I was wondering if anybody in here can tell me if a jeep cherokee sport with a 6 cyl. automatic would be able to tow a checkmate 251 GTX, and yes I know even a golf cart would be able to tow it but im talking safely and only haveing to drive about 4 miles to the access. Thanks, John
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Would this tow my boat???
- Thread starter jdinvt
- Start date
Big Red
Well-known member
Well, towing safe NO it will not. But if you are only towing 4 miles I myself would use it instead of buying a pull rig. I move mine around the yard and pull it down the road 3/4 of a mile with my 94 toyota 4x4 pickup to my other shop. But I only hit about 30 mph. I have a dually for the lake run. If the jeep was a 4x4 that would be a big plus. The problem will accure when you need to hit the brakes hard and the boat puts the jeep where it wants to go. And the second thing the tong wait will lift the front end and make the steering light.
Just don't over step your game plan and stick to the 4 miles. Make sure you use a heavy duty hitch and watch your jeep sag when you lower the boat down.
MY PULL RIG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCQWUoeOJ4o
dogschool
Active member
I wouldn't even consider towing my 251 with anything less
than a v8, my suburban w/ 5.7 handles it well but it's all my
ford 150 xlt 4x4 can handle and it has a v8 too, pulls it fine
but struggles to stop it, if I had to brake hard it might be a
problem. I hope that info helps.
than a v8, my suburban w/ 5.7 handles it well but it's all my
ford 150 xlt 4x4 can handle and it has a v8 too, pulls it fine
but struggles to stop it, if I had to brake hard it might be a
problem. I hope that info helps.
tow vehicle
i tow my 251 convincer with an 08 jeep liberty, all over the state and have never had a problem. as a matter of fact this is the second liberty v6 we have used for a tow vehicle, and only updated because we liked the new body style. the 05 had 87,000 miles when we traded up, and never had an issue. 75 mph down the highway no problem. no guts, no glory!
i tow my 251 convincer with an 08 jeep liberty, all over the state and have never had a problem. as a matter of fact this is the second liberty v6 we have used for a tow vehicle, and only updated because we liked the new body style. the 05 had 87,000 miles when we traded up, and never had an issue. 75 mph down the highway no problem. no guts, no glory!
Old Navy
Active member
This is a joke right? Not trying to start anything here, but we have a Liberty at work and it won't get out of its own smoke. I am guessing you are WAY over your limit towing that boat. I would ask the Jeep dealer what the towing capacity of that SUV is. If you exceed it, and have a problem your insurance company may not pay.i tow my 251 convincer with an 08 jeep liberty, all over the state and have never had a problem. as a matter of fact this is the second liberty v6 we have used for a tow vehicle, and only updated because we liked the new body style. the 05 had 87,000 miles when we traded up, and never had an issue. 75 mph down the highway no problem. no guts, no glory!
Big Red
Well-known member
Over 4000 I think its real close to 4400 dry no gas gear or whatever else, and you can figure on the size with wind pushing on it plus the trailer.
Last edited:
Big Red
Well-known member
i tow my 251 convincer with an 08 jeep liberty, all over the state and have never had a problem. as a matter of fact this is the second liberty v6 we have used for a tow vehicle, and only updated because we liked the new body style. the 05 had 87,000 miles when we traded up, and never had an issue. 75 mph down the highway no problem. no guts, no glory!
Glad you don't live around me pulling that thing. Good luck when a deer runs in front of you or your trailer brakes fail. The DMV would make a example of you around here.
wizard8575
Active member
from what I have read on a 2000 jeep cherokee sport 4wd 4 and 2 door is its MAX towing capacity is 2000lbs and from what red said on the boats weight that over twice its capacity
CHECK16
Well-known member
Just to clear this up.The towing capacity for the Jeep Liberty and Cherokee with a 6cyl and proper tow package is 5,000 lbs.It goes up to 7,500 lbs. with a 8cyl.
If you only plan on pulling 4 miles I would go for it.
I would be careful though.Like Big Red said if you ever have to stop in a hurry you'll be in trouble.There is no worse feeling than slamming on the brakes and picking up speed.
That's a lot of boat for a little truck.If you ever take a road trip you'll wish you had a bigger rig,but for a short trip to the ramp I would do it.
