This is an old thread, but FWIW, a few years ago I transported a Mazda Miata from Eastern Ohio to Chicago on a
U-Haul Tandem
Axle Car Hauler with my 1998 Cherokee 4.0 (equipped with an auxiliary automatic transmission cooler). The combined
weight of the Miata and the Trailer was about 4300lbs and I did not use a
weight distribution hitch or have anti-sway controls (but the
U-Haul trailer did have brakes). It was a breeze to pull, with no issues with acceleration, stopping or trailer sway. That said, I was in a pretty flat part of the country. The rear of the Jeep was sagging pretty low, though. If I was going to make it a regular habit to pull heavier trailers, I'd definitely want
weight distribution and not one, but two anti sway
brakes (the friction bar type).
I got 12 - 14 MPG on the portion of the trip with the car on the trailer (picked up and dropped off the trailer in Chicago). Oh, one other thing: My Cherokee XJ magically became a Grand Cherokee when I found out that
U-Haul doesn't allow their Car Hauler Trailer to be rented to be pulled by a Cherokee. ;-)
Note that I have a lot of trailering experience in my past. I spent three years touring with the Shrine Circus (I played trumpet in the circus band) and pulled a 31 foot travel trailer 35,000 miles a year with a modified Ford Bronco (it had a 460 out of a Lincoln and the transmission and transfer case out of a Ford One Ton 4WD Pickup Truck). And due to the Bronco's short wheelbase, in addition to the weight distribution hitch, I had two anti-sway
brakes instead of just one. One time, I pulled out and had forgotten to tighten down the anti-sways. I got up to about 30 mph and HOLY CRAP!!! All of a sudden I was swaying from the other side of oncoming lane to the other side of the right shoulder!!! I squeezed the electric trailer brake switch full-force and road out the see-sawing which didn't stop until I got down to about 15 mph. Thank God there was no oncoming traffic (I was in the middle of a National Park in Canada in the evening). If nothing else, this really taught me what an AMAZING job anti-sway friction brake bars do - especially when you have two installed instead of just the typical one bar installation.
To summarize, I think a skilled driver with the proper equipment (Trans Cooler, Weight Distribution Hitch, TWO Anti-Sway Friction Bars, and good Trailer Brakes) can safely and reliably tow a 5000 lb. trailer with a Jeep XJ 4.0. The 5,000 lb. towing limit which was changed down to a puny 2,000 lbs. in the later years of the XJ has nothing to do with the XJ's capabilities and everything to do with what greedy liability lawyers have done to this country. In the UK, a Jeep Cherokee XJ with 4.0, right to the last year it was built, was rated to tow up to 7,800 lbs.
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