So I just decided to pick up a Lance 1575 trailer (3100 lbs or so). I have two vehicles- the other one is a 2005 V8 4Runner with 7,000lb towing capacity and a higher tongue weight. The concern is the Wrangler and lower tongue weight capacity.
If I use a 600 lb weight distribution hitch plus a heavy height-adjustable shank, the dealer is saying that could exceed the tongue weight capacity of the Jeep and they have seen some bent frames and jacked up Wranglers (and light SUVs) when people use the 600 lb weight distribution setups. Obviously I do not want to jack up the Jeep by doing something weird. This is my first travel trailer too so I am not very experienced with that.
So they recommend a lighter friction-based setup (maybe 400 lbs) that could be used on both vehicles BUT I'd really have to careful that I do not load the front of the trailer with too much weight.
What have you guys seen and experienced? Any thoughts or recommendations?
It should work just fine, tow the trailer with the jeep and haul your supplies in the runner.
Your in for a shock at how fast that 3100 lbs will be over 4k once you stock it and fill the water tank etc.
Ya it will work, but it only takes one experience of the trailer deciding IT wants to try the scenic route to convince most it's unwise.
So what would you recommend- go with the dealer's recommendation or risk the tongue weight issue on the Jeep and go with the heavy-duty 600lb weight distribution hitch and try to stay light? I'm really not trying to chintz out on the towing part. The dealer is concerned about putting a heavy-duty sway control/hitch distribution on the Jeep. The 4Runner will handle it easily but it is the Jeep I am worried about. We will only be taking one vehicle at a time and try to stay light.
So the 4Runner trips will be the scenic ones and my mtn biking trips. The Jeep will be taken when we are going Jeeping in Ouray, Moab, etc. We could always hotel it on Jeep trips but it would be nice to take the camper.
I think is is 3000-3100 lbs as it. I will not be loading up water till we get to a destination. I can pack light too, and keep as much as possible in the Jeep. My buddy pulled his R-Pod (200-300 lbs lighter) with his Rubi quite a bit. I think I can (without water) keep it close to the max of 3500 lbs, no?
The WD hitches that the dealer is pimping are heavy sob's. That's a primary reason why I went with Anderson. My dealer was clueless about JKU towing, plus all the different engine\trans\gear combos since 2007, lots of variables. Giant steel noisy boat anchors hanging low off the back end, not the best option out there.
I tow with an Anderson 3324 WD hitch. Best WD ever, by far the lightest weight hitch setup on the market. It adds practically nothing to the tongue weight. Depending on your coupler height needs, check out a 3324 or 3326, one of those should do a great job. I pull an RPod 179 that runs about 3400Lbs give or take loaded with gear and some water in the tanks. I love the Anderson, can't praise it enough. Some videos out there on how to use it. Some threads about issues from a few years ago still out there, but there are no longer any issues, you can jack up the vehicle with the camper tongue jack a few inches, decouple the weight distribution chains, and lower it back down and decouple from the Jeep. No issues at all. Solid design.
Those Andersons with 2 inch ball I think are good all the way up to 1400lbs tongue weight, no worries there. Total hitch components weight might be 60lbs, if that so that's not adding much. You set how much WD you actually want\need with the tension nuts. Very high tech design, easy and worth every dollar. Even better is I can tow off road without the WD engaged if I want or need to.
I had to make a decision fast, but that was a couple of weeks ago. I went with the E2 WD hitch but it is better suited to my 4Runner, and not the JKU, though it can be made to fit with a different shank (those are heavy). It seems to work well on the 4Runner but the 4Runner has a much higher towing rating and a beefy frame-mounted hitch. The sway-control seems to work well too, on windy days. I can still feel the push but it never starts swaying.
So now on to the JKU- I can pull with the JKU if I really focus on staying light. That is doable but what I would have to do is either get a new shank for the Jeep (cheaper/simpler option) or get a lighter WD setup like the Andersen and set it up for both vehicles. The Jeep definitely needs some sort of weight distribution but the E2 and Equal-I-zer (4-way) seem to be too heavy and overbuilt for the JKU hitch. So far, this Andersen looks the best/lightest.
Tongue weight affects payload capacity. This is different than towing capacity. The WD hitch will transfer some of the weight to the front axle. Check your Jeeps pay load capacity, then add passengers, gear, and the tongue weight of the trailer to see if you exceed it.
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