Couple questions about JT towing.

[AKDrifter]

PLEASE do not tow a trailer that exceeds your capacity. Adding a hitch to a gladiator that didn’t originally have factory towing means you have less engine and tranny cooling as well, meaning you could overheat and start a fire. The hitch is only part of the equation. As a VERY experienced non commercial tower for most of my life, I have occasionally towed over capacity, in town, at VERY slow speeds on back roads. But I’m familiar with the physics of towing heavier loads. Overdoing it without experience is asking for a bad accident. When I started towing, my vehicle was always WAY MORE POWERFUL than was necessary for the trailers being towed. My current gladiator has a 7,000lb towing capacity. 3,500 is the sweet spot where it isn’t a dog with the 3.6. I’ve towed 6500 for a few blocks to move trailers around, but wouldn’t tow that much on interstates for any reason with this vehicle. Sorry for the capital letters. Towing above the vehicle’s capacity and driver’s experience leads to bad you tube videos. Please be safe.

This is absolutely spot on. I rent travel trailers as a summer business and I will tell people your 4Runner is technically capable of towing a 5000lb trailer, but I would opt for a smaller 3500ish lb trailer personally. You might have a better time in the bigger trailer at the campground, but having a problem on the way to it, or a nerve-wracking drive will absolutely destroy your weekend. I pull 4500lb trailers with an F350 dually by choice, it is an absolute pleasure. No hill or curve is going to tax that truck it gives you absolute confidence as its manhandling that "little" trailer. I have pulled a 4400lb trailer with the JT through the city and on the freeway and it is impressive for what it is, but that doesn't mean it's a great towing rig. But when my other trucks are out, it's what I have. It works, but I've got thousands of miles pulling experience with everything from Chevy Square bodies to the newest Super Dutys. If I were you OP I'd look at the Dutchmen Kodiak Cub line. Those are spacious trailers with great amenities that are in your weight range. Forest River NOBOs are also sweet trailers, some double axle, in your weight range.

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[Vanishing Point]

There is also a legal component to this, which turns into a legal liability in court. If there is an accident the law suit will be huge, and may include man slaughter charges if people are injured or killed!

Came here to say this. If you are towing overweight and cause an accident you could be criminally liable not just civilly liable. In that case it is not an "accident" if you knowingly chose to break a law and someone was injured.

I'm not an attorney so that is not official legal advice. But it is the advice of someone who just saw a pretty stiff sentence handed out in the deaths of two people when a truck towing a boat overloaded could not stop at an intersection. Got 3-10 years in prison. Happened in Carson City.

 

[RJinPV]

I'll be getting my first ever trailer soon so I had a couple questions. Is there a definitive guide somewhere on JT towing? Like things I'll need to buy and watch out for? Secondly, another question I have is what are the risks involved with towing a trailer that is heavier than what my truck is rated for? I have an 2020 Overland with a towing capacity of 4500 pounds. What are the risks of towing something that is about 5000 pounds? I'll be living at an RV resort for at least the next year but I'd like to take my trailer out at least once every couple weeks to take my kids to the park. Lastly, and this ties in with the first question, is there anything in specific that I need to buy to tow with a JT? I'll be getting a Class IV hitch over the next couple weeks but I wanted to know if there is anything else I need to get. Thanks in advance.

Every input I see is great advice. Don't go overweight, get a weight distribution hitch and a brake controller, etc. I will add that you need to be wary of the weight numbers your trailer retailer is telling you. DO NOT go by dry weight. That is without fuels and water and all the options that are added to the trailer. You should go with the Gross Trailer Weight Rating that is on the trailer sticker, and then assume you are going to have to be careful at what you load into the trailer to ensure you don't go over it. It is very easy to overload a trailer. Also, when you are this close to the rated limits you must weigh your trailer and tow vehicle at something like a CAT scale to know exactly where you are. One last point. The tow ratings are determined with the base vehicle and one driver. No other cargo or passengers.

 

[Elff]

I can’t seem to find the official chart, but everything I’m finding on the forum says the rubicon is 7k with automatic, even without the factory package. Of course that assumes a class IV receiver. It seems that the rubicon is the only trim where capacity doesn’t vary depending on factory or added towing.

Here ya go

To the OP don't do it.
but if you do
Please film it

 

[kevman65]

My opinion, don't do it.

You admit it's your first trailer and you want to go overweight right off the bat. No matter if you get all the right gear, which will put you more over weight, it's an unsafe combination.

Then on top of inexperience and overweight, you want to have your kids with you. Nope, don't do it.

