will my jeep pull my boat

[zach103]

i have a 96 cherokee sport. no tow package. but the rear suspensions starting to go. i have a 86 larson thats 17ft long. Will it be able to pull the boat?

 

[JB]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

Howdy Zach.

Welcome to iboats.

You can pull your boat with a lawn tractor, but that doesn't mean you should.

Find out:

1. What the boat/trailer rig weighs.
2. What your Jeep is rated to tow, as currently equipped.

If the boat rig weighs 70% or less of the tow rating it is probably safe to tow it, but get the suspension fixed or beefed up first.

 

[zach103]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

how do i determine the weight of the boat and trailer?

 

[nightstalker]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

i have a 96 cherokee sport. no tow package. but the rear suspensions starting to go. i have a 86 larson thats 17ft long. Will it be able to pull the boat?

Your Jeep is rated to tow 2000 pounds without the towing package if it has the 4.0, 6 cylinder. You can determine the weight of your rig by looking it up in some of the used boat values sites like NADA.
Nightstalker

 

[45Auto]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

I towed an 18' Bayliner (probably about the same weight as your boat) for 7 years with my '92 Cherokee. I6 4.0 engine, 4WD with a tow package, rated for 5000 lb. No brakes on the trailer. Pulling it was NO problem, but stopping it would have been very exciting in an emergency or in the rain. Cherokee rear brakes are notoriously weak (do a Google search for "Cherokee rear brake conversion" or "Cherokee rear brake upgrade"). Hard braking would lock the fronts and the boat would just push the jeep along. I only had to tow it a couple of miles on back roads, so I went slow and stayed a LONG way away from anyone else to give me a chance to stop.

My new boat has surge brakes on the trailer and the difference is unbelievable. The Jeep now almost stops better towing the trailer than it does without it!

I personally wouldn't tow your Larson on a street with any kind of traffic on it (where you might have to stop quick) unless you have brakes on the trailer. Don't expect your transmission to last long without a transmission cooler and towing gears (3.73) in the rear end. And you definitly need to fix the suspension first.

 

[4.0l sahara]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

Put on a tranny cooler,new rear leafs and shocks and a good hitch and you should be fine.

 

[zach103]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

the trailer was boat maybe 2 years ago. do all trailers for this size of a boat come with brakes now or no? and could i just do replacement suspension. I use quadratec.com for alota parts for my jeep. it has heavy duty replacement leaf springs. would those be sufficient or shouuld i go with something else?

 

[4.0l sahara]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

even if he has the 3.07 gears in his rear he could still pull it just has to work a little harder. Your going to have a dana 35 rear tell go look for the tag bolted on the diff cover and see if it says 3.07 ot 3.73

 

[zach103]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

thanks for all the help so far. NADA says the net weight of the boat is 2000. im not sure about the trailer

 

[External Combustion]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

The ONLY way to find out what your trailer and boat combo weighes is to take it to the public scales and weigh it! If that is above your tow rating for your jeep than get another tow vehicle.

I hope you don't need to change your ride. The 70% rule is an above board one, as current tow ratings are not made by engineers that have to be on the highway with other traffic. Ride with someone that is pushing the rating to see if I am a nevous Nelly.

Good luck!

 

[zach103]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

oh trust me i wanna get a new car. i know this is a boat forum but if anyone sees a truck for salen in NE tell me thanks.. so as long as i put the new suspension on teh back i should be fine? or do i really need the tranny cooler?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

oh trust me i wanna get a new car. i know this is a boat forum but if anyone sees a truck for salen in NE tell me thanks.. so as long as i put the new suspension on teh back i should be fine? or do i really need the tranny cooler?

After my experience with a Windstar towing less than 2,000 lbs that had the "towing package" meant to be good for 3,500 lb and still exploded the tranny while towing in direct and gently I would without a doubt get all the necessary bells and whistles fitted. I now tow with a 4WD GMC Jimmy. What a difference, it is like night and day.

 

[Lou C]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

Keep in mind a couple of things, the Cherokee has a good auto trans, the AW-4 which is Toyota built, and more durable than the ChryCo trans in the Grand Cherokee. The rear springs commonly get weak and sag, they should be replaced, but be careful because the mounting bolts often break when removing. The rear brakes can be converted to the Grand Cherokee discs, but first I'd try it with them properly adjusted. The trans cooler should be added. And most of all PUT BRAKES ON THE TRAILER!
I tow a close to 4000 lb boat with a 4.0 Grand Cherokee, it does pretty well because the Grand has Air Lift air bags in the rear springs that elimnates the sag, Bilstein shocks that keep the Jeep stable, and trailer brakes. I tried towing it without brakes when I first got the boat and trust me it was scary. Don't even try that, one emergency stop and you could be in real trouble.

 

[4.0l sahara]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

Yes it does have the aw-4 trans and a np231 tcase.

 

[Hondo65]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

Just guessing that if your rear suspension is sagging then you have a higher mileage vehicle. Without a tow package, without trailer brakes, and no tranny cooler you'd get off cheaper in the long run by replacing your tow vehicle with one that is setup properly or investing in the one you have if it is well maintained and setting it up properly. Otherwise minimally you'll blow the tranny all the way up to totalling your vehicle. Either of those are way more expensive then doing it right first and that is not taking into consideration of injuries or property damage.

Good luck

Hondo

 

[4.0l sahara]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

As long as it was maintained he should be fine even with 100k+. It's not because I love jeeps but the 4.0,aw-4,np231,dana30 and even the dana 35 if well maintained and not abused these are all pretty strong parts for the size of the jeep.

 

[Hondo65]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

I also own a jeep but I don't care what motor or tranny is in it. It does not have a tow package, or servicable suspension. Also his brakes are marginal at best. If NADA is saying that his boat is 2K I would bet it is more in the range of 2750+ with trailer, fuel. It is well over the 70% of rated that it should be to properly handle the load. It is over the rated tow rating of the vehicle as it is. If you want to egg him into using it because it is a beloved jeep with the most stout transmission in the world go for it. I'll stand by my assertion that if he tries it for too long he is going to have an expensive problem. I have been towing for a long time and have made mistakes of my own and seen even more made by others.

Hondo

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

I wouldn't hesitate one minute to tow that little boat with my cherokee, trans cooler yes I have one but one can easily be added but if your not having to lug up and down hills and only need to travel short distances to the lake I wouldn't worry too much. If your trans starts to hunt between high and low then it's being overworked.

 

[zach103]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

Damn i came to the right place to ask this question... so i shouldnt push it with my cherokee and just go for a bigger pickup?

 

[samo_ott]

Re: will my jeep pull my boat

I just towed a 3500# boat from Florida to Canada (~2000 miles) with my 1991 Cherokee Sport, I6, 4.0L 5 speed. I would HIGHLY recommend getting a weight distribution hitch. My rear end was saggy also (aren't they all?) and the WD hitch helped immensely (for sway, balance and weight distribution). Photo attached. It was underpowered though. Next time I did the same weight I would want a V8.

Also, I have a '98 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0L and it's rated for 2000# also with the auto in it, that's why I took the '91 as it was rated for 5,000#. If you put the tow package on it I believe the rating goes up to 3500#. But it's more than just a tranny cooler. It's proper springs and rear end gears and a tranny cooler. Also, make sure you have stock tires on it for the rated load. Although smaller tires will give you better torque but you will lose mpg's.