Towing Grady with Jeep

[nuclear]

Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it on the highway for that kind of distance.

I have a Land Cruiser with a higher tow cap. and a lighter boat (228) and I wouldn't want to drive it that kind of distance on the highway, flat or not. Just because you can (although even that is iffy in your case), doesn't mean you should.

 

[JM321]

I have a 2020 Freedom 235, these are my numbers. Boat: 4050 + 562 for the Yamaha F300. Water tank is 20 gallons = 167. Fuel 115 gallons = 725. Hardtop (got weight from the company that makes them for Grady) = 300. Gear / personal items = 200. Total is 6004 lbs. + trailer weight (aluminum bunk) 1200. Grand total 7204 lbs. Two points to consider, you need to add all the gear in the car other than the driver, that’s part of the towing capacity. The other is technically on most tow vehicles the max tow capacity is only accomplished with a weight distribution hitch set up properly. I tow mine with a Ford Expedition EL max tow capacity of 9200 lbs. equipped with a HD radiator & transmission oil cooler. In my opinion your borderline, but you’ll need to check the additional equipment your Jeep came with for towing and make a decision at that point.

 

[Hookup1]

I agree with SEASICK - plenty of boaters tow on the edge - manage it!

First question is how far are you towing and how frequently? I saw 10 miles occasionally further. Make sure its trailer is setup properly and test it. Check tongue weight and that the trailer is level when on the truck. Adjust accordingly. Not enough tongue weight is dangerous. Get a different hitch if the height is wrong. Try backing the trailer up with trailer connector off and make sure you have brakes.

I tow my 268 Islander from Cape May NJ to Islamorada and back every winter for the last 14 years. Same truck - 2007 Ford F150 with 9,000 lb towing capacity. Boat is 4,700 lbs, Yamaha F150's - 470 lbs each, trailer estimated 1,000 lbs, fuel usually light but lets say 75 gallons at 7 lbs = 525 lbs. Total 7,165 and with gear and household stuff its close to 9,000 lbs. 24 hours seat time, 1,300 miles, 9 mpg around 60 mph +/- 5 MPH, locked out of overdrive. A little slow getting up to speed but easy drive. You can almost forget the boat is back there.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

First question is how far are you towing and how frequently? I saw 10 miles occasionally further.

He said in post #13 that “the furthest I would travel is a 120 miles one way (mostly highway). The closest and majority of the time, I would travel 30 miles one way.” Almost 250 miles round trip in a vehicle that’s over its maximum towing rating is just an accident waiting to happen. Even the 60 mile round trip sounds a bit sketchy to me.

To the OP. You just bought, or are considering purchasing, what is I’m assuming an almost $200k boat, why not trade in the Jeep for something bigger that will tow it more easily and safely? Either that or maybe see if adding some airbags or something else to the Jeep will increase the tow rating for the vehicle. I’ve got a 2004 GW 228 Seafarer and there's no way that I'd be towing it more than a couple miles with a Jeep, and sure as heck wouldn't be doing 250 mile round trips with it. My tow rig is a 2010 Toyota Tundra 5.7L V8 which has a 10,000lb towing capacity and makes towing a boat that size quite easy to do, as well as safe.

 

[seasick]

Here is a display I found a few minutes ago. It is the only one so far that mentions Jeeps and I don't know it it is compatible with your vehicle. It is interesting though.

Interceptor OBD2 Single Gauge Jeep Wrangler JK 2007 - 2017

Monitor your critical vehicle sensors and data on a compact 2 - 1/16” gauge for countless mounting options using our selection of pods or 3rd party pods. Includes 6’ cable and many hardware configurations to customize the appearance. Simply plugs in the OBD2 port for most application and...

aeroforcetech.com

 

[Bottomfeeder]

In your initial post you stated a highway trip about 7-10 times a year. Assuming that’s the 120 one way, 240 RT. That’s a lot of towing , and you said “Safely”, let’s not forget about the family !
5-10 miles to a ramp ok.
Don’t listen to the “should be ok” or “the math adds up” and “ drive 45-50 “ on the highway ? That’s illegal!
short wheelbase vehicle with a heavy boat as pointed out “is an accident waiting to happen” I couldn’t agree more!
Get a crew cab 1/2 ton truck with a v8 or turbo 6 if you go Ford and be safe.
I tow a 225 with a 19 GMC Sierra 1500, 5.3 L and it does fine.
Good Luck !

