Does your FSJ even tow, bro?

[devildog80]

Primary concern was if the 727 auto would handle the load, and what I found was that it would.

Reference post at the bottom from Mopar Forum.

Yes since the creation of 4 door pickups with diesel engines, long wheelbase, and creature features.....we are spoiled.

I have family pic of great grands pulling a honkin big heavy camper with the old 4 door sedan back in the day, and went a lot of places with it.

No I would not intentionally put me, my family, or others on the road at risk of something unsafe, but was looking more at how much weight the transmission was capable of towing.

Was thinking more along the lines of a 24 ft camper, which will be enough safely, for intended use.

Just 'cause we can, does not mean we should!
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Towing capacity 727 tranny

78D200
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It all depends on how built up the transmission is. In stock condition, you can tow a car trailer with a truck on it, 26'-32' camper, etc. I would think your truck would limit you more than your transmission.

What do you want to tow?

[devildog80]

Here is pic of great grands at top of highest mountain they drove over south of Denver CO....back in the day!

Yep.....we are all spoiled.

20230130_183121 by Scott Weckerly, on Flickr

[Yeller]

we have some modern accessories that make it a lot better too that we didn’t have or at least not wide spread use. Load equalizer hitches and sway control is a fantastic tool that takes a lot of white knuckle out of towing, especially a camp trailer in the wind.

[dodgerammit]

Primary concern was if the 727 auto would handle the load, and what I found was that it would.

Reference post at the bottom from Mopar Forum.

Yes since the creation of 4 door pickups with diesel engines, long wheelbase, and creature features.....we are spoiled.

I have family pic of great grands pulling a honkin big heavy camper with the old 4 door sedan back in the day, and went a lot of places with it.

No I would not intentionally put me, my family, or others on the road at risk of something unsafe, but was looking more at how much weight the transmission was capable of towing.

Was thinking more along the lines of a 24 ft camper, which will be enough safely, for intended use.

Just 'cause we can, does not mean we should!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This from Admin on Mopar Forum - https://moparforums.com/forums/f62/towi ... anny-7920/

Towing capacity 727 tranny

78D200
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It all depends on how built up the transmission is. In stock condition, you can tow a car trailer with a truck on it, 26'-32' camper, etc. I would think your truck would limit you more than your transmission.

What do you want to tow?

And that means jack **** in reality concerning actual factory tow ratings.

Reading the thread, he has a home built rig. Nothing wrong with that. The problem is the incorrect belief that throwing certain parts on it, or a different drivetrain will increase the tow capacity.

IT. DOES. NOT.

His tow capacity is whatever that 59 Ford was rated at from the factory.

The tow capacity of a vehicle is PERMANENTLY set at the factory and CANNOT be changed.

It doesn't matter what aftermarket items you ad. They can only make it safer for you to tow up to the limit of your towing capacity.

https://fifthwheelst.com/altering_vehic ... ation.html

And I didn't tow that massive trailer with a crew cab diesel. It was a reg cab long bed gasser. A 1985 vintage rig. No creature comforts.
That massive trailer was hauling the crew cab.

[candymancan]

Gonna be lurchasing a Jeep j10 76 131 wheel base here soon.. and the only vehicles i have to tow.. are ny 5.9 ZJ 6500lbs rating. Or my wagoneer 5000lbs.

No idea why the ZJ has a way higher rating considering its smaller. Lol. But i dont wanna use the ZJ.. its got 3.73s and a way stronger engine.. but my trans is whining in 1-3 so i dunno if i trust it to pull 6000 lbs.

The hitch on ny 90 is the V style from a 79 cherokee.. but my 90 has the factory tow package.. electric brake controller etc.. trans cooler up front.

My 90 weighs 5300lbs with me in it. So its heavy... a uhaul flat bed is 2200.. the J1p is probly 4200lbs. Maybe slightly less since its bumpers are off, hitch is off.. and floors are missing and bed 30% rusted through lol.. so lets say 4000-4100lbs.

This is 6300lbs behind my wagoneer. Gatta drive 2 1.2 hours home.. have 3.31 gears. Have heavy dity new leaf springs rated higher than factory.. at 1440lbs.. vs the 1100 or whatever factory waa.. also has a add a leaf in it for a lift and even more load carrying support.

Im deff not worried about it drooping. But 6300 lbs is a lot of weigjt.

1300 over rating.. but its still odd.. how a smaller ZJ has a higher rating and no real body on frame.. more like unibody welded to frame.

