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View Full Version : The Long Haul, towing my XJ



WhiteKnight2
02-06-2014, 11:02 AM
Hey everyone I need some advice, or really just some opinions. Yeah, I am asking for opinions, this could get ugly.

I need to haul my 95 Cherokee 4dr from Maryland to North Carolina. The plan is to rent a car dolly from U-Haul and tow it behind my '12 2dr JK. I am a little concerned about the weight of the XJ in the event of a sudden need to stop. I have a '12 2dr auto Sahara and I think the XJ is borderline heavy for the towing capacity. I'm not concerned with tongue weight as the dolly will have the weight and the XJ will have the rear wheels down but more of the stopping/ maneuverability. The XJ has 6-1/2 " lift with 33s and a winch but the weight of this isn't a concern and some misc stuff will be in the jeep. (Rock sliders to be welded on and some small stuff for upgrades.) For all you wrangler owners that have ever had to stomp the brakes and had the ass end pass you, you know my concern.
Ps. If money was no object I would have it delivered, and no I'm NOT driving it.

So again I ask for some opinions. Will this be sketchy?

xj-jake
02-06-2014, 11:25 AM
Sounds like you already know it may be a little sketchy. My advice would be to take your time and don't push it if you have no other options. Check with local trucking companies, you may be able to have it shipped for a couple hundred bucks. If your doubting it don't do it.

4.3LXJ
02-06-2014, 11:46 AM
I tow heavy stuff all the time. Many of my towing adventures are on here. It can be done, you need to drive differently. First, put that heavy stuff i n the back of.the towing vehicle. Second, allow lots.of distance between you and what is in front. Third, use that transmission too slow you down when braking. If you do all that you can pull it off.

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drakan1908
02-06-2014, 11:54 AM
Have you checked with U-Haul, they may not let you pull it with the JK. They wouldn't rent to a buddy of mine , he had a lifted XJ (3 inch) they were afraid it would be unsafe. U-Haul was afraid of being liabel if something happened.

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msmoorenburg
02-06-2014, 03:59 PM
My opinion is to ditch the tow dolly and just flat town the jeep. I flat towed my jeep from Houston TX to Ouray Colorado without a issue in a Nissan Armada. Stopping was never a issue and the gas mileage didn't suffer until the mountains.

Firemanray
02-06-2014, 05:09 PM
I'm with Matt on this one. Flat towing is really easy, just make real sure your in "N" on the transfer case. I knew a guy that towed his Wrangler from Texas to Colorado with the transmission (standard) in gear. Motor was shot by then. I never did figure out how come he didn't feel the drag on the tow vehicle.:confused:

WhiteKnight2
02-06-2014, 06:06 PM
Thanks for all the info/advice. I did look into the U-Haul tow dolly online and it said it would work. (that's on the website) I did see the topic of towing flat, aka "four down" (tires), and I have decided against this for a few reasons. First the jeep has been built for off road and it has never been aligned so I know the alignment is off. It does get some wobble when going down the road to and from the trails so I am worried about that and it has been wheeled pretty hard so I would seriously worry about a possibility of death wobble or a harsh side to side pull while going down I95. (not a pretty picture).
Also the rear is welded so with a dolly I would have the option of front down if something were to happen. Planning on taking both drive shafts out to prevent any tranny/ t-case damage also.
Just looking at the options and trying to cover the bases before I make the haul.

Firemanray
02-06-2014, 06:21 PM
U-haul also rents aluminum car hauler trailers, that might be and option as well. If you load the Xj right you won't have to much tongue weight for your JK.

msmoorenburg
02-07-2014, 07:30 AM
U-haul also rents aluminum car hauler trailers, that might be and option as well. If you load the Xj right you won't have to much tongue weight for your JK.

