JeepaholicNinja

So I was just curious as to how much boat I can tow with my 2000 Cherokee Classic i6 4x4 without the heavy duty stuff. I have heard 5000 pounds with it, 2000 without, but that seems like kinda a bigger difference than I expected...so an xj with hd tow package can tow 2.25 times as much as one without? At this point would a 16 ft aluminum flat bottom boat be the limit? Thanks!!

JeepaholicNinja

And for those who have seen my other thread about leaf springs broken to pieces (yes, to pieces. A leaf on the passenger side split. It was one of the sandwiched ones, and is still held on by a clamp and rattles over every bump ) don't worry. I will not tow until I have new leaf springs haha

dmill89

The main reason for the difference is the transmission cooler. If you try to tow much without a cooler the transmission will overheat. All the factory towing package really came with is the trans cooler, hitch, wiring, and usually the Chrysler 8.25" rear (note: many non-towing package XJs also have the 8.25" rear).

If you add your own trans cooler and already have a Chrysler 8.25" rear you can tow up to the full rating (note: most aftermarket trans coolers are better than the factory one). For XJ trans coolers I would recommend the it is a very good trans cooler with much more capacity than the factory cooler and is relatively compact.

As you noticed the factory springs are weak I would also highly recommend aftermarket "heavy duty" springs before towing heavy loads.

JeepaholicNinja

Thanks for the suggestion!! I just want to stay legal...I would probably be fine though as the boat ramp is just under 4 minutes away...hardly enough time for the engine to even warm up...but I like to follow laws haha and just to be cautious

salad

What dmill89 said is spot on. Feel free to putter your little aluminum boat around, just take it easy with the gas and do not use OverDrive. OD without a transmission cooler and that load will kill your transmission in a hurry.

General advice for attempting any towing in an XJ, make sure your brakes are up to snuff.

JeepaholicNinja

Um, sorry for my inexperience, but do I have overdrive, and which setting is it? I have park, reverse, neutral, drive, 3, 12. Is 12 overdrive? I've heard about only towing in 3rd, too...any truth to this?

dmill89

4th gear is overdrive, by definition a gear ratio higher than 1:1 (lower numerically, i.e. 0.8:1 would be an example of an overdrive gear) is overdrive.

Using 3 rather than D prevents the vehicle from going into OD.

JeepaholicNinja

Thanks, yeah I thought 12 was overdrive...so "3" has the first 3 gears?

dmill89

Yes, "3" allows gears 1-3 locking out 4th (OD), "1-2" locks out 3rd and 4th only allowing 1st and 2nd (this can be useful when going down hills). "D" allows all gears.

JeepaholicNinja

Ahhh thanks. I was thinking "how can my jeep have 12 gears?" Haha

dmill89

6-Speed with an external under/overdrive box, lol .

I don't think anyone has done that in an XJ (though I'm sure it is probably possible with enough work), but someone's probably put a setup like that in a CJ/Wrangler.

salad

Technically my XJ has 10 gears, 5 in high range and 5 low TJ with a 6-speed and transfer case doubler has 24 gears! Good luck changing ranges on the fly though. One may be able to fit a brownie box into an MJ. That'd be neat.

jedijeb

That reminds me so much of this video

salad

Heh yeah seen that before. Old dude knows his gears. There're some other videos with twin sticks, guys shift so precise and move their feet so fast you'd think it was some kind of ballet. lol

jedijeb

Yea, my Dad and Grandad drove things like that. I said I felt like I missed something having such modern transmissions. Dad said I didn't, new stuff is so much easier lol.

Loved watching him shift a dump truck without ever using a clutch when I was a kid, I never got the hang of it though.