I understand your feelings, I just bought a parts jeep and it was gonna cost more than half the price just to get a truck and trailer. I would choose the Mercedes Sprinter if its only "close" and not over the limit.

 

At least you are sticking with the thread. Tons of people abandon their threads when they start hearing what they dont want to hear

 

Boxburn - have you tried a quote from Shipley? they can be surprisingly cheap....

 

that sprinter van just might be the answer as i'm sure the tow rating would be much higher. especially if it's a diesel. throw some weight in the back to make it heavier. the heavier the tow vehicle, the more it can safely tow. providing the engine and brakes can handle it. as i'm sure they will.

 

Just as it's a relevant plate I assume, does anyone know what each weight is representing here? There is no info next to the numbers to say what each are for.

2230 KG
5365 KG
1 1135 KG (Front axle?)
2 1225 KG (Rear axle?)

Can't add picture for some reason. May add it here later if it lets me.

 

If you look in the manual, I believe it says something like

Tow package means better rear springs and a transmission cooler. Without that it's 2000 lbs.

I tow nearly 5000 lbs. without handling issues, and my load is relatively top heavy, but my Crown HD springs easily handle the load, I drive slow, and leave plenty of room in front of me (I have surge brakes on the trailer but not counting on them to completely handle the load in a power stop). I am very mindful of the overheating of engine and transmission so do not drive when it's hot.

IMO I think you can do it, but good that you have an experienced driver as a guide.

 

Oh and drive in 3rd, of course.

 

I've seen people tow WAY more than they should with an XJ countless times, and they made it out in one piece... however it's sketchy as hell. People forget how much an XJ weighs, 3200lbs is nothing. In terms of personal experience, I've towed an overloaded lumber trailer of unknown weight on flat ground, and it wasn't too confident. Hills are going to make it so much worse than flat land would. Regardless of rated tow capacity, I would have much more confidence towing a car with a Sprinter van. Simply due to it being less of a tin can, and having more stable suspension layout. I always drive like a grandmother when towing, regardless of what people on the road around me think.

 

If you are describing a plate on the towbar, the 2230kg will be the Tow weight limit

the 5365kg has me stuffed...the other number is often the GVM, which is weight of vehicle + contents + towed load. so that would be 1545kg + contents + 2230kg (max)

typically the cargo weight would have to be less than 750kg in that situation, which would be around 4500kg...no possible way a Jeep could tow 2230kg when also loaded with ~ 1700kg !

Relevant weights are described in the A5 sized Jeep Handbook...do you have that ?

be surprised if its not also in the FSM

can scramble around and find mine if u want, everything is in KG, being Australian

due to the legal requirements over here, I usually haggle with flatbed operators, got a heavy car towed about 300 miles, cost me $500 (~ 250GBP)

 

Depending on how the tow vehicle handles, you can always downshift when braking. I'm going to speculate that the tow vehicle will have some of the weight shifted off the front suspension, therefore the front brakes may not be as effective.

If you have drum brakes in the tow vehicle, make sure the drum brakes are cleaned of the brake shoe dust & properly adjusted.

Make sure the vehicle being towed is properly secured to the trailer.
Make sure the trailer is properly secured to the tow vehicle. Correct size ball hitch. Do you use safety chains in the U.K.? Do you cross the safety chains?

 

I'll show my face again so you guys know we made it. My rear springs began to show their age, luckily for me the donor sits higher with no load than mine does and it had uprated springs. I'm pretty sure looking at it I may have a task removing them but if I can, they'll certainly start making it pay for itself.

@AWG - That plate and weights is in my engine bay riveted to the bulkhead along with a VIN at the top of the plate. There is a build plate on the other side of the engine bay with VIN and more vehicle specific information. My A5-ish handbook only says towing 3250KG GMW and then the curb weight of it on another page.

Numbers wise, the Sprinter would have been at 95% rated towing capacity and my driver friend chose the XJ. My frame rails are solid and all fluids checked the day before. Each wheel was tied down with proper recovery straps. It handled the job rather well even on the inclines and it was in 1-2 and 3 for the duration.

I won't lie, the trailer did try to wobble a few times when the wind caught it but the driver knew exactly how to handle it, certainly not something that I'd recommend to anyone without a lot of experience.

 

Glad you made it mate! Looking forward to some pics 😀

 

Well it certainly isn't a contender for going back on the road but I'm sure it'll recover its cost over the years. Tomorrows plan is to get it running and take a look at what is a direct swap to mine and what parts would be worth selling as they won't end up being much use to me. I'll make another post tomorrow about it.

 

BTW, here's someone who knows about towing in an XJ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwd...NF9WIe_3uCfz9Q
It's a strangely addictive channel!

 

good to hear you got it back...only over (our) max tow weight by ~100kg, so you would have to be unlucky

Braking in the rain with a heavy towed load, at any speed, with drum brakes is very scary, especially if the load is not perfectly weight distributed on the trailer