Towed Vehicle Choice for 2004 Dutch Star 41'

[USMC46]

Greetings: I'm new to the forum and a new owner (Tuesday)of a 2004 Dutch Star 41' DP. I have a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee automatic 2WD. I understand it is a pain to tow compared to a Grand Cherokee 4WD automatic. My question is this: Am I better off with a Jeep Liberty 4WD versus a GC ? Other ? Also, what is the best towing gear for one of the Jeeps towed by this particular DP ? Any and all advice on this topic or other topic related to care of my new DP welcome. Thanks.

[USMC46]

Greetings: I'm new to the forum and a new owner (Tuesday)of a 2004 Dutch Star 41' DP. I have a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee automatic 2WD. I understand it is a pain to tow compared to a Grand Cherokee 4WD automatic. My question is this: Am I better off with a Jeep Liberty 4WD versus a GC ? Other ? Also, what is the best towing gear for one of the Jeeps towed by this particular DP ? Any and all advice on this topic or other topic related to care of my new DP welcome. Thanks.

[Sundog]

USMC46,

We just replaced our previous toad with a Grand Cherokee. We looked at the Liberty and after comparing prices and vehicles we decided the Grand Cherokee was a better fit for our needs. As we found out, not all 4-wheel drive set-ups can be towed 4-wheels down. It requires the NV245 transfer case becasue it has neutral button. Ours has the Quadra-trac II 4 wheel drive. The litmus test is reading the owners manual for the specific vehicle you are looking at. It will be very specific about if and how you tow 4 wheels down with an automatic. Many of the salesman aren't familier with that technical side of their product. Some other cars we considered were Honda CRV, Saturn Vue, Sazuki Grand Vatari and XL-7. Good luck.

And remember, "not as lean, not as mean, but still a Marine"

[rebelsbeach]

USMC46,WELCOME to iRV2!!

I've linked your question to the "toads and towing" forum so you'll get some good answers...

We're anxious to hear more of your experiences with the new rig!!

[troth]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I have a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee automatic 2WD. I understand it is a pain to tow compared to a Grand Cherokee 4WD automatic. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
This is true.

Here's more info.

towing Jeeps





fixed the quotes...

[tmitchell]

I have owned my 2001 Jeep GC, LTD, Quadra Drive,
V8 since it was new and have towed it 38,000 miles behind 2 MHs.
In my opinion the Grand Cherokee is the better all around tow vehicle.
It rides better, it is more spacious and comfortable, and has more power.
I have always figured that people choose the Liberty over the GC thinking it weighs a lot less. That is not the case. There is only approx. 200 lbs. difference.
On the other hand,if I owned a Liberty I would, no doubt, have numerous reasons why it was the better choice.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I think Tom Mitchell hit the nail on the head - choose between Liberty and GC based on the size of vehicle you want to drive, not because of weight or towability differences. Either one is an excellent choice for a toad.

But make sure you get a 4WD model with a neutral position in the transfer case. And read the pages in the owners manual regarding towing BEFORE you buy - do not take the salesman's word for it.

[NLOVNIT]

We looked at both the 4WD Jeep GC & Liberty. Of the ones on the dealer's lot we compared, the GC was about 400 lbs heavier than the Liberty. We didn't want to get too close to our hitch capacity (for ours, 5000 lbs), so we went with the Liberty even though it wasn't as roomy inside as the GC.
We tow our Liberty 4 down with the transmission in park & the transfer case in neutral.

Good luck in your search for your next toad.

L-

[rebelsbeach]

That Tom Mitchell's quite a guy ain't he??

Good post Tom...

[RV Wizard]

USMC46, welcome to iRV2.com. We are glad to have you join us here and we look forward to reading of your adventures and experiences. Congratulations on the new Dutch Star. I am sure you will enjoy both it and the forum. You will find we are a group of fun loving RVers that like to help each other where we can. Any questions you have, just ask. Good luck and stay safe.