Since these cars always have something unique about them, is there anything that I should know about when I tow anything? Nothing heavy, maybe a car or some snowmobiles every once in a while? I was reading that I should have it in SPORT mode when towing?
Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
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Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
I leave it in sport, and adjust the trailer brakes so they feel right for the load.
Martin
I leave it in sport, and adjust the trailer brakes so they feel right for the load.
Martin
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Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
You just shouldn't use sport mode while driving with cruise control, I don't know why, but the handbook says "don't do it".
Sigi
You just shouldn't use sport mode while driving with cruise control, I don't know why, but the handbook says "don't do it".
Sigi
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9,277 Posts
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
When I am towing, the cruise is the last thing on my mind :lol:
Poor old girl is having a harder time towing the weight these days with over 192000 miles on her. Still does it, but with a little more down shifting when pulling the Jeep on the car trailer. With the jet ski's though, she still does OK.
Martin
When I am towing, the cruise is the last thing on my mind :lol:
Poor old girl is having a harder time towing the weight these days with over 192000 miles on her. Still does it, but with a little more down shifting when pulling the Jeep on the car trailer. With the jet ski's though, she still does OK.
Martin
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
You tow an XJ with your RR?
Perhaps yours is rated differently. My 96 SE has a towing rating of 1650lbs according to the handbook and a tongue wt max of 500lbs.
I have a ZJ on 33's but wouldn't attempt towing it with the RR....
You tow an XJ with your RR?
Perhaps yours is rated differently. My 96 SE has a towing rating of 1650lbs according to the handbook and a tongue wt max of 500lbs.
I have a ZJ on 33's but wouldn't attempt towing it with the RR....
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Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
Note that the 1650 rating is without trailer brakes. With brakes it goes up to 6500 lbs. This is a matter of safety, no vehicles are designed to stop all that extra weight and if they were, it would still be unsafe to have a trailer that heavy w/o brakes. I have towed with both my old '95 4.0 and newer '99 4.6. They are so much better than towing with something like a Ford F-250 that you can't even compare. Sure they don't exactly set acceleration records in the process but once going are extremely stable. I do like to keep the trans in Sport so it doesn't lug the engine over ant hills. The trailer light diagnostics is also pretty cool when you use the proper wiring kit. My trailer is nearly 2000 lbs empty and I have pulled up to 5,000 lbs with it with complete confidence.Chris X said:
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Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
Are you on coils or EAS?
Are you on coils or EAS?
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234 Posts
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
I recommend carrying a spare set of lights with their own wiring and some tape. Its cheap insurance, just slap them on rather then trying to find the broken cable, replace a bulb ect. If the trailer lights fail at night the police will ask you to take it off the road and your stuck till morning.
I have to agree this is a really great feature. I trailer boats regularly and water ingress causes the lights to fail. Its not easy to see if the lights are working and they do fail at 2 am after driving for many hours. Besides the safety issue it also saves being pulled over by the police.NorCal RR said:
I recommend carrying a spare set of lights with their own wiring and some tape. Its cheap insurance, just slap them on rather then trying to find the broken cable, replace a bulb ect. If the trailer lights fail at night the police will ask you to take it off the road and your stuck till morning.
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
I'm sure I recall somthing in the owners hand book about using the suspention inhibit switch (I think this is the official manual term) to keep the car from changing heights whilst towing.
Although this won't apply to most people on this forum, but worth a mention anyway, if your in the UK and you passed your car driving test after 1997 you'll probably find your not qualified to tow anything heavier than 750kg. Unless you pass a B+E test.
I'm sure I recall somthing in the owners hand book about using the suspention inhibit switch (I think this is the official manual term) to keep the car from changing heights whilst towing.
Although this won't apply to most people on this forum, but worth a mention anyway, if your in the UK and you passed your car driving test after 1997 you'll probably find your not qualified to tow anything heavier than 750kg. Unless you pass a B+E test.
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1,553 Posts
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
EAS with OEM bags and its great when towing. It keeps you level after hitching up and I think maintaining a level vehicle is part of what makes it a good tow vehicle. Of course exceeding the reasonable tongue weight would be hard on the rear bags but its hard on conventional springs too.Roverrad95 said:
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
The manual tells you to keep it in in standard height mode and lock it so it wont want to lower at highway speeds...I towed a '68 Torino on one of those Uhaul car transporters back from Chicago and had no problems what so ever..A pettty pleasant ride and at 70 too...I was suprised I couldnt feel the rover being "pushed "by the weight I was towing...In the city, I kept it in 3rd, but interstae travel, "D" was used...But, I'm sure I was at the max limit...Anything less,(boat, atvs, sleds), should be a piece of cake...
The manual tells you to keep it in in standard height mode and lock it so it wont want to lower at highway speeds...I towed a '68 Torino on one of those Uhaul car transporters back from Chicago and had no problems what so ever..A pettty pleasant ride and at 70 too...I was suprised I couldnt feel the rover being "pushed "by the weight I was towing...In the city, I kept it in 3rd, but interstae travel, "D" was used...But, I'm sure I was at the max limit...Anything less,(boat, atvs, sleds), should be a piece of cake...
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2,492 Posts
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
Question to NAS hitch setup users :
What ball mount setup do you use? I mean what drop ? 2, 4, 6 or 8 inches
I ordered that today :
![]()
Convert-A-Ball Cushioned Ball Mounts with 8 inches drop.
Maybe 8 inches drop is too much but i may sell it back to a lifted H2 owner.
http://www.convert-a-ball.com/ballmounts.htm
Question to NAS hitch setup users :
What ball mount setup do you use? I mean what drop ? 2, 4, 6 or 8 inches
I ordered that today :
Convert-A-Ball Cushioned Ball Mounts with 8 inches drop.
