I think it's all wheel base. The two (JK & JKU) are basically the same except for the length. Because of the short wheelbase, I would never tow more than about 1800 pounds personally, but I know of people that do it routinely without problem. I'm sure towing a 3500 pound trailer with a JK would be fine, right up until you had to make an insurance claim!
Max towing is the max weight of a trailer you can pull. Max payload is the max weight of junk you throw in the back of the jeep. You also have to take into consideration the tongue weight of the trailer.
Not sure what the deal is with the tow ratings for 2016, but the most recent downloadable version of the 2016 Owner's Manual (version 3) reflects the Towing section on Jeep.com. A 2-door Wrangler equipped with 3.73 or 4.10 axles is now listed as being rated for 3500 lbs. Any Wrangler with 3.21 axles is still listed as 2000 lbs, including the JKU.
Good luck trying to get anyone at FCA to confirm or explain the change.
Neither 2000 nor 3500 lbs is really a particularly onerous weight to pull. Virtually any crossover can handle these weights without much issue. There is more to pay attention to however than just a rating.
1.) How does your vehicle handle the tongue weight. Neither 2000 or 3500 lb loads should cause much in the way of trouble of tongue weight. Any 2 door can handle 200-350 lbs in the back. If you want you can add helper air springs to prevent some squatting.
2.) Shape of load you are pulling. A 3500 lb landscape trailer with mulch will be MUCH easier to pull than a 1000 lb high walled cargo trailer once you start to get up to speed. Weight matters in slower driving but aerodynamics is everything with faster driving.
3.) How you are going to be pulling. If you are just pulling a few short trips around town, taxing the vehicle is not a big deal, you can move slowly and carefully and take your time. If you are moving across the country at highway speeds you have a whole different set of considerations.
4.) Topography. Pulling on flat ground at sea level is a different experience than pulling up a mountain in the rockies. Pentastars are great engines but they are going to be huffing and puffing to pull a high walled trailer up a mountain at altitude.
So really bottom line you need to identify what "type" of towing you will be doing before asking how to make your 2 door pull like a 4 door. And as everyone above mentioned wheelbase makes a very big difference in towing stability. Its not everything, and you can certainly pull more than 2k lbs with a two door depending on conditions, but it will *never* pull the weight as confidently as a 4 door.
Also I should point out that the hitches on jeeps are *by far* the least substantial hitches I have ever dealt with. 4 bolts hold the hitch to the bumper, in a single spot. Most hitches have at least 6-8 bolts that attache the hitch to either side of the frame in multiple locations. Jeep hitches are super easy to install because of this, but be wary of relatively weak the attachment system is compared to virtually every other vehicle on the road.
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