Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

Travel Trailer

10K views 37 replies 26 participants last post by  Sgt H 
#1 ·
I am planning to get a Travel Trailer but I am not sure what would be the max I can toe in feet and not a pop up. Please give me your thoughts
Thanks
 
#2 ·
Provided you don't have 3.21 gearing your max weight is 3500 lbs loaded. That is your biggest limitation.
 
#3 ·
...what would be the max I can tow in feet...

You would have to check with your state's department of transportation for that. They probably have regulations on maximum lengths of both trailers AND combination vehicles (trailer+tow vehicle). In other words, they look at not only the length of the trailer, but also the overall length of the combination of car/truck & trailer.

But I would guess you'd hit the suggested maximum towing WEIGHT of a Jeep before ever getting close to reaching the maximum trailer LENGTH.
 
#7 ·
It's not a travel trailer but a 10ft tall 1100# cargo trailer. And towing it with the 750# quad was a royal pain. On the way to camp, there is a summit that goes from 6000ft to 8400ft in about 5 miles. 55-60 was best in the 3.21s Auto. My poor lil JK was even worse. IIRC, the 50 mile trip from Cheyenne to Laramie going over the summit, I got 6.9mpg. Had to gas up.

Even with an "aerodynamic" front, it sucks.



The pop-up fares way better.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Depends on what you want to have in a travel trailer.

The weight rating and how much you want to spend are the limitations.

Here's some of my top picks that aren't pop-ups.

Tab Travel Trailer

Teardrops
Little Guy
Camp Inn

Camp Lite

Some other Options include
Airstream Basecamp or Sport
Forrest River Rpod
STARCRAFT AR-ONE 14RB


Don't forget they do make Hard sided Pop-up campers, Such as A-Frame campers. (A-liner, Forrest River, and several others)

Pop-Ups aren't bad, they just have a bad rep due to the old Coleman/Fleetwood roof Fiasco. Just don't get one with Seamless roof and leave it out in the sun 24/7.

I rebuilt an old early 80's Coleman a few years back and i gotta say, they are much more roomy, Fuel efficient, and lighter weight than a hard camper.

The bad about a pop-up? Canvas needs replaced after about 10 years or so. Takes longer to set one up. Less sound proof if you have trouble sleeping.
 
#11 ·
A 2500 pound pop-up is going to tow way easier than a 2500 pound non-pop-up. Here in SoCal there are two concerns - the mountain passes where the increase in elevation makes for a harder effort climbing and stopping coming down and the dang winds. We'll get 40-50 mph cross winds which are "exciting".

I have an Aliner Classic which towed behind my Xterra like it wasn't even there most of the time. The Nissan has a 4000 pound tow rating. I've got my trailer harness just about wired for the JKU and need to take it for a test spin.

 
#13 ·
I use a 980lb 5x10 foot cargo trailer. It tows well with my JK (3.71 gearing), but I have no interest in going faster than 90km/h (55mph). The 5 foot width really helps reduce the cross-section, and makes it easy to see behind me with the side mirrors.

I can carry my ATV or kayak, a 2x4 foot plastic table across the front, a folded cot and chair, and other camping stuff. There's a ramp door at the back, so it's easy to unload, and an RV door on the side. I've installed a battery and wired it. I still have to put in some insulation, but it's pretty nice.
 

Attachments

#14 ·
What year is your JK? 2015 and older JK's have a towing capacity limited to 2000 pounds, which will not let you tow much of a camping trailer. Also, note that trailer manufacturers frequently understate the weight of their trailers. For example, my ALiner has a listed weight of 1300 pounds, but on the scales it weighs right at 2000 pounds. About 300 pounds of the extra weight is gear and water, but the other 400 pounds is the difference between the manufacturers listed weight and the actual weight with options .

The standard gear ratio in JK's is 3.21 -- that is not an ideal ratio for trailer pulling. 3.73 or higher is much better.

Also, you will need to have your JK outfitted with a electric trailer brake controller.

You can go to this page to find the towing capacity of your model year JK:

Jeep Capabilities - Towing Capacity Chart

Good luck....
 
#26 ·
What year is your JK? 2015 and older JK's have a towing capacity limited to 2000 pounds, which will not let you tow much of a camping trailer. Also, note that trailer manufacturers frequently understate the weight of their trailers. For example, my ALiner has a listed weight of 1300 pounds, but on the scales it weighs right at 2000 pounds. About 300 pounds of the extra weight is gear and water, but the other 400 pounds is the difference between the manufacturers listed weight and the actual weight with options .

