Towing TJ 600 miles

[Mr Miami]

I have never lived in mountainous regions but how can you safely drive, let alone tow, on a 23 degree gradient? That's a rise of 23 feet for every 100 feet driven. And it's not just a matter of getting up a hill like that, but more importantly coming down safely with all of that weight.

Maybe I am just naive but the thought of coming down something that steep in something that heavy just would scare the piss out of me.

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[pcrawfordpt]

I’ve flat towed my lifted TJ on 35’s with my stock JTR from California to Moab and back. The JTR had 4:10 hearing and did just fine. I bought a Harbor fright tow bar and RockJock frame mount tow points. My bumper did not have the right tow points attached. I also borrowed a Blue Ox Flat Tow braking system. It uses inertia instead of wiring to assist in breaking the TJ. Required in most states. This will be your biggest expense if you can’t borrow one.. you might have a friend with a diesel pusher that tows a Jeep?. They might have one. The only other I see is you will be towing with an overland, on 35’s and I think that has 3:73 gearing. You will probably struggle trying to pull any grades?

 

[Zachanadandy]

I have never lived in mountainous regions but how can you safely drive, let alone tow, on a 23 degree gradient? That's a rise of 23 feet for every 100 feet driven. And it's not just a matter of getting up a hill like that, but more importantly coming down safely with all of that weight.

Maybe I am just naive but the thought of coming down something that steep in something that heavy just would scare the piss out of me.

Tell us you don't wheel and have never been out west without telling us these 2 facts... Bradford street in San Francisco is a 41% grade.

 

[Mr Miami]

Tell us you don't wheel and have never been out west without telling us these 2 facts... Bradford street in San Francisco is a 41% grade.

I understand driving my Rubicon up a 40 or 50 degree grade. I was referring to towing on such steep angle and the potential pressure on the breaking system(s) to get you down safely.

 

[biodiesel]

Steep grades are not on interstates and most highways. I think 6% grade is the steepest grade that most people will see on the interstate. There are a few highways that have steep grades, but not many. Pennsylvania has a highway with a 14-degree grade and California has a 26-degree grade. Nonetheless, the Gladiator is capable of towing, but it's best to reduce speeds to optimize engine cooling, maintain reasonable RPMs, and for safe towing. Depending on the highway/interstate, I would run between 55 - 62 mph.

 

[NC_Overland]

Have you re-geared? I wouldn’t hesitate to do it with my Overland, but I’d never try it with 35s and 3.73s.

 

[Desert_Gladiator]

Tell us you don't wheel and have never been out west without telling us these 2 facts... Bradford street in San Francisco is a 41% grade.

Bradford street maintains a 41% grade for 30 feet. Most of it is 26% grade, and there's a monumental difference between maintaining a 20-some-percent grade for a few blocks and for ~15 miles. The OP's estimate of 15 miles at 23% grade would be the toughest towing road in the world -- that would result in an elevation gain/loss of 18,286 feet!

Also criticizing someone for not wheeling and then pulling an example from a steep urban street is the depth of irony. Somebody who wheels would know towing a heavy load (a TJ on a trailer!) and wheeling aren't the same thing.

 

[Zachanadandy]

I understand driving my Rubicon up a 40 or 50 degree grade. I was referring to towing on such steep angle and the potential pressure on the breaking system(s) go get you down safely.

You should be using lower gears/compression braking not just riding the brakes down the hill.

Bradford street maintains a 41% grade for 30 feet. Most of it is 26% grade, and there's a monumental difference between maintaining a 20-some-percent grade for a few blocks and for ~15 miles. The OP's estimate of 15 miles at 23% grade would be the toughest towing road in the world -- that would result in an elevation gain/loss of 18,286 feet!

Also criticizing someone for not wheeling and then pulling an example from a steep urban street is the depth of irony. Somebody who wheels would know towing a heavy load (a TJ on a trailer!) and wheeling aren't the same thing.

The example was somewhere you might actually tow, with a much more substantial grade than 23%. As you noted there is nowhere in the world with the grade described by the OP period. Bakersfield up to tehachapi has some pretty steep sections and gains something like 4k feet in 20 miles and the JT had no problems maintaining 65mph up it with an 8200lb trailer. Towing a TJ just isn't that big of a deal. Out west we have mountains, wheeling, towing, or driving through town you'll see lots of elevation gain. I'm sure 23% sounds scary to someone in Florida with a maximum elevation of 345 feet, but it just isn't out here.

 

[AstroZombie]

Flat towing with the transfer case in neutral is not an option for the OP. Again, they stated it is stuck in 4WD.

i missed that part.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

You should be using lower gears/compression braking not just riding the brakes down the hill.

The example was somewhere you might actually tow, with a much more substantial grade than 23%. As you noted there is nowhere in the world with the grade described by the OP period. Bakersfield up to tehachapi has some pretty steep sections and gains something like 4k feet in 20 miles and the JT had no problems maintaining 65mph up it with an 8200lb trailer. Towing a TJ just isn't that big of a deal. Out west we have mountains, wheeling, towing, or driving through town you'll see lots of elevation gain. I'm sure 23% sounds scary to someone in Florida with a maximum elevation of 345 feet, but it just isn't out here.

A 4k lb TJ on a 2k lb trailer, towing it with something that has a 6k limit. Maybe not a big deal, but it definitely warrants concern.

 

[JS52]

Thanks for all of the input everyone. After weighing out the options of having to get a class IV, drop hitch, and renting the trailer we have decided to just go with a carrier service.

I've pulled plenty of trailers in my time from 2K to over 10K, so I wasn't worried about the comfortability aspect. It was too close to the Payload/Towing Capacity.

We got a few quotes today and they were all $700-800 range for a reputable open trailer carrier, so it really doesn't save any money doing it ourselves. The only thing to gain was a receiver and drop hitch.

Thanks again everyone.

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