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Old 12-23-2011, 08:59 AM   #1
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Question on towing a 4wd Jeep Liberty

Last year we purchased a 32'Four Winds class C E450/V10. Acording to the hitch tag, It can tow 3500 lbs with 350lb tung weight.
We're thinking of buying a 2012 4wd Jeep Liberty, but it weighs closer to 4300 lbs...

Can the 4wd Jeep Liberty be towed with our Class C?

If yes, can we use either a Tow Dolly or Tow Bar? need recommendation here. and would it be legal and safe?
According to the car dealer, the 4300 lbs. is not a problem, but would like some verification...

Thanks for any info regarding this...
Charlie
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Old 12-23-2011, 10:02 AM   #2
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You can go online and see the 2012 Liberty owner's manual.

On page 391, there is a table that says that your only option with the Liberty regarding flat towing is a manual transmission. For an automatic, you can ONLY tow dolly if it is FWD (no flat towing).

You CAN flat tow a 2012 Grand Cherokee 4WD with a Quadra-Trac II transmission (page 545 of that manual). That 'II' is a VERY important distinction.

Regarding the hitch, check the GCWR (gross combined weight rating) for the RV to see if you have the extra weight capacity to tow the Jeeps. If you, you might be able to get a beefier hitch to handle the Jeep weights.
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Old 12-23-2011, 10:35 AM   #3
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Jeep Wrangler 4 w/d auto/manual 4 Dr can be towed 4 down and weighs about the same. 2012 has more horsepower than older 4 dr models. I have a 2008 and it is a great toad (wishit had more HP).
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Old 12-24-2011, 10:00 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RVThere View Post
You can go online and see the 2012 Liberty owner's manual.

On page 391, there is a table that says that your only option with the Liberty regarding flat towing is a manual transmission. For an automatic, you can ONLY tow dolly if it is FWD (no flat towing).

You CAN flat tow a 2012 Grand Cherokee 4WD with a Quadra-Trac II transmission (page 545 of that manual). That 'II' is a VERY important distinction.

Regarding the hitch, check the GCWR (gross combined weight rating) for the RV to see if you have the extra weight capacity to tow the Jeeps. If you, you might be able to get a beefier hitch to handle the Jeep weights.
Your info is incorrect about the Liberty.

Look on page 427 of the 2012 Jeep Liberty Owner's Manual. A 2012 four wheel drive Jeep Liberty with an automatic transmission can be towed four down. You put the transfer case in neutral and the transmission in park.

We verified this info before we placed our order for a new 2012 Jeep Liberty.

http://www.jeep.com/en/owners/manuals/

Sue
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Old 12-25-2011, 09:09 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RvWithHarley View Post
Last year we purchased a 32'Four Winds class C E450/V10. Acording to the hitch tag, It can tow 3500 lbs with 350lb tung weight.
We're thinking of buying a 2012 4wd Jeep Liberty, but it weighs closer to 4300 lbs...

Can the 4wd Jeep Liberty be towed with our Class C?

If yes, can we use either a Tow Dolly or Tow Bar? need recommendation here. and would it be legal and safe?
According to the car dealer, the 4300 lbs. is not a problem, but would like some verification...

Thanks for any info regarding this...
Charlie
"Can" you tow it? Yes.

"Should" you tow it? No. The 3500# limit on your hitch is there for a reason, based on the tested strength of the components, and no doubt calculated into the GCWR for your rig. You'll be putting greater stress on the hitch, brakes, transmission, etc. (Tongue weight will not be a problem, though, with either 4-down or dolly.) Chances are, it can handle the extra 800#, but where do you draw the line?

And as to "According to the car dealer ...," of course he said no problem! It's not a problem for the Jeep after all, just the RV.
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Old 12-25-2011, 09:15 AM   #6
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Here is what I'm seeing in the manuals on line so let me know where I'm wrong.

As this is a VERY important aspect of a buying decision for your tow car, you need the dealer to commit to taking the 2012 Liberty back if you can't tow it.

This is what I see on Page 427 of the 2012 Jeep Liberty Users Manual that Sue references: (nothing about towing)


This is what I see in the 2012 online Liberty Users Manual that summarizes towing behind an RV:



Now hopefully the dealer was NOT referencing the 2011 Jeep Liberty Manual when guiding you on a 2012 purchase. Because this is what appears in the 2011 online Jeep Liberty Users Manual:




With all this confusing information, your best bet is to call someone at Jeep who can give you a definitive answer.

Good luck!
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Old 12-25-2011, 09:38 AM   #7
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Check the front page of that 2012 Liberty manual you're looking at. Is it actually the Patriot manual? When you select 2012 Liberty for download from My Jeep: Jeep Owners Service Manuals - 4x4 SUVs, Sports Utility Vehicles, Off Road, you're actually getting the 2012 Patriot manual.

Chrysler messed up the links when they did the latest round of revisions. I have a copy of an actual 2012 Liberty manual that we previously downloaded, and the info Sue gave is correct.

Attached is that page from the real Liberty manual.

I hope this is a moot point for the OP, because there's really no way they should be towing something this heavy with their RV. It's not even close.

joe
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Old 12-25-2011, 10:00 AM   #8
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There seems to be several versions of the 2012 Jeep Liberty Owner's manual. I referenced version 3 and Joe referenced version 4, which is why the page numbers are different. The 2012 Jeep Liberty User's guide from the Chrysler site is correct and also says the 2012 4WD Liberty is towable four down.

Do I think the dealer would take the car back if it was not towable? Yes. We would also not take delivery, if it wasn't towable.

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Old 12-25-2011, 10:55 AM   #9
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Thanks for clearing up the confusion!

Regarding taking back the Jeep, check some of the Chevy Cruise posts. Chevy advertised that the car was flat towable but then changed their mind after the cars were delivered. After some negotiation, Chevy took back the cars and even gave an allowance for tow systems that owners bought.
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Old 12-25-2011, 11:26 AM   #10
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We know for a fact the 2012 4WD Jeep Liberty has a neutral position with both the Command Trac II or Selec-Trac II four-wheel-drive transfer cases. The neutral position allows the Liberty to be towed on its own wheels without damaging the transfer case or transmission.

Sue
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Old 12-26-2011, 12:37 PM   #11
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The Libby is towable 4 down, but not with your coach. Y ou need to find a toad that weighs less than 3500 lbs.

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Old 12-26-2011, 05:33 PM   #12
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Boy! You really had me going there for a few minutes. I also went out and looked at what was supposed to be the 2012 Liberty manual and saw where it said it couldn't be towed 4 down. My first clue that something was wrong was it had a picture of a Patriot instead of a Liberty. Checked the first page and sure enough it said Patriot. Jeep just put the wrong file out there.
I couldn't believe that they changed the Libby that much.
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Old 12-26-2011, 05:52 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RVThere View Post
Thanks for clearing up the confusion!

Regarding taking back the Jeep, check some of the Chevy Cruise posts. Chevy advertised that the car was flat towable but then changed their mind after the cars were delivered. After some negotiation, Chevy took back the cars and even gave an allowance for tow systems that owners bought.
Honda did the same thing with the '05 Odyssey. Good thing we got it in writing direct from Honda America on their letterhead that it could be towed four down. We got them to pay us back for the towing equip. even though we could have gone for a buy back
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Old 12-27-2011, 11:47 AM   #14
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Thanks for all the info.. I did not want to upgrade hitch since it turns out that the Class C extended Van Frame could be damaged by towing more than 3500 lbs...Today, we bought a 2012 Jeep Patriot with manual transmission...simple, light and easy to Tow...
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