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Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 8:22 am
by Dr. Marneaus
Gracias

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:37 am
by csuengr
Lumpskie wrote:So, I've got a question for you guys who tow with your FSJs. I've got a Jeep with the "High Altitude" setup, but no tow package. (As far as I can tell, that means I've got 3.31 gears but everything else is the same) I'm thinking about building a trailer hitch for my rig and getting a camper trailer eventually. Other than the hitch and associated power to run, is there anything else I should look at before towing with my '89?
Forgot to add, since your Waggy has amber turn lights on the rear (brake and turn signal are different bulbs, so six wires), you will need an adapter to go to the standard four wires.

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 11:47 am
by Stuka
csuengr wrote:
Lumpskie wrote:So, I've got a question for you guys who tow with your FSJs. I've got a Jeep with the "High Altitude" setup, but no tow package. (As far as I can tell, that means I've got 3.31 gears but everything else is the same) I'm thinking about building a trailer hitch for my rig and getting a camper trailer eventually. Other than the hitch and associated power to run, is there anything else I should look at before towing with my '89?
Forgot to add, since your Waggy has amber turn lights on the rear (brake and turn signal are different bulbs, so six wires), you will need an adapter to go to the standard four wires.
Every car (for the most part) has a different bulb for brakes and turn signals. The four wire harness has two for turn signals, one for brakes, one for ground. Why would he need to connect up to brake lights on both sides?

But if he is going with electric brakes on a heavier trailer he needs a seven pin anyway.

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 12:10 pm
by AwesomeJ10
I still don't see any pics of anyone towing with big tires.

Maybe I'm the only one crazy enough to do it!

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:51 pm
by Stuka
Blake wrote:I still don't see any pics of anyone towing with big tires.

Maybe I'm the only one crazy enough to do it!
Yup! :P

It really does depend on the tire and wheel size. larger sidewalls are ok if its a tire with very thick sidewalls to prevent side wall flex. Otherwise you can get some scary trailer sway. Well that and you have large enough brakes to offset the large tires.

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 6:30 pm
by csuengr
Stuka wrote:
csuengr wrote:
Lumpskie wrote:So, I've got a question for you guys who tow with your FSJs. I've got a Jeep with the "High Altitude" setup, but no tow package. (As far as I can tell, that means I've got 3.31 gears but everything else is the same) I'm thinking about building a trailer hitch for my rig and getting a camper trailer eventually. Other than the hitch and associated power to run, is there anything else I should look at before towing with my '89?
Forgot to add, since your Waggy has amber turn lights on the rear (brake and turn signal are different bulbs, so six wires), you will need an adapter to go to the standard four wires.
Every car (for the most part) has a different bulb for brakes and turn signals. The four wire harness has two for turn signals, one for brakes, one for ground. Why would he need to connect up to brake lights on both sides?

But if he is going with electric brakes on a heavier trailer he needs a seven pin anyway.
Wrong. My Cherk and most other vehicles have one bulb to handle both tail light and brake/turn signal. The bulb has dual filaments and brake/turn is on the same wire. On 86' and up Grand Waggy's, one bulb handles tail and brake while a seperate build does the turn
signal. The brake and turn are on seperate wires. He needs a module to combine these two wires back into one. Like this.
http://www.delcity.net/store/Taillight- ... oCEjbw_wcB

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 4:41 pm
by Cheap Hobby
If you can find a waggy in a yard pull the factory 7 wire plug and wire harness from it. It plugs into the cross body harness. It will save on having to find the correct wires to tap and eliminate problems with bad taps/ splices. You will still have to run the brake line. Also the power lead if you want to charge battery while driving. Easy enough to do just treat it like a duel battery set up ad you can disconnect when not towing. the Curt brake controllers are my current favorite after years with Techonsa (sic). You can get a pig tail with one end bare to do your hookups then plug the controller in. you defiantly want to use a weight distribution hitch for anything heavier then DR. M. trailer. There is nothing like the feeling of no contact with the road while trying to steer and the heavy feeling as the trailer dances you all over the road. You can have the trailer axle flipped or a lift kit in stalled to gain height for ground clearance and get hour ball mount higher. You do need to pay attention to over all length of the trailer due to our short wheel base. We have pulled a 24 foot trailer, it wasn't bad but it was pretty much the limit.

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 8:58 pm
by Austin4x4
Image

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 6:37 am
by csuengr
Blake wrote:I still don't see any pics of anyone towing with big tires.

Maybe I'm the only one crazy enough to do it!
My Cherk has 33x10.50 x15 tires and I tow. I also have 4.10 gears. See my post on previous page. The trailer probably comes close to 3700 lbs loaded. The only time I had sway was when I had a bright idea and put a cargo rack on the rear bumper of the trailer to haul fire wood. I almost lost control at 55 mph, and the trailer had brakes. Without the wood, it pulls really stable and I don't notice the high, narrow sidewall of the tires.

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 8:47 am
by AwesomeJ10
I'm running 42x14.5 R17 on the Honcho and have towed the sand rail and the camper many times. No sway bars at all, but I do have some pretty stiff fox shocks. I have a functional 7way RV connector and electric brakes (which works great).

Main problem is power. The AMC 360 simply doesn't have enough guts. The new 8.1 should cure that!

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 12:24 am
by Cheap Hobby
Weight distribution hitch is not a sway bar system, but dose have mounts for sway dampers. Through leverage it transfers weight forward instead of all on the rear suspension. It will make your gutless 360 feel like a new engine when set up correctly. It will also slow you down done incorrectly. Once the hitch was set correctly (did not read instructions to the end) we had to watch our speed to stay close to the 55 tow speed. I could pass any body I needed to. Especially diesels with out distribution hitch.

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:13 am
by csuengr
Weight distributing hitches do not negate gravity. They help stability, that is all.

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 12:10 pm
by AwesomeJ10
But a Big Block DOES increase power. Just sayin!

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 1:47 pm
by csuengr
Have some 3.8L V6's here at the shop that make that 8.1 look wimpy.

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:58 pm
by Renodemona
Image

Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:12 pm
by 66stepside
Scrap run, 1/2 yard of dirt on the way back.

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Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:05 am
by cone
1987 J20, cummins 6bt, NV4500 five speed, yea, it tows.Image

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:28 pm
by Greenmachine
cone wrote:1987 J20, cummins 6bt, NV4500 five speed, yea, it tows.Image
Sweet. :-bd

Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 1:47 am
by Strode182
On the lower end of the towing scale…….I built this little trailer for all our camping gear. We have alot of camping gear.

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Re: Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 8:35 pm
by Gumby
That sure looks good, what is the color on the Cherokee?