Towing capacity & Manual vs Auto Thoughts

[MrShifter]

Hi all! New to the JL forum as a die-hard JKU owner, but the time has come for me to make a move.
I love my 2015 JKU: Sport, manual everything, but upgraded to 4:10s, 33s, stereo w wireless CarPlay, added hitch and harness, and recently had it tuned up with new front axle, front driveshaft, and brakes. I tow a 1436 Jon boat build that it pulls fine.
While I’ve put a lot of $ into it, and would love to keep it, I will be looking to get a larger boat in the next year or so … it is currently only rated at 2000lbs.
My question is for this if you who will tow, or have towed in the past with your jeeps.
I am seriously torn between the 3500 tow rating and keeping the manual vs the auto v6 Rubicon at 5000lbs.
Any boat upgrade will be a bass or bass/ski (18-20ft) and single axle trailer. My best guesstimates are that I will either be pushing the high end at 3500 (~3000-3200lbs) or have wiggle room with the auto at 5000lbs. I would really love to keep the manual and have looked at both the Willys (3.73 I think) or Rubi (4:10).
Thought? Experiences? I might look to tow up to a few hours away for bass tournaments a few times a year. Thanks in advance!

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[Heimkehr]

@MrShifter
Welcome to the forum, Chris.

If there's any chance of flirting with the vehicle's maximum rated tow capacity, as seems to be the case regarding your planned boat purchase, do seriously consider buying a vehicle that has towing capacity to spare. In this example, 5K vs. 3.5K.

I'm well under the limit of my JLU's 3,500 lb. tow rating, but this was a settled matter before I selected the Jeep.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Hi all! New to the JL forum as a die-hard JKU owner, but the time has come for me to make a move.
I love my 2015 JKU: Sport, manual everything, but upgraded to 4:10s, 33s, stereo w wireless CarPlay, added hitch and harness, and recently had it tuned up with new front axle, front driveshaft, and brakes. I tow a 1436 Jon boat build that it pulls fine.
While I’ve put a lot of $ into it, and would love to keep it, I will be looking to get a larger boat in the next year or so … it is currently only rated at 2000lbs.
My question is for this if you who will tow, or have towed in the past with your jeeps.
I am seriously torn between the 3500 tow rating and keeping the manual vs the auto v6 Rubicon at 5000lbs.
Any boat upgrade will be a bass or bass/ski (18-20ft) and single axle trailer. My best guesstimates are that I will either be pushing the high end at 3500 (~3000-3200lbs) or have wiggle room with the auto at 5000lbs. I would really love to keep the manual and have looked at both the Willys (3.73 I think) or Rubi (4:10).
Thought? Experiences? I might look to tow up to a few hours away for bass tournaments a few times a year. Thanks in advance!

I have a ski boat and will use my 2dr manual Rubi to pull it from cottage to launch, which is < 2 miles.

Single axle trailer with surge brakes, and there's ZERO chance I could safely stop if going highway speed.

I use our Yukon XL to tow it on real roads.

Jeep's short wheelbase is awesome for maneuvering down the launch and for parking the trailer, but that's it. Soft suspension is terrible for real towing.

Oh, I have an ACT clutch. I would never tow heavy with the stock clutch.

To each his own, but I think Wrangler is a terrible choice for towing anything beyond a utility trailer. Plenty of guys here will post pictures and say I'm wrong, but IMO they are just rationalizing.

If you're married to having a Wrangler, consider the JT.

 

[MrShifter]

Thank you! Can anyone confirm if the manual Rubi with 4:10s will be rated for 3500 or 5000?

 

[MrShifter]

Thanks! Unfortunately can’t do the JT due to length and a driveway off an alley.

 

[SavannahAL]

I recently had a thread on wanting to purchase and tow a boat up to 8 hours away.

I was looking for a dory cabin boat in the 18-21ft range (extremely hard to find).
My Wrangler is a 2022 Sport with the EcoDiesel, auto, and factory hitch, so different than yours.

Nevertheless I found the comments helpful and overall feel confident that I could handle a boat in that size.

Savannah AL

 

[MrShifter]

I recently had a thread on wanting to purchase and tow a boat up to 8 hours away.

I was looking for a dory cabin boat in the 18-21ft range (extremely hard to find).
My Wrangler is a 2022 Sport with the EcoDiesel, auto, and factory hitch, so different than yours.

Nevertheless I found the comments helpful and overall feel confident that I could handle a boat in that size.

Savannah AL

Thank you for sharing! Do you know the approximate weight of the boat and trailer you were looking at? Also, do you have a link to your thread by chance? Thank you!

 

[Thunderjet]

Hi all! New to the JL forum as a die-hard JKU owner, but the time has come for me to make a move.
I love my 2015 JKU: Sport, manual everything, but upgraded to 4:10s, 33s, stereo w wireless CarPlay, added hitch and harness, and recently had it tuned up with new front axle, front driveshaft, and brakes. I tow a 1436 Jon boat build that it pulls fine.
While I’ve put a lot of $ into it, and would love to keep it, I will be looking to get a larger boat in the next year or so … it is currently only rated at 2000lbs.
My question is for this if you who will tow, or have towed in the past with your jeeps.
I am seriously torn between the 3500 tow rating and keeping the manual vs the auto v6 Rubicon at 5000lbs.
Any boat upgrade will be a bass or bass/ski (18-20ft) and single axle trailer. My best guesstimates are that I will either be pushing the high end at 3500 (~3000-3200lbs) or have wiggle room with the auto at 5000lbs. I would really love to keep the manual and have looked at both the Willys (3.73 I think) or Rubi (4:10).
Thought? Experiences? I might look to tow up to a few hours away for bass tournaments a few times a year. Thanks in advance!

The stock 2024 Willys comes with 4:10 gears.

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