Towing with a TJ?

[jipstyle]

I'm moving to Vancouver next month and I'm trying to figure out the least expensive way to move me, my girl, and our stuff in my Rubi.

Obviously, I can't pack all our belongings into the jeep .. we don't have a lot of stuff and we're ditching all of our furniture, but we still need a trailer.

I considered shipping everything, but a conservative estimate puts the cost over $1000. Given that my friends in BC don't have cars (sigh), they can't pick stuff up at the shippers for me, so shipping would be a huge hassle .. I'd have to race my stuff across the country .. and then find an apt. QUICK to have somewhere to put it.

On the other hand, U-Haul is quoting $333 for a 4' x 8' trailer and $444 for a 5' x 8' trailer. The extra money isn't really a big deal .. I'd rather spend an extra $111 and bring more stuff with me.

So .. two questions (and I'm open to other suggestions):

i) How much can I tow? Bear in mind that I'm driving almost 6,000 km, so I need to know what is easy to tow rather than what I can get away with.

ii) What kind of hitch should I get installed?

I figured I'd go to APJ's to get it done (assuming they do it .. ?) 'cause I'd like the peace of mind knowing it was done RIGHT. I'd hate to lose the trailer in, say, the Kootenay pass in BC.

Comments? Help?

Edit: I'm driving a stock 2005 Rubi .. so 4.0L, manual tranny, 4.10 gearing, on 31s.

[tothewall]

You can tow 1500 lbs with your TJ. You cannot tow it fast and you will spend more in extra fuel than you will to pay to have someone ship it.

Ship it. Or better yet, use this as an opportunity to get rid of a lot of junk you have accumulated. I moved back from Quebec in 2002 with what I was able to fit in a TJ. Its an awesome feeling.

Take some time with the lady to decide what you REALLY need. Only stipulation is that you HAVE to make it fit in the TJ.

[Creepy]

class 3 receiver hitch with the 2x2 opening is the most universal and you can hook anything up to it. UHaul needs that hitch for their bigger trailers..not sure if you do.

[Jeep3m]

I use my TJ to haul our double trailer with 2 Honda 650 Rincons......stock gearing, no problem!!
Good luck on the move, I feel your pain!!

R

[tothewall]

Jul 29, 2009 6:58:57 GMT -4 Jeep3m said:

I use my TJ to haul our double trailer with 2 Honda 650 Rincons......stock gearing, no problem!!
Good luck on the move, I feel your pain!!

R

Just because you can do it does not make it safe.

Thats a 600 lb rig. x2 is 1200lbs... I doubt your trailer is only 300 lbs.

I do know that if you have an accident with an overloaded trailer you will be SOA as far as your insurance goes.

[itsakeeper]

I won't get into what can and cannot and shouldn't be towed but the fuel mileage will drop to 10-12 mpg; work it out and see if it is worth it

[Hawkes]

Maybe better off buying a trailer here and selling it when you get there, may break even. I don't like towing with a TJ but that's your choice, leave lots of room, the brakes will lock up if you don't have ABS and it will slide.

The trip will be a whole lot less enjoyable and slower towing, but do what you have to and be safe.

The small uhaul weighs 850# by itself.

[jipstyle]

Thanks guys.

After weighing the pros and cons, I've decided not to tow. The gas mileage would be atrocious, the drive would not be any fun at all, I'd be stressed the entire time, etc. etc. .. it ain't worth it.

So I found a storage facility that is willing to accept packages from Purolator and store them for me. Shipping the majority of my belongings will cost about $600 and the rest will easily fit into my Jeep or be sold ... frankly, every other option I've explored has been more expensive than the cost of buying all new stuff when I get there!

I'll have to sleep on the floor for a while (no bed), but at least I'll be able to stare at the mountains while I do it.

Thanks again guys.

[Hawkes]

Jul 29, 2009 13:41:56 GMT -4 jipstyle said:

Thanks guys.

After weighing the pros and cons, I've decided not to tow. The gas mileage would be atrocious, the drive would not be any fun at all, I'd be stressed the entire time, etc. etc. .. it ain't worth it.

So I found a storage facility that is willing to accept packages from Purolator and store them for me. Shipping the majority of my belongings will cost about $600 and the rest will easily fit into my Jeep or be sold ... frankly, every other option I've explored has been more expensive than the cost of buying all new stuff when I get there!

I'll have to sleep on the floor for a while (no bed), but at least I'll be able to stare at the mountains while I do it.

Thanks again guys.

Good call.

[bill richards]

Agreed... would have been a tiring stressfull drive across country with a TJ.

Bill

[Johnniemac]

Rent a u-haul with a 28ish foot box and flat tow the TJ perhaps? Uhaul will not let you tow with a convert. Good call on the no tow hehe.
Good luck on your move. Canada is a pretty great place. Don't look at the drive as a bad thing. Some of us are never as lucky to see the whole country.

My roommate in college (Scottie too Hottie) used to say "think of the memmories we are about to make"










g-zuz crying yet?

[Hawkes]

Jul 29, 2009 21:55:02 GMT -4 Johnniemac said:

Rent a u-haul with a 28ish foot box and flat tow the TJ perhaps? Uhaul will not let you tow with a convert. Good call on the no tow hehe.
Good luck on your move. Canada is a pretty great place. Don't look at the drive as a bad thing. Some of us are never as lucky to see the whole country.

My roommate in college (Scottie too Hottie) used to say "think of the memmories we are about to make"










g-zuz crying yet?

I'm sure he'll comment, I think he did it before in a CJ. I was going to say tow the TJ with a box truck, but that wouldn't be much fun either.

[jipstyle]

I looked into renting a truck and towing my TJ behind it .. let's just say it would almost be cheaper to sell my Rubi and buy another in Vancouver. It would certainly be cheaper to buy everything new in Vancouver than it would be to rent that truck.

I drove from Vancouver to San Diego to Halifax when I moved here (the second time), so I'm looking forward to the road trip ... I'm pretty sure that my Rubi is going to be more comfortable and cheaper than my old CJ5 was.

[jipstyle]

Well, I'm in Vancouver now and in the end, I towed the 5x8.

Working the numbers, towing was the cheapest option .. even figuring a 1000$ gas bill. It came to 1200$, actually, in fuel costs to tow the trailer 6100 km.

Ontario, for the record, is too damn big and hilly. I probably would gave saved hundreds by going through the US, but my girl doesn't have a passport.

The towing was easy and I kept the speed under 100 kph .. tough at first but you get used to it. After a while, hauling the trailer got to be second nature .. though I did manage the entire trip without ever having to go backwards.

hope this is helpful to someone at some point.

Now I just have to find an apartment.

[Jeep3m]

Jul 29, 2009 8:00:25 GMT -4 @tothewall said:

Jul 29, 2009 6:58:57 GMT -4 Jeep3m said:

I use my TJ to haul our double trailer with 2 Honda 650 Rincons......stock gearing, no problem!!
Good luck on the move, I feel your pain!!

R

Just because you can do it does not make it safe.

Thats a 600 lb rig. x2 is 1200lbs... I doubt your trailer is only 300 lbs.

I do know that if you have an accident with an overloaded trailer you will be SOA as far as your insurance goes.

Our double is rated for 1850lbs....your right on one accout that its not the best idea to haul that much weight accross Canada....
But I have no issues hauling my 2 bikes when we go 4wheeling.

R