Never too old to ask: Jeeps and Towing

[richard Trafton]

B ][/B]
This is my first thread, so here I go for all you Road Wizzards.
I have a Trailer for Two Lite House, (just out of the package) used once.

I have 2 jeeps:
-A 2004 Liberty 3.7 with a 1&one half' inch hitch. Auto.
-A 1987 Jeep Comanche Pick up, 4.0 inline 6. 2" hitch.

Both in excellent shape.

The Lite House trailer weighs 960 pounds empty, with a tongue weight of
85 pounds.

I won't carry much..

What do I need?
Sway Bar?
Trailer Brakes?
and which would be the better Tug?

If I go with the Liberty, somebody out there knows the problem with the
rear door clearance, and so how have others owning Liberty's dealt with
with the problem?

The Light House has the door in the rear, so the spare tire is fitted to
the Trailer front.

I've noticed others have pulled with the Liberty, but don't say how.

Some say an extender is not safe.

Thanking you all for advice,

Richard

[Donna D.]

Hi Richard, welcome to FiberglassRV. We're glad you're here

I own neither vehicle or that brand of trailer, so I'll leave the answers to the experts.

Just wanted to say

[cpaharley2008]

I have towed with 2 different Jeep Liberty's, one with 3.7 and the other with the 4 cyl diesel. Other than the door issue, you will not have any problems. You will need a wiring harness installed and if the trailer has brakes, a brake controller installed. Either hitch is fine due to your weight, not sure size of your ball, may need a 2" or smaller ball in your stinger.
The truck 4.0 is Jeep's bullet proof motor, I have the same in my 93 Cherokee. Transmission maybe an issue with towing on that model unless you have low miles, mine has 160K and is starting to leak.

[Mike Magee]

I like brakes on any trailer, but that is just my preference. If your axle has the backer plates to mount brakes, I say add 'em. But if not, don't fret about it.

[Bill in Pittsburgh]

At 960 pounds you can almost tow with a bicycle. Both tugs will work fine without brakes or sway bar. You will probably forget it is there until you go to back up.
If you do decide to tow 960 pounds with a bicycle, I then advise brakes.

[Francesca Knowles]

Put brakes on that puppy.

Until you've been pushed through an intersection by the dead weight of 1,000 pounds of trailer, you can't know what a difference functioning brakes make!
Just take my word for it...

And brakes are the only sway control you'll ever need- actuating the electric brakes in the beginning of a "sway event" will bring the trailer into line lickety-split.

Francesca

[Andrew Gibbens]

Originally Posted by Bill in Pittsburgh

If you do decide to tow 960 pounds with a bicycle, I then advise brakes.

On just the bicycle, just the trailer or on both? We needs ter know....

[gmw photos]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

Put brakes on that puppy.



And brakes are the only sway control you'll ever need- actuating the electric brakes in the beginning of a "sway event" will bring the trailer into line lickety-split.

Francesca

I personally and respectfully disagree with your position on sway control in this quote and other statements you have made on the subject. Many, many users of sway control devices will state over and over on this other forums that sway control devices do in fact work to mitigate the side to side movements that can and sometimes do become uncontrolled "sway".
To suggest otherwise, IMO, is doing a dis-service to some who might be new to towing and may not fully understand the dynamics of a vehicle with trailer in tow.

[JMS]

We also have a 2006 Jeep Liberty with a 3.7 engine and use it to tow our Burro which has a dry weight about the same as your's and more when loaded. I have towed it without trailer brakes and now with trailer brakes and although they are not required for this weight of trailer, I will tell you...it's the best upgrade we've done. When you're traveling down a highway at 60 mph and someone cuts you off, which, they will do....to be able to stop or slow down with the trailer brakes can be life saving. My suggestion...if you don't have them, get trailer brakes.

[honda03842]

There's no doubt that an anti-sway bar 'can' reduce sway.

As well a sway event can be stopped or reduced by quickly be applying just the trailer brakes. Every morning when starting up I reach for the brake controller's lever as practice and a light test of the trailer's brakes.

Unfortunately many who experience a sway condition do not know that applying just the trailer brakes will quickly put the trailer back in line in most say events.

None of my fiberglass trailers have ever swayed with or without an anti-sway bar, not that in some circumstance that they couldn't sway.

Before I ever towed a trailer I post the question, "Should I get an anti-sway bar?"

Basically this was the response to my novice question. 'Set up your trailer so it doesn't sway and drive carefully but add an anti-sway bar for that emergency that you can't foresee, someday you'll be glad you had it. They are inexpensive and no bother.'

As JMS said, trailer brakes are a great, maybe the best safety hardware investment.

[richard Trafton]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I have towed with 2 different Jeep Liberty's, one with 3.7 and the other with the 4 cyl diesel. Other than the door issue, you will not have any problems. You will need a wiring harness installed and if the trailer has brakes, a brake controller installed. Either hitch is fine due to your weight, not sure size of your ball, may need a 2" or smaller ball in your stinger.
The truck 4.0 is Jeep's bullet proof motor, I have the same in my 93 Cherokee. Transmission maybe an issue with towing on that model unless you have low miles, mine has 160K and is starting to leak.

