mikeg216

I see a lot of towing in my future, air bags helper springs E rated tires where should I start?

wiggles

If you are planning all of that and A LOT of towing than honestly the best option is a pickup..
And you only need one thread

dnuccio

what are you towing? how much does it weigh? if its over 2000lbs it needs to have its own brakes. Since you didnt say what kind of grand cherokee you have, theres not much else i can tell you.

dave1123

BINGO!

mikeg216

Sorry bout that, was a bit sleep deprived when I posted. 97 v8 orvis with the towing package and up country. I will be towing my camper, about 2k and a car 4-6 times a month. I know that the zj can tow close to 7k I just want to make it as easy on the old girl as possible.

dnuccio

the camper should have its own brakes. are you flat towing the car, or on a car dolly, or a car trailer? any way you look at that, you need brakes on it. ZJs brakes are less than excellent. ZJs with the v8 were factory rated at 6500 pounds towing capacity. many say this is overrated. that number is in "ideal" conditions, trailer with brakes and a weight distributing hitch. without trailer brakes, do not exceed 2000lbs period.
since it has the tow package, it should have the factory trans cooler. if it doesnt, definitely do not tow with it until you add one.

dave1123

The MOST important thing with ANY towing is weight distribution. Load your trailer rig so that you only have around 250 to 300 lbs on the tongue. That's enough to keep it riding straight and not enough to make it wander or overload the springs. I've had lots of experience with boat trailers where you can adjust the boat cradle to maintain balance, but with a camper, you're pretty much stuck with what you've got. I had a 15 ft travel trailer with electric brakes, pulled by a 3/4 ton Chevy 350 4X4. The trailer didn't have shocks or a sway bar. At 55, it was very squirrely until I added those!

Just use your head, and good luck.

dnuccio

^this.
when i towed my dads 69 grand prix home on a uhaul car trailer (6k total) i used a regular draw bar, no weight distributing. it squatted bad in the back and the front felt a bit squirley

mikeg216

The camper is quite vintage, just purchased. I am sure it is under 2k I don't know if it has its own brakes.
The car trailer is an open design with just the ramps for a floor with a winch up front, it is designed for two cars. I would not be towing long distance 60 miles on the interstate loaded tops.
I understand that this is not an ideal car hauler but until I have the cash for a suburban or preferably an excursion it will have to do I want to be able to get there and back in a safe manner and will do any modification necessary so it will ride level in the front and back no squatting or squirrelly front end. I have a brake controller on order a well as a 7 pin wiring set up, so after that I'm thinking hawk pads and rotors, watcha think?

Also a truck is not and option, being that I have cerebral palsy I'm not getting Into the bed of a truck anytime soon.
Thanks guys!

dnuccio

you need to have brakes on that car trailer. you mentioned you want it to be safe, towing a car trailer with a car on it relying only on the ZJs brakes is nowhere near safe. doesnt matter what distance youre going. you could be driving it around the corner. still not safe. what happens if a kid chases a ball into the street?

mikeg216

The car trailer has electric brakes on both axles

dnuccio

ok good. you didn't say that before

dave1123

Another thing. Don't neglect your rear axle. Depending on your location, you might want to put heavier lube in it, or add a friction modifier. I'm assuming you don't have a lift or larger tires, but the rear axles are a noted problem on Jeeps.