Is my vehicle capable?

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Dajeli3

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Jan 20, 2018
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I have a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited with 4.7l engine. 195,000 miles on it.  It has a new jasper engine, rebuilt transfer case, many drivetrain repairs, etc. and an external transmission cooling system but otherwise still has original transmission.  I want to buy a 4100 lb travel trailor but unsure if my vehicle is capable or to old to risk towing it. My tow weight is listed at 5000 lbs but RV dealer says my car is rated to 6000 lbs. the car is in great shape but am I asking too much of it?
 
Does it have a door sticker telling you its specific details? You need to kmow the cargo carrying capacity also i believe.
 
Two things come to mind.  First, that 4100 lb. trailer will likely weigh closer to 6000 lbs. when you get all your stuff in it and fill the propane and water tanks.
Secondly, most salesmen will tell you that your vehicle will have no problem pulling whatever you're looking at, regardless if this is true or not.  If the Jeep owner's manual or yellow door sticker says 5000 lbs., then that's the figure I'd go by, not what the salesman tells you.
 
Hi, please note you only need to,post your question in one thread.  The moderator will move it If it's not in the correct area. I have removed your other 2 posts. Just wanted you to know why they were not there ?

And welcome to the forum! Lots of information in the Library and resources sections or use the search function for specifics.
 
We had a 2000 Jeep Cherokee.  It had a 4.0L engine, and was rated for 5000 lbs towing capacity.  I pulled a 2700 lb popup from Ohio to Yellowstone and back.  The mountains were very tough.  So tough, that on the return trip, I diverted up into Montana and came back through N. Dakota to avoid the worst of them.

I have always heard "never pull over 75% of the tow vehicle's rated weight".  Seems like a good idea to me
 
Per the 2002 Trailer Life Towing Guide, a 2002 Grand Cherokee with the 4.7L V8 was rated to pull 6500 lbs when new. Yours has been considerably refurbished, so if the tranny is sound your is probably still OK. That 6500 gets decreased by any passengers and gear carried in the Cherokee, so they effective limit is less, maybe 5800-6000.  I would not want to be at the upper limit either - that is rarely a pleasant driving experience on that size of tow vehicle.

Is that 4100 lbs the dry trailer weight or the GVWR? Nobody tows an empty trailer, except maybe when bringing it home the first time.  Use the trailer GVWR as an estimate of the probably travel weight. If the dry weight is 4100, the on-the-road weight is likley to be  5200-5500 lbs.
 
Jeeps are tough...but towing on any 200k transmission is asking a lot.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
  Use the trailer GVWR as an estimate of the probably travel weight. If the dry weight is 4100, the on-the-road weight is likley to be  5200-5500 lbs.

Then 10% of that weight is what should be on the hitch ball. Is your hitch rated for that weight?
 
Welcome to the Forum!

Gary and Rene beat me to my response.  You must deduct the weight of everything in the Jeep, including passengers, from the max towing weight.  Use the real, as towed, weight, or GVWR of the camper.
I doubt you have a yellow placard.  They became optional in 02 but not required until 09.
Check the hitch / receiver rating.  You will certainly want a WD hitch.

You may do okay, but you are at least close to the limits of the vehicle.  Will you be devastated if it loses a transmission?  If so, do not tow!  (HEY, THAT RHYMES!)  If you say, oh well, it was due to be replaced, then go for it!!
 
Oldgator73 said:
Because your feet are Longfellows.
Not really.  Only size 8.  My poetry skills are regulated by the old saying that even a blind mouse sometimes finds the cheese.
This forum is FUN!
 
Um, curb weight of a Grand Cherokee from 1999-2004 is around 4000 lb. Towing a 4100 lb trailer can be done. But, do you really want to do that?
I mean, taking it easy on relatively flat country will probably be fine. but if you get into trouble on a hill, it can become a question of who is driving who.

 
Hmm....

Does the tractor of a semi,  weigh more than the trailer ?      does the locomotive weigh more than the train ?

yes,  when you lose trailer brakes,  often times you are in trouble.
 
Another factor ... in 2002, trailer towing specs were set using a trailer with limited frontal area, i.e. a small utility trailer.

A full height RV trailer has considerably more frontal area, requiring more power to drag through the air and increasing the strain on the tow vehicle's drivetrain.

Take this into account if you're going to tow at the vehicle's limit.  It's one reason I like to stay at 80% or less of the tow vehicle's claimed towing capacity.
 
TonyDtorch said:
Hmm....

Does the tractor of a semi,  weigh more than the trailer ?      does the locomotive weigh more than the train ?

yes,  when you lose trailer brakes,  often times you are in trouble.

Not very good comparisons.
Trains are on a track which controls (usually) the directional force applied and braking is consistent across the weight load.
On a tractor-Trailer, while the tractor is lighter than the load, a significant portion of the load is on the tractor chassis. A fifth wheel is very much like that and the weight and control are much better, than a vehicle pulling a trailer.


 
 
Serious trouble can be gotten into with a tractor trailer if attention is not paid to how much weight is on which axels.  Don't have any experience with trains but suspect there are weight issues which matter there as well.  Better to be over on tow vehicle capability than any where near overweight.  You have to live to enjoy this game.
 
There is an Eco boost Ford F150 that can legally tow 13k lbs.....I don't think the F150 weighs that much does it ?  :)
 
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