What do you tow?

With your jeep? Just wondering...I'm gonna be heading down to the delta tomorrow to pick up a 15' fiberglass runabout for a friend, even though I'm not entirely comfortable towing a heavy boat the way my hitch is mounted because the PO has a swing out tire carrier that isn't mounted to the frame rails as secure as I'd like ....I'll be fine, because I've got some "straight shot" back roads I can use & I drive like the old man I am... R) but it got me to thinking. As a kid (teenager) my dad had an oddfire & I remember us towing our 16' travel trailer without any problems that I recall...Or is my memory failing me??? After I get the boat up here, I'm planning on reinforcing the hitch.

 

I tow my Jeep with a 5 cylinder Chevy Colorado. Can't believe how well it does the job.

 

I towed a 19 foot center console Boston Whaler with my CJ.. It did struggle a bit at speed but it was a really heavy boat as most Whalers are but it made it, keep im mind, that was SC, flat land and I never went over 50 MPH...

 

Pulling is less an issue than steering and stopping. Lightweight short wheelbase CJ towing a heavy load= recipe for disaster. Btdt.


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With that heavy a load, you want some kind of braking system on the trailer. Electric is probably the easiest to acquire, but there are hydraulic brake systems too.

 

And I pull a Jumping Jack tent trailer with my CJ. But not over 50 mph and real careful how close to the guy, horse, dog, deer or tractor that is ahead of me. Kids on skateboards pass me regularly. And they don't have any brakes!

Total weight of the trailer and all is 2,000 pounds.

 

I have a small utility trailer that I haul wood on 1500 lb capacity. But fully loaded it does push pretty good when stopping. braking is always a concern. I also have a 17' pontoon boat I have hauled small distances. I have a 134 in the jeep so speed is not an issue

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Is that a pop up camping trailer?
I've been thinking about getting one of those to tow with my CJ. I don't need a big one, as it would be just me & my son.

 

I've never towed anything heavy with mine, but I remember back in the 50's a friend and I towed a 18' inboard (blown '57 caddy engine) home from a lake in the sierras with no problems. Although we didn't have to make any quick stops!!! and were going down the mountain. And we were teenagers. But the jeep was a '56 four banger with drum brakes (no such thing as disks back then! It was a memorable 85 mile ride tho.

 

" CJ towing a heavy load= recipe for disaster. Btdt. "

Me too, got the hat and the T-shirt. Pulling a trailer full of lumber, did a involuntary 180º in the middle of a highway.

Given the short wheelbase and light rear-end of a jeep, the tail can wag the dog, and there is nothing you can do but pray. At the very least make sure there is plenty of weight forward on the trailer tongue.

 

Yep. Short boxy wheelbase, lightweight, bring a trailer of firewood down the hill? More like it brought me round the switchbacks

 

I had a friend who towed a 18' jet boat with a CJ7. Until she had to make a panic stop on the highway. And the boat pushed her into the guy in front of her. And the boat passed her on the right and turned the Jeep around. No more towing with the Jeep for her...

i wouldn't consider towing anything more than a small gear trailer with mine.

 

Two 66 V6 CJ5 from Calif to Yellowstone and back.
2 adults with 2 kids in the blue Jeep.
2 adults with 3 kids in the red Jeep.
Kids were all 10 and under, me included.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e121/348Win/vacation1966.jpg

 

Nice ............Now that would be an adventure , 5 kids , 4 adults and two rough riding Jeeps......well maybe not when there loaded down!.............what year was that?
Got to be a over 2000 miles round trip. 18-20 hours or so 1 way. Got to love it!

 

Back in my early days I frequently towed various CJ's home with a CJ-2A.

A few years later I pulled another crazy stunt.
See my "WATER" story posted over here:
http://www.film.queensu.ca/cj3b/Owners/WadeStuck.html

Presently I remove the front seat and stuff my Jeep chock full of green firewood.
It rides pretty good when loaded down to the hilt.
But I'm really hoping to find a Bantam trailer for the firewood jobs.
They are very few and far between in my area.

 

this is what I towed in california . when I lived out there . 1989 picture . although I still have that trailer behind garage . the little 4 wheeler is still in garage. motorcycle is long gone . I made my own bumper to pull with . cut off sides of rear crossmember , so that bumper would be bolted to side of frame rails , and welded angle iron supports for body mounts

 

the year was 1966
The trip was 2 weeks long traveling to Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Big Rock Candy Mountain, Yellowstone etc.
Did I forget to mention the trip was in August...most travel was done at night...still hot though.
and....that one of my sisters and I came down with the mumps early in the trip...
My mom wasn't too happy.

 

1966.........Wow! those two Jeeps were brand new then......sounds like a nice trip seeing all those places even with a couple of sick kids!........did those trailers have electric brakes on them back then?
Interesting enough that back in the day unlike today you would see all sorts of interesting Camper trailer combinations, home built trailers, pop up campers like the Alaskan version and various rigs pulled by various vehicles. The camp grounds were full of interesting stuff.

 

Those are good reads. amazing the things we do when, at the time they didn't seem like such a bad idea.

 

I haven't actually tried to tow it with the Jeep yet, but plan to very soon. Start out just around the neighborhood to test it and if all is well, a local camping trip with my boy. I built it in 2006-2007 and have towed it cross country many times and numerous camping trips with the wife and son.