General towing advice from everyone

wantanotherzuki

Active Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Location
The Coast
I am in need of general towing advice. I need to buy a new/used vehicle. I have 2/3k to spend. I need it to tow no more than 4000 lbs, 3/4 times a month. I'm using it to tow vehicles usually wranglers etc. I've been borrowing friends vehicles to do this recently and that needs to change.

Last weekend I drove 70 from Myrtle Beach all the way to Chapel Hill and go almost 21mpg out of an 08 Liberty. Its rated to tow 5000 lb's and I was impressed by it. I had no problem pulling a 2500lb wrangler home at 65 mpg and averaged 13 mpg the whole way, using a dolly.

This vehicle is obviously out of my range 2/3k but I was hoping for advice on what vehicles would get good mpg around town and would not get ruined pulling a dolly with this weight 2/4 times a month. I know nothing about towing, nothing other than how to do it. Should I bite the bullet and get a big beast of a truck or can I skate by using a Cherokee/Pathfinder or 4runner. I appreciate any help you guys can give me with this.

Jason
 
wantanotherzuki said:
ILast weekend I drove 70 from Myrtle Beach all the way to Chapel Hill and go almost 21mpg out of an 08 Liberty. Its rated to tow 5000 lb's and I was impressed by it. I had no problem pulling a 2500lb wrangler home at 65 mpg and averaged 13 mpg the whole way, using a dolly.
Jason
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Wranglers weigh around 4,000lbs, not 2,500. FYI. Add in several hundred pounds for the dolly as well.
 
If you're going to stick with a tow dolly get one with brakes. Look for a high mileage 97ish grand cherokee with a V8
 
Not sure where you got the 2500lbs weight for a Wrangler from, you are looking at 3200-3500 minimum for a bone stock soft top Jeep. Add a hard top, full doors, lift, big tires, bumpers, gear, full tank of gas etc, and you can cross 4,000-4,500 quite easily, not to mention the few hundred lbs for the tow dolly as well as already mentioned. Although older CJs did weigh in just under 3000lbs.

If you are looking to be towing around Jeeps like that, look into a 1/2 ton truck, sorry but Liberty's, 4runners, etc are just not gonna cut it for reliably and safely towing 5k+. It's not so much how much the engine can handle and get decent mileage, but the transmission being able to hold the additional load and heat (which kills them over time), and most importantly the brakes being able to safely stop it.

I've pulled a small landscape trailer with two ATV's on it, roughly 2500lbs with my wife's Infiniti QX4 (Same as a R50 Series Nissan Pathfinder), while the engine pulled the load like a champ, I could tell the brakes were struggling with just 1/2 of the recommended towing capacity, then again I am somewhat spoiled to usually pulling with my 3/4 or 1 ton truck, and trailer brakes.
 
Ron, those are all to big to even park in my driveway, lol. Damned HOA would shart out Easter Candy. You guys don't like the Cherokee with a inline 6. I know the 4runners and Pathy's don't really have to balls to do it. I know the inline 6 Cherokees are supposed to be really tuff.
 
wantanotherzuki said:
I looked up the curb weight for what it was 87 wrangler 4 cylinder, came back at under 2500 lbs.
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4cyl Curb weight for a 87 YJ is listed as 2870 for 4cyl, 3020 for 6cyl. Auto would add more weight, a hard top/full doors is looking at another 200lbs or so, a set of 32s or bigger, and you are looking at 100+ added over the stockers, etc.
wantanotherzuki said:
hadfield4wd, why the breaks? Remember I'm dumb on this stuff.

Good info guys please keep it coming.
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Because those small vehicles brakes are not nearly enough to stop that Wrangler and tow dolly in an emergency situation.
wantanotherzuki said:
Ron, those are all to big to even park in my driveway, lol. Damned HOA would shart out Easter Candy. You guys don't like the Cherokee with a inline 6. I know the 4runners and Pathy's don't really have to balls to do it. I know the inline 6 Cherokees are supposed to be really tuff.
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:shaking: It's not about the engine, it all has to do with the transmission, and most importantly the brakes.
 
GubNi said:
There are many options and details, but I would say the most important is 8 lug wheels.
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wantanotherzuki said:
Gubni what?
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My advise is to get something with 8 lugnuts on each wheel. Yes a half ton truck may do the job, but a 3/4 ton or 1 ton will do it much better with a lower long term cost. Maybe look for a suburban but make sure it's the 8 lug version.

The reason is that they are designed more for towing. The axles and springs will be much stonger and if you run into an scarey situation that could become an accident with a bigger vehicle you are more likely to come out ok.
 
wantanotherzuki said:
Ron, those are all to big to even park in my driveway, lol. Damned HOA would shart out Easter Candy.
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You can't park a pickup/excursion/suburban in your driveway? Never heard of an HOA like that.

wantanotherzuki said:
You guys don't like the Cherokee with a inline 6. I know the 4runners and Pathy's don't really have to balls to do it. I know the inline 6 Cherokees are supposed to be really tuff.
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Not for towing anything other than a popup camper or small utility trailer.