What do you guys think, can i do it ? ? I dont have 700$ to pay a tow truck.. they all want 700+ for just 136 miles.

Jeep is ready.. new ball joints. New u joints everywjere.. new springs.. shocks.. frame is solid and repaired from all terrible rust and stuff i had to cut out and weld.. Body mounts all new.. engine is strong.. trans never had a hiccup.. engine has new radiator. Waterpump. Usually stays around 200-210f. It does get to 220 witj a.c on.. but i wont tow with the a.c on lol. I do think this parts store radiator isnt as good as factory . As i am slightly warmer than my leaking factory radiator

I dont believe that V style is really 5000lbs.. Its so honking heavy.. I bet it could pass a 6500lbs class 4 rating.

[rocklaurence]

Id rent a moving truck for that trip. It'll be a little expensive because of the mileage but safer and insured. A transporter maybe able to do it at the same cost as renting a truck. I wouldnt drag it that distance with a Wagoneer.

[candymancan]

Tow truck drivers want 700$ lol.. a flat bed is 130$ with insurance

[sierrablue]

I'm not surprised. After I rolled mine, it was $200 for them to get me out of the ditch, even though it was on its wheels and they had to yank it all of 15 feet out of the snow, and I drove it after that.

What's your logic behind not pulling the rear drive shaft and getting a dolly again?

[candymancan]

The rear has a lot of rust and i dont trust the leaf spring mounts in the back until i can fix them. Or fully look it over

[sierrablue]

right but if it's already on the ground, supporting its own weight...

With the weight of the engine it's not advisable to, as in an accident it could cause the front of the truck to whip around, give it more momentum, but you could pull the front driveshaft and make sure the column is unlocked. I'd probably trust that more than I'd trust having it up on a trailer behind the Wag.

[rocklaurence]

Is it a 21.5 hour drive home or is it 136 miles? If its 136 miles, I'd drag it home with the '90 Jeep on the back roads.

[sierrablue]

Is it a 21.5 hour drive home or is it 136 miles? If its 136 miles, I'd drag it home with the '90 Jeep on the back roads.

Where does it say 21.5 hour drive?????

[candymancan]

Its 136 miles. 2 1.2 hours it says on gps.

Well supporting its own weigjt sitting. Versus driving 55mph on bumpy roads on a dolly is diff isnt it ?

I guess ill decide here soon.. when i get paid mondsy ill probly grab it soon agter. But im going sunday to look at it first. Decided to go look before i make a final decision.. see if the rear of the frame is fixable. Or not and to look at the cross members etc

[sierrablue]

Different? Yes.

Personally I'd trust that sketchy frame on its own tires more than I'd trust all that weight on a Wagonner frame I patched back together myself.

But then I'd also be looking more at a solid body/frame to start than I would be a mechanically solid truck. Mechanics I like/am kinda good at/don't have to permanently modify the structure of the Jeep. Up to you; you're taking a risk either way.

[ghcoe]

Double post

[ghcoe]

My Cherokee towed my foamie trailer off road for many a year.

[candymancan]

I jist found some official numbers for wagoneer/cherokee towing capacities.

Everyone always talks about 5000 lbs only.. which i find kinda low.. considering a unibody ZJ grand cherokee with a 105 inch wheel base.. using dana 30 and 44 rear axle can do 6500 lbs with the 318 and 360.. and 5000 with the 4.0

Apon further investigation. The towing capacoty of wagoneers/cherokees with a tow package. Are 5000 lbs with the 360... and 7500lbs with the 401, with some kind of trailer brakes. The only difference between the two is the engine as far as i can tell.

Im not sure if the hitchs were different.. but most ive seen all come with that heavy ass V style hitch that uses 10-11 bolts to mount mainly to the rear cross member. With 1 bolt each on the frame rail itself using those frame stiffner brackets.

There honestly isnt THAT huge of a power difference from a 401 and 360. So i bet a 360 could tow well abive that 5000 lbs rating like i suspected. Like the ZJ the ratings change based on the engine power and thats it.

[candymancan]

Different? Yes.

Personally I'd trust that sketchy frame on its own tires more than I'd trust all that weight on a Wagonner frame I patched back together myself.

But then I'd also be looking more at a solid body/frame to start than I would be a mechanically solid truck. Mechanics I like/am kinda good at/don't have to permanently modify the structure of the Jeep. Up to you; you're taking a risk either way.

People said the same thing about my 90. It may be (patched in 3 or 4 spots) but its patched good, and guess what its been driving daily for 6-7 years. How many are still on the road racking up 10-15k miles a year? Not many...

