Class 3 Hitch Recommendation?

[BoiseJL]

2025 Rubicon JLU with all the necessary hardware to tow 5,000 lbs.
Looking at purchasing a 3500 dry weight trailer and want to replace the hitch with a Class 3 (or 4?) 5,000 lb Hitch.
Can anyone recommend a good one?

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[LazyJL]

https://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2025_Jeep_Wrangler+Unlimited.htm

 

[ZeoBandit]

Question: If the Jeep is equipped properly to tow 5,000 pounds, then why replace the hitch? It should handle 5,000 pounds already.

 

[BoiseJL]

Question: If the Jeep is equipped properly to tow 5,000 pounds, then why replace the hitch? It should handle 5,000 pounds already.

For some stupid reason, the hitch included by Jeep is only a Class 2.
I have NO idea why. I had to triple check that myself.

 

[Eischman]

2025 Rubicon JLU with all the necessary hardware to tow 5,000 lbs.
Looking at purchasing a 3500 dry weight trailer and want to replace the hitch with a Class 3 (or 4?) 5,000 lb Hitch.
Can anyone recommend a good one?

Class 3 will be fine (8,000#GTW) class 4 you will never pull with a Jeep anyway (12,000#GTW)

 

[Eischman]

For some stupid reason, the hitch included by Jeep is only a Class 2.
I have NO idea why. I had to triple check that myself.

I just looked at my build sheet and same, class 2, and I have the diesel!

 

[BoiseJL]

I just looked at my build sheet and same, class 2, and I have the diesel!

Stupid, right?! It's like putting plastic bumpers on a Rubicon. Who'd do that?!

 

[WXman]

There's already an identical thread to this.

The short answer is that if you look at many of the "Class III" hitches on the market you will notice they are constructed EXACTLY like the OE hitch. Go browse through eTrailer dot com's selection of hitches and see for yourself. Pay close attention to the actual construction of each hitch, where the bