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Towing over weight.

4K views 55 replies 24 participants last post by  George Ross 
#1 ·
I am aware of the dangers of towing more than your jeep is rated for, so we can skip that part. I'm not the one doing it and I advised against it just to make that clear. What possible damage can be caused to the drive train from towing over the GVWR? Someone I know is towing a 6X12 cross country and the weigh slip was at about 10,000 pounds. This is a 4 dr wrangler 3.8L. Looks to me like they are at twice the rated gross weight. I am concerned about this situation, But they already left. :censored:
 
#4 ·
Going downhill is probably the easiest part. The trailer has its own brakes so should be ok. It's pulling up hill and the strain on the drive train. Especially the weaker 3.8 with a 4 speed auto. Also the pressure on the rear suspension. Headlights are probably aimed at the moon lol!
 
#5 ·
What damage he does to the engine, tranny, etc. is on him. However, when he looses control and ends up rolled over in a ditch or even worse kills someone...that will also be on him.

I'm also willing to bet that he has exceeded the max tongue weight and it's a time bomb on the weakest link probably the tires.

Hopefully, he'll get picked up by the cops before it's too late.
 
#7 ·
That's closer to 3x the tow rating.

Other than being extremely not safe in crosswinds: Trans will be the first thing to overheat and go. Hopefully he put it in a trans cooler. Hope he followed the manual and changed his diff fluid. Engine will struggle as well, probably no instant damage but things wear out quicker under that kind of load.
 
#9 ·
That's closer to 3x the tow rating.

Other than being extremely not safe in crosswinds: Trans will be the first thing to overheat and go. Hopefully he put it in a trans cooler. Hope he followed the manual and changed his diff fluid. Engine will struggle as well, probably no instant damage but things wear out quicker under that kind of load.
Hopefully... he did NOT put in a tranny cooler..... then he will be sitting along side the road someplace!!!!!!!!!
 
#10 ·
Guess we will see what happens, to late for me to stop them. They already did a 12 hr leg of the trip. Its a stick shift not an auto. Female driver that didn't check the weight while they were loading. So far just a blown fuse, but that could be from a short on the trailer as it wasn't a problem before.
Bad idea in my opinion.
 
#19 ·
With a weight distributing hitch I say no problem. Pulling that trailer is no worse on the engine and tranny than a hard day mudding or doing soft sand. You guys do realize that engine and transmission go into vehicles that are rated to tow that much weight.

Cross winds and trucks passing would be a concern but I doubt any mechanical damage will be done if he knows his stuff.
 
#20 ·
If I was going to set up a jeep for towing. I would be looking at a load equalizer hitch, brake controller, stiffer suspension, possibly air bags, and a v8 swap. But I also would not intentionally over load a trailer. This particular situation the person loaded the trailer with a uhaul hitch installed and left. They hit a weigh station on the way out that's how they found out it was over weight. I would have helped figure out a solution if I was home, but I'm not. This was not an intentional act and they were to far into the trip to turn around. I didn't start this thread to hear comments on how stupid it was. I am very aware of that. I was seeking information on what they should expect from the jeep since they have already left. To be honest the reports I'm getting are that the jeep is handling fine just a bit low in the rear end. If they had thought the handling was off or if it had looked really bad when hooked up I don't believe they would have left. Currently they are trying to drop stuff to lighten the load.
 
#21 ·
It's a manual tranny so the clutch will take a beating. The brakes as well.
The engine may get hot but modern engines have good safeguards. I would advise they keep it at 55 mph.

As far as taking weight off, take it off the trailer. You don't want the weight of the trailer to exceed the Jeep's.
 
#22 ·
It's clear that many of you don't have a lot of real towing experience. It's not about the Jeep having enough power, or the right transmission. Many of them are subjected to far worse forces while offroading and are just fine. The biggest issue is that of weight management. With this being a four door, he is at least that much ahead of the game when it comes to control. A trailer that big will have it's own brakes and also probably surge brakes. If so, no controller needed. My money would be on him making it to his destination without an issue. Tongue weight would be my biggest concern in his shoes but road conditions will dictate if that will come into play or not.

You guys are making a far bigger deal of this than needed. Far more has been towed with far less.
 
#24 ·
It's clear that many of you don't have a lot of real towing experience. It's not about the Jeep having enough power, or the right transmission. Many of them are subjected to far worse forces while offroading and are just fine. The biggest issue is that of weight management. With this being a four door, he is at least that much ahead of the game when it comes to control. A trailer that big will have it's own brakes and also probably surge brakes. If so, no controller needed. My money would be on him making it to his destination without an issue. Tongue weight would be my biggest concern in his shoes but road conditions will dictate if that will come into play or not.