Last edited:
my liberty's towing capacity is 5000 pounds from the factory. yes i am close to my limit but you must understand that this is a safety rating. im not saying go out there and tow anything you want, but the jeep will do the job if you just use your head. my work truck gvw is 45000 lbs. when i have the nose plow, the wing plow, and the salt body on, i am over gross without even being loaded with salt. now add another 12000 lbs of salt and you see where im going with this. every municipal vehicle travels and plows your roads way over its safety limit and they do it safely.the bottom line here is just use your head and prepare yourself for the unexpected. proper trailer brakes adjusted right will get you out every time.
moisturemissile
New member
4 miles... it`s not you or your Jeep, its the other people out there. You could pull that anywhere with that Jeep, I pull my 20' `mate with my Geo tracker 4 miles and we just have to be careful and leave room for morons. I would never go on the hiway like that, got a big truck for that, but to get to the lake you will do fine... just take your time.
Combat Rock
Member
i pull with a 96 cherokee 4.0 although my rig is much smaller and lighter
anyways. the straight 6 4 liter in my cherokee has way more umphh than my dads 03 liberty. if you are going to tow with it put some heavy duty tires on it
im running load range d coopers 235 wide and that made a huge difference over the stock passenger tires fuel mileage went up too.
keep it out of overdrive and you should be all set with the tires
another couple of mods that ive done to consider would be
a high performance throttle body (you can modify your existing one if you have access to a drill press, very simple procedure). that will give you noticeably more bottom end power, its and old off road trick
throttle body spacer with the mod above
and a performance exhaust.
and you got yourself a towing machine.
anyways. the straight 6 4 liter in my cherokee has way more umphh than my dads 03 liberty. if you are going to tow with it put some heavy duty tires on it
im running load range d coopers 235 wide and that made a huge difference over the stock passenger tires fuel mileage went up too.
keep it out of overdrive and you should be all set with the tires
another couple of mods that ive done to consider would be
a high performance throttle body (you can modify your existing one if you have access to a drill press, very simple procedure). that will give you noticeably more bottom end power, its and old off road trick
throttle body spacer with the mod above
and a performance exhaust.
and you got yourself a towing machine.
moisturemissile
New member
Are the trailer brakes working? over 3000# they are reqiured by law anyways... I`ve found them to be usefull when towing big stuff with small stuff!
Old Navy
Active member
One of these will tow your boat! I had an Avalanche 1500 and the guy I bought my boat from assured me I would have no problem towing it-I figured 7500 towing capacity and was good to go. Well, the ride home was terrifying! That Convincor dragged me around like a 3 year old with a rag doll! Big trucks are selling/trading low right now..... I am a trailer boater, most good water is 100 miles away.
Attachments
Bear Boat
New member
The big picture on towing
JD,
I have done some research prior to your post and have come back with some of the same points raised in other post, plus a few others when considering towing.
1. Background:
I purchased a new SUV this summer and I wanted something fuel efficient (oxymoron). My wife uses the SUV on the road for commercial sales (hauling lots of samples behind the 2nd row). We do ride sharing (needed a 7 or 8 seater) and also wanted something we could use to tow the boat on a long trip once a year (not to mention pulling it in/out of the water locally).
There are multiple issues that came up related to towing and the most important is safety.
Even if your front vehicle can tow 15,000 lbs, you have to account for extra braking distance, wider turns, slower acceleration and strong cross winds affecting your drive.
2. Get your specifications:
In order to know what your limitations are, you need to do some homework.
Towing Capacity: What is the maximum weight your vehicle can tow based on the manufacturer’s specification? Note 2WD are usually not rated the same as 4WD.
Trailer with boat Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): What is the maximum weight your trailer is designed to handle?
Actual weight of trailer with boat and gear: My boat was listed on the Checkmate web site as 3,000 lbs. Trailer is listed as 1,050 lbs for a total of 4,050. Doing some math to adjust for the bigger engine, bigger outdrive, full tank of gas (6 lbs per gallon), plus gear puts me pretty close to 4,500 lbs. If you are going long distances hauling the boat, try to leave with the boat tank empty and fill up at your destination. Seventy (70) gallons of gas weighs 420 lbs!!!
