Which JEEP do you tow

[Thunderfoot]

Originally Posted by user293

If I had a choice for a new Jeep, I would go with a JKU Rubicon. It's already has most of the stock Jeep upgrades, and is reliable both on and off road. Or a used modified CJ, TJ or YJ, all are great Jeeps.

If you plan on ever lifting a Jeep I would stay away from the newer Jeep Cherokee. The way its chassis and suspension is designed you may be able to lift up to a maximum of ~one inch with a Trail Hawk lift kit or other DYI methods figured out by new Cherokee owners. I think the maximum lift achieved has been 1.25 inches.

To quote the OP's original post "We won't be getting a new one. Most likely 2005 to 2010 model years."

To stay on topic we should limit the discussion to the OP's preference to provide germane information in response to his post There are several Jeeps in that model year range that are routinely lifted over 1.25 inches, and can be flat towed. Among those are the '05-'10 Grand Cherokees that can be safely, reliably, and easily lifted to 3 1/2 to 4 inches over stock with tires up to 33". With the same product, the 6 cylinder models will net more lift than the heavier V8's or diesels although the final measurements will be very close. No, they will never compete with a trailered, 40" tire, rock crawler but they are more than capable of off road performance on up to level 3+ trails (on a 5 level rating system) and there is no comparison to the on road comfort, amenities, and performance as many have noted.

[codgerbill]

We tow a 2007 Wrangler 4 door Sahara Unlimited. The odometer reads a bit over 140.000 miles and I would guess there is up to another 40'000 plus (or more) being towed behind the motor home. I have experienced the dreaded "death wobble" now for the second time and will be getting that taken care of within the next week or so. I have towed it more than 700 miles (2 days without undoing it from the motor home) and have not had a battery problem. I use a brake buddy for the auxiliary braking.

[Rocky68D]

We've pulled our 2006 Wrangler Unlimited (last of the 2-door long wheelbase model) Rubicon for 8 years. It's been a fun and reliable transport, on and off road.

[BobGed]

Originally Posted by donie

We traded it for a Cherokee. Doing research before buying it, we found out that on the Cherokee, there is only one trans they recommend for flat towing and that is the Active Drive II tranny. We have had no problem with it at all and love it.
Hope this helps.

I apologize in advance to all for this off topic comment, but I believe it's important.

I don't know if you have had the RV wiring modification done to your Cherokee as discussed in the following thread http://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/sever...ee-240620.html , but if not I strongly recommend that you do have it done. The severe shaking has affected all Cherokee models, including the Trailhawks, and has occurred at speeds anywhere between 25 mph and 50 mph depending on circumstances.

The down side to having this modification done is it will drain the battery, so unlike any other Jeeps you will need to install a towed battery charger. I installed this one that is very simple and works well RVibrake Towed Battery Charger, charge line replacement

Back to your regular programming

[Atom Ant]

Originally Posted by codgerbill

We tow a 2007 Wrangler 4 door Sahara Unlimited. The odometer reads a bit over 140.000 miles and I would guess there is up to another 40'000 plus (or more) being towed behind the motor home. I have experienced the dreaded "death wobble" now for the second time and will be getting that taken care of within the next week or so. I have towed it more than 700 miles (2 days without undoing it from the motor home) and have not had a battery problem. I use a brake buddy for the auxiliary braking.

Are you talking about the same death wobble the Grand Cherokee experiences or is this a suspension issue? I wasn't aware of the problem in Wrangler.

[user293]

Originally Posted by Thunderfoot

To quote the OP's original post "We won't be getting a new one. Most likely 2005 to 2010 model years."

To stay on topic we should limit the discussion to the OP's preference to provide germane information in response to his post There are several Jeeps in that model year range that are routinely lifted over 1.25 inches, and can be flat towed. Among those are the '05-'10 Grand Cherokees that can be safely, reliably, and easily lifted to 3 1/2 to 4 inches over stock with tires up to 33". With the same product, the 6 cylinder models will net more lift than the heavier V8's or diesels although the final measurements will be very close. No, they will never compete with a trailered, 40" tire, rock crawler but they are more than capable of off road performance on up to level 3+ trails (on a 5 level rating system) and there is no comparison to the on road comfort, amenities, and performance as many have noted.

I guess I should have worded the post differently instead of "new" I should have used "another". I probably wouldn't purchase a new Jeep.

Newer Cherokee can't be lifted more than 1.25" unless you want to spend thousands of dollars replacing suspension and other parts that secure the engine and transmission with custom modified parts. There was an article about it where a person took a newer Cherokee into a 4x4 specialist. After accessing concluded it would not be really fees-able and worth trying to lift over 1.25 inches.