You guys are making a far bigger deal of this than needed. Far more has been towed with far less.
Correct me if I am wrong, but OP stated the trailer weighed 10000 lbs? I get Jeep probably rates the vehicle low to give some wiggle room, but almost double?

I towed my 32 foot trailer with my Ram 1500 across country - the trailer weighed in at dry 6900Lbs (with gear probably closer to 8000lbs). The Ram did the job but it wasnt perfect & that was considering i had a good WD hitch, trailer brake controller & some common sense. My tranny temps went high and then dropped when the cooler kicked in. Does the Jeep even have a tranny cooler? I dont know but I suspect it wouldnt.

Does the Jeep have the correct tires is a good question - I had the right tires on my Ram but even still it sucked watching the tire pressure increase on the back tires when the trailer was on.

I dont have a lot of towing experience but it seems to me that these things can only do so much..it wasnt designed to do what its doing and depending on insurance/warranty i bet if something happened then all bets are off.

just my .02
 
#23 ·
1300 miles so far. Temp has stayed the same. No clearance or stability issues going through the mountains. No adverse steering effects. Not saying that I like it or think other people should try it. Jeep is holding up well and the driver has more towing experience then some people I know.
 
#28 ·
Fair enough, my bad. I meant to present the information a bit more clearly then I originally did. I did later correct myself and state that it was the combined weight. Not sure what flaming is. I am guessing that it involves hateful words or a lighter. I have a lot on the plate right now, and honestly didn't mean to offend. Enjoy your day, its night at my location. I will check back with you all later.
 
#30 ·
I understood would you meant. You said the weight slip was 10k. Hell, I don't think a 3.8 could even MOVE 15,000 pounds (Jeep plus trailer)up to a highway speed let alone pull it across the country! :jawdrop:
 
#31 ·
IMO, your friend is the poster child for any good personal injury atorney who will go for the insurance policy limit and then bankrupt the driver so there isn't a penny left. And in *this* case, the driver would deserve to lose everything. I truly hope they make it without incident and no one gets hurt. Hell, for the record, even if she does make it, she's still an idiot.
 
#32 ·
IMO, your friend is the poster child for any good personal injury atorney who will go for the insurance policy limit and then bankrupt the driver until there isn't a penny left. And in *this* case, the driver would deserve to lose everything. I truly hope they make it without incident and no one gets hurt. And hell, even if she does make it, she's still an idiot.
I think what it comes down to is: Is it worth it? I'm not that type of risk taker. There is a limit for a reason. I too hope they make it, but what sucks is that if they make it they'll probably do it again. You can't fix stupid.
 
#33 ·
Aren't the jeeps we own rated for 5k in Australia. I'm sure it's not as bad as some people are claiming it to be.

I bought my jeep with the intention of towing a small wakeboard boat. Granted I would only be driving ten miles to the lake but why is the jeep rated at 5k in Australia and only 3500 over in the usa?
 
#36 ·
I think the OP has a little ways to go in understanding how forums work. This is a completely normal progression and inevitable thread drift will occur. Ignore posters who are either baiting you, way off topic (like me) or spouting stuff that you know as incorrect. Each post is not like a conversation. It's ok to skip comments.

Keep us up to date, and welcome!
 
#37 ·
Don I would bet their x country trip is safer than a trip to the town north of you from Watford. Lots of risk. But skill/wisdom doesn't come without experience. I hope for the best. And remember "You're not hardcore unless you live hardcore." ddc4d
 
#39 ·
I give them 50-50 odds on burning up a clutch.

I hope they make it safe. But am also hoping they realize that they deserve a Darwin Award.

My grandmother always said "God protects fools and drunks"....
 
#42 ·
Those winch trucks are beasts! It would be badass to operate one.

I'm moving over in to work over rigs. I like it up here and will be working towards becoming a Conoco consultant.

Sorry for the hijack folks.
 
#43 ·
Not to confuse, just to entertain:

circa 1968 I was forced to move 500 miles in my 65 VW beetle (tare ~1800#) towing a small UHaul with all my stuff adding trailer & load 2200# more....across the Cascade range, central Oregon high desert & the grand grades of Stinkwater & Drinkingwater Passes. Plus other assorted minor uppy/downies.

40hp VW taking extreme care (yes I was aware of the risk & very practiced at trailer hauling), the fenders had the "45mph Limit" in my (extended) mirrors, and we made the trip just fine.

Slowly, sub 45, all the way.

No I wouldn't want to do it again.

2nd & 3rd gear came in very handy. 4th never was possible.

In those days too, that route was relatively desolate.

Good luck to the Jeepers, may their lives improve that such a journey is never again required.
 
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