You can go to a local weighing station to find out your actual weight. In Vermont, the local dumps will charge you $30 to weigh you and give you an official certificate.
Tongue weight: This is the weight that is transferred from the trailer to the hitch. Most small towing vehicles have a limit of 500 lbs or 750 lbs. Tongue weight is a big problem with many utility trailers because people don’t think when they are loading them with all the heavy stuff closest to the hitch. Fortunately, most boat trailers are balanced so that when the boat is properly loaded (not sitting 2 feet back from where it is supposed to), the tongue weight is 10-15% of the total trailer weight. C-Hawk uses a 10% rule when they manufacture their trailers.
Gross Combined Weight Rating: Here’s a gotcha that many people do not consider. Load a small SUV with a beer cooler, food, change of clothes for a day, attach the boat, pack your 3 or 4 buddies into the SUV and head down the road to the boat launch.
If your SUV is full and has an extra 500 lbs of tongue weight, it might be close to exceeding its GVWR. The bigger issue though is that you will have definitely exceeded the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) maximum weight!!! This is the total weight rating for both the SUV/truck and trailer. This is usually found on page 237 of the owner’s manual. The key here is to keep gear/passengers to a MINIMUM when towing near the MAXIMUM towing capacity. Hence the suggestion to drive with the boat fuel tank empty when going on long trips, because that 300-400 lbs less of fuel could make the difference when you are loaded up with the spouse, children and gear for 1 week.
3. Manufacturer's /warranty point of view:
Manufacturer’s offer a warranty period on a vehicle often including longer warranties on the powertrain like 5 years/60,000 miles. If they find out that you exceeded the towing specs of your vehicle, they could void the warranty when your transmission fails.
Make sure you purchase a vehicle that can do the job. Trying to tow a 5,000 lbs trailer with a vehicle rated for 1,500 lbs might “seem to” work, but it can definitely do some damage.
Hybrids: I did not experience this first hand, but Hybrids are VERY BAD boat towing vehicles especially in the V6 category. The problem is that when the road is slippery (wet/leaves or ice) and you are stopped on a slight incline, when you try to move, the electric motor senses resistance and slippage as it tries to move the vehicle forward. Apparently, towing anything over 1,500 lbs and most of the smaller hybrids will literally shut down the vehicle… at a stop light, in the middle of the road… where ever you happen to be. I read a bunch of posts about this elsewhere. The local Vermont dealer said they don’t carry Hybrids in VT for that reason (just about everywhere in Vermont is a hill).
4. DMV/Police/Transport authority point of view:
There is not much enforcement of trailers towed by SUV/trucks unless you are in an accident. In the USA, there is a limitation of 6,000 lbs for GVWR for most city roadways, though I have never seen the authorities pull over the H1 Hummers in the city.
If you are in an accident, they will look over the GVWR of the trailer and truck/SUV to see if anything looks strange. They might ask you how much your boat and trailer weigh given that most boats of comparable size to Checkmates weight a LOT MORE.
If you are in an accident, they can give you a ticket for going too fast if you were doing 40 MPH in a 40 MPH zone or “following too close” ticket on account that you did NOT leave enough stopping distance when the bozo in front of you decided at the last minute to turn left without signaling his/her intentions and slammed on the brakes to wait for oncoming traffic to pass. *BANG*
5. Safety point of view:
I had my utility trailer inspected and though the tires were like new from a thread wear point of view, they said they had to be replaced because the walls of the tires were dried out/cracked from old age. That could have lead to a failure on a long trip.
Also, if towing your trailer/boat and you get a flat tire on the towing vehicle, make sure you replace a flat tire with a FULL SIZE replacement, not those “mini replacements”.
When pulling the boat out of the water or putting it in, use the lowest gear (D1) and if you have a “low-traction button” activate it. Be sure you only use the “low traction” within 200 feet of water. Driving down a highway with your low-traction button on will destroy most transmissions (towing or not towing anything). The newer vehicles don’t let you drive in any gear except D1 in low-traction. Even then, try to keep your RPM below 4,000.
If going long distances, especially places with long or steep hills, learn how to downshift when going down steep grades. Also keep the vehicle out of overdrive.
