Overlanding Build Questions/Payload Capacity

[Jowen]

I have found a GOOD trailer helps a lot, I pull a military m101a2, the trailer is rated a 3/4 ton overland and 1 1/2 on road. They are over built and bullet proof. I also have m416 trailer but you easily overload this trailer.

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[LidLess07X]

Countless JKU owners carry as much weight as you are talking about with little-to no-issue. The JT has larger rear brakes which should help. I would look into adding some Air-Lift airbags and possibly some larger front brakes if you are really concerned

 

[Fcmalie]

I would look into AEV as far as lift goes if you are looking more overland than rockcrawling. They are running progressive springs on their 2.5 JLU lift that will handle a load better than stock springs will.

Also Rubicon has lower payload to start out with because of softer spring rate than the Sport. Changing out any gear won't affect your official payload, but it will affect actual payload capabilities. If it's way under your projected payload then it will need quite a bit more than just stiffer springs.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Not wanting to get flamed....
I’m by no means an expert engineer but been playing with cars for a while. Racing, etc.
If Jeep is anything like some other German
sports car makers, the numbers put out by marketing are usually conservative.
This kind of safeguards them in lawsuits from idiots who push things to the nth degree. There is usually some percentage of wiggle room in there for safety. How much? Well, buyer beware. If you stay in a reasonable range on loads I’m sure you’ll be fine. When things start wearing, bearings/carriers etc. well time to dial back.
Main thing is handling of these rigs.
Steering and brakes need to NOT BE OVERWORKED. I had a front spring break on my ‘04 F150 XLT. Never heard it ,never affected performance. Found it while detailing it. No idea how long it was like this.
Bottom line I guess is common sense and
periodically checking our rigs.
Cheers

No room for flaming here IMO.

Now that Jeep has re-entered the world of truck and things like payload and towing are hot topics...Trust me I am on a Truck forum and that is always one of the biggest and most repeated topic. The answer is the same then and now, for Ford/Chevy/GMC/Ram and now Jeep.

If you play by Mfg rules good chance you can carry say a couple of feather pillows in the bed when its all said and done. Reality you can load it down. I carry in 5500 + in the bed of my F 350 's for years and thousands of miles, never an issue, never a problem and never outside MY Safety & Performance Envelope. I do make a few mods to enhance the capabilities of my truck:

Hellwig BIG WIG rear swaybar
Rancho RS 9000 XL adjustable shocks

Looking to change the door jam Mfg sticker ratings, in short NOT gonna happen, do not waste your time chasing that windmill. Jeep is no different from the rest, the legal guys make the call and the Mfg must protect itself from lawsuits where some guy burned his foot while trying to cram in a 4x8 ft PLYWOOD sheeting the 5 ft bed.

Lifts do not alter payload capacities, GENERALLY speaking, in reality YES they do! How? they raise the CoG, in doing so you make the vehicle less stable and more prone to rolling on its side...from an engineering paradigm but 2 in or even 3 or 5 is not going to have a major impact, so do not consider it unless you are wanting to get into the Plywood Piano Moving business.

The Rubicon will run the Rubicon trail in stock format, that is why and where it was tested. The other Jeeps will also do same just not as easy and need to overcome the challenges of no lockers, lack of a 4:1 low, 4:20 axles and a host of other features that make the Rubicon a fun drive rather than a multi-day challenge. Don't buy a Sport or other model only to build a Rubicon out of it, even doing it yourself you will spend more money just on parts.

If you are taking the fam camping I suggest you buy a trailer! US Army M416 or a US Canadaien Army M 101 1/4 Ton Jeep Trailer. Yes, they to are only rated at 1/4T or 500 lbs whichever comes first. These trailers are bulletproof, seen over 3000 lbs in them and regularly way over 500 lbs and still rolling no problems.

Moab said it very well:

"Bottom line I guess is common sense and
periodically checking our rigs."

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

Just to stir the mud some more, the manufacturers rating is the legal final word on what is or is not "safe". Should you exceed that value and then encounter a problem on the highway and dump all the underwear on the median, you would have a hard row to hoe chasing your carrier or being chased by someone else's for damages should it be known that you packed it to the gills and beyond.

Also important to remember that your GCVW is the gross of the vehicle AND the trailer and the way the specifications are drawn for the JT in any trim, you cannot be at maximum payload AND maximum towed load despite how FCA tried to make it feel during the various reveals.

