[A/S] Grand Cherokee and Safari

[rtrimbach@xxxxxxxx]

First off, I'm new to the list and just want to say thanks for all 
the posts. Wow, lot's of worthwhile information.

I'm at the point in my life that an Airstream make a lot of sense 
(that really means I just want one according to my wife). Anyways, we 
have an '01 Grand Cherokee with the V8 and Class 4 tow package. For 
many reason, mostly because I love driving the Jeep, I would not 
consider changing tow vehicles. So, I'm thinking about a 25 Safari. 
The Jeep has a tow rating of 6500 and 10,500 combined GVWR. The 
Safari has a GVWR of 6300 and the Jeep weighs 4k. The Jeep also has a 
limitation of 64 sq.ft. max trailer frontal area (Airstream told me 
it is less then that) and 30' max trailer length.

So, from all the specs, it looks to me like I can keep this rig 
within the guidelines. Obviously minimizing load in the trailer (and 
the Jeep) would help in accomplishing this.

Now, the question is, how managable would this actually be? I've 
owned a Cherokee (XJ), a '94 Grand Cherokee (ZJ), and the '01 Grand 
Cherokee (WJ). All three are very different vehicles. I've towed with 
all and the '94 I used to tow a 7000 pound boat (total tow weight). 
After adding Airlift bags to remove some of the sag, it handle pretty 
decently (tandam axle trailer with radials, torsion axles, etc.).

I'm thinking with a weight distributing hitch and sway control, this 
should be a reasonable setup. I realize some do not believe that you 
can tow even the smallest trailer without a 'burbon or Excursion but 
then again some think they can tow a 34' Limited with their front 
wheel drive minivan (gee, the salesman said I could).

I guess what I'm really looking for is someone that has been there, 
done that with a newer Grand Cherokee ('99 on) and about 6,000 pounds 
of a travel trailer. I really don't see it a good comparision with 
other midsize SUVs since it is kind of a unique beast (solid front 
axle suspension, unibody, V8). I don't see unibody as being much of 
an issue (it is not built like a car, offroading has proven that to 
me). I think the biggest issue is probably with just the basic fact 
it is a shorter wheelbase vehicle with a higher center of gravity.

Sorry for being so long winded with my first post. Any and all 
comments would be most appreciated.