Brakes:
Most boat trailers are equipped with Hydraulic or Electric brakes. Learn how these work and make sure they are in top shape. They could save your life/vehicle. Note: most hydraulic brakes have a “back-up” position that allow you to “push the trailer back” without having the brakes lock up. Raise your hand if you have tried to back up your trailer in a bumpy area to see the trailer wheels lock as you try to go over the bump. That button/lever is a great little option… You can put your hands down now.
I am sure I have missed a bunch of things, so as the old saying goes, “If all else fails, read the manual”.
JD,
I have done some research prior to your post and have come back with some of the same points raised in other post, plus a few others when considering towing.
1. Background:
I purchased a new SUV this summer and I wanted something fuel efficient (oxymoron). My wife uses the SUV on the road for commercial sales (hauling lots of samples behind the 2nd row). We do ride sharing (needed a 7 or 8 seater) and also wanted something we could use to tow the boat on a long trip once a year (not to mention pulling it in/out of the water locally).
There are multiple issues that came up related to towing and the most important is safety.
Even if your front vehicle can tow 15,000 lbs, you have to account for extra braking distance, wider turns, slower acceleration and strong cross winds affecting your drive.
2. Get your specifications:
In order to know what your limitations are, you need to do some homework.
Towing Capacity: What is the maximum weight your vehicle can tow based on the manufacturer’s specification? Note 2WD are usually not rated the same as 4WD.
Trailer with boat Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): What is the maximum weight your trailer is designed to handle?
Actual weight of trailer with boat and gear: My boat was listed on the Checkmate web site as 3,000 lbs. Trailer is listed as 1,050 lbs for a total of 4,050. Doing some math to adjust for the bigger engine, bigger outdrive, full tank of gas (6 lbs per gallon), plus gear puts me pretty close to 4,500 lbs. If you are going long distances hauling the boat, try to leave with the boat tank empty and fill up at your destination. Seventy (70) gallons of gas weighs 420 lbs!!!
You can go to a local weighing station to find out your actual weight. In Vermont, the local dumps will charge you $30 to weigh you and give you an official certificate.
Tongue weight: This is the weight that is transferred from the trailer to the hitch. Most small towing vehicles have a limit of 500 lbs or 750 lbs. Tongue weight is a big problem with many utility trailers because people don’t think when they are loading them with all the heavy stuff closest to the hitch. Fortunately, most boat trailers are balanced so that when the boat is properly loaded (not sitting 2 feet back from where it is supposed to), the tongue weight is 10-15% of the total trailer weight. C-Hawk uses a 10% rule when they manufacture their trailers.
Gross Combined Weight Rating: Here’s a gotcha that many people do not consider. Load a small SUV with a beer cooler, food, change of clothes for a day, attach the boat, pack your 3 or 4 buddies into the SUV and head down the road to the boat launch.
If your SUV is full and has an extra 500 lbs of tongue weight, it might be close to exceeding its GVWR. The bigger issue though is that you will have definitely exceeded the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) maximum weight!!! This is the total weight rating for both the SUV/truck and trailer. This is usually found on page 237 of the owner’s manual. The key here is to keep gear/passengers to a MINIMUM when towing near the MAXIMUM towing capacity. Hence the suggestion to drive with the boat fuel tank empty when going on long trips, because that 300-400 lbs less of fuel could make the difference when you are loaded up with the spouse, children and gear for 1 week.
3. Manufacturer's /warranty point of view:
Manufacturer’s offer a warranty period on a vehicle often including longer warranties on the powertrain like 5 years/60,000 miles. If they find out that you exceeded the towing specs of your vehicle, they could void the warranty when your transmission fails.
Make sure you purchase a vehicle that can do the job. Trying to tow a 5,000 lbs trailer with a vehicle rated for 1,500 lbs might “seem to” work, but it can definitely do some damage.
Hybrids: I did not experience this first hand, but Hybrids are VERY BAD boat towing vehicles especially in the V6 category. The problem is that when the road is slippery (wet/leaves or ice) and you are stopped on a slight incline, when you try to move, the electric motor senses resistance and slippage as it tries to move the vehicle forward. Apparently, towing anything over 1,500 lbs and most of the smaller hybrids will literally shut down the vehicle… at a stop light, in the middle of the road… where ever you happen to be. I read a bunch of posts about this elsewhere. The local Vermont dealer said they don’t carry Hybrids in VT for that reason (just about everywhere in Vermont is a hill).