Trailers can be a very attractive option if you need to transit civilization on paved roads as part of your overlanding journey. I'm a little leary of them where I offroad because even a pintle & lunette combo has limitations of articulation and it would suck being stopped by the toad then have to find a way to secure it then winch it and and and. But as a base of exploration they are very attractive; drop the camp/chuck wagon and go blast the trails then return to "home" with the confidence of knowing you didn't drag a gash in the tent on that big ol'pine.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Just to stir the mud some more, the manufacturers rating is the legal final word on what is or is not "safe". Should you exceed that value and then encounter a problem on the highway and dump all the underwear on the median, you would have a hard row to hoe chasing your carrier or being chased by someone else's for damages should it be known that you packed it to the gills and beyond.

Also important to remember that your GCVW is the gross of the vehicle AND the trailer and the way the specifications are drawn for the JT in any trim, you cannot be at maximum payload AND maximum towed load despite how FCA tried to make it feel during the various reveals.

Trailers can be a very attractive option if you need to transit civilization on paved roads as part of your overlanding journey. I'm a little leary of them where I offroad because even a pintle & lunette combo has limitations of articulation and it would suck being stopped by the toad then have to find a way to secure it then winch it and and and. But as a base of exploration they are very attractive; drop the camp/chuck wagon and go blast the trails then return to "home" with the confidence of knowing you didn't drag a gash in the tent on that big ol'pine.

Pintle/Lunette as found on issue US M416/Canadaien M101 1/4T trailers is a 360 Degrees of articulation:

The Pintle/Lunette was designed for off-road use. It allows the trailer to laterally rotate independently as you travel off road far more than a ball unit. It adds to the safety and keeps the pulling vehicle from being twisted or flipped if the trailer flips.

Lunette/Pintle Vs Ball:

Some folks want to convert the Lunette/Pintle to a regular ball trailer hitch mount. Good idea? NOT IMO! During off-road using a typical ball mount may twist and rip off, break the ball or possibly cause the pulling rig to also flip in off-road situations. If you don’t plan on using your trailer off road then it's not an issue.

But there is a reason why the military chooses this system for off-road use.

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

I should have been clearer, the hitch itself will allow 180* articulation in two planes and even more with a swiveling type however if the tongue is not long enough the trailer may contact the vehicle when doing things like traversing a ditch or very steep approaches and departures.

So if you are going to look down this path, be mindful of the trailers structure and the vehicles structure so they don’t clash.

 

[WXman]

I'm glad the OP is at least thinking about this intelligently. A LOT of people overload midsize trucks not knowing what they're doing.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

I should have been clearer, the hitch itself will allow 180* articulation in two planes and even more with a swiveling type however if the tongue is not long enough the trailer may contact the vehicle when doing things like traversing a ditch or very steep approaches and departures.

So if you are going to look down this path, be mindful of the trailers structure and the vehicles structure so they don’t clash.

I think in most instances it would be hard pressed to contact the vehicle, the mil-spec lunette is long and also offered in 2 mounting points-levels and it rotates 360. Note the spring on there to absorb shock loads.

Here is the mil-spec unit on my Jeep and hooked to my Jeep as long as you go mil-spec you should have no issues and if you do, then the trailer is on top of your or you are on top of it LOL

This is the Canadien M101 and I converted the hubs from Metric to US I also did the same bolt patter as my Jeep and put 35's on the trailer, shocks were Rancho as were the bump stops both were stocked parts at almost any auto store!!!

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

From silver eagle and their L-WATTS trailer system that appears to be highly compatible with the J8 and thus its progeny

https://silvereaglemfg.com/wp-content/uploads/L-WATTS-sheet.pdf

I can see a situation where you've put a rack structure and gear on the trailer and gear hauling baskets etc on the spare of your JK/JL and you have a potential for clashing. I'm bringing it up so it can be designed away from not towards.

Ole Cowboys setup has a huge amount of length between both bodys and the hitch pivot which is great.

 

[Jowen]

I use both the military pintal and I also have a lock and roll set up. I also have a rear receiver on my trailer because I can put a recovery point to move a trailer by winch if I have trail trouble. This way saves a lot of busted knuckles and strong language on the trail. The military are larger than m416 have tie down points to use for movement or recovery if needed. I have some place a military tm on recovery you can down load if needed, it give ideas and guidance for recovery just my two cents.

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