terzdesign

I am looking at a 20' pontoon boat - or less. I'm not sure of the weight, but probably around 1800-2000 lbs for the boat, and another 1200 for the trailer, so about 3000 lb's total. Do you think this would be difficult on a stock XJ?

Cheddarnut

Couple things. The Cherokee is rated to 5000 pounds with the proper hitch. That's a lot of weight on a really light vehicle. Plus that includes you and all the gear in the jeep as well, so it's a good idea to go lower.

Second is if you are towing you need to know exactly what you are towing in terms of weight. If you do get the boat make sure you get exact numbers. You only have like 500 pounds for tongue weight, so the trailer needs to be balanced properly as well.

Have fun in that boat!

Orlo

I agree with ****. That's a lot of weight for the XJ despite the listed towing capacity. If it's just a short distance tow rather than long distance trips, you will probably be ok. If you're doing 50 mile trips or better regularly it will be a real chore to keep up with traffic, pull hills and reveal all kinds of mechanical shortcomings rather quickly due to the heavy duty use.

I use mine to tow about 2000 pounds for a round trip of about 50 miles. It does it fine, but I would not want another 1000 pounds back there on a routine basis. Just my preference. Others may chime in with Herculean stories of XJ towing prowess. I just know that they are rather small and light for big tow jobs.

jeffcycles

I regularly pull a fishing boat that weights between 2300-2500 lbs verified by the roadside truck scales. While my stock Cherokee can pull it, I really know that the weight is there. The engine is capable of the load, but it works it pretty well.

Now for the more important part. Slowing is bad even without weight behind these Cherokees, and adding the boat can make things scary. I can't even imagine a panic stop while towing. Does this boat trailer have a braking system of any kind? I've upgraded to higher end rotors and pads everywhere, and I still don't feel 100% comfortable slowing that load.

Eisenschwein

My buddy used to tow a 18' Bayliner with a CJ-7, 4.2l i6. It had no trouble pulling the boat but it had a little trouble stopping, so I agree with jeffcycles.

Fred/N0AZZ

Make sure you have a HD Trans Cooler and an oil cooler as well. Brakes on the trailer should be considered a must in my book and a HD hitch also. Your cooling system should be new or at the least have been upgraded in the last few yrs. with a new radiator, water pump, hoses, belts and flushed well.

1976gmc20

You'd probably be better off finding an older full size pickup (4wd for ramps?) to be safe.


I highly recommend the GMT400 series (1988-1998 Chevy/GMC) with the 5.7 TBI V8. I got mine for $800 but of course I had to put some more money into it. Looks rough but runs and drives great at 206K miles

IJM

How do you install an oil cooler on the 4.0? There are no external lines unlike the transmission.

Cheddarnut

Most kits come with an adaptor that screws into the filter housing and gives you the two fittings for send and return. I don't see a lot of guys do it, seems like a lot of work.

jeffcycles

I've got to install a transmission cooler on my xj. What brand or options should I look for? The hayden 404 seems decent, any suggestions?

dmill89

The "Plate and Fin" coolers are generally recommended as they cool better at a given size than "tube and fin" and re more durable, with the B&M and
70268 being the most common/recommended for the XJ (I have a B&M 70264 on my XJ). Other options include coolers from older Ford Pickups/Vans/SUVs most of these are Dana plate and fin coolers (same as B&M), just make sure to flush out any junkyard cooler very well.


The hayden 404 is ok for a cheap cooler but it is definitely "Cheap" (the aluminum is so thin you can just about bend it by breathing on it too hard), tube and fin coolers also don't cool as well as a plate and fine cooler (though it still probably cools at least as well as the OE aux trans cooler and likely slightly better) and are easier to damage.

dmill89

I'm not sure there is much value to one if you run a good synthetic oil (especially an HD oil like Rotella T6), by the time the oil would get hot enough to break down, you'd have a lot of other problems (like all the coolant boiling off).


It certainly can't hurt, but may be more effort than it is worth (especially since it can get a bit tight trying to fit a trans cooler and oil cooler behind the grill).

IJM

Ah, that makes sense now.


Agreed. I wouldn't think the oil temps would really get that high while towing, assuming the coolant temps stayed at a reasonable level. It seems it's things like lots of extended WOT and high revs that really get the oil temps up, though I suppose you could do that towing a heavy load like you were qualifying for Le Mans (i.e. towing like a moron).

Rail

If you plan on doing a lot of towing I am pretty sure you should change your rear differential fluid. I will look it up for the specific grade oil.

dmill89

Yes, 75w140 synthetic is the OE "severe-service" recommended fluid for towing, 75w90 is the standard spec.