The Jeep Wrangler is one of the top selling SUVs in the United States. Mostly thanks to it’s world renowned off-road capabilities and incredible styling. Because it is the ultimate adventure vehicle everyone wants to know, how much and what it can tow. So we are going to break it all down for you in our guide to towing with a Jeep.
Ultimate Guide To Towing With a Jeep Wrangler
The most important thing you need to know is that what you can tow is determined by the Jeeps towing capacity. We see questions all the time like:
- Can a Jeep Wrangler Tow an Airstream?
- Can a Jeep Wrangler Tow a Pop-up Camper?
- Can a Jeep Wrangler Tow a Pontoon Boat? Just to name a few.
The answer to this isn’t about what type of camper or vehicle you can tow. It’s all about how much you want to tow or in other words your vehicles towing capacity. If you want to take a deep dive into the Jeep Wranglers towing capacity checkout our full article where we cover all of the nitty gritty details. https://jeepkingdom.com/how-much-can-a-jeep-wrangler-tow/
In short a vehicles towing capacity is the amount of weight it is safely engineered to tow. The Jeep Wrangler has two different towing capacities. 2,000 lbs for 2 door models and 3,500 lbs for 4 door models.
This means as long as the camper, trailer, or boat you are trying to pull is under that weight you can safely rely on your Jeep to tow it. Important things to consider is dry vs wet or loaded weight. For example a camper trailer may weigh 3000 pounds before it is loaded with water, fuel (generator) and supplies like food and camping gear. Adding gear, fuel, water and food is going to push the trailer way beyond a Jeeps towing capacity. The nice thing is that camper trailers will always give you a spec sheet highlighting dry weight along with how much the trailer is able to carry loaded. So you can figure out how much a trailer will weigh when fully loaded.
1. Grab your gear and throw it on an industrial scale or just hold it while weighing yourself. This will help you know how much each item weighs.
2. Take the water capacity of the camper trailer and times that by 8.34 pounds per gallon to determine how much adding water will add to your overall weight.
3. Take your fuel capacity for your generator and times it by 6 pounds per gallon.
Add all of those numbers together and make sure it fits within the Jeep Wrangler Towing capacity and you are all set. The good thing is several Airstream models, camper trailers and boats fall well under the 3,500 pound towing capacity of your Jeep. For example the Airstream Bambi has a max loaded capacity of 3,500 pounds. So Fully loaded including the black water tank (waste) a Jeep wrangler is fully capable of towing a loaded Bambi Airstream. Other models within the Airstream lineup are also available depending on what length you are going to go with as well as how much gear you plan to bring with you.
Can a Jeep Wrangler Pull A Pontoon Boat?
The good news for boat lovers is that Pontoon boats are relatively light weight when taking into consideration how long they are. Most models from the top players in the Pontoon market come in at under the 3,500 pound towing capacity the Jeep Wrangler is capable of handling.
What Happens If You Exceed Your Vehicles Towing Capacity?
The reality is it is not uncommon for people to max out their rigs towing capacity and often even exceed it. We highly recommend not doing this. Pulling a trailer that is too heavy can lead to a host of issues while on the road and long term for your vehicle.
On The Road Risks: Exceeding the towing capacity of a Jeep can lead to dangerous on road conditions. Towing too large/heavy of a trailer can lead to a trailer that is pushing around and controlling the Jeep. To much weight leads to decreased stopping distances and can lead to fishtailing and complete loss of control. When a vehicles suspension is maxed out it can no longer absorb the bumps of the road properly which will make the vehicle bounce and sway which can make the trailer start fishtailing which could lead to an accident.
Wear and Tear: Pulling a trailer that is beyond a vehicles towing capacity leads to massive amounts of wear and tear on a vehicle. Suspension components wear out much faster than usual which leads to unsafe on road behavior and is very expensive to repair. In addition to wearing out suspension it puts way to much strain on your drive train. Towing is naturally hard on engines, transmissions, brakes and cooling systems. Towing something that is too heavy can lead to overheating problems, blown radiators, seized engines and faulty transmissions. If you care about the reliability and longevity of your Jeep you must be wiling to keep your towing within the proper towing capacity. If you are in need of upping that towing capacity we recommend picking up the all New Jeep Gladiator which has a much higher towing capacity.
Tell Us About What You Tow
Have experience towing with a Jeep share with us in the comments what you are towing and any tips you have for fellow Jeep owners looking to tow with their Jeep.