Maybe 8 inches drop is too much but i may sell it back to a lifted H2 owner.
http://www.convert-a-ball.com/ballmounts.htm
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276 Posts
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
You might want to look at the trailer, whether it's more level with the suspension in normal or highway height, and lock it there.
Especially if the trailer has more than one axle.
Tango, it isn't this easy, thanks to the european union :doh:.
I have given up explaining it to anyone, no normal person is able to understand this without reading the explanation about 10-20 times (I read the already dumbed down explanation on the german Wikipedia multiple times a day for a week until I finally got it and could remember it).
Long story short, some trailers with more than 750 kg are legal with a "B" license...
Sigi
Although I use it very often while towing, I forgot about the inhibit switch, good point!Tango said:
You might want to look at the trailer, whether it's more level with the suspension in normal or highway height, and lock it there.
Especially if the trailer has more than one axle.
Tango, it isn't this easy, thanks to the european union :doh:.
I have given up explaining it to anyone, no normal person is able to understand this without reading the explanation about 10-20 times (I read the already dumbed down explanation on the german Wikipedia multiple times a day for a week until I finally got it and could remember it).
Long story short, some trailers with more than 750 kg are legal with a "B" license...
Sigi
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1,867 Posts
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
![]()
Mine is just straight - no drop what so ever:996TURBO said:Question to NAS hitch setup users :
What ball mount setup do you use? I mean what drop ? 2, 4, 6 or 8 inches
I ordered that today :
![]()
Convert-A-Ball Cushioned Ball Mounts with 8 inches drop.
Maybe 8 inches drop is too much but i may sell it back to a lifted H2 owner.
http://www.convert-a-ball.com/ballmounts.htm
Joined
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234 Posts
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
Mine looks similar and my trailer is near perfect level in low profile mode. I would say "no drop" but looking at the picture it could be the 2" drop. Defiantly not 8 inches.paul.adshead said:
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9,277 Posts
Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
Mine is @2" drop and I pull either the jet ski's or a 2 axle car trailer with brakes.
I am also on EAS with Arnott bags and KYB shocks. It does a very good job, and the electronic brake controller takes care of the braking.
Mind, I may have a little better idea than the average layman about towing stuff safely...
My "day job"........
[attachment=2:yqg4r48d]generatorweb.jpg[/attachment:yqg4r48d]
Rangey with the jetski's.
Fear not, the EAS isn't level when I took the foto. The EAS makes hooking the trailer a breeze though, no need to crank the handle, just drop the air, go under the tongue, then raise it up :thumb:
[attachment=1:yqg4r48d]rr-and-ski'sweb.jpg[/attachment:yqg4r48d]
No pics of it with the car trailer, but I normally borrow this when we go out of state for a wheeling event.
[attachment=0:yqg4r48d]Jeep-n-truck-web.jpg[/attachment:yqg4r48d]
Martin
Mine is @2" drop and I pull either the jet ski's or a 2 axle car trailer with brakes.
I am also on EAS with Arnott bags and KYB shocks. It does a very good job, and the electronic brake controller takes care of the braking.
Mind, I may have a little better idea than the average layman about towing stuff safely...
My "day job"........
[attachment=2:yqg4r48d]generatorweb.jpg[/attachment:yqg4r48d]
Rangey with the jetski's.
Fear not, the EAS isn't level when I took the foto. The EAS makes hooking the trailer a breeze though, no need to crank the handle, just drop the air, go under the tongue, then raise it up :thumb:
[attachment=1:yqg4r48d]rr-and-ski'sweb.jpg[/attachment:yqg4r48d]
No pics of it with the car trailer, but I normally borrow this when we go out of state for a wheeling event.
[attachment=0:yqg4r48d]Jeep-n-truck-web.jpg[/attachment:yqg4r48d]
Martin
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Re: Do I need to know anything special when towing a trailer?
Thanks for clearing that up. That does make sense. I was a little confused why the RR had such a low tow rating, I must have missed the part in the handbook about trailer brakes. I have a 4x8 single axle trailer I usually tow with the ZJ - with the 3" lift and 33's I have to use a 4" drop mount even with a trailer tongue that is a gooseneck style. I've used a 2" drop mount with the RR, however I have the Bilstein setup in place of the EAS. Heaviest thing I usually lug is my quad or a garden tractor.
Note that the 1650 rating is without trailer brakes. With brakes it goes up to 6500 lbs. This is a matter of safety, no vehicles are designed to stop all that extra weight and if they were, it would still be unsafe to have a trailer that heavy w/o brakes. I have towed with both my old '95 4.0 and newer '99 4.6. They are so much better than towing with something like a Ford F-250 that you can't even compare. Sure they don't exactly set acceleration records in the process but once going are extremely stable. I do like to keep the trans in Sport so it doesn't lug the engine over ant hills. The trailer light diagnostics is also pretty cool when you use the proper wiring kit. My trailer is nearly 2000 lbs empty and I have pulled up to 5,000 lbs with it with complete confidence.[/quote:2bpsvmfe]NorCal RR said:
Thanks for clearing that up. That does make sense. I was a little confused why the RR had such a low tow rating, I must have missed the part in the handbook about trailer brakes. I have a 4x8 single axle trailer I usually tow with the ZJ - with the 3" lift and 33's I have to use a 4" drop mount even with a trailer tongue that is a gooseneck style. I've used a 2" drop mount with the RR, however I have the Bilstein setup in place of the EAS. Heaviest thing I usually lug is my quad or a garden tractor.
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