Towing basics... NEED HELP PLZ

**69CamaroRacer** · 03-22-2006

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...

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**sinned** · 03-22-2006

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** · 03-22-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

Hell of a lot cheaper than a wrecked Jeep.

**69CamaroRacer** · 03-23-2006

true!!!

**jy211** · 03-23-2006

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

**rob07002** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

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

**JoshStratton** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

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

.

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** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-23-2006

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** · 03-24-2006

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** · 03-24-2006

Originally Posted by dennis68

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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** · 03-24-2006

Originally Posted by Ralph LoGrasso

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.

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Towing basics... NEED HELP PLZ