Towing basics... NEED HELP PLZ

[69CamaroRacer]

Ok I am going to tow the camaro down to Orlando next week to have some fun on the track with Frank and the boys from Prodigy Customs... I got a friend to loan me her 2002 Jeep Liberty but I have no Idea what I need to get as far as a tow hitch to do the tow.. I checked and the jeep is rated for 5000 lbs of towing so It will do it... I leave on the 29th so I need some help... thanks guys...

[sinned]

Go get a standard class 3 hitch and rent a basic U-haul flat trailer. The Liberty is barely going to pull your Camaro on a flat trailer, DO NOT even consider running anything like an enclosed unit. You did check to make sure it has the tow package right? Because without the tow package, the rating drops to 2,000 lbs and even that is high IMO.

[mpozzi]

Hey '69CamaroRacer,

Don't even think of trying to tow your Camaro with that Jeep. I drive one of these as my company car and they're terrible handling vehicles. The Liberty has a very short wheelbase and you'll have the cart steering the horse in no time as your Camaro plus a trailer weighs more than the Liberty. It's not the 5,000 lb. hitch rating I worry about, it's the vehicle it's attached to that's towing your Camaro. The Liberty is best suited for towing those small utility trailers, if that.

You need to beg or borrow something more suitable for hauling like a full-size pick-up or something with a truck frame and wheelbase.

One of the worst wrecks that I witnessed first hand had to do with an undersized, underpowered vehicle towing an open-trailered Firebird to the Solo II Nationals. The poor guy made a lane change and the trailer started whipping . . . it was over and upside down in the center median in about two seconds.

Hopefully, more folks will offer some opinions. I hate to scare the s**t out of you but we all want to read about what a fun, fast time you had at the track. If you do choose the Jeep, just be very careful and very slow.

Mary Pozzi

[6'9"Witha69]

Please heed Mary's advice. The Liberty is way undersized for the job. I have towed a friends 64 Vette to NASA events before and believe me, the weight piles on quick. I don't know how much extra you plan on taking, but when I roll it is 2 55 gal drums of 114 race gas, tools, a folding bench, canaopy, clothes for the weekend, extra misc parts, you get the idea. My 5,000 pound truck weighed in at over 11,000 pounds fully loaded. Do you trust that to a Liberty?

[69CamaroRacer]

i do not have that much extra stuff... I have just a car and some slicks and an overnight bag... but I hone ave made a few phone calls and I think I have a solution but it is not cheap... penske has agreed to rent me a truck and trailer...with unlimited milage for 400

[6'9"Witha69]

Hell of a lot cheaper than a wrecked Jeep.

[69CamaroRacer]

true!!!

[jy211]

rent the pick up truck and trailer from Uhaul and go....

[rob07002]

PLEASE do not use the jeep.. Listen to everyone here. If you can't borrow a fullsize truck or pickup, the rent one. U-haul will do a pickup and trailer package. That $400 deal doesn't sound bad at all. Nothing scarier then your trailer out of control whipping around...

[slck6t9]

Spend the $400 and run. If anything should happen it should be covered.

[JoshStratton]

Ok.. Stupid question, sorry to kind of steal the thread, but how do you tell if you have the tow package? I have a 2001 Grand Cherokee Laredo that I was going to put a trailer hitch on to tow my car, but I dont know if it can handle it. I didnt get it new and dont really have much of build info.

Thread steal done...

[rob07002]

I think it usually comes with a bigger radiator, oil cooler, possibly the hitch already, and HD springs and rear shocks. Some will have a special "tow" mode for the tranny. And look for the plug in the rear wire harness to easly plug the trailer wiring into... Those all all hints its got a tow pkg.

[JoshStratton]

Dang it. Another reason I should have kept that Durango.

FYI JEEPS ARE *****! I had the thing for 1 year and the engine blew out. Only had 65000 miles on the odometer. It leaked antifreeze, oil pressure wasnt registering, the thing was a total tool :machine:.

I put a brand new engine in the POS and now I at least have a zero miles engine with a 75K/3 year warranty.

I hate that car.

