What can I safely tow? (2017 Jeep Wrangler 4 door)

[gibsonfirebird12]

I have a 2017 Jeep Wrangler 4 Door Rubicon. It is rated for 3500lbs of towing and 350lb tongue weight.


Some other info
GAWR - rear - 3200 lbs
GVWR - 5700 lbs
Curb Weight - never actually weighed, but I believe about 4200 lbs.


I am interested in getting a 16" or 17" fiberglass camper. Either the Scamp or a Casita. Is this doable?


Looking at "Travel Trailers in the Real World"



Scamp 16 is around 200lbs tongue weight 2600 lbs. Although there was on weighing that showed 360lbs tongue.


Is this do-able or cutting it too close? Would a 13" be more reasonable?


Thank you for the help.

[rog mich]

I towed a 16' Scamp with a Subaru Outback. I'm sure your Jeep can handle it.

[Donna D.]

You won't be able to tow a 17' Casita if you only have 3500lbs of towing. Besides, the tongue weight of a 17' Casita is more than 350lbs.

[Eggscape]

Sometimes you have to settle for a smaller trailer to suit your vehicle if you want an enjoyable towing experience.

I would suggest an Armadillo made to order. https://www.armadillotrailers.ca/

[Mike G]

Yes, a 16'er is in the Jeep's range of capability. Due to the short wheelbase and relatively tall design of the Wrangler, I'd suggest an anti-sway hitch (such as the Andersen No-Sway) or at least a friction sway bar as a safety measure.

You should be able to use a bathroom scale to check your tongue weight before starting out, to make sure you've loaded appropriately. With a 16' Scamp in particular, it's more likely to be too light on the hitch than too heavy, and 'too light' can lead to sway.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Mike G

Due to the short wheelbase and relatively tall design of the Wrangler, I'd suggest an anti-sway hitch (such as the Andersen No-Sway) or at least a friction sway bar as a safety measure.

A Wrangler 4-door does not have a short wheelbase compared to other SUVs - in this generation (JK) it is 2,946 mm (116 in) and the current generation is even longer (3,007 mm; 118.4 in). It also has short rear overhang, which is good for stability. It's not tall in stock form. Its potential stability problems are mushy tires and soft suspension, not the dimensions.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gibsonfirebird12

I am interested in getting a 16" or 17" fiberglass camper. Either the Scamp or a Casita. Is this doable?

Just curious: why is this question in this Escape forum (rather than FiberglassRV.com), if an Escape (such as the Escape 17 Foot) is not even being considered?

[Vermilye]

While the Fiberglass RV forum would make more sense, there are more than one of us that successfully towed a 17B with a short wheel base 3500/350 rated tow vehicle.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

While the Fiberglass RV forum would make more sense, there are more than one of us that successfully towed a 17B with a short wheel base 3500/350 rated tow vehicle.

That's relevant to this forum, but the original question was only about Scamps and Casitas.

An earlier and basic Escape (more to keep the tongue weight down than the gross weight) does seem like a good match to the Wrangler.

The 3rd-generation RAV4 successfully used by some forum members for their 17Bs has a wheelbase of 2,660 mm (104.7 in), which is short for towing; in contrast, the 2017 Wrangler 4-door wheelbase is 2,946 mm (116 in)... a foot longer, and not short.

[Dave Walter]

Your 4dr Jeep Wrangler would likely do well with an Escape 15. They are no longer in production but do come up for sale occasionally on the used market.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

A Wrangler 4-door does not have a short wheelbase compared to other SUVs - in this generation (JK) it is 2,946 mm (116 in) and the current generation is even longer (3,007 mm; 118.4 in). It also has short rear overhang, which is good for stability. It's not tall in stock form. Its potential stability problems are mushy tires and soft suspension, not the dimensions.

Thanks, I stand corrected! I guess I have developed a negative mental image of Wranglers' handling characteristics from somewhere. I never bothered to check actual numbers!

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Mike G

Thanks, I stand corrected! I guess I have developed a negative mental image of Wranglers' handling characteristics from somewhere. I never bothered to check actual numbers!

Maybe your 'negative mental image' comes from the manufacturer's tow rating. The highest manufacturer's tow rating for a Wrangler is 3500 lbs.

While I don't subscribe to extra safety margins above and beyond the manufacturer's tow rating, I do believe that the trailer's GVWR should not exceed the tow vehicle manufacture's tow rating.

Since all current Escape trailers have a GVWR of 4000 lbs or higher, Wranglers really shouldn't be considered as a suitable tow vehicle for those contemplating a new Escape trailer.

Yes, people successfully tow trailers with vehicles that they shouldn't.



Does that make it a good idea? Not if you consider the liabilities that it exposes them to if they are involved in an accident.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Mike G

I guess I have developed a negative mental image of Wranglers' handling characteristics from somewhere. I never bothered to check actual numbers!

