1st Time towing with my 25 Max Tow

[mac68]

I just got back from towing my 71 Dodge Dart to the Chrysler Nationals it was about a 500 mile round trip, it does the job. I took it extremely easy not going over 62 mph the truck handles well just not a lot of power to spare!

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[ivanfrank]

Nice! Well done mate.

Did you use a WDH? I feel like anything over 4k#, it becomes a bit of a sway concern.

The v6 will get you there - it’ll dog, but it works.

 

[mac68]

Nice! Well done mate.

Did you use a WDH? I feel like anything over 4k#, it becomes a bit of a sway concern.

The v6 will get you there - it’ll dog, but it works.

No I didn’t use one

 

[Josh00333]

Thanks for the report looks good

if that set up is gonna be a regular thing, I would get it CAT scaled put some chalk down and move the car back-and-forth then re-tow it on the freeway 5 miles or so and see how it rides and what the weights are. Once you get it dialed in then you just spray paint the tire mark so you know where to put the rig next time.

 

[Janster]

Were you in Carlisle, PA? Not far from me…. The PA Jeep Show is this weekend (I’m not going this year).

I’ve discovered (over the years)…anytime the ‘thing’ that you’re towing weighs close-to or more than the tow vehicle… it can get sketchy especially on long downhills at highway speeds.

How’d the cooling system hold up? Years ago, I remember towing with a Grand Cherokee Limited (V8 - towing 6500lbs). Anytime we went uphills, the cooling system would get up into the red and back down going downhill or on the straights. It was a bit of a white knuckle ride up/down those mountainous areas. We ended up getting a Dodge Ram after that…..

 

[mac68]

Were you in Carlisle, PA? Not far from me…. The PA Jeep Show is this weekend (I’m not going this year).

I’ve discovered (over the years)…anytime the ‘thing’ that you’re towing weighs close-to or more than the tow vehicle… it can get sketchy especially on long downhills at highway speeds.

How’d the cooling system hold up? Years ago, I remember towing with a Grand Cherokee Limited (V8 - towing 6500lbs). Anytime we went uphills, the cooling system would get up into the red and back down going downhill or on the straights. It was a bit of a white knuckle ride up/down those mountainous areas. We ended up getting a Dodge Ram after that…..

The coolant temperature was always somewhere between 200-220,oil temperature was seemed to be always around 200° and the trans temp would be anywhere from 190 to 205. as far as handling and breaking, I had no issues.

 

[Labswine]

The coolant temperature was always somewhere between 200-220,oil temperature was seemed to be always around 200° and the trans temp would be anywhere from 190 to 205. as far as handling and breaking, I had no issues.

I see the same temperature ranges towing my 27', 5,100 lb (with all we want or need) travel trailer with my Overland (ordered 5/19, delivered 7/19).

 

[Pips_the_JT]

Thanks for the report looks good

if that set up is gonna be a regular thing, I would get it CAT scaled put some chalk down and move the car back-and-forth then re-tow it on the freeway 5 miles or so and see how it rides and what the weights are. Once you get it dialed in then you just spray paint the tire mark so you know where to put the rig next time.

I put air-bags on mine so I can inflate the rear when I need to stop the squat.

 

[Gladiatorguy]

Air bags don’t do the same thing as a WDH. They can mask an unsafe condition, like exceeding the rear GAWR. My previous JT had max tow, which included the Dana 44 “wide” axle (similar to the Rubicon) and 4.10 gears. I used a WDH and never had a problem towing my 6,000 lb boat.

 

[Sandman 4x4]

I put air-bags on mine so I can inflate the rear when I need to stop the squat.

Air bags can create a dangerous situation! The extra weight on the rear, that is actually lifting the front up. That can unsettle the antilock brakes, that will detect front lockup due to low tire ground pressure and back off braking power in the front. That actually takes your strongest stoping power away. A weight distribution hitch will do just that, distributing the weight as equally as possible between the front axle, rear drive axle and trailer axle/s. Good luck have fun stay safe.

 

[D_JT]

the truck handles well just not a lot of power to spare!

And that is why I went with the diesel.

 

[Pips_the_JT]

Air bags don’t do the same thing as a WDH. They can mask an unsafe condition, like exceeding the rear GAWR. My previous JT had max tow, which included the Dana 44 “wide” axle (similar to the Rubicon) and 4.10 gears. I used a WDH and never had a problem towing my 6,000 lb boat.

I wasn't implying that they did. I just said it corrects the squat.

I tow a sub-compact tractor on a trailer to maintain different properties I own. Total weight is about 3500 most of the time. If I need the back-hoe attachment and/or the brush hog, it can get up to 5k so I'm well under the 6k rating for my Jeep.

I've also never had a problem, but I don't have any big hills/inclines around here either. If I had those, maybe I'd get a WDH. Until then? $119 air bag kit does just fine.

 

[Pips_the_JT]

Air bags can create a dangerous situation! The extra weight on the rear, that is actually lifting the front up. That can unsettle the antilock brakes, that will detect front lockup due to low tire ground pressure and back off braking power in the front. That actually takes your strongest stoping power away. A weight distribution hitch will do just that, distributing the weight as equally as possible between the front axle, rear drive axle and trailer axle/s. Good luck have fun stay safe.

let's not be overly dramatic and cause a panic!

1. Air bags don't cause dangerous situations. They're just another tool in a toolkit.
2. Air bags lift the rear to level the vehicle and trailer. Used correctly, they provide better balance.
3. A WDH will also correct rear end sink and will also provide better distribution of weight between the trailer and vehicle. As someone else said, moving the object (car in this case) on the trailer back a little would also redistribute the trailer weight resulting in less tongue weight (what causes the sag).

I've seen way more unsafe conditions caused by people not setting up their trailer brakes correctly than I have from using air bags.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Airbags in my Mojave made it much more stable towing my camper, with a WD hitch, than not having them.

Every truck I have that tows or hauls get's a set.

 

[Gladiatorguy]

I have to agree with Pip on unsafe trailer towing. I’ve often seen trailers with no brake lights, or no lights at all, even at night. probably no brakes connected either. Scary!
However, all vehicles, along with a trailer tow capacity rating, have a GVW rating, as well as a GAWR for each axle. Air bags do nothing to reduce the load on an axle. They do reduce squat, which is fine for a light trailer tongue weight, but do nothing to provide “better balance”, as claimed. They do keep you from blinding oncoming traffic, even on low beams. With my light trailers, I adjust the headlight aim to avoid being a problem to oncoming traffic. Be safe.

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