Ive never taken an engine out. I bought my 90 because it was easier to fix rust that pull an engine as i lived ina townhouse and had no garage and couldnt just yank a bad trans or engine out and leave it sitting in the street.

Now i can do thay. But honestly a new engine or trans is thousands. I just see a good drive train more important. Do Rusted out floor boards and a bed really scare you that much ? The frame rust is surface you saw the pics. the rear is the only concern as they all tend to rist badly in the rear for some reason.. Ill find out tomorrow if its fixable or not.

Yoire also forgetting the tires are 10+ years old most likely, can they handle 50-60mph dry rotted ? And you dont know if the brakes are good or not. What if something locks up somehow driving down the road or the leaf spring mount which is paper thin on one side breakes ? Even the owner said he doesnt feel a dolly is a good idea for the tires reason alone.. And so forth. Ive also heard dollies can have a lot of sway. More than a flat bed ? But i could be wrong.. its just what i read.

Well see when i get it and pull it How well it handles. Or doesnt lol.

Ive honestly never seen anyone dolly a 50 year old vehicle they know nothing about thats sat most of the last few decades . It feels unsafe to me.

Both ways will probably work fine. You jist disagree with me and dont agree with you..

[candymancan]

My Cherokee towed my foamie trailer off road for many a year.

Nice pics !!

[sierrablue]

Different? Yes.

Personally I'd trust that sketchy frame on its own tires more than I'd trust all that weight on a Wagonner frame I patched back together myself.

But then I'd also be looking more at a solid body/frame to start than I would be a mechanically solid truck. Mechanics I like/am kinda good at/don't have to permanently modify the structure of the Jeep. Up to you; you're taking a risk either way.

People said the same thing about my 90. It may be (patched in 3 or 4 spots) but its patched good, and guess what its been driving daily for 6-7 years. How many are still on the road racking up 10-15k miles a year? Not many...

Ive never taken an engine out. I bought my 90 because it was easier to fix rust that pull an engine as i lived ina townhouse and had no garage and couldnt just yank a bad trans or engine out and leave it sitting in the street.

Now i can do thay. But honestly a new engine or trans is thousands. I just see a good drive train more important. Do Rusted out floor boards and a bed really scare you that much ? The frame rust is surface you saw the pics. the rear is the only concern as they all tend to rist badly in the rear for some reason.. Ill find out tomorrow if its fixable or not.

Yoire also forgetting the tires are 10+ years old most likely, can they handle 50-60mph dry rotted ? And you dont know if the brakes are good or not. What if something locks up somehow driving down the road or the leaf spring mount which is paper thin on one side breakes ? Even the owner said he doesnt feel a dolly is a good idea for the tires reason alone.. And so forth. Ive also heard dollies can have a lot of sway. More than a flat bed ? But i could be wrong.. its just what i read.

Well see when i get it and pull it How well it handles. Or doesnt lol.

Ive honestly never seen anyone dolly a 50 year old vehicle they know nothing about thats sat most of the last few decades . It feels unsafe to me.

Both ways will probably work fine. You jist disagree with me and dont agree with you..

Well there's mine--I found a good engine on FB Marketplace for $200 and dropped it in, and have been putting 15k on it per year. Wasn't cheap upfront for it, but it's never had rust anywhere, ever, with the one exception of the pass. quarter panel, which the PO patched when he did the body work. Additionally, it's an older, thicker frame, that isn't notorious for cracking like the later ones are. I don't trust my own welds/patches over a stock unrusted frame, and it would be questionable to pull the truck with a trailer that sits up anyway.

Floors are doable but when you're buying a used 45-yo truck, the engine is always a question, even if it was JUST rebuilt. Plus in your case you're buying one with a Qtrac, which I know you've read about how high maintenance those are. All of that on top of not really having a body and a questionable frame--literally the best parts/only for sure good parts on the truck are the trim pieces.

Dollies only tend to walk around like that if the tires on a truck like that are bad. I realize that these are, but you could pick up a pair of trailer tires (which are frequently on 6x5.5 rims to start with) cheap from a hardware store. And if you're worried about the brakes locking up, you could always take the drums off while you were swapping out the wheels. Could a bearing still go bad? Yeah. Would you go through and replace the bearings before you try to drive it once it's back together anyway? I doubt it.

Back in the late '90s that's how my dad and uncle picked up my uncle's '74 Wag in similar shape as that J10 (and on crappy tires)--put it on a dolly behind my dad's truck and called it good.