Thanks Jim!,

Richard

[richard Trafton]

GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR!

Thanks,
Richard

[cpaharley2008]

One more suggestion, get your tongue heavier, maybe around 140 lbs, should help with sway. Can you load more up front to increase tongue weight? add a battery or tool box up front, more tongue weight, less sway.

[richard Trafton]

Originally Posted by honda03842

There's no doubt that an anti-sway bar 'can' reduce sway.

As well a sway event can be stopped or reduced by quickly be applying just the trailer brakes. Every morning when starting up I reach for the brake controller's lever as practice and a light test of the trailer's brakes.

Unfortunately many who experience a sway condition do not know that applying just the trailer brakes will quickly put the trailer back in line in most say events.

None of my fiberglass trailers have ever swayed with or without an anti-sway bar, not that in some circumstance that they couldn't sway.

Before I ever towed a trailer I post the question, "Should I get an anti-sway bar?"

Basically this was the response to my novice question. 'Set up your trailer so it doesn't sway and drive carefully but add an anti-sway bar for that emergency that you can't foresee, someday you'll be glad you had it. They are inexpensive and no bother.'

As JMS said, trailer brakes are a great, maybe the best safety hardware investment.

I WILL TAKE YOUR ADVICE!

THANKS SO MUCH,

RESPECTIVELY,
rIchard

[richard Trafton]

I'll do it!
180# on tongue


thanks,
richard

[Dolores]

Hello and welcome to the site! I also am a newbie but feel I have conquered Mt Everest after just returning from my first "real" trip with myLite House, Miss Daisy. I pulled her over a thousand miles through the highest and most winding of the Ozarks in Northern Arkansas and on I-40, as well, at 60-70 mph from central Oklahoma). I pulled her with my Ford Escape,no extra anything except for the safety chains and a lock on the hitchhiker connector to lock it on ball. I know my husband had trailer brakes and sway bar on his truck when pulling our big camping trailer, but this little baby camper follows like a well trained puppy without. I had no problems with sway, even with 18 wheelers on 40 sometimes going around me. As anyone who travels I40 know how rough it is in Oklahoma and parts of Ark but other than my curtains coming down, no problems inside. This was my first trip alone and perhaps I had beginners luck,but I had no problem - except for being afraid of heights, which I think I came close to conquering between Clinton Ark and Mountain View then on to Melbourne (against the advice of my GPS) which advices much longer route - which actually would have probably taken less time, but I would have misused the beautiful fall colors! Anyway, Richard, do you have a "new" Lite House?? Are they making them again?? Mine is a 1995 model. Would love to see pics! I LOVE my baby camper and had people coming up at Rest areas and at campground asking about it and admiring it. Great to know someone else has one. I am still working through battery/solar panel/electric and a Senior member was kindly helping me with that when I went offline for a while, but used converter with electric and all went well - now hope to get back to learning about the other.

[Dolores]

Note: I WAS NOT driving 60-70 through those Ozarks where signs with squiggles abounded with 25 mph/30 mph limits!! :0

[alan H]

Richard, my wife and I just returned from a trip pulling a 13ft perris pacer with my 1986 cj7 jeep inline 6cy....with no sway bar nor brakes and have had no problems. My tow vehicle is a 5 spd stick and works just great. I do have to admit my wife is very jealous, as we just saw for the first time a little joe (which i believe replaced the litehouse) and she now wants to look for one of them....Please share some pics. by the way my trailer was just weighed and was 1500 lbs with a tongue weight of 220.

[richard Trafton]

Originally Posted by alan H

Richard, my wife and I just returned from a trip pulling a 13ft perris pacer with my 1986 cj7 jeep inline 6cy....with no sway bar nor brakes and have had no problems. My tow vehicle is a 5 spd stick and works just great. I do have to admit my wife is very jealous, as we just saw for the first time a little joe (which i believe replaced the litehouse) and she now wants to look for one of them....Please share some pics. by the way my trailer was just weighed and was 1500 lbs with a tongue weight of 220.

Alan:

Wow you are right!
The Little Joe looks exactly like Lite House!!!

Lite House weighs 960 empty, and 85 on hitch..

I also have a 5 speed stick in the Comanche.
Did you ever use the 5th gear?

No sway you say. Fantastic!

Tell your wife to keep nagging you about the Little Joe.

It looks nice.

with kindest regards,
Richard

[Darrell in Al]

I have a 91 Comanche the only problem for mine is not heavy in rear for braking in wet pavement, I've been pushed threw a fast changing traffic light on a down hill in rain/oil wet pavement pulling a 14 ft boat/ gear about the same as your towing. tow wise I've seen one pulling a 3500+ boat down the road. the Comanche needs some weight in the bed from my experiences, I've pulled my 16 ft Pontoon boat to relocate not launch it. I'm using a 05 Wrangler LJ to tow 16ft Scamp Deluxe. My Comanche gets better gas mileage than my Wrangler and my 90 XJ was getting better mileage towing a trailer than a some one I talked to pulling a small sailboat with a Liberty???
As Ms F Knowles said trailer brakes