The Wrangle is not great for various reasons, but as you now realize the dimensions are not the issue with the long version of the current model. It seems like many people have a mental image of all Jeeps as the little things that they saw watching M*A*S*H... but that was set in the 1950's.

Originally Posted by TTMartin

Maybe your 'negative mental image' comes from the manufacturer's tow rating. The highest manufacturer's tow rating for a Wrangler is 3500 lbs.

So do other vehicles used to tow the smaller Escapes. It is true that over the years Escape has dropped the smallest models (13 foot and 15 foot) and made the remaining ones heavier, so even the smallest current model is not within this towing capacity if fully loaded.

[Dmowry]

Jon,
Could you say more about towing with a vehicle rated at 3500/350. I have a 2015 Chevy Equinox with a V6 engine that is rated at 3500. I am considering an Escape 17A or 17B and the dry weights are 2290 for the A and 2640 for the B. The hitch weight is rated at 306. It sounds like you have experience with a similarly rated 3500/350 vehicle.
Thanks!
Don Mowry

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by Dmowry

Jon,
Could you say more about towing with a vehicle rated at 3500/350. I have a 2015 Chevy Equinox with a V6 engine that is rated at 3500. I am considering an Escape 17A or 17B and the dry weights are 2290 for the A and 2640 for the B. The hitch weight is rated at 306. It sounds like you have experience with a similarly rated 3500/350 vehicle.
Thanks!
Don Mowry

The SAE J2807 specification for towing also includes a section on frontal area of the trailer. The expected frontal area scales with trailer weight, and so a vehicle with a 3500 lb tow rating is also expected to be towing something like a utility trailer, not a large RV.


In practical terms, what this means is that when the OEM engineering team went out on summer test, they probably tested that Equinox on grades at high ambient temperature towing a flat bed trailer loaded with water totes or cinder blocks.

When you pull a larger RV, you place a large aerodynamic load on the vehicle. That aero load is constant at speed and makes the powertrain work harder all day long while towing.

Other stuff to look at in terms of what you can tow:
1) A lot of vehicles give a maximum tow rating that really is pretty much a maximum. This means you can tow that much with one, maybe two people and no cargo in the vehicle. Start adding people and stuff, and the actual weight you can tow falls off.

2) GVWR (what the car can carry) is often the limit you hit first. This is because trailers bring a pretty heavy tongue weight. And the tongue weight published is low......real loaded trailers are more and don't forget the weight of the hitch.

Read the manual. Always the best advice.

[allanmacdonald]

Not much that is why I sold my 2016 Jeep and bought a 2018 Ram!!

[Joods]

Just our experience, we pull our Escape 17A with a 2014 JK 4door Wrangler and it is fine. Not blessed with power going up hill but if you are aware and know when to downshift it is good. We still can get decent fuel mileage - average around 21mpg. We struggle understanding the payload of the Wrangler when the Grand Cherokee has way more tow capacity and yet it is of unibody construction not frame like the Wrangler.
We would also like to possibly upgrade to a 19' Escape but we can't do it with this vehicle.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Dmowry

Jon,
Could you say more about towing with a vehicle rated at 3500/350. I have a 2015 Chevy Equinox with a V6 engine that is rated at 3500. I am considering an Escape 17A or 17B and the dry weights are 2290 for the A and 2640 for the B. The hitch weight is rated at 306. It sounds like you have experience with a similarly rated 3500/350 vehicle.
Thanks!
Don Mowry

I'm not familiar with the Equinox. I towed with a 2010 RAV4 Sport V6 with tow package.

As to weight, you have to ignore dry weight. It really means nothing. Actual weight, loaded for a trip is the only thing you can use to determine if the trailer & tongue weight is within the specifications of the tow vehicle. After loading the trailer, I head for the local transfer station or CAT scale to check.

The RAV4 was a comfortable tow vehicle for my 2011 17B, although the newer versions of the 17B (and, I suspect, 17A) are heavier. The good - plenty of power, and a short distance between the hitch & rear wheels making it a stable combination. The bad is the fuel tank was way too small, and the low ground clearance sometimes was a problem.

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by Joods

We struggle understanding the payload of the Wrangler when the Grand Cherokee has way more tow capacity and yet it is of unibody construction not frame like the Wrangler.

A vehicle built with offroading as a core goal will often have a low cargo and tow rating because the high articulation suspension is not good for big loads. The link between the load and the road is kind of mush.


I know Jeep says the GC is a great offroader, but it's not a Wrangler. The suspension is much lower in travel.


Globally, a unibody is much stiffer than any ladder frame. The real claim to fame of ladder frames is that they are real cheap. They can also deliver local strength at places like the hitch mount, but really any well designed unibody can do the same. Just costs more.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Joods

We still can get decent fuel mileage - average around 21mpg.

Are you sure that's not kilometers per imperial gallon?

My YJ an TJ both only got around 14 - 15 miles per U.S. gallon not towing.