrain tires, a 3 & 1/2 inch Currie suspension lift, a 1" body lift and a Currie Anti Rock swaybar.
I installed a Blue Ox tow bracket kit on the Jeep's front bumper, so I could tow it with my Blue Ox tow bar. It's rock-solid with the bolts going right through the bumper to the frame. When the Jeep is hooked to the MH on level ground, the height of the tow bar at the Jeep's front bumper is about 2" higher than where the tow bar hooks to the motorhome's receiver. The Jeep's tires are inflated to 32 psi when towing.
Here's the issue... About 75% of the time, the Jeep tracks directly behind the MH, just like the Acura. For some reason however, which I haven't been able to determine, the Jeep will occasionally wander a bit - wobbling laterally left and right, and then it stops. It's not like a "death wobble" - it's not violent at all. I can't even feel it, but I can see it dancing around a bit on the camera monitor.
I travel at 65 mph but I've noticed it - to a lesser degree - at slower speeds. I can't corelate it to anything. It happens on smooth roads and bumpy roads, and bumps don't seem to set it off or make it any worse. It just kind of wobbles laterally for a few moments (very slightly) then stops. The Jeep sits slightly nose-high, and I was wondering if that, combined with the tow bar's slight down angle, could be causing it. Could it simply be that the big meaty tires are gripping flaws in the road? Any ideas/suggestions?
Kev
A few months ago I picked up a 2006 Jeep Rubicon LJ (a slightly longer version of the TJ) and I had it set up for off-road use. It had less than 39,000 miles on it, and according to the mechanics at the shop where I took it, there were no signs that it had ever been driven off road. I still had them go through the entire suspension system and replace anything that they felt needed to be replaced. I also had them install 35" Toyo Mud Terrain tires, a 3 & 1/2 inch Currie suspension lift, a 1" body lift and a Currie Anti Rock swaybar.
I installed a Blue Ox tow bracket kit on the Jeep's front bumper, so I could tow it with my Blue Ox tow bar. It's rock-solid with the bolts going right through the bumper to the frame. When the Jeep is hooked to the MH on level ground, the height of the tow bar at the Jeep's front bumper is about 2" higher than where the tow bar hooks to the motorhome's receiver. The Jeep's tires are inflated to 32 psi when towing.
Here's the issue... About 75% of the time, the Jeep tracks directly behind the MH, just like the Acura. For some reason however, which I haven't been able to determine, the Jeep will occasionally wander a bit - wobbling laterally left and right, and then it stops. It's not like a "death wobble" - it's not violent at all. I can't even feel it, but I can see it dancing around a bit on the camera monitor.
I travel at 65 mph but I've noticed it - to a lesser degree - at slower speeds. I can't corelate it to anything. It happens on smooth roads and bumpy roads, and bumps don't seem to set it off or make it any worse. It just kind of wobbles laterally for a few moments (very slightly) then stops. The Jeep sits slightly nose-high, and I was wondering if that, combined with the tow bar's slight down angle, could be causing it. Could it simply be that the big meaty tires are gripping flaws in the road? Any ideas/suggestions?
Kev