GCncsuHD said:
Because those small vehicles brakes are not nearly enough to stop that Wrangler and tow dolly in an emergency situation.
:shaking: It's not about the engine, it all has to do with the transmission, and most importantly the brakes.
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Very true

GubNi said:
My advise is to get something with 8 lugnuts on each wheel. Yes a half ton truck may do the job, but a 3/4 ton or 1 ton will do it much better with a lower long term cost. Maybe look for a suburban but make sure it's the 8 lug version.
The reason is that they are designed more for towing. The axles and springs will be much stonger and if you run into an scarey situation that could become an accident with a bigger vehicle you are more likely to come out ok.
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While a 3/4 or 1 ton will certainly be better it is not needed at all. The half ton I've been towing with the last 5 years has been great. No issues whatsoever. Yes I go slower. Take my time, am not stupid when I tow. I don't rag on the truck and I have alot of towing experience. More than most.

Yes I just bought a truck specifically for towing the jeep and buggy. Yes it's a 1 ton dually. No it's not a DD.
 
I just found a two door tahoe, I assumed hey its smaller than the full size so it should be good on gas and be ready to tow. Nope the mpg is worse than the one with the 4 doors it looks like.
Edit, that was coming from people with 38's, gears and etc. I wonder why they're complaining about mpg.
 
if i was gonna buy something just to tow with id look for an old work truck, found a 90s model powerstroke on craigslist for $3500 and its got a work box! So you can tow your vehicle with PLENTY of power, AND you can store all your tools camping gear AND lunch in all the space in the back! lol

I guess just look on craigslist and look up work trucks, or heck any truck and type in your price range and see what pops up!
 
Ive never heard of an HOA that wouldnt allow a standard passenger vehicle in the drive.

You need a tow rig that ideally is heavier than thee total load you are pulling..otherwise braking becomes an adventure.

If you are towing this Jeep to offroad you will quickly figure out that a tow dolly int a good option. You should get better mileage driving the jeep than towing it and anything that would break that would require a tow home will probably not tow on a dolly.

I will agree that if I was buying a newer 1/2 ton since the truck wars began in the early 2000s I would have no concerns towing a jeep size vehicle...if we are talking even a mid 90s half ton...I will disagree strongly.
 
I would like to know what you are towing? Are you buying scrap vehicles? Are you towing a rig to the trails? Is your other car that unreliable? If you are going to tow that often, and i would consider 4 times a month often, you need a more dedicated vehicle than a cherokee or runner. If you were to get something bigger(3/4 or 1 ton) its much easier on your nerves. As stated already, you have more control. You can go the speed limit. Hell you can pass a car on a 2 lane if you need. I dont like towing without trailer brakes even with my big ass truck.
To sum it all up:
Towing with a small vehicle and no trailer brakes is an ordeal.
Towing with a big truck and nice trailer is just driving.
 
Ron said:
You need a tow rig that ideally is heavier than thee total load you are pulling..otherwise braking becomes an adventure.
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Well not really. As long as there are trailer brakes. Which as far as I'm concerned is a must have. I will never tow without brakes.

Ron said:
If you are towing this Jeep to offroad you will quickly figure out that a tow dolly int a good option. You should get better mileage driving the jeep than towing it and anything that would break that would require a tow home will probably not tow on a dolly.
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I agree a trailer would be best. However I suspect you are saying a dolly because of the HOA.
 
You guys don't live in Myrtle Beach, the Hoa's here get to tell you what type of toilet paper is acceptable to wipe your arse with.

Diesel's are out, too expensive to work on, no shop and zero knowledge of how the engine works.

I'm not towing a trail rig, I can't afford have a hobby that awesome. I'm making extra money buying a few used cars a month and reselling them here. Its the only job I can work and still keep my day job. I use the money to pay down my girlfriends plastic surgery and general surgery bill from where she was thrown through a windshield at 60 miles an hour and landed on her face.
 
I would say a gm 2500 with a 6.0. Its very easy to work on and i would imagine they should be plentiful. Reg cab should fit in your driveway. Check with some storage facilities. Storing a trailer/vehicle isnt very expensive. The more set up you are to tow, the less operating expense you will have in the long run.
 
Ron said:
You need a tow rig that ideally is heavier than thee total load you are pulling..otherwise braking becomes an adventure.

I will agree that if I was buying a newer 1/2 ton since the truck wars began in the early 2000s I would have no concerns towing a jeep size vehicle...if we are talking even a mid 90s half ton...I will disagree strongly.
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I do not agree with these statements. True the towing capacity should be heavier than the load you are pulling, but not the truck itself. That is just unnecessary. So by your logic, a Dodge 2500 Cummins, with a 6,500lb curb weight is limited to pulling only HALF of it's factory rated towing capacity of 13,000+ lbs? Proper trailer brakes do make ALL the difference as well, I would never haul more than 4k or so behind my truck without brakes on at least one axle of the trailer.

And while I do agree that since the truck wars began, many 1/2 ton trucks have received much better towing ratings, and better brakes, many things have not really gotten any better such as transmissions, and axles being carried over or only slightly changed from years past. There were just as many overbuilt 1/2 tons from early 90s and before. Case and point-An 88-98 Chevrolet 1500 with the F44-heavy half option like the 88 K1500 I used to have, which brought an extra rear leaf, replaced the 10 bolt with a 6 lug 9.5" 14 bolt semi floater, larger brakes, and increased the towing and GVWR of the trucks significantly, only coming in 200lbs GVWR less than our 98 2500 truck.
 
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