[wantahertzdonut]

You'll want at least a 1/2T full size pickup for towing a Camaro. You're putting your life, your friend's jeep, your Camaro, and everyone else on the highway in danger. The Liberty might as well be a car. Rent a truck or beg a friend to borrow a real truck.

[OldSchoolFormula]

I towed home my '01 T/A parts car home with a lifted '98 Grand Cherokee using a u-haul trailer. They wouldn't rent the trailer to me unless I signed a waiver stating everything would be alright as the Jeep didnt weigh enough to cover the trailer/T/A. So I told them it was a stripped out shell. LoL! Towed it just fine though the trailer tongue was quite a bit lower than I would have liked; Other then that, I just took it relatively slow and was careful, no problems whatsoever. Granted, a Liberty is a lot smaller than a Grand Cherokee...

[rocketman]

if you cant safely tow it,i would wait till you can rent everything to do it.sounds like you may want to invest in a truck and trailer.

[sinned]

To determine if a vehicle has a factory tow package just look for a FACTORY installed hitch, if it has one it has tow package. If there is no factory hitch than it does not have a tow package.

The Grand Cherokee is one of the best built vehicle on the road, period. It would have no problems towing a vehicle, the Liberty is something entirely different.

[BonzoHansen]

The u-haul by me wouldn't even rent me a car trailer because my K1500 wasn’t big enough. And the 4.3L was not involved in their decision.

[Ralph LoGrasso]

To determine if a vehicle has a factory tow package just look for a FACTORY installed hitch, if it has one it has tow package. If there is no factory hitch than it does not have a tow package.

Is this for mopars or everything? When my Dad bought his '04 F150 it didn't have a hitch, but had all the other tow package provisions (wiring harness, O/D lockout, etc.) He had a hitch installed and the truck tows decently? He toes 3,500 lbs a few times a week with it, and has towed my car before as well. It toes decently, but not as good as his old F250.


The u-haul by me wouldn't even rent me a car trailer because my K1500 wasn’t big enough. And the 4.3L was not involved in their decision.

Really? That's strange. They were going to rent me a car trailer (2 door tahoe), when I went, but they didn't have any at the time. Maybe the 33s and cowl hood made them think the truck was bigger than it is, haha.

[myclone]

Is this for mopars or everything?

I think it might just be a mopar thing since my chevy K1500 came from the factory with a tow package which included factory installed trailer brake/light wiring harness but no hitch on the back.

"Tow package" stuff to look for (generally speaking):

Receiver hitch (duh) with a 2" receiver tube.
Factory installed trailer brake/light wiring.
Wider rear drum brakes (usually a GM thing but may be ford/mopar too)
Engine oil cooler.
Auxillary trans cooler (not the one built into the radiator).
Warning stickers on sunvisors or other locations that warn you about towing in OD.

The easiest way to tell is to call the dealer with the VIN and have them check for you.

[rob07002]

Is this for mopars or everything? When my Dad bought his '04 F150 it didn't have a hitch, but had all the other tow package provisions (wiring harness, O/D lockout, etc.) .

You may still have the tow pkg even w/o the hitch. I bought a new GMC Z-71 K1500 in 93 with the tow pkg but it didn't have hitch. I belive the hitch and receiver and a few other things are dealer installed while the tow pkg is a factory upgrade....

[Ralph LoGrasso]

You may still have the tow pkg even w/o the hitch. I bought a new GMC Z-71 K1500 in 93 with the tow pkg but it didn't have hitch. I belive the hitch and receiver and a few other things are dealer installed while the tow pkg is a factory upgrade....

Yeah, his truck had everything but the hitch. Kind of odd that Ford would order it like that, but they said that they actually order a lot of trucks that way, and have the hitches installed afterwards. I'm not too fond of the way that truck tows, though; it tows no problem, but you can really feel the weight back there, especially when accelerating from a stop--I think it may have something to do with the fly by wire crap. My Tahoe is rated for less weight, but feels much better when towing. Time to step up to a diesel super duty either way, haha.

[69CamaroRacer]

Just thought I would give an update .... I think I have talked a friend into letting me borrow his 2004 F150. It has the tow package and is lifed about 2 in so I am sure it will pull the trailer... so no one here has to worry about me dieing on the hwy .. i'll keep everyone posted as to what it runs

[mpozzi]

Great news on the towing dilemma. Now go drive that sucker and have some fun!!!!

