Would you feel comfortable towing...

[Lowcountryearl]

I've read all 60+ pages of the "what do you tow" thread and a few others plus the "burned to the ground" thread, have a question;
Would you feel comfortable towing a dual axle camper that weighs 4900 #'s unloaded with a tongue weight of 525#'s giving the obvious of brake controller and sway bars and maybe WD system with a Rubicon? Trying to decide on a camper for the wife and I.

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[Mr._Bill]

Comfort when towing is more of a personal thing and depends a lot on the experience of the driver. What you are looking at is well within the manufacturer listed capabilities of a stock Rubicon equipped with the Factory Tow Package. I would be comfortable towing it.

 

[The White Rabbit]

As long as it’s an automatic trans. I wouldn’t see any reason not to.

 

[Lowcountryearl]

Yes, automatic. Was reading several threads about safe max tow percentage, some say 80% some say 90% of max tow. Rubicon with auto comes in a 7000 so at 80% that would be 5600. I'd say loaded I would be close to that if not over. Ironically I traded my 2019 Laramie in May for the Rubicon, max tow for that was 11600 and now the wife says she want a travel trailer.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Take a look in the owner's manual at frontal cross section. I got run out of the wrangler forum on a rail for mentioning it, but the science is unavoidable. For those of us who like to get down in the scientific weeds on everything, Gale Banks has done some really interesting towing tests of various vehicles and trailers and has some eye opening results about trailer weight, horsepower and cross section.
Or you could just ignore the psychics altogether and go with the "zen".
My trailer is pretty small at 32 sq ft cross section and not very heavy at under 2,000 lbs loaded. I just returned from a cross country from Wi to Az and back over Wolf Creek Pass and across Ks with the "headwind of Satan". 5,000 lbs > trailer with a 64 SQ ft cross section? Not for this kid. I struggled to get 11 mpg across the prairie into the wind with my dinky trailer. Can't imagine how it would have been with more than double what I was pulling.

YRMV....

 

[WXman]

Yes I'd tow that all day long. The Gladiator will handle that wonderfully.

 

[shyoung1]

Take a look in the owner's manual at frontal cross section. I got run out of the wrangler forum on a rail for mentioning it, but the science is unavoidable. For those of us who like to get down in the scientific weeds on everything, Gale Banks has done some really interesting towing tests of various vehicles and trailers and has some eye opening results about trailer weight, horsepower and cross section.
Or you could just ignore the psychics altogether and go with the "zen".
My trailer is pretty small at 32 sq ft cross section and not very heavy at under 2,000 lbs loaded. I just returned from a cross country from Wi to Az and back over Wolf Creek Pass and across Ks with the "headwind of Satan". 5,000 lbs > trailer with a 64 SQ ft cross section? Not for this kid. I struggled to get 11 mpg across the prairie into the wind with my dinky trailer. Can't imagine how it would have been with more than double what I was pulling.

YRMV....

Yep, when you are doing the math of tow ratings down to the last hundred pounds, you’re probably going to be “overtowing”. Headwinds or worse, crosswinds will be pushing a trailer the OP describes all over the road.

 

[Jaxmax]

No, I myself would not be comfortable, I'm also looking for a camper, but looking in the 3,000 pound dry weight, narrow 7-7.5 feet wide, thinking wife and I might come in at about 3750 fully loaded, 400 hitch weight, but that's me!.....Jack

 

[CallMeJoe]

I was mentioning Gale Banks earlier. Check out his video on YouTube about, oddly enough, differential covers. While it's clear that he's selling something, it's still interesting to see his tests of differential oil temperature while towing. That's something most of us don't think about.
Food for thought....

 

[AmishMike]

@Lowcountryearl, haha! Had an F250 crew cab, tents; K2500 Duramax, tents; JTR, oh wife wants a camper. Got a 16' Sun-Lite weighs 2,480 lbs dry.
@CallMeJoe makes a very good point with frontal area. You are already driving a brick. I have noticed significant MPG differences at 65-85 mph without a trailer.
(Sustained highway, varied grades.)
65mph - 21-23 MPG
70mph - 19-22 MPG
75mph - 16-18 MPG
80mph - 13-15 MPG
85mph - 11-12 MPG


OP 4900 lbs dry gets pretty heavy when loaded. Figure on fresh water and at least half a load of gray/black water; gear and people. Personally, I like a lighter trailer so that my truck does not get pushed around.

