Towing for the first time...

[RuggedJeep]

Well the Jeep atleast. Anything specific i should know? Towing with a Silverado and picking up a trailer from U-haul.
gimme some info..

edit: ill be on the road for about 8hours:bang:

[Jeepin Jason]

get it sitting level, maybe just slightly nose down to get adequate tongue weight. Trailer brakes I hope? Since you're picking up a trailer from u-haul, it'll probably have surge brakes. have fun backing up if that's the case. :lol:

Basically, give yourself time and space to get in and out of traffic, take your turns wide and slow, and remember it'll take longer to slow down.

It's really not much different than towing a boat or a camper, it's just probably heavier.

[RuggedJeep]

Ya ive been towing a boat for years, but never a car. Im sure ill notice the weight behind me.If its got surge brakes I dont plan on backing up at all :lol: Straight shot on the interstate..

[Vetteboy]

Don't be afraid of pulling over to adjust straps or positioning. It took me three tries to get the XJ where I liked it when pulling behind the ZJ.

[RuggedJeep]

when i get it on wed night i plan on driving around town just to see if its sitting right

[Jeepin Jason]

Ya ive been towing a boat for years, but never a car. Im sure ill notice the weight behind me.If its got surge brakes I dont plan on backing up at all :lol: Straight shot on the interstate..

psshhh, you'll be fine then. Biggest "trick" is finding the right tongue weight so it handles how you like it. Definitely take Vette's advice and don't be afraid to pull over and adjust the vehicle if the trailer is feeling squirrely

[RuggedJeep]

Should i leave my tire pressure as is on the XJ, or lower it a bit ?

[Jeepin Jason]

I prefer having the tires on the Jeep at full pressure when it's on the trailer. And the swaybar is connected.

Oh yeah, and I strap it down by the axles.

[RuggedJeep]

I prefer having the tires on the Jeep at full pressure when it's on the trailer. And the swaybar is connected.

Oh yeah, and I strap it down by the axles.
ya ill leave the swaybar connected, but ive been told to take a few pounds out of the tire, not sure :dunno: I was thinking of strapping it down from the bumper/d-rings ? is axle a better place ?

[Leadfoot]

ya ill leave the swaybar connected, but ive been told to take a few pounds out of the tire, not sure :dunno: I was thinking of strapping it down from the bumper/d-rings ? is axle a better place ?

I would air them up. When towing a load tires can really build up heat. Lowering the pressure only makes this worse and can cause blowouts. I usually tow with the tires just under max psi.

[RuggedJeep]

I would air them up. When towing a load tires can really build up heat. Lowering the pressure only makes this worse and can cause blowouts. I usually tow with the tires just under max psi.
I was referring to the tires on the Jeep, it'll be on the trailer.

[Jeepin Jason]

don't strap down by the body. That might work for a low car or something, but with our tall Jeeps with high travel suspensions, it'll bounce itself loose pretty quick. Thing about how much suspension travel (specifically compression travel) your Jeep goes through just driving around town. I bet my suspension compresses 2" on regular roads. It's going to behave just the same sitting on that trailer, so you'd have to compress it down with the straps more than it would normally compress, otherwise you go over a bump or dip/whoop in the road and the Jeep's suspension will compress and the straps will pop off.

[XJRIDE]

if you have to run out and grab some axle straps there like 10 bucks at any rv or trailer place...always strap on by the axles you want the suspension to be able to bounce with the flow of the road also

always listen to jason common he runs this joint!
By the way jay you get to tow anythign with the cummins yet?

[Jeepin Jason]

doesn't mean I know everything! :p :D

nope, haven't towed with the CTD yet. Probably won't get the chance to for quite a while actually. :( I sure do enjoy driving it though! :yes:

[OkLaHoMaTJ]

I would tow in 3rd all the time in my Silverado. I have a 16' dove tail flat bed and towed my wrangler all over Oklahoma. I made sure that the truck was sitting level. (The weight of the jeep brings the back end down about 2-5'') I never had any wandering or side-to-side shifting while driving at Highway speeds. I always towed in 3rd unless going down long downhills. I strapped to the axles fore and aft of the jeep. My flatbed DOES NOT have brakes :bangtard: I know..its the next thing i do...trust me. I just made sure i kept enough room between me and the driver infront of me. Never had any close calls because i was extremely cautious. Hope this helps.

[RuggedJeep]

Cool i appreciate all the info guys.

2 straps up front and 1 in the back enough ? or should i put 2 out back also ?

