Thinking about buying a car hauler and starting a 5-7 car a year flipping biz buying major repair cars from craigslist. I would only consider cars that were within 20mi. of my house. Will my 94 4.0 aw4 take the abuse? I kick my self in the *** for selling my 93 f-250 backyard smash em up truck last summer. DOH!

 

? duno i think adouble axle with its own brakes would to easier

 

I dont see why your jeep couldnt do the job, as long as it's set up for towing. And that you dont exceed the towing capacity.

 

I towed an XJ with an XJ, the 4.0L with pull it but stopping it is the scary part, real scary. I also burnt up my trans towing it 60-70 miles thru the mountains so a trans cooler is a good idea.

All in all, towing cars with an XJ is not a very good idea because it takes a mile or more to stop from 55mph

 

 

I'm thinking a car hauler trailer weights about 1500. Put a 4000 pound car on it and you've got 5500. That's asking a lot of a 3,000 SUV with drum brakes in back.

Also, the tongue weight is going to be about 15% of the total trailer weight. That is a lot of weight...825 pounds...on the hitch. BTW, I've done this with a Merc Mountaineer...3 horse slant load trailer with one horse on board. That's about the same weight combination. It didn't take too many trips to blow the rear end. Granted, Mountaineer/Explorer rears are junk but still... I fixed it, sold it, bought an F350 longbed four door. Now THATS a tow truck. BTW, that Mountaineer had a 4.6L V8 that made a great deal of power...way, way more than my XJ.

My advice is pick up a beater pickup. Better...look for "major repair" pickups and keep one of them...

 

Thanks for the ideas. I was thinking the same thing about the brake issues. I had about 20 bags of cement in my cherokee last week and jeez was that scary. I got plenty of power with my stroker but my brake distance was frightening, maybe a rear disc upgrade? I have a nice hitch on the rig but I guess I could find a surge brake dual axle trailer like someone posted. I started thinking about the trailer after finding a 98 cobra on a front lawn with a totally hand grenaded gear box for $3000. Time was not on my side and it was sold before I was able to get a hold of a friend and call the guy back. I need another hobby cause my mustang and cherokee are done.

 

I know what your saying about the 8.8 from light ford trucks its total garbage for general driving let alone hauling. I went through 2 under warranty on my 03 exploder sport trac. I fixed the last blow up myself. I was surprised to find people putting them in cherokee's I think the 8.25 may be stronger. The 8.8 in my 90 mustang lx took a beating and survived though with a paxton and sticky dunlop tires. So maybe they can't take weight, or certain years suck?

 

cherokees are never done! ! haha

 

Ya, I set myself up for that! I should've said done for now. I still want a 3in. lift and 31's. I completed the 4x4 conversion and stroker this summer and feel a little burnt out for the moment.

 

The bad one is the aluminum housing one. Especially bad was positraction. The aluminum expands/contracts too much and, one day, the bearing race spins or some other catastrophy occurs. The other issue is the clutch pack in that unit shipped with an epoxy that holds the friction material together that broke down. By the time they figured out the problem, there were a zillion of them running around with friction crap floating aroudn ALL THRU the rear...never get it cleaned up properly so the rears would keep blowing out.

Big fight between Ford and Dana or Amer. Axle or whoever built the thing but, in the end, the customer got hosed...like me. The last time it blew - and mine blew out FIVE TIMES - I had to pay $800, which was 1/2 the total bill and Ford and dealer picked up the rest.

That's why I stick to tried & true vehicles now. F350 farm truck, XJ DD. I can't afford technology...

 

Get a dolly.

Way to much weight with anything over 2000 lbs is scary.


I towed my dad's enclosed 12X6 when it was empty and about **** my pants coming down a small hill

 

At least I know what not to do. I've never towed anything before, so I stand corrected.

 

it's not only the brakes you need to worry about. The more important issue is the ability of the pulling vehicle to be able to CONTROL the weight behind it. Stopping in a straight line will be sketchy at best. Consider what would happen while braking and turning at the same time, possibly at the bottom of a hill or in an emergency situation. Now imagine what will happen when you turn your cherokee with the light *** end, and the trailer keeps wanting to go straight. This also comes into play if the trailer starts to move side to side, when buffeted by wind (maybe from a passing tractor trailer), from being loaded unevenly, or from unforeseen events (tire blowout, pothole, etc). Your cherokee will NOT be able to control a heavy load in these situations.

Bottom line, towing anything bigger than a small trailer with a cherokee is a bad idea, they are simply too light and have too poor of a braking system.

 

Having worked for a small engine repair/rental company towing equipment around, I would highly suggest finding yourself a 2wd 3/4 ton beater pickup truck. With a 3/4 ton you'll get a stronger axle out back, dual piston calipers up front, and heavy leaf springs. Used to haul bobcats around with newer F250s with the 5.4, and even stopping with those trucks could get hairy sometimes..
I have an 89 F250 with the 300 I6, the thing is a beast. Enough torque to pull whatever I hook up to it, and more importantly enough weight and power in the dual piston calipers to stop whatever I hook up to it. Biggest things i've hauled are mid size cars and my girl's Cherokee. Handled both no problem.