4. DMV/Police/Transport authority point of view:
There is not much enforcement of trailers towed by SUV/trucks unless you are in an accident. In the USA, there is a limitation of 6,000 lbs for GVWR for most city roadways, though I have never seen the authorities pull over the H1 Hummers in the city.
If you are in an accident, they will look over the GVWR of the trailer and truck/SUV to see if anything looks strange. They might ask you how much your boat and trailer weigh given that most boats of comparable size to Checkmates weight a LOT MORE.
If you are in an accident, they can give you a ticket for going too fast if you were doing 40 MPH in a 40 MPH zone or “following too close” ticket on account that you did NOT leave enough stopping distance when the bozo in front of you decided at the last minute to turn left without signaling his/her intentions and slammed on the brakes to wait for oncoming traffic to pass. *BANG*
5. Safety point of view:
I had my utility trailer inspected and though the tires were like new from a thread wear point of view, they said they had to be replaced because the walls of the tires were dried out/cracked from old age. That could have lead to a failure on a long trip.
Also, if towing your trailer/boat and you get a flat tire on the towing vehicle, make sure you replace a flat tire with a FULL SIZE replacement, not those “mini replacements”.
When pulling the boat out of the water or putting it in, use the lowest gear (D1) and if you have a “low-traction button” activate it. Be sure you only use the “low traction” within 200 feet of water. Driving down a highway with your low-traction button on will destroy most transmissions (towing or not towing anything). The newer vehicles don’t let you drive in any gear except D1 in low-traction. Even then, try to keep your RPM below 4,000.
If going long distances, especially places with long or steep hills, learn how to downshift when going down steep grades. Also keep the vehicle out of overdrive.
Brakes:
Most boat trailers are equipped with Hydraulic or Electric brakes. Learn how these work and make sure they are in top shape. They could save your life/vehicle. Note: most hydraulic brakes have a “back-up” position that allow you to “push the trailer back” without having the brakes lock up. Raise your hand if you have tried to back up your trailer in a bumpy area to see the trailer wheels lock as you try to go over the bump. That button/lever is a great little option… You can put your hands down now.
I am sure I have missed a bunch of things, so as the old saying goes, “If all else fails, read the manual”.
Big Red
Well-known member
Here is the low down out of 5 post here 4 of us agree the jeep is to wimpy and dangerous to pull the boat safely.
Me, ezstripper,dogschool, and oldnavy. And the four of us have a boat close to the size and weight of the boat in question. I strongly feel that a boat that size really needs a 3/4 ton pull rig at the least. But this really boils down to common sense.
I dont agree at all with grinder on pulling it with a jeep. I borrowed my friends 1/2 ton suburban 1 time for a short run. It was between night and day from being behind my dually. Yes it pulled it but I felt the boat tugging rolling and pulling. Its because the suspension is weaker and it had more body roll.
Talking about stupid I seen last year a CJ7 pulling what looked to be at least a 28 foot camper down the interstate. Them jeeps are not safe pulling their self down the interstate much less a camper. But here we go again well the factory said it could.
Me, ezstripper,dogschool, and oldnavy. And the four of us have a boat close to the size and weight of the boat in question. I strongly feel that a boat that size really needs a 3/4 ton pull rig at the least. But this really boils down to common sense.
I dont agree at all with grinder on pulling it with a jeep. I borrowed my friends 1/2 ton suburban 1 time for a short run. It was between night and day from being behind my dually. Yes it pulled it but I felt the boat tugging rolling and pulling. Its because the suspension is weaker and it had more body roll.
Talking about stupid I seen last year a CJ7 pulling what looked to be at least a 28 foot camper down the interstate. Them jeeps are not safe pulling their self down the interstate much less a camper. But here we go again well the factory said it could.
wizard8575
Active member
Here in Michigan if you are pulling a dual axle trailer with a 3/4 ton or more you need a chauffeur's license.
throttletherapy
Member
my buddy has a 87 251 gtx and pulls it with his jeep cherokee, he says it does ok but i would not trust it, i would be scared the boat would push it into the turns