emptnest

My Daily driver is a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 5.7 Hemi, and tow package rated at 7200 lb. My newly acquired 20 ft open aluminum trailer weighs 1600 lbs, and my C4 weighs 3200. Allowing for fuel, tools, extra tires, etc, I expect total trailer load to be about 5200-5500 lbs. I have NOT yet towed this combination, but if I do, it will be done with a weight distributing hitch.

I have read every thread I can find about towing with a JGC, and while there is no clear consensus, it clearly appears safer (and more reliable) to move up to a F250, C2500 class of truck. Bigger brakes, better transmission and cooling, better stability, etc. Thats my current plan.

So, my question: how important is it to maximize wheel base; and how much is enough?

My JGC measures 115 inches wb. Using the F250 platform, I prefer for ease of maneuverability a short bed super cab which measures 142 inch wb. But I could get either a short bed crew cab, or a long bed super cab which would get me 156 or 158 inch wb respectively. I really don't want a long bed crew cab, despite (and actually because of) its 172 inch wb.

Is 142 inch enough wheel base for my duty, or should I move up to 156/158? In any case, it will be powered by a 6.2 gas engine.

And for those of you who want to comment on the suitability of the JGC for this duty, please do. I'd love to hear some more opinions.

brenb

I can't speak to the suitability of the JGC. I imagine it would be "fine", but I don't think I do it for anything but a short haul. Make sure to watch the GCWR.

As a data point, I tow a 20ft steel deck trailer with a Ram Quad Cab short bed, and Equalizer hitch. This setup has never once done anything strange/scary over thousands of miles, a few emergency maneuvers, and some flat tires.

c4cruiser

I started towing my '87 autocross car with a '99 Silverado 1/2 ton extended cab pickup. It had 4.10 gears, Z71 4WD and the engine was the early 5.3 with all of 270HP and something like 350 ft-lbs of torque. IIRC it had a tow capacity of around 7800 lbs.

My open trailer was an open deck all-steel 18' and weighed 2000 lbs. The car weighs about 3300 and at the time I carried a set of 4 Hoosiers and a small tool box. The truck had no problem hauling this setup although hills were a challenge if I didn't get an 8-10MPH extra speed before starting up.

I think that wheelbase is a big factor especially on freeways. When you get passed by a big rig, the air disruption will cause short wheelbase tow vehicles to wander. That can be a handful. The longer the wheelbase, the less of a problem it should be. But open trailers are not as big an issue with air flow as are enclosed trailers.

One thing about pickups being better suited for towing is that you get heavier frames, bigger brakes, towing capacity is typically higher (and increases with certain options), and more engine options. The only thing I did with my old '99 Silverado was to add a pair of airbags to the rear springs just to level the truck when towing. I did not use a WD hitch for the open trailer; I just was careful to figure out the correct tongue weight (10-15% of the loaded trailer weight).

When computing the gross weights for tow vehicles, things like tongue weights, passengers, and cargo have to be included to arrive at the total weights. Then it's a good idea to not exceed 80-85% of the tow vehicle's total towing and cargo capacity.

I would suggest than a 1/2 ton pickup will work for you as long as you go with an extended cab or crew cab version. Engines in the 6.0L size will work fine. Look for a truck that has a factory towing package; you will get a trans cooler, Class III hitch, trailer wiring, and most likely a larger battery, alternator, and HD cooling. Four wheel disc brakes would be a good help.

You will need a good trailer brake controller. My '08 Silverado came with a HD towing package and it included an integrated controller so I didn't have to buy one and wire it in. The Tekonsha Prodigy is a great unit and easy to install.

bb69

In my experience, any of the new full size trucks (1500 and up) would tow that combination with no problem. Most people get a bigger cab because a regular car truck becomes a 1 trick pony without much place to store stuff besides the bed.

More importantly than the wheelbase, is the trailer brake controller. My latest truck has a built in controller and that is probably the single biggest improvement for towing. I don't expect to own another tow vehicle without that feature.

Ken

emptnest

Is the Ram a 1500 or 2500? Thanks

64drvr

A supercab short bed will be fine, and as you know- even longer is better but not that necessary for what you want imo.

brenb

Oh yeah forgot that part...it's a 2500 diesel - overkill for this purpose, but it's great at completely flattening hills.

