Ok, so I have a 2015 Jk sport. supposedly the towing for this vehicle is rated as 2000 pounds. I just acquired a popup camper that weighs 2900 pounds. Thoughts on being able to tow? I just picked up the springs to a Wrangler Unlimited with hardtop and total package so I have the 17 / 58 springs to go on them. Anything else I can do to be able to tow this?

 

With a 2-door? No, your kinda stuck.

Sent from some string and a few tin cans.

 

If it had electric brakes I would say you physically would be able to tow safely. Without brakes, forget it.

 

So is it that the Chassis can't handle the weight or the brakes? It does have electronic brakes. I just don't understand how the 2 door and the 4 door are the same engine, same tranny, right? So they sold be able to do more, especially since the 2 door has less weight?

 

My 2 cents... I don't think it's about engine power, transmission, brakes, or related. It's a short wheel base, hi center of gravity vehicle, and the handling with a trailer pushing the tail around isn't that great.

 

The 2 door weighing less might mean you could PULL more but not(safely) TOW more. We're talking braking and sway control as being the limitations of a two door. The two door being lighter and having a shorter wheel base becomes a problem as you go up in trailer weight. Think of it as percentage of trailer weight/length to Jeep weight/length. Essentially the tail wagging the dog.

The brakes are exactly the same on all JK's

You could add a brake controller if there are electric brakes on the trailer and/or a sway-controlled hitch system but they are both a little pricey.

 

Awesome, thanks a lot guys for your help! Really appreciate it. I will probably do that. Add the electric brake controller and the sway bar. I should be fine with that if I don't do highway speeds, right? That should be even better? Like just to take it to a nearby camping spot

 

I think max weight and towing capacities get routinely exceeded, regardless of the vehicle. Manufacturer's probably are a bit conservative in their rated capacities, and what you're proposing sounds like it would improve safety given the tow capacity being exceeded.

But here's another side... If anything really bad happens, and being 50% over rated capacity is one of the causes, it would be unpleasant to say the least.

 

European tow rating for the jk are much higher for some reason. I've heard from people who know ppl that say it's because the jk is a convertible. Makes since

 

There are numerous threads on this subject, and although the European ratings are higher, I believe they are for the JKU not the JK. I tow close to 4000 lbs with my JKU (500 lbs over) and it feels perfectly safe even at highway speeds, my trailer does have brakes although they are surge brakes not electric.

I do believe that the JKU's rated tow capacity is much lower than it can safely tow based on the tow capacities of other vehicles with similar dimensions, like the 4Runner for instance which has a tow capacity of 4700 lbs. According to edminds.com where I got the info on both vehicles, the 4Runner has a wheelbase/curb weight of 109.8"/4400 lbs compared to the JKU 116'/4315 lbs respectively, so even though the 4Runner is about 6" shorter it has a tow capacity of 1200 lbs over the JKU.

I have not done a comparison with the JK and similar vehicles to determine if the 2000 lbs is low, but the shorter wheelbase is definitely a big safety factor and one that I would not take lightly, the tail wagging the dog is a great analogy. The JK wheelbase/curb weight is 95.4"/3785 lbs.

Staying within the Jeep brand, the 2012 Jeep Liberty has a wheelbase/curb weight of 106.1"/4290 lbs and has a tow rating of 5000 lbs. Go figure...