 

[Lowcountryearl]

I'm sure location has a lot to do with it. Seems folks west of the Mississippi get a little bit more wind, here in the SE we pray for a breeze in the camping months. @Jack, we have looked at the Geo as an option, comes in somewhere near what you specified, nice camper and seems to be well liked on this forum.

 

[danielspivey]

First mistake of your post- you NEED a WDH, not just a maybe. The rubicon is not made to take that kind of hitch weight with no distribution (max tow has heavier springs). Also keep in mind most tongue weights are usually in the 12-15% range….. especially since most TT’s have that huge empty cargo space upfront that no one accounts for. People always end up putting a bunch of heavy stuff that adds up in there.

Tandem trailers in the 5-7k range will ALWAYS do better than a single axel in the 4-5 range. Heavy single axel wander all over the place. Two axels helps keep things straight. WDH+ two axels is the good combo.

Your in Charleston, SC… it’s pretty flat there. Where do you plan on towing? If not more than a couple hours in thr flats you’ll be fine. Stay around, 55 mph, that’s likely all your tires are rated for. Going to the mountains or cross Country? Trade back in the Gladiator for the ram.

Lastly, your real pitfall isn’t towing capacity, it’s payload. Loaded, your tongue weight will at least be 650, that’s if you pack very smartly. Plus two adults… 400 lbs. WDH … that’s likely 125. That leaves you at 1175, 25 away from payload with ZERO other cargo or items. One Case of water.., you’ll be at payload capacity! This is the very reason people buy Max tows…. The extra 475 in payload to accommodate cargo.

I've read all 60+ pages of the "what do you tow" thread and a few others plus the "burned to the ground" thread, have a question;
Would you feel comfortable towing a dual axle camper that weighs 4900 #'s unloaded with a tongue weight of 525#'s giving the obvious of brake controller and sway bars and maybe WD system with a Rubicon? Trying to decide on a camper for the wife and I.
[/QUOT

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

The comments about surface area are very relevant. What length of trailer? You could very easily end up towing a trailer that is taller, wider, longer, and heavier than your truck. It may be physically capable of doing it, but doing so comfortably is a much different story. Rarely does maxing out your factory tow rating equal comfort while towing.

I had a 2012 F150 Ecoboost a few years ago that was rated to tow 12,500 from the factory with every tow feature, and then I modified it to about 450 HP and over 500 lb ft of torque. I was towing a little over 30 ft and about 10,000 lbs of boat and trailer, dual axle with electric over hydraulic brakes on both axles. But it was also a TALL deep-V hull that acted like a sail in crosswinds. The truck had the power to tow that boat at 100 MPH, but nothing could change the physics of the situation especially on twisty winding roads or very windy days. After one season of stress I upgraded to an F250 and the difference was night and day.

 

[NateKY]

First mistake of your post- you NEED a WDH, not just a maybe. The rubicon is not made to take that kind of hitch weight with no distribution (max tow has heavier springs). Also keep in mind most tongue weights are usually in the 12-15% range….. especially since most TT’s have that huge empty cargo space upfront that no one accounts for. People always end up putting a bunch of heavy stuff that adds up in there.

Tandem trailers in the 5-7k range will ALWAYS do better than a single axel in the 4-5 range. Heavy single axel wander all over the place. Two axels helps keep things straight. WDH+ two axels is the good combo.

Your in Charleston, SC… it’s pretty flat there. Where do you plan on towing? If not more than a couple hours in thr flats you’ll be fine. Stay around, 55 mph, that’s likely all your tires are rated for. Going to the mountains or cross Country? Trade back in the Gladiator for the ram.

Lastly, your real pitfall isn’t towing capacity, it’s payload. Loaded, your tongue weight will at least be 650, that’s if you pack very smartly. Plus two adults… 400 lbs. WDH … that’s likely 125. That leaves you at 1175, 25 away from payload with ZERO other cargo or items. One Case of water.., you’ll be at payload capacity! This is the very reason people buy Max tows…. The extra 475 in payload to accommodate cargo.

SMH

 

[Lowcountryearl]

@danielspivey, that brings up a good point on tires, do folks change out their load C tires for load E? Starting to convince myself to go down it trailer weight to around 4k just so I don't have to constantly worry about what I put in the trailer or bed of the truck. I don't want to be limited on how many cases of my favorite beverage I can bring along

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