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Towing a Jayco Trailer with a 2016 JKU

54K views 66 replies 28 participants last post by  Chickeneye 
#1 ·
I have been researching Campers to pull behind my 2016 Jeep Willys Unlimited. The Willys did not come with a tow hitch but did come with the 3.73 gear. The Willys is an auto. Had the dealer install a hitch for me to close the deal.

From reading/research: I believe I can tow up to 3500 pounds. I am looking at a 2017 Jayco Jay Flight SXL 145RB Baja. Their material states the Unloaded weight to be 2330.

I was looking at the T@B but I am 6 foot 1....

Has anyone one tow the Jayco 145RB, and how does tow?

Thanks David
 
#2 ·
I have been researching Campers to pull behind my 2016 Jeep Willys Unlimited. The Willys did not come with a tow hitch but did come with the 3.73 gear. The Willys is an auto. Had the dealer install a hitch for me to close the deal.

From reading/research: I believe I can tow up to 3500 pounds. I am looking at a 2017 Jayco Jay Flight SXL 145RB Baja. Their material states the Unloaded weight to be 2330.

I was looking at the T@B but I am 6 foot 1....

Has anyone one tow the Jayco 145RB, and how does tow?

Thanks David
Should have no problems. My travel trailer weighs 2820 unloaded with no issues.

I would get a weight distribution hitch, sway bar and brake controller and go.

That is not much heavier than some pop up campers.
 
#5 ·
I have a jayco 195rb baja and my buddy has the 145rb baja. I am selling mine and looking to get an aliner or chalet folding camper. My buddy has 3.73 auto on his 14 sport unlimited and he said he needed to add a equalizer hitch as it really weighted his back end down. He has RK 3.5" coils on back. I have same coils and mine does not squat very much at all. Believe it or not my wife and I lived in it for 6 months while we were building. The 195 is 3500 lb ready to roll and for me the only issue is it is really hard to see around as I have not found any mirrors that work well.
 
#6 ·
oh and make sure you get a brake controller.
 
#10 ·
The height is 111 inches, with 96 inches width for 74 sqft. Is this correct for Frontal Area calculations?

Should the Jeep blocking some of the Air flowing against the front area of the RV count lower that some?

Just confuse about Frontal Load, first I have heard of it..
 
#16 ·
Frontal Area is directly related to wind drag on what is being towed--if you are looking at a 4X8 sheet of ply wood and try and move it through the wind you can see how hard it is to move--however if the frontal area is sloped and curved it will serve to reduce the drag. The manufacturer of the trailer should have the posted frontal area of the trailer in the specifications so you do not need to do the math. Frontal area will effect how heavy the trailer "feels" to the tow vehicle at speed--it also effects the stability of the trailer at speed. Short wheelbase vehicles are far more sensitive to larger frontal areas then longer wheelbase vehicles. By the owners manual you would never be able to tow a travel trailer--a pop up at best. Do people do it --yes, can you pull it--sure, will it be fine--maybe maybe not. It will never be an issue unless something bad happens and it is determined that the reason for that was because the vehicle was overloaded and not safe. Run at your own risk.
 
#11 ·
I just ordered a Jayco 17RB hummingbird and I'm planning on pulling it with JKU I have a 3.5"RK lift and I added airbags, a brake controller and re-geared from the stock 3.21's. I'm also running a manual trans. I am trying to decide on what WDH to order.


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#24 ·
I just ordered a Jayco 17RB hummingbird and I'm planning on pulling it with JKU I have a 3.5"RK lift and I added airbags, a brake controller and re-geared from the stock 3.21's. I'm also running a manual trans. I am trying to decide on what WDH to order.

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I recommend the Equal-i-zer hitch. It's what I use myself. It's an all-in-one wdh with anti-sway. They're lighter duty than most, but are perfect for a Wrangler pulling any trailer up to tow capacity (and beyond, if one is so inclined).
 
#13 ·
We did an Evo 1 pup for a couple years behind our '12 JKUR. The dry weight was 2700 lbs with max gvwr of 3500 (the max for a JKU).

My experience:
- a brake controller is not an option. I think the JK brakes suck even when not towing
- air bags in the back are really nice to help keep things level
- the 6 speed also makes it easier with less fear of frying the tranny
- my personal opinion is that if you have bigger tires and have not regeared, and want to tow you're nuts, but that's me

Everyone loves pics...

Pre airbags:


Post airbags:
 
#19 ·
We did an Evo 1 pup for a couple years behind our '12 JKUR. The dry weight was 2700 lbs with max gvwr of 3500 (the max for a JKU).

My experience:
- a brake controller is not an option. I think the JK brakes suck even when not towing
- air bags in the back are really nice to help keep things level
- the 6 speed also makes it easier with less fear of frying the tranny
- my personal opinion is that if you have bigger tires and have not regeared, and want to tow you're nuts, but that's me
A brake controller is a definite must have. It's a cheap upgrade and many if not most places require e-brakes on anything over 2500lbs.

As for the transmission, the auto is actually a much more stout transmission that can handle something like 60% more input torque than the manual. It also handles taller gearing a but better. Both are strong transmissions, so I wouldn't worry about either one at the weights you're pulling with a Wrangler.
 
#14 ·
I rented a camplite in my jkur with 4.10 gears and manual tranny. Weight is not the issue. I hit a steady 15mph headwind and had to keep it in 4th/3rd gear with my foot through the floor just to try to maintain 65mph in a 75mph zone. 9mpg on that trip versus 18mpg highway normal.

3.5" AEV lift with 35" ko2's. Pop-up is in my future, I'll never pull a parachute camper again...

 
#17 ·
not 100% plug and play but close. just search this site for brake controller or trailer harness and you will find some threads.
 
