TOWING. First trip out.

[Boathead]

I just thought I'd share some real world results from 1st trip towing trip with a 2023 Mojave, 16k miles , manual trans ,stock (except Sumo springs on rear, Spitfire plug in tune, K and N air filter, middle exhaust muffler delete, hood scoop opened up). Without a trailer ,driving normally without exceeding 65mph on flat terrain (NC outer banks) saw a consistent 21.5mpg per jeep dash. So well pleased with mods. Towing an Escape 21 camper ( Wt 4500lbs )usually around 60 mph same terrain 13.5 - 13.7 mpg. Total trip about 700 miles . Will pull from 1800rpm in 5th without issue but happier above 2000rpm just above 60mph. Any slight grades and your in 5th , not the greatest tow vehicle but not bad, the V6 is just a bit busier that my old Dakota 4.7 Quadcab. Kinda like comparing a Detroit two stroke to a Cummins , one a screamer and one a lugger.

The next trip will be to the mountains of West Virginia, thats going to be interesting .

Sponsored

 

[ivanfrank]

Congrats on the first tow. Spot on reactions, the Pentastar is a screamer in general but you should hear it towing 4k# up the continental divide in 2nd gear .

Are you at 4.5k# wet or dry? Guessing that's fully loaded since the Escape 21 is 3.5k# dry right? We found the Andersen WD hitch helped a lot with sway and only a bit with rear squat.

 

[Labswine]

So, with a manual, you're right at the towing limit. I get what you're saying about needing 5th gear more than 6th while towing to maintain speed, especially on a grade.

I have an Overland (ordered 5/19, delivered 7/19) with the auto and tow package. I tow a 27', 5,100 lb trailer (with all we want or need). I never see 8th. It's 65 MPH in 7th at around 2,100 RPMs. When I hit a grade, it's drop to 6th (around 2,800 RPMs) until I crest the grade and am back to 65 MPH, then back to 7th. I shift the trans in manual mode only when towing. The Pentastar handles it quite nicely but, there are times it reminds you it's only a V-6. I get between 12 and 13 MPGs towing.

 

[tj3089]

That's actually pretty good mileage while towing that setup. Most people get 10-12mpg with the 3.6. When I had my sport gladiator on 33s, I would average about that while towing our FR Wildwood Toy hauler (3200lbs empty, 4500lbs loaded up with a dirt or adventure bike).

Our JTRD towed excellent before I added the lift and tires. It would pull 8th gear going up grades that my 3.6 would have to downshift to 4th or 5th because it could only use the first 6 gears effectively. The JTRD would also get over 14mpg while towing at 65-70mph


Now, with the 37s, 2.5in lift and 4.56 gears, it gets a little warm while towing up grades. I plan on changing the coolant to zerex with hypercool to help. Plus, it just went on a stage 2 diet which shoul help it breath easier and now I am averaging 23-24mpg loaded down with camping gear, my RTT and my dirt bike hanging off the back.

 

[Boathead]

Thanks for the replies , the Escape 21 is 4500lbs dry so with all our misc.crap we carry we must be banging 5k lbs. Camper tows level, but at times if feels a bit hobby horsey so I'm considering the inner coil spring air bag just to stiffen up the soft Mojave suspension. I do have a EZ lift sway control bar which seem to do a good job. On the fence about the bags.

 

[Sandman 4x4]

Folks using WDH, that still need a little help in the rear may have options you don’t realize. Like readjusting the angle of the ball hitch, that lowers the bars so to hook up tightly you need to use the trailer lift to lift all the way up to bring the bars closer to their perch. Or get heavier rated bars.

 

[Labswine]

Folks using WDH, that still need a little help in the rear may have options you don’t realize. Like readjusting the angle of the ball hitch, that lowers the bars so to hook up tightly you need to use the trailer lift to lift all the way up to bring the bars closer to their perch. Or get heavier rated bars.

I have the BlueOx WDH system and it does a great job of keeping things level.

I measured from the bottom of the receiver to the ground, then hooked up my trailer (again, 27', 5,100 lbs with all we want or need, and factory tongue weight of 420 lbs, probably now 520 when the stuff in the front pass through, and it's a twin axle trailer) and found a 1 1/2" drop in height. Hooked up the WDH bars and the drop was only 3/4". The front end feels just as 'planted' all hooked up as it does when not towing anything.

Sponsored