In my best Ferris Bueller voice: If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

Lawdogg

I tow a steel trailer with a large steel box on the front. Car, trailer, and gear approach 6000#. My tow vehicle is a 5.3 Chev Colorado extended cab 4X4 rated at 6000#. Longest trip was about 1500 miles of flat interstate. 75 mph was no problem and gas mileage was in the high 11s. I'll probably avoid mountains with this setup.

lefrog

A 3/4 ton (250/2500 family) is an overkill for an open trailer especially a lightweight aluminum like yours. You will get much better gas mileage with a 1/2 ton (150/1500) and still have plenty of towing capacity. I would go with a long bed, once you realize how much space is taken by the toolboxes, gas cans, spare tires and so on, you will regret the short bed very quickly. The longer wheelbase will bring you stability on the highway like others have mentioned.
If you feel like the suspension is sagging a little bit too much on the 1/2 ton, you can easily add airbags on the rear axle, it works very well.
If you are planning to upgrade to an enclosed trailer in the future, you might consider the 3/4 ton tow truck a good long term investment. The extra trans cooling on the 3/4 ton is only really helpful on very steep and long hills, otherwise you won't feel the difference.

Scooter70

I agree with everything Ken said. I tow a 24' enclosed with a 2013 F150 crew cab (short bed) with the turbo V6 and it's incredible. I have no issues keeping up with the guys pulling enclosed trailers with diesels. My truck even out-pulled Ken's truck last fall coming up a hill in Kentucky. 80mph and still accelerating at the top of a few mile long climb. (The fact that his F450 had his 40' gooseneck with two 3000# cars and a dozen spare wheels in it is irrelevant. )

Newer half tons can handle an open trailer or a small enclosed without any problems. If you're going to DD the truck the other 98% of the time, you'll be happier with a half-ton vs the Super Duty with the 6.2L. My dad bought one to plow with last year and hates it.

Last C5

I recently changed from a 1 ton 4X4 Superduty Ford diesel to an extended cab 1/2 ton 4X4 2014 Silverado with the 6.2 in it. The new truck handles my car and aluminum trailer without a problem on the highway and over the mountain passes. Couldn't be happier with the change.

emptnest

I have been tempted to go the 150/1500 route for all the reasons you describe. Plus the selection available would be much greater. But your last points about future trailer upgrades and steep hills help push me toward the 250/2500.

I plan someday to buy a 24 ft travel trailer, making the interstate aerodynamics of passing vehicles a future factor.

And a current lack of turning space requires that I back the tow rig up my driveway, which is 500 ft long and relatively steep. The JGC handles the empty trailer there ok but doesn't like it. No way would it make it up the driveway in reverse when loaded. F150 - maybe? But would the F250 be better suited for that?

TorontoC6

These types of questions get asked a lot. Good to get input from different folks.

I tow a 20' enclosed Aluminum trailer (2800lb empty) with my 2013 VW Touareg Diesel. With my C6 race car (2950 lb dry), spare wheels and tires, parts, tools, etc., I am towing between 6500lb and 7000lb. With a good weight distributing hitch, the Touareg (rated to tow 7700lb) has no problems. No sway on the highway, and hills are no problem.

The VW and Cayenne are well built, have large brakes and anti-sway programming. My friends have Yukon's and the VW is as good, if not better for towing. My crew chief who has towed car trailers with all sorts of trucks is amazed how smooth the VW is while towing.

Would I like a 2500 Diesel, sure but it won't fit in my Condo garage and it's not the ideal daily driver.

One caveat, make sure your weight is loaded evenly (check tongue weight) and make sure that your wd hitch is adjusted properly.

emptnest

I would love the torque of the diesel, but they are priced beyond my budget.

emptnest

So it looks like most of you think the F150 / 1500 platform will be adequate.

For wheel base, I'm thinking now long bed super cab (158 inch).

Some of our posts have occurred simultaneously and the conversation is a little out of order, so let me ask this:

See post # 12. Will the 150 / 1500 transmission handle backing up my long steep driveway while loaded as well as the 250/2500?

For that matter, will the 250/2500 handle it?

And what kind of growth potential would I have for heavier tow weights with the 150? At what tow weight would you say the 250 is more appropriate? 7500lbs? More?

c4cruiser

Given that you may be considering a 24' travel trailer, I would suggest a 3/4 ton and probably a diesel rig. With the Chevy/GMC and the DuraMax and Allison trans, that is a very popular truck for those towing heavier weights. You may not have a real need for a bigger truck right now, but upgrading to a longer enclosed car trailer or the RV Trailer, a 3/4 ton with a diesel might be a good move.

