Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

[WanabeBoater]

Has anyone towed long distance with the liberty? The manual says not to use overdrive, but it seems w/o using it, the engine rpm's rev higher during flat highway pull. I have read the like and dislikes to using o/d but should I just stick with the manual? No real maintenance, but a water pump replaced last year. I am wondering if this is because I was following the manual. My rig is only 3000lbs. Any suggestions would be great.

 

[JB]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

3,000 lb with a Jeep Liberty!!?? Like to dare fate, don't you?

Do you have brakes on the trailer? You need them.

Check the tow rating on your Jeep, and please don't get the idea that you are smarter than the guys who built it. . . on towing weight or use of overdrive.

 

[canman]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

hi everyone . i have a 1998 jeep grande cherekee . when i tow my boat i always take it out of overdrive . if you dont your motor will be lugging to much . also you could end up burning out your transmission .trust me it has happened to me and i only tow 2000 pounds .

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

I would not tow 3k. My wife has the V6 limited, and even though it has ample power to tow 3k, the manual states I believe 1.5k is the limit. The reason is simply the wheelbase of a Liberty and that of a unicycle are about the same. If your trailer has good brakes, that would be to your advantage, however I still would not do it. If your trailer does not have brakes, forget it. Never tow in OD with an auto. Almost every owners manual states that you should not do it on a regular basis. Even with todays lockup torque converters, there is enough slipage to fry the fluid which eventualy will fry the tranny. The higher RPMs will not hurt your engine and could actually help it by preventing the engine from lugging when towing. Most gas engines do not even enter their torque bands until 3k rpm.

 

[KM2]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

The jeep Liberty has a tow rating of 5k according to edmunds.com. (v6 w/tow package) It is also a 4k+ lb vehicle with a solid rear axle. So you should be fine. It won't be fast and trailer brakes are a must. As far as overdrive read the manual. I have read many times on this site to never use overdrive, but my manual (Ford) says to use overdrive unless the vehicle is shifting frequently. Follow what the owners manual recommends. My guess is that you will not use overdrive much based on my experience with a 4.0 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

No way i would hook 5k up to it! It would be the tail wagging the dog for sure.White knuckles! No way!

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

2k for 2.4 and 3.7 auto (what we have). 3.5k for 3.7 5speed. 5k for 3.7 w/tranny cooler and hd cooling. Weight dist hitch and trailer brakes recommended above 1k for all. Out of a 2004 Liberty owners manual. Do what ya want, but those last two tidbits make it our grocery getter.

 

[m&m252]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

I have 4x4 , with transmission cooling system,large oil pan with cooling system,heavy duty radiator,heavy duty alternator ,trailer with brakes ,and still stuff goes wrong....

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

shoulda' bought a Mitsubishi

Our innocent little 3.0L did a pretty respectable job with a 3k lb boat, luggage, golf clubs, coolers, gear, a/c etc on a 600 mi round trip last summer.

And numerous 100 mi. round trips to the area lakes.

I would have thought the Lib to be a capable tow'er.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

I have a 4 cyl. Ford Ranger which I use to pull 3000lbs plus all the time with no problems. It all has to do with knowing how to hitch and pull the load at hand. If it's heavy, take it slower and don't try to push it.
With gas prices climbing towards $5 per gallon now, even more on the water, we will be seeing far more large tow vehicles in use. I have a one ton truck and the Ranger, the one ton truck don't go anywhere these days with it's 10 mpg fuel consumption, the Ranger will have to do since it gets about 18 mpg towing.
A buddy of mine just bought a new F250 with the 5.4L and four wheel drive, he's getting 12 on a good day.
The way I see it, my largest boat now weighs in at about 3,200 lbs with the trailer, my normal towing distance is about 10 miles to one dock, about 60 to the other. Although the bigger truck tows much better, I just can't afford to put out the extra cash to spend a day out on the water. The cost of gas is going to kill not only tow vehicles but boating in general for most people.
I can't count how many boats are for sale around here and how many that don't plan to put in this year at all.

 

[WanabeBoater]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

I guess I'll use the Liberty for short boat runs to the smaller lakes nearby and use the Grand Cherokee for the LC trips.

 

[fishmen111]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

Basically, you can tow just about anything with anything. I can tow your boat with my riding mower, but I wouldn't. We can all tell stories of what we have towed and with what. What concerns me is not how I pull something. It's how I stop that something in an emergency. Jeep is well aware of this by suggesting a weight dist hitch and trailer brakes on anything over 1000 lbs.. That is a mighty low weight to be mentioning that equipment IMO. I am by far not the tow pro, but I have seen enough horrendous trailer accidents to make me overequip my tow vehicles.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

I'm with fishmen here.
I use my 2007 2500 Dodge Ram to tow it all.
From my 4x8 golf cart trailer to my 31' travel trailer.
You can always come down, but hard going up.

 

[shorts&chanclas]

Re: Towing w/ Jeep Liberty

My wife had a 2003 Liberty 4x4 with the trailering package when we got married (her daddy was smart enough to know she was going to bury it axle deep at the beach). it was rated to 5k by the book. I was told the rear axle is a Dana 35 and the same as a Durango so mechanically its stout enough. It was a good little truck for city driving and unimproved trails.

Towed mostly jetskis but did tow my old boat which was 3500 lbs wet a couple of times. Trailer was single axle equipped with brakes. At highway speeds the boat wagged it enough to notice. Stopping was OK. I gave myself a wide margin. Going down a hill wasn't something I liked but the good thing is you didnt have too much speed when you crested so it all worked out. We trailered around 40 miles w/light traffic and it wasnt my primary hauler. backing down a ramp was sweet and sour. EZ to turn but visibility was an annoyance with the thick rear pillars and spare tire hampering line of site.

I say it depends on your skills, traffic patterns you deal with, speeds, terrain, and what you call long distances. It can be done safely if you consider all the controllable variables. The problem is the uncontrollable variables like other drivers that duck into your lane at half a car length from your front bumper and light thier brakes. Best of luck.