 

[TopsulTime]

I didn't compare my 3/4 ton p/u to the Jeep. I compared my towing experience (near gross) to the topic at hand (near gross). Having those 2 compete head to head would be dumb...and I'm brilliant.

I also voiced "my opinion" based on my extreme perceptiveness and experience towing boats for the past 36 yrs that the max rating seems to always be a conservative rating. I didn't advocate to exceed the rating, only that being at the rating has never been an issue for me.

I understand there are many types of people out there. There are meek drivers and overly cautious that are unsure of their abilities, that ain't me.

 

[nuclear]

I didn't compare my 3/4 ton p/u to the Jeep. I compared my towing experience (near gross) to the topic at hand (near gross). Having those 2 compete head to head would be dumb...and I'm brilliant.

I also voiced "my opinion" based on my extreme perceptiveness and experience towing boats for the past 36 yrs that the max rating seems to always be a conservative rating. I didn't advocate to exceed the rating, only that being at the rating has never been an issue for me.

I understand there are many types of people out there. There are meek drivers and overly cautious that are unsure of their abilities, that ain't me.

I'd rather be overly cautious than potentially injure myself or others because I was at/near/over the limit and something happened that was out of my control.

Also, there is a difference between towing with an SUV and towing with a heavy duty truck and it has nothing to do with tow capacity, it's weight of the tow vehicle and length.

 

[BirdRock]

We towed our gulfstream with a 6 cylinder Toyota 4Runner many times. Only the 2 miles from ramp to house a couple times annually for service and deep cleaning. Wouldn’t suggest it for any lengthy drive at speed. Jeep should be ok.

 

[nuclear]

We towed our gulfstream with a 6 cylinder Toyota 4Runner many times. Only the 2 miles from ramp to house a couple times annually for service and deep cleaning. Wouldn’t suggest it for any lengthy drive at speed. Jeep should be ok.

So you were overweight by a decent amount and didn't drive very far. Good comparison.

 

[quantase]

Good thoughts everyone. I was hoping that the Jeep would be enough so I wouldn't have to look for another vehicle. I do love my HEMI V8 JEEP. I may have to consider borrowing from one of my friends his CHEVY Silverado 1500 with tow capacity of 7,600 lbs for the longer trips and use the JEEP for closer trips.

 

[nuclear]

Good thoughts everyone. I was hoping that the Jeep would be enough so I wouldn't have to look for another vehicle. I do love my HEMI V8 JEEP. I may have to consider borrowing from one of my friends his CHEVY Silverado 1500 with tow capacity of 7,600 lbs for the longer trips and use the JEEP for closer trips.

That seems awfully low for a 1/2 ton, what trim/engine does he have?

But yeah, for short trips you should be fine. I just wouldn't do long ones with the Jeep. Could always upgrade to the Grand Wagoneer.

 

[DennisG01]

That seems awfully low for a 1/2 ton,

Depends a lot on the model year, too.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I didn't compare my 3/4 ton p/u to the Jeep. I compared my towing experience (near gross) to the topic at hand (near gross). Having those 2 compete head to head would be dumb...and I'm brilliant.

I also voiced "my opinion" based on my extreme perceptiveness and experience towing boats for the past 36 yrs that the max rating seems to always be a conservative rating. I didn't advocate to exceed the rating, only that being at the rating has never been an issue for me.

I understand there are many types of people out there. There are meek drivers and overly cautious that are unsure of their abilities, that ain't me.

