Re: [A/S] Re: Jeep pulling airstream

["Woody Schlom" <woody@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Read your owner's manual AGAIN!  Read the fine print.

I also have a '96 Cherokee "Classic" 4X4 which I absolutely love, and mine
has 208,000 miles on it -- still original engine and transmission.

If you read the Jeep/Chrysler specs. in the owner's manual it says that the
towing capacity for "BOAT TRAILERS" (or other low-aspect trailers like
tent-trailers) is 5,000 lbs.  BUT for high-aspect travel trailers the Jeep's
towing capacity is only 3,500 lbs.

My Jeep is factory equipped with the Class-3 hitch, transmission cooler,
larger radiator, and off-road Bilstein shocks (all this was included in the
"Classic" model.  I've towed my 3,750 lb. Coleman Niagara pop-up (19 feet
long) twice with this vehicle.  The first time was from the dealer in
Ontario, CA to San Diego.  The trailer was totally empty and it still tried
to drive my Jeep when going down hill!  I had very serious sway problems and
had to manually ride the trailer's brakes going down hill.  And although the
vehicle had no problems maintaining 55 mph on I-15 (even up the hills) the
engine temperature ran almost to the red at the top of every hill.  It was a
total "white-knuckle" drive and I never want to repeat it.

I had the transmission fluid checked when I got to SD and it had scorched.

After talking to several "experts" (some of whom said I needed a
weight-equalizing hitch, some of whom said my Jeep couldn't tow such a heavy
trailer, and some of whom said I needed a "sway-control") and reading this
list, I concluded that I needed a longer heavier more powerful tow vehicle
AND needed to put a LOT more weight on the trailer's tongue.

So I put a lot more weight on the trailer's tongue and towed the trailer to
the local San Diego mountains.  A heavier tongue weight solved most of the
sway problems, but going downhill I could still feel the trailer trying to
drive the Jeep (which by the way weighs almost the same as the trailer -- 
Jeep's are very light).  And again, the engine nearly overheated several
times and the transmission fluid was scorched again.

After my experiences I do NOT recommend using the Jeep Cherokee to tow ANY
travel trailer, and only small light tent-trailers.

But for off-road, it's the champ!