And Some have mechanical brakes

bigjim350
02-07-2014, 07:20 PM
The u-haul tow dollies have surge brakes on them, you'll be fine. However U-haul wont rent you the dolly unless you have a hardtop on your jeep. For some weird reason they wont rent a trailer or dolly to a jeep with no top or a soft top.

drakan1908
02-07-2014, 09:49 PM
Around here years ago they wouldn't rent to any one that had Firestone AT tires because of the problems Firestone was having with them.

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slvmart
02-08-2014, 10:53 AM
U Haul in their contract software asks what you are towing and with what. If it doesn't fit into their precoded requirements, they won't rent you even the tow bar, much less a trailer. At least, in my area.

WhiteKnight2
03-08-2014, 06:45 PM
Well my XJ is officially in NC. Not without some minor issues and some serious long quiet talks with the man upstairs but its here. The first thing I will say is that U-Haul dollys do not have surge brakes and you CAN NOT back them up with a load on. They have a swivel deck where the tires of the towed vehicle rest and this makes it impossible to turn. If you try it will bind the steering against the steering lock and possibly break something. Second thing is that my 2012 Jeep JK is a TANK. The Pentastar V6 had plenty of power in the mountains and still got around 18 MPG. The braking was a little lax but I took it easy and it went very well.... Until I got to Emporia VA where I blew a tire on my XJ.. I had two worn out tires and two good tires on it so I ran the good ones on the back for safety and one shredded. Just my luck. I figured just back the XJ off the dolly and swap front for rear and on my way... Luckily I was going by a weigh station when it blew so I just pulled in there to change it but when I went to back it off.... NO START. Battery was dead from leaving the key on accidentally. So how do you get a no start jeep off a dolly and swap tires with one jack.. YOU DONT. I was up the creek.
My co-pilot (fiancé) was really loving this as you can imagine but by some miracle a roll back just happened to drive by on a road on the backside of the weigh station. No kidding he rolled in pulled my XJ off the dolly lifted it up and we swapped the tires. Jumper cables? You betcha, we fired it up back on the dolly and down the road. This guy turned out to be a fire chief at a fire station about 20 miles north of Emporia VA (where I was stranded along I-95). Needles to say that fire department will bee getting a donation in the mail for sure.

Anyway I just wanted to share the story to give someone a good laugh and I will also be doing some posting on some rocker panels/rock slides I made.

XJ Wheeler
03-08-2014, 10:22 PM
Well my XJ is officially in NC. Not without some minor issues and some serious long quiet talks with the man upstairs but its here. The first thing I will say is that U-Haul dollys do not have surge brakes and you CAN NOT back them up with a load on. They have a swivel deck where the tires of the towed vehicle rest and this makes it impossible to turn. If you try it will bind the steering against the steering lock and possibly break something. Second thing is that my 2012 Jeep JK is a TANK. The Pentastar V6 had plenty of power in the mountains and still got around 18 MPG. The braking was a little lax but I took it easy and it went very well.... Until I got to Emporia VA where I blew a tire on my XJ.. I had two worn out tires and two good tires on it so I ran the good ones on the back for safety and one shredded. Just my luck. I figured just back the XJ off the dolly and swap front for rear and on my way... Luckily I was going by a weigh station when it blew so I just pulled in there to change it but when I went to back it off.... NO START. Battery was dead from leaving the key on accidentally. So how do you get a no start jeep off a dolly and swap tires with one jack.. YOU DONT. I was up the creek.
My co-pilot (fiancé) was really loving this as you can imagine but by some miracle a roll back just happened to drive by on a road on the backside of the weigh station. No kidding he rolled in pulled my XJ off the dolly lifted it up and we swapped the tires. Jumper cables? You betcha, we fired it up back on the dolly and down the road. This guy turned out to be a fire chief at a fire station about 20 miles north of Emporia VA (where I was stranded along I-95). Needles to say that fire department will bee getting a donation in the mail for sure.

Anyway I just wanted to share the story to give someone a good laugh and I will also be doing some posting on some rocker panels/rock slides I made.

Sounds about how trips would go when we use to take my moms '93 zj. Always an adventure... And man, some good stories!

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