The standard gear ratio in JK's is 3.21 -- that is not an ideal ratio for trailer pulling. 3.73 or higher is much better.

Also, you will need to have your JK outfitted with a electric trailer brake controller.

You can go to this page to find the towing capacity of your model year JK:

Jeep Capabilities - Towing Capacity Chart

Good luck....

When I go to the referenced Towing Capacity Chart it tells me that my 2014 JK 2 door has a Max Towing of 2000 lbs and a Max Payload of 1118 lbs. So is the 2000 lbs the dry tow capacity with 1118 lbs of cargo for a total weight of 3118?
 
#16 ·
As others have said, the towing capacity is your limiting factor. I believe my jeep is rated for 3,500 lbs while my truck is rated for over 11k lbs.

I believe the max length you can tow (including tow vehicle) is 65 feet in most states (not sure if you were asking this or not).

The problem with trailers is that their weight can vary greatly depending on build quality, material, etc. You can't go off of length to determine what you can tow.
 
#17 ·
It seems like everyone focuses on the weight of the trailer when it is the size of the trailer that is the limiting factor. Frontal area is much more important then given credit here-- which translates directly to towing stability. It is not a function of the power train as much as stability-- if you look at a Dodge caravan with a 3.6 good for 3600 or a durango same 3.6 and the 8 speed trans good for 6400-- it is dependent on vehicle wheelbase, center of gravity and stability-- trailer weight has only minimal effect--the drive train is more then strong enough for the task.-- just saying
 
#21 ·
Lightest Jay Feather is listed dry at over 3,000 lbs. Yours looks to be bigger than that. Some are listed well over 4,000lbs dry.

You'll likely get by.

But understand listed tow ratings are "up to" or "maximum" tow weight. Even if you are equipped for the vehicles maximum tow rating, That gets reduced by trailer length and profile, reduced by supplies and gear in the trailer, reduced by people and stuff in the tow vehicle, reduced by mods done to the tow vehicle.

Fact is, towing capacity is not a criteria really considered in the design of JK/JKU's. Driveline power and stopping power may be there, which can make things feel "just fine" but stability is NOT there. I can feel the difference in my JKU handeling with just two grown adults in the back seat. I'd not want a high profile trailer back there wagging my tail.

I used to tow a 28' 5,000lb travel trailer behind an excursion that was heavy and long, rated for something like twice the trailer weight. That towed like a freight train down the highway, still on occasion we'd have an emergency stop, evasive maneuver or weather condition that resulted in a white knuckle situation. During those travels, I've also seen a number of seemingly well set up rigs folded up on the side of the road.

Like I said, you'll probably get buy. But you should understand you are overloaded with that set up.
 
#29 ·
Thought you guys might be interested in this, saw it at a truck stop.
Hiker Trailer -
Wow. A 5x10 basic which basically is the trailer with a door and 2 windows, plus roof vent starts at $4,895.



I've got right around $3k in my 5x10 cargo conversion that includes a brand new trailer, 5,000 btu A/C and a heater, 30amp service, full rear storage, and front cabinetry, rear hitch and bicycle rack and a queen sized memory foam mattress.
 
#24 ·
I would do a pop up tent type or if going int bear country a R-Pod of 18 ft. Side wind and wind resistance being a factor. If you want / need something big then tow the Jeep behind a MH. It's all about getting back from the great vacation safe. I know you can get away with towing a larger TT with a Wrangler but when bad things happen the Wrangler is not going to do well with a full size TT. You can get away with it till you don't.
 
#25 ·
If you do anything bigger than a tear drop i would upgrade the brakes on the jeep, MOPAR evidently came out with a kit and several after market kits , get a brake controller for the jeep , a trailer with brakes and use an anti sway system. Keep the speed down whatever you do.

Who cares how long it takes to get where you are going as long as you get there safe.
 
#35 ·
One thing no one has mentioned is tongue weight. Remember, tongue weight is usually 10% of overall rating and hitch rating. I’m no fan of weight distribution hitches as they mask overloading tongue weight in my opinion.

Our evolution was this:


To this:



To now a massive downsize and a teardrop most likely. I’ve put airbags in the back of the Jeep and did the dynatrac bigger brake kit. The hiker trailer is high on the list.
 
#36 ·
My JKUR won't quite tow my trailer.
4453765
 
#38 ·
We downsized and upsized about the same time. Went from a Class A MH and a JK to a JKU and a 17 foot Casita. Having something we could stand up in and and a bathroom for night time visits was a requirement. Liking this setup as it has opened up camping in places not possible with the Class A. Fuel milage for the JKU towing is almost twice the MH, another plus.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top