 

[thetruth1983]

Thanks for all the input guys. I have an automatic and from what I understand in the manual, my base towing capacity is 3500 pounds since I don't have the tow package. Once I add a class 4 hitch, I'll be at 4500 max. The trailer I was looking at is the Coleman 17b or something similar. Dry weight is 2900 pounds. I didn't want to buy an trailer too big but I asked about being overweight just in case I have too much cargo onboard. The trailer I get would be parked 90% of the time at a local RV resort and 1-2 times per month, I'd take it to a national park.

 

[WILDHOBO]

If you have an automatic, you’re likely at 6k towing capacity per the chart from @Elff above, unless I’m missing something about your overland. If your dry weight of the trailer is 2,900, what’s the GVWR for it?

 

[RJinPV]

Thanks for all the input guys. I have an automatic and from what I understand in the manual, my base towing capacity is 3500 pounds since I don't have the tow package. Once I add a class 4 hitch, I'll be at 4500 max. The trailer I was looking at is the Coleman 17b or something similar. Dry weight is 2900 pounds. I didn't want to buy an trailer too big but I asked about being overweight just in case I have too much cargo onboard. The trailer I get would be parked 90% of the time at a local RV resort and 1-2 times per month, I'd take it to a national park.

That trailer's specs on the website are 3078 lbs shipping weight, whatever that means, and 772 lbs cargo carrying capacity. The total implies the GVWR of the trailer is 3850 lbs, but that could be incorrect. The CCC seems low, but some trailers list that as the cargo available once the freshwater tank and propane tanks are filled. Shipping weight could be dry, or it could be with a full tank of freshwater and propane too. This is where it can get confusing because different manufacturers define these things differently. The site doesn't list the actual GVWR of the trailer. That's what you really need on all of the trailer's you might be considering.

 

[thetruth1983]

If you have an automatic, you’re likely at 6k towing capacity per the chart from @Elff above, unless I’m missing something about your overland. If your dry weight of the trailer is 2,900, what’s the GVWR for it?

I got this information for the manual. My max towing is 4500 with the hitch

 

[kevman65]

The OP didn't get the factory tow package, so his tow weight is the lower 4500 pounds.

What the chart DOESN'T say is that max towing weight is with a completely STOCK (as in factory options only) JT and a 160 pound driver. Every pound put into the cab and bed takes off of his payload which then in turn reduces his towing capability. Now you have to add weight of weight distribution hitch and anti sway setup.

It is NOT as easy as looking at a chart and saying you can tow X pounds. The JT is NOT an optimum tow vehicle.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I got this information for the manual. My max towing is 4500 with the hitch

It looks likely the chart has been updated. It’s only 4,000 if you had the manual tranny. Previous to this, I thought the lowest capacity of any trim/equipment was 4,500. If it were me, I’d avoid trailers weighing more than just over 3,000-3,500lbs, fully loaded. Anything in that range shouldn’t put you any any risk for being over tongue weight.

 

[WILDHOBO]

The OP didn't get the factory tow package, so his tow weight is the lower 4500 pounds.

What the chart DOESN'T say is that max towing weight is with a completely STOCK (as in factory options only) JT and a 160 pound driver. Every pound put into the cab and bed takes off of his payload which then in turn reduces his towing capability. Now you have to add weight of weight distribution hitch and anti sway setup.

It is NOT as easy as looking at a chart and saying you can tow X pounds. The JT is NOT an optimum tow vehicle.

I’d say it’s all relative. Our rubicon is fantastic at towing our 3,306lb (fully loaded GVWR) trailer. Our Cherokee Trailhawk with factory towing (4,500 rating) that this replaced was a dog with it. It’s certainly not a full size, but tows very well within its capacity. To put it in perspective, a Ram 1500 would be horrible towing 20,000lbs, but that doesn’t make it a bad tow vehicle.

 

[NachoRuby]

It looks likely the chart has been updated. It’s only 4,000 if you had the manual tranny. Previous to this, I thought the lowest capacity of any trim/equipment was 4,500. If it were me, I’d avoid trailers weighing more than just over 3,000-3,500lbs, fully loaded. Anything in that range shouldn’t put you any any risk for being over tongue weight.

The only manuals with 4500 lbs of towing capacity are the Mojave and the Rubicon. The other trims are 4000. The Mojaves and Rubicon have 4.1 gearing.

 

[WILDHOBO]

The only manuals with 4500 lbs of towing capacity are the Mojave and the Rubicon. The other trims are 4000. The Mojaves and Rubicon have 4.1 gearing.

My mistake. Thanks for the correction. Either way, 5,000 is way too much for an overland without factory towing in my opinion.

 

[NachoRuby]

My mistake. Thanks for the correction. Either way, 5,000 is way too much for an overland without factory towing in my opinion.

Yes, but I also don't think any Overland Manual ever had more than 4000 lbs. towing, so I was partially agreeing with you . If it did, it was a mistake in the book.

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