[only1]

only1 is better than none

[HotSEXJ]

What are surge brakes and why would one choose not to back up while using them?

[MBood82]

surge brakes operate on the principle of there is a hydraulic type ram in the hitch on the trailer that gets compressed when the cars brakes are hit because the trailer wants to keep going forward. This compression is transfered to the trailer brakes so the harder the braking the more force on the brakes.

I personally have never had a problem backing a surge braked trailer before (drove one all the way out to michigan, grew up around boat trailers with surge brakes.) However, I could see how it could be an issue if you jerk it.

[OkLaHoMaTJ]

Ive heard them called Inertia Brakes also. My 22' Tige Wake Boat has them and they work great.

When you slam on the brake the weight of the boat pushes forward and causes the weight of the boat to apply pressure to a hydro line and causes pressure against the brakes. The harder you brake the more inertia is created against the truck therefor creating more pressure in the system. I think?

[Vetteboy]

It sucks for backing up, because if you have to push on the trailer with any kind of force you're automatically applying its brakes.

Also, you don't have the option of independently applying the trailer brakes. I've had a few bad sway situations (not with the ZJ/XJ) where hitting just the trailer brakes fixed the situation better than anything else could have.

[RuggedJeep]

well i found out the straps on the u hual trailer are the kind that go over the front tires, and of course they fit upto a 30". I just went to pepboys and spent $70 on 3 tie downs..:rant:

[Steve]

dude

I've towed my jeep a few times using those uhaul straps, you just tighten the straps around the axle instead of the tire and it's FINE

take back the tie downs

[Jeepin Jason]

I'd keep the tiedowns. You can never have enough tiedowns. :D

unless yer broke and need the money, then return them.

[Steve]

yeah I guess I am just in the broke/need the money mood right now...

[RuggedJeep]

Thanks for the tip steve, i didnt think of using those straps around the axle.:thumbsup:
And ya im gonna keep these tie downs, im gonna buy them eventually, i see a purchase of a truck and trailer in my very near future.




Or i could just keep renting. :p

[bbaCJ8]

Also, you don't have the option of independently applying the trailer brakes. I've had a few bad sway situations (not with the ZJ/XJ) where hitting just the trailer brakes fixed the situation better than anything else could have.
Absolutely. Towing with electric brakes/brake controller is a Godsend. My first major towing experience(besides boats and stuff) was in an 06 Duramax dually with a 26' enclosed trailer with a vehicle in it......big load. It was nice cuz the truck was ideal for towing....perfect setup. Anyway, I ended up taking over just as we got into the U.P. in a major blizzard. It was stable and smooth for the most part, but we'd get into some deep stuff occasionally and it'd get a little squirrely when it started getting pushed around in ruts. A couple taps of the trailer brakes(using the controller) and everything settled down nicely. I've towed a bunch of times since then and wouldn't do it any other way. I'm actually supposed to be taking the loaded trailer(8-9k lbs) to SC and back right now, but it got delayed till early July. I'll be bringin that sumb1tch through the mountains with no worries......I may just listen to "Eastbound and Down" for the whole 12+ hours:yes:

[Leadfoot]

I'll be bringin that sumb1tch through the mountains with no worries......I may just listen to "Eastbound and Down" for the whole 12+ hours:yes:

Brings back memories of watching Smokey and the Bandit :yes:

[mxjeepin]

backing up with surge brakes isnt bad if you have a 5 flat set up. we have a wakeboard boat with surge brakes on the trailer and sicne it has a 5 flat set up on the trailer and i have one for my truck it just cuts out the brakes when you back up. but i doubt a u haul has a 5 flat.

[xjcraver]

4 straps on the heep, 2 in front and 2 in back. State regs vary, but if you get pulled over with just three straps you're likely to get a ticket. And how long does it take to put one more strap on, anyways?? Better safe than sorry.

J

Edit: One more strap on... that's almost funny!!

[Steve]

Thanks for the tip steve, i didnt think of using those straps around the axle.:thumbsup:
And ya im gonna keep these tie downs, im gonna buy them eventually, i see a purchase of a truck and trailer in my very near future.




Or i could just keep renting. :p
how does that saying go..

if it floats, flys, or fukks, it's better to rent?

ok I guess that doesn't really work in this situation

buy buy buy!

[XJAndy]

how did the u-haul trailer work out for you. I will probably be buying a truck in the near future (read 3-4 months) and I won't be able to afford a trailer for probably another year so renting a u-haul or budget trailer is my only option.