Class 2 hitch towing a Trillium Outback

[Daniel Allan]

Hi
Getting my '04 road ready and discovered Class 3 hitch required for towing. I've got a 2" hitch rated Class 2 on a 2019 Wrangler. Is this a problem?

[John in Michigan]

Not a problem. Class II hitches are rated up to 3500 lbs. I am surprised that you are using a 2" ball. Apparently the coupler was replaced. The original equipment on the Trillium was a 1 7/8" coupler.

EDIT: Oops. Now I see you have a Trillium Outback. Guess it comes with a 2" coupler.

EDIT 2: So as long as your Trillium Outback is under 3500 lbs. (I'm sure it is.) and your tow vehicle is rated to tow 3500 lbs. (or whatever the loaded trailer weighs) you are fine.

[John in Michigan]

From ETRAILER DOT COM:

What is the Difference Between a Class II and a Class III Hitch?

The difference between the Class II and Class III hitches has to do with their Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), their Tongue Weight (TW), and their Hitch Receiver Size. Class II trailer hitch receivers have a 1-1/4 inch receiver and can be rated up to 3,500 lbs in GTW and up to 525 lbs in TW. Class III, on the other hand, have a 2 inch receiver and have up to 8,000 lbs GTW and 800 lbs TW.

[John in Michigan]

Daniel, so the class II hitch is fine. The Trillium Outback will be well under the 3500 lbs. hitch capacity when loaded.

The REAL question is whether your 2019 Wrangler is equipped with for towing 2000 lbs or 3500 lbs. That vehicle is manufactured both ways. If your vehicle is built to only tow 2000 lbs., then you have a slim weight margin for loading the vehicle and the trailer.

[Glenn Baglo]

You also can't use a weight distribution hitch with a Class II hitch, which is why I had a Class III hitch ( for weight distribution ), instead of Class II OEM hitch, installed on my RAV4 V6 Sport.

[Daniel Allan]

Thanks Glenn & John
Yes the Jeep came with a factory rated 3500 lb max and we're well below that but a couple of other matters have cropped up in reading about Jeep towing limitations
one, that I have heard of, is needing to consider installing a transmission cooler (i'm auto trans)
the other, that with the Jeep the face of a trailer should be no more than 32 sqft
At 7 ft x 6ft the Trillium's at 42...anyone heard of this limitation? Completely out of the blue for me.
Dan

[Glenn Baglo]

I have transmission cooler on my 2008 RAV4 V6 Sport. It came standard ( in Canada ) along with a bigger radiator and alternator.

I don't think anybody is taking the rating for frontal exposure of the trailer seriously. If they did, we wouldn't be able to tow much more than a boat or utility trailer. That's not to say it isn't valid, but it is easier to ignore.
My concern with the Jeep is the short wheel base. I borrowed a friend's Jeep once and just about did a U-turn on the centre dividing line with a twitch of the wheel. I'd look into a weigh distribution hitch, hoping that would help.

[John in Michigan]

Frontal area resistance when towing the Trillium Outback with the Wrangler won't be an issue. The manufacturer will say that "exceeding these limitations may significantly reduce the performance of your towing vehicle", and that's true.

... but, I had a very similar setup to yours when towing my Trillium 4500 (actually larger than your Trillium Outback) with a 2011 Ford Escape with 3500 lb towing package. With my setup, I easily towed over 15,000 miles, over mountains, with strong headwinds, and other adverse conditions. And the 2011 Ford Escape had the same towing limitation (32 sq. ft.).

[John in Michigan]

Checking Jeep forums, owners say that late model Wrangler with the 3500 lb tow package already has a trans cooler, but you can verify this. The 3500 lb tow package (Trailer Tow and Heavy-Duty Electrical Group) apparently includes:

-Programmable Aux Switches
-700-Amp Maintenance Free Battery
-240-Amp Alternator (that's huge)
-Seven- and Four-Pin Wiring Harness
-Class II Tow Receiver Hitch