#20 ·
Here are a few more trailers we have turned up in the past that tend to be more expensive but offer very nice features at weights that wranglers are (mostly) comfortable towing:

Modular interior, 1500 lbs ¨realistic" gross weight
https://happiercamper.com/

Awesome raised roof teardrop, under 2000lbs, over 34,000 Canadian dollars:Caravane Alto 1723

Rolling Cabana concept:
Mogo Freedom

and from AirStream 3 selections:

Nest--coming next year but nice and tight
https://www.airstream.com/nest/

Basecamp--fine looking premium camper akin to a teardrop
https://www.airstream.com/travel-trailers/basecamp/design/

Sport 16--3500lb of comfort for over a dollar a pound. can be found used but still ridiculous.https://www.airstream.com/travel-trailers/sport/floor-plans-specifications/

Now, I am a T@B owner and even used I thought that it was an extravagant purchase. But, I will be keeping my eye out for that safari caravan teardrop..
 
#22 ·
One thing to be aware of - most RV manufacturers significantly under-state their weight. For example, my Lance truck camper was advertised at 2200 pounds, but from a truck scale it weighed 3400 pounds. My Aliner (which I pull behind my Wrangler) was advertised at 1200 pounds, but the truck scale says 2000 pounds.

In both cases, I know I didn't have more than a couple hundred pounds of gear and fluids.

Just a little heads up...
 
#23 ·
My travel trailer is a Coachmen Clipper 17FQ, listed dry weight is 2880. I figure loaded with gear, but no water, I'm right close to 3500. I have a sway control/weight distributing hitch with 1000 lb lift bars. I have a brake controller installed as well and is a must. I have strap-on trailering mirrors as well and they are awesome. My Unlimited Willys has a stock, 6 speed drivetrain with 3.73 gears. I've had no issues pulling this anywhere I've gone. I keep top speed around 70 on the highway and 6th doesn't get used much. I'm not sure I'd want to pull it through any mountains without at least a re-gear and a big brake kit. The plan is to have both done by summer with new 33s or 34s.
 

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#25 ·
I've got a very similar setup, mine is 3.73 also but with the auto. I try to stay around 60mph and it will do pretty good unless I'm into a stiff headwind, slight grade, or both. If that's the case it will spend a lot of time in 3rd and sometimes even in 2nd to maintain 60mph. Fuel economy has actually been pretty decent at 10-12mpg.
 

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#28 ·
Wow. Some of you guys are really pushing it. A 3500-lb trailer will have roughly 450 lbs of tongue weight. Your Jeep has a max payload rating of 850 lbs. Subract 450 from 850 and you're left with only 400 lbs for people, gear, your hitch, and any mods (bumpers, winches, etc). Think you might be a tad overloaded?
 
#31 ·
I am now looking at Teardops after thinking about the frontage area and mpg. I found PeeWee Campers. PeeWee Teardrop Campers and Teardrop Trailers

They will put a three inch lift on the teardrop for the stock Willys wheels and tires. Really looking hard at ordering one. The matching wheels and tires will be costly..

Looking at a Ivory or Sand Beige to match Mojava Sand. Order it without graphics, then place the Star decals on the sides.
 
#32 ·
I tow a Jayco Jayfeather X17Z behind an F150. The heat created in the drivetrain while pulling around a "parachute" (I call it that too) can shorten the life of your vehicle. I like to keep my trailers lighter than the tow vehicle when I'm on 4 skinny tires and bumper pulling. I haven't even pulled my 1000lb unloaded utility trailer with my 2 door JK. I'll pull the harbor freight folding trailer all day long, though.
 
#35 ·
We did 12 states in 10 days for 2400 miles
, Jeep did fine and we had a great time.
What's the weight of that I-Pod? They were at the top of my list but it seemed the tongue weight was pushing it which is why I eventually went with a Coachmen 17FQ.
 
#37 ·
Bad idea; by the time you load it and the Jeep with people and supplies you will be over the GCVWR of the Jeep. That's the weight of the Jeep plus passengers and gear plus the trailer and supplies. Then there is 25 square ft frontal area.
How big are the holding tanks? Water is heavy 8.3# per gal. A 20# propane bottle full is ~40#.
Our so called 2800# camper when filled with two weeks of supplies, no water and holding tanks empty was 3680# on the cat scales. Our GCVW was 11200#.

While people get away with this all the time it is very dangerous.
You might be ok with an A liner or it's equivalent because of the weight and low profile.
 
#38 ·
Not everyone is going to be loading up 880lbs worth of stuff, let alone almost 1200. I have never even filled the tanks in my camper, and me and the total weight of passengers is a whopping 300lbs unless I bring my dog. The dog does bump the weight up to 450. Even at max tongue weight, and the fat dog, we are way below GVWR. No arguments about the frontal area, but personally I tow a pop up with low frontal area.

What is the GCVWR of a JKU?
 
#44 ·
Does anyone know what differences there are for export 4 door Wranglers? Because in Europe the tow rating is 5000lbs. This would open up many more trailer choices.
I think the main consensus on this is that the only major difference is the brakes (when it comes to towing performance) as the Euro models get a heavier duty brake system. I believe it is called the BR6 option. As I understand it, going with the new Mopar Performance brake kit or one of the aftermarket kits gets you real close to, if not surpassing the euro BR6 brakes.

However, again, as I understand it, it's really more about government regulations and liability than it is about the capability of the product. US regulations are more strict and we have a lot of lawyers that as Americans we use wayyyy too much.

Even installing the heavy duty brakes does not raise the towing capacity. There is nothing anyone can do period to legally and liability-wise increase the towing capacity of the Wrangler.
 
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