So I'm going to collect my donor XJ this weekend which is going to be a 400 mile all round trip. As far as I know there are in places a lot of hills on the route.

I'm running the stock transmission cooler so are there any tips such as ideal speed or even if 3rd is better than OD. The bulk of the journey is on 70MPH motorways and UK towing restricts that to 60MPH max.

Thanks

 

how are you towing it? like, are you using another xj? are you gonna flat tow it, or use a trailer?

either way, keep it out of overdrive, and hope if you use a trailer, that the brakes are in working order.

towing an xj with another xj has been done, successfully in the past, but definitely not recommended by even an average driver without towing experience.

 

Towed by another XJ with a hired car transporter trailer. The company are highly reccomended and I have no doubt the brakes are well maintained.

I have a friend who drives trucks for a living doing the driving as I'm not licensed for heavy trailers.

So really it is just keep out of OD?

Thanks.

 

It's odd hearing the rules of other countries. In the US if you have a drivers license you can drive manual, automatic, big truck, little car, and fairly large trailers. I don't know the exact limit, but car trailers are definitely well within the limit of a license.

 

How heavy is the trailer? Even that might be a bit too much for an XJ to handle

 

For us there are a few differences depending on when you got your licence. Generally though there is a category for every type of vehicle, bike, car, mall HGV, medium HGV, large HGV, buses, coaches, trailer entitlements and probably more.

For me on a basic car licence can tow a trailer up to 750KG rated no problem and heavier up to a combined car + trailer weight of 3500kg. My dad with also just a car licence but passed years ago can tow up to a combined car + trailer weight of 8250kg.

 

805kg unladen weight. Numbers wise the handbook says it's more than capable at a rated 3250kg GTW. about 200kg under 85% of the rated.

 

In MA it's 26,000 lbs. Considering the federal DOT card has the same limit, I think it's safe to say that in most U.S. states it's roughly any <26k lbs, non-commercial (non-Bus) vehicle with the state driver's license or commercial (non-Bus) vehicle with the state license and DOT card. Commercial trucks and Buses require special commercial driver's licenses.

Most trailers are definitely well within the limits for a regular driver's license.

Obviously "Big truck" is a relative term. I believe they are called lorries or something like that in the U.K., right? A "Big Truck" eighteen wheeler requires a specialized license while a Ford F-series with dual rear wheels "big truck" does not.

 

Lorry, Arctic(ulated), Wagon, Truck, I'm sure there's more names all around the regions.

 

Our cousin's from across the pond will have to weigh in on this but I "think" Lorrie = bigger than a pick up but not a tractor trailer. Tractor Trailer = Articulated.

 

What we might call a "box truck" perhaps or a "U-haul"?

 

I guess I should've been more specific, but we can drive a 26' u haul with a normal license which is pretty big if you ask me. Also, pretty sure you can drive most RVs with a normal license and those things are definitely large.

 

Yeah, I would bet the RV manufacturers try to keep the weight low enough to avoid requiring a special license. An RV can be big, but since it's not carrying cargo, it's certainly the case that many can be kept under the limits.

Per the online converter, 26k lbs is over 11k kg, so it's crazy how restrictive the U.K. statutes are.

Boxburn, was your Dad's license higher due to a grandfather clause type thing?

 

Grandfather clause indeed.

 

Sorry for knocking the thread off track, but keeping it out of OD helps with heat and power, leaving plenty of room when braking is important, and just driving like you have a trailer and not like a sports car. I've noticed some vehicles handle better than others towing trailers. My Comanche and Cherokee are rated to tow just as much as my dad's mercury mountaineer, but his tows much better than mine. I used his with a 2300 lb car trailer to pick up my Comanche (probably around 5500 lbs total) and it did very well, but I've pulled 2000 lbs with my Comanche and it couldn't hold highway speeds and was unhappy. The most I've towed with my Cherokee was 2000 lbs and it was lifted (3") with bigger tires (31"), but did fine. I've heard many stories of Cherokees pulling Cherokees, Comanches pulling Cherokees and Cherokees pulling Comanches and most people tend to say it wasn't bad.