As far as backing a trailer up your driveway, check with trailer/RV businesses to see about installing a hitch receiver at the front of the truck. That way you are driving forward. I think the problem you see in backing up is the reverse gear ratio of the trans. It may not be as low as 1st gear.

Diesel pickups can get decent fuel mileage when empty and in most cases 4-5 MPG better than a comparable gas-powered truck. Towing cuts mileage down but will still be better than a comparable gas truck. The downside would be the higher cost of diesel fuel that some areas see. In my city, #2 low-sulphur diesel can be as much as 10 to 40 cents per gallon more than 87 octane regular.

Bill Dearborn

I think your JGC should be able to handle the load. The 115 inch wheelbase will improve maneuverability to some degree since you you can move the trailer tongue back and forth quicker with a small wheelbase vehicle. I used to tow with my 1991 Olds Bravada and did very well except for the 160HP V6 engine which worked like hell to pull the load around. I lived in a hilly area and a lot of times I would put it in low gear put my foot to the floor and climb steep hills at 40 mph with the engine screaming as fast as it would turn. After 7 years of towing the cylinders in that V6 were toast. I don't think you have anything to worry about with the Hemi.

If the Jeep has sufficient brakes to stop itself appropriately when fully loaded without a trailer don't worry about its brakes. Make sure you buy a trailer with 4 wheel brakes and it will handle its own braking duties. My 03 Tahoe doesn't have really good base brakes (most older Tahoes don't) and it actually stops better when the trailer with car on it is attached to the Tahoe.

A weight distribution hitch will transfer tongue weight to the front wheels so you can maintain steering control.

One issue with a smaller vehicle like the Jeep is its width. My Bravada was narrower than the trailer which made it harder to see to the rear since my trailer dirt screen blocked the view from the mirrors and I had to make sure I had the Bravada centered in narrow lanes or the trailer would be outside of the lane. Going through those narrow lanes at road construction sites where they make lanes up with the concrete barriers meant I was spending as much time watching the trailer wheels in the mirrors as I was looking forward. The Tahoe is as wide as the trailer and I don't have that issue any more.

Bill

FAUEE

I had a very similar JGC before my Vettes, and my instructor's wife has one. He also has a C4, and used it to tow it once on a large flatbed trailer. He said it was a nightmare, the trailer was simply too long for the Jeep to control. The most I towed with my Jeep was a large uhaul trailer, and it was OK, but didn't get particularly good fuel economy doing so. FWIW, these were both loaded to the max V8 4x4 Overlands (theirs is a Summit).

I think I'd be tempted to wait for the new Nissan Titan with the new diesel. It's going to be between a 1500 and a 2500 in size and capability, so you can get a diesel for fuel economy and power, but have a truck that wouldn't suck to live with day to day. And coming with a 5.0L Cummins, it should be a pretty stout truck.

brewersprts

I towed my old 16' car trailer with my 99 grand cherokee limited (v8) many times. I towed different cars on the trailer and it towed ok. Trailer brakes will help with the braking problems and a weight distributing hitch will keep things nice. Towed my c6z as well as other cars.

I now tow my 20' trailer with my 07 range rover supercharged and it's beautiful. My trailer is 1800# and my truck is rated for 7800#. I don't use a weight distributing hitch because it isn't recommended with the range rover air suspension. My point is, you don't need a pick up truck just to tow. SUVs work just fine for open trailers and light cars like corvettes.

tytek

I think a lot has already been said about good practices when towing. A longer wheelbase and a heavier tow vehicle is key to having a pleasant experience. I towed my C5Z on a open 18' aluminum car hauler for almost a year with a 2013 Pathfinder. Since it was car based, and even though it had a decently long wheelbase, it was not a great tow rig. My trailer and the car would weigh about 500lbs more than the SUV and it felt safe only up to 65-70mph. A trailer brake controller and four drum brakes on the trailer made stopping easy, but pulling up hills was straining the transmission and the engine. Eventually, the CVT gave up to ghost.

I since have upgraded to a '12 Armada, with a tow package, which is rated at an optimistic 9100lbs. It is frame based and has good gearing and lots of torque. Towing the same setup as above, with a brake controller, makes traveling at higher speeds a pleasure. The Armada weighs more than the trailer and I can feel the difference. The wheelbase on the truck is 123" and with self-leveling suspension in the back, the truck feels stable and the weight is distributed properly. So, I agree that a p/u truck is not the only choice when it comes to towing loads below 7k lbs. You can do it safely and reliably with a truck based SUV too. Anything north of that weight, you are probably better served with a 3/4 ton pick up.