Mary Pozzi

[sinned]

I would VERY leery of any salesman who said you were getting a true trailer tow package vehicle without a factory installed hitch, not just Mopar, any domestic. Almost all trucks are built with the trailer wiring harness already as part of the build; it’s just cheaper to build them all the same as far as wiring goes. They all also include the trailing plugs as part of the sale regardless of the way the truck is configured. All trucks include O/D lockout, not just H/D applications. There a few things that only trailer tow vehicles get like auxiliary trans coolers, engine oil coolers, steeper gears sometimes and often a H/D transmission.

I buy about 30 trucks a year from Chevy and Ford as part of my duties as fleet mechanic/manager, I also spent 10 years as a line tech for Dodge, I have never seen ANY manufacturer offer a trailer tow optioned vehicle without the hitch, it only costs about 75.00 at dealer net, why would they leave only that one item off of an option package? I have also dealt with dozens of salesman who really didn't know any different, they figured like many that if it includes the trailer brake harness it must have a trailer tow option. :hammer:

[Ralph LoGrasso]

There a few things that only trailer tow vehicles get like auxiliary trans coolers, engine oil coolers, steeper gears sometimes and often a H/D transmission.

My pop's truck had the coolers, 3:73s (tow optioned trucks either had 3:73s or 4:10s, most regular had 3:55), not sure if Ford offers a H/D tranny or not. I do hear what you're saying though, most salesman have no clue what they're talking about. I was looking at an '02 SS on a Ford lot once (so I'll give the guy a break since he was a Ford salesman, but still), the guy pops open the hood to what is a completely stock LS1 and goes on to say "this thing's got the supercharged LS2". :lmao:

[6'9"Witha69]

As for Chevy's, there are 5 suspension packages, Solid Smooth Ride, Handling/Trailering and Handling/Trailering, heavy-duty, Z60 high performance (SS only) and Z71 (Off road). The trailering packages come w/ the hitch. The other differences are shocks (35mm v 36mm) and the spring rates. Tranny coolers are also added for trailering. This makes a very big difference in trailering capability as tongue weight compresses the rear suspension. If it didn't come w/ a hitch, don't expect to haul a lot. How much you can tow (factory ratings) vary greatly based on engine size and rear ratio.
Check your window sticker for the exact suspension package then figure out what you can haul. There is usually a chart in the driver's side door jamb which will tell you what your truck's ratings are.

[zbugger]

Just a little tip to remember when you're towing. I saw a good example of this tonight on the way home from our shop in Stockton. When you see there is something wrong with the trailer, saaayyyy like maybe some sparks coming off of it, SLOW DOWN!!!! Do NOT speed up to pass anyone and race over three lanes to get to the shoulder. It doesn't matter what you're towing with, but this is NEVER a good idea. ALWAYS slow down and then move over while continuing to slow down. The guy I saw tonight got lucky. Most of the overturned or lost trailers occur because of a dumb move like that. I think he stopped before he got to the guard rail, but I passed him, so I don't know. Moral of this story is, please use your head when you're towing anything. It doesn't matter what it is. Even if your trailer is on fire, move over slowly. It's not just for your own safety, but for the safety of the traffic around you.

Sorry, just kinda thought this little rant belonged here because of the advice being given.

[69CamaroRacer]

ok just in case anyone was wondering .... I was able to get an F150 and a trailer and I I made it safely to Orlando. The camaro is in Franks shop safe and sound and the truck had no problems. I averaged about 80 the whole way and made good time... I did on ocation find my self at 90 and immediately slowed down... I did however see a very scary site on I-75 that reminded me of how dangerous towing can be... I-75 north was backed up for miles north of Gainesville because someone had gotten into a wreck and jackknifed a trailer and spill their house hold goods all over the place. Their truck was smashed in in the front and the trailer was a total loss.... It was a grim reminder of what can happen..

[rob07002]

Glad to hear you made it safely.... Enjoy beating on your car!

[69CamaroRacer]

:1st: it will run 11's if I have to tie it behind another faster car to do it.....