[user293]

I should have added to the previous post

I'm referring the regular Cherokee. There's a Sport, Sport Alitude, Overland and Latitude and Limited (perhaps there are other models) IIRC, it's suppose to be a comeback of the original very popular XJ, that was on the market for 18 years. The XJ is the predecessor of the GC , was used experimentally to help engineer and develop the GC

[SuperGewl]

2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk tows great and I've had none of the Death Wobble problems.
I've also towed a 2002 and a 2012 Jeep Liberty, they all tow great and easy setup once all is installed.
The Trailhawk has more room inside than the Liberty and gets much better MPG's.
If I had a DP I would tow my 2016 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 4x4

[mspicer1234]

We tow a 2016 Wrangler 4 door Sahara Unlimited. I use a Blue Ox Aventa LX tow bar, Blue Ox BX1126 base plate, Hopkins Dinghy Towing Harness 56200, M&G Engineering 602 Braking System with the M&G Engineering Break Away System and Alert LED.

In all it takes me about 5 to 10 minutes to hook up the Jeep and all cables (Electric, Air, Breakaway Lanyard and Safety Cables).

[vapor3000]

Originally Posted by Crasher

To the OP. What do you want to do with your Jeep when you unhook? If you will mostly on streets or highways with only mild off-road use, go with a Grand Cherokee. They will give you the most comfort and pleasure when touring an area. If you plan to do more than just mild off-road travel and exploring, the JKU is a better choice. We have towed the older GC and the newer style 4 door JK. The JKU was to be my daily driver too, but after 50-75 miles in it, I was ready to get out. It was a 2010 and I know the newer ones are more comfortable. Our current Jeep is an 05 Wrangler with 40" tires, coilover suspension and RJ60 axles. Although it is still street legal in AZ, I haul it in a trailer, as it is mostly for rock crawling.

Drive a 2007 or later JKU and GC for 50-60 miles before you decide which is best for you. Good luck.

We will use it mostly on the highway/street with mild off road use. It sound like the Grand Cherokee could work for us.

The discussion on the "death wobble" about concerns me. Does this occur with modified/raised suspensions or is it applicable to stock as well?

[codgerbill]

Originally Posted by Atom Ant

Are you talking about the same death wobble the Grand Cherokee experiences or is this a suspension issue? I wasn't aware of the problem in Wrangler.

It is my understanding that it is a issue that is unique to 4 wheel drive vehicles with solid front axles. It is a (so I hear) a common thing with Wranglers. When the wobble first occurred I took it to a Dodge/Jeep dealer. They told me everything was ok. I took it to a place that I have the Motor Home serviced and when I mentioned it, the Technician said it was the "Death Wobble" and that it is a common issue for Wranglers and other solid front axle 4 wheel drive vehicles. Th Death Wobble seems to come on somewhere between 70,00 and 110,000 miles. I am thinking that if I was more "pro active" with the maintenance that it would not be a problem.

[Atom Ant]

Originally Posted by codgerbill

It is my understanding that it is a issue that is unique to 4 wheel drive vehicles with solid front axles. It is a (so I hear) a common thing with Wranglers. When the wobble first occurred I took it to a Dodge/Jeep dealer. They told me everything was ok. I took it to a place that I have the Motor Home serviced and when I mentioned it, the Technician said it was the "Death Wobble" and that it is a common issue for Wranglers and other solid front axle 4 wheel drive vehicles. Th Death Wobble seems to come on somewhere between 70,00 and 110,000 miles. I am thinking that if I was more "pro active" with the maintenance that it would not be a problem.

Ah, that wobble I'm aware of. I had to correct it on my 97 TJ which resulted from my lift - however I thought there were some other wobble issues with Jeep that were corrected electronically?

[user293]

I had a death wobble on my Jeep. Within a certain speed range around ~50 mph +/- the Jeep would violently shake. If I slowed or speed up it would stop. Sort of scary at first until I found I could manage it by driving at certain speeds.

What shakes is the front solid axle which essentially floats with the front suspension and steering. Something worn or damaged can cause the death wobble. Possible causes are worn tires, non-balanced tires, vehicle alignment, worn ball joints, worn wheel bearing(s), worn or damaged parts of the steering and after lifting a Jeep.

After I purchased a new set of tires my death wobble disappeared. I believe part of the problem may have been due to worn and out of balanced tires.

Just because you have e.g. a worn wheel bearing, bad ball joint, poor steering, etc. doesn't mean a death wobble will suddenly occur. I ran the Jeep with a bad ball joint and wheel bearing for a while without a death wobble.

[Thunderfoot]

Originally Posted by vapor3000

We will use it mostly on the highway/street with mild off road use. It sound like the Grand Cherokee could work for us.

The discussion on the "death wobble" about concerns me. Does this occur with modified/raised suspensions or is it applicable to stock as well?

Rick, the Death Wobble issue is primarily experienced with a straight axle design vehicle. In the '05-'10 year range you mention the Grand Cherokees utilize an IFS front suspension design which drastically reduces this problem. In fact, I don't recall seeing a single complaint of this problem on these models... of course a quick Google search will confirm the problematic year/models. I have zero experience with the "newer" models produced from 2011-current and they may, or may not, exhibit some of the DW traits.

Based on your description of intended usage and desired features the '05-'10 Grand Cherokee Limited will serve you well. It's difficult to sort through the info on this thread as much of it addresses year and or models well outside your preference. Please PM me if I can provide more info, specs, or personal experiences with the GC's in your target range; we've been towing, offroading, driving them since '05...Played with Jeep's since 1969. Best of luck with your search!