7upman

Hi all,


My father in law is graciously giving us his 1997 Grand Cherokee Laredo ... I haven't gone to pick it up yet but I am anxious to find out what its towing capacity is. It's got the 6 cylinder engine (don't have any specs other than that at the moment).


I have heard that these have a 5000 lb towing capacity, but I just want to know how I verify what the capacity is. I assume if it has a tow package there will be a transmission cooler, but I don't know where to look for that. Also, how do I verify that I have the correct class of hitch to pull that kind of weight? I ask because I have two trailers - the little pop up it will pull easily as I have borrowed the Jeep in the past to do so, but I'm interested to know if it will pull the 19.5' hybrid trailer. Dry weight is 3200 lb, GVWR is 4800.


Also, am I likely to need an equalizer hitch with the Jeep? I've pulled the bigger trailer with a Dodge Dakota and didn't have too much sway happening, but not sure how the Jeep compares to that.


Thanks for any input!

dave1123

Welcome to CF!

At the top of the website page, there is a box marked "tools". In the drop-down menu, click VIN Decoder. Put in your VIN and get all the info on the jeep.

The trans cooler is mounted in front of the radiator and A/C condenser.

The big thing about towing is controlling the trailer's tongue weight. If you keep it under 250 lbs, you don't need an equalizer hitch or heavy-duty springs or shocks. Just remember your jeep weighs around 3700 lbs and if you have the 4.0, you've only got 185 hp. It's best to lock-out O/D when pulling heavy trailers so you don't overheat the transmission. I know running without 4th gear kills fuel mileage, but it'll help you get there without problems.

I've had a lot of experience with boat trailers. We always had to adjust the boat's cradle and positioning to limit the tongue weight. We just used a bathroom scale under the tongue. We told the owner to load his eguipment the same way every time to maintain stability. The 250 lbs makes the trailer tow straight without swaying or putting too much weight on the towing vehicle.

That's about all I've got. Good luck.

czettlera

Hi I have recently towed a trailer with wood for the winter with my 4.0 ZJ, it was aprox 4500 lbs, and I can tell you the 185 Hp was not to much in the mountains. I also started with locking OD, on flat road so-so, but up hill I had to switch to 2nd gear manually. So I would say you can tow it, but you won't be happy with it.