You could be the "best driver" out there in regards to towing but that doesn't mean you should negligently drive/tow something that's at or over it's maximum tow rating, especially for hundreds of miles. There are things like blowouts, mechanical failures, wildlife in the roadway and a bunch of other things that even the "best driver" won't be able to account for. I'm all for "pushing the limit" so to speak, but not when it's to this extreme or when it's extremely negligent/dangerous to do so, and especially not for potentially hundreds of miles. While I don't have 36 years of experience with regards to towing boats, I'd say I make up for it in terms of distance traveled with boats and trailers as I've done 3 successful cross country road trips for purchasing boats within the last 5 years. The first was roundtrip, the second two were one way but 12k+ miles of towing boats and trailers in 3 trips still wouldn't make me want to do what the OP, as well as others, are suggesting that he do. Especially with regards to the distance that the OP wants to drive of almost 250 miles roundtrip. At the end of the day, there's a reason why there are channels like "The Qualified Captain" on Instagram or YouTube that are specifically for people towing/trailering boats and/or are operating boats. It's because those people thought the exact same thing, that they were going to be able to tow something and that they would be just fine doing so. It's not worth the "30 seconds of fame" in my opinion to be on someone's YouTube channel...

 

[PointedRose]

to this extreme or when it's extremely negligent/dangerous to do so

I don’t think topsultime was suggesting this. He said that max ratings are a little conservative, which I agree with, the OPs Jeep would no doubt move the boat fine being right around or just under the max on flat ground. I also agree with you Mustang that pushing the limit for a couple hundred miles is not the best idea. OP has plenty of input from the crowd, let’s let it rest.

 

[Punchline Cap]

The one thing that might be of concern is your Jeep is a Trackhawk. Now I know it has more than enough horsepower but does it have a tow/haul mode for the transmission? Is it full time four wheel drive or on demand? Does it have a low range in the transfer case? I also think the suspension is set up more on the handling side than a typical SUV. My wife has a 2011 Hemi Jeep Grand Cherokee {not a Trailhawk} and I have a Fisherman 236 and I think it would be right on the borderline towing it. Good luck.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I don’t think topsultime was suggesting this. He said that max ratings are a little conservative, which I agree with, the OPs Jeep would no doubt move the boat fine being right around or just under the max on flat ground. I also agree with you Mustang that pushing the limit for a couple hundred miles is not the best idea. OP has plenty of input from the crowd, let’s let it rest.

"I didn't advocate to exceed the rating, only that being at the rating has never been an issue for me." is what TopsulTime said and which suggests to others, even the OP, that it's safe and ok to do just that. I don't ever suggest being at your maximum tow capacity or even going much over about 80% of it, especially for dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of miles. Also, per the OP's responses in both posts #13 and #31, it sounds like he's still quite unconvinced that his Jeep isn't up to the task at hand. Which to me is completely mind boggling, but I'll leave it at that.

 

[Fowl Hooked]

Avoiding the actual vs calculated weight debate because I've never seen or heard of anyone getting pulled over to be weighed and so I think, potential insurance issues aside, that it comes down to what you're comfortable with - my old Suburban was 'rated' for my lightly loaded 265 on its triple-axle trailer but I wasn't comfortable with how it drove, okay for the ten miles from home to the marina but no way I'd take it on a highway or interstate. Upgraded to a 3/4 ton diesel and have zero concerns, but there's a price tag there as Skunk mentions. What I would offer, regardless of tow vehicle, is to reinforce what DennisG01 stated and if you do nothing else, make the upgrade to EOH brakes.

 

[DennisG01]

I think this deserves repeating...

Trailering has nearly nothing to do with the skinny pedal and nearly everything to do with the fat pedal.

 

[TopsulTime]

Mustang - I stopped reading your response when I saw you misunderstood and/or misquoted me. I used the term "near gross" and you decided I meant "at or over it's maximum tow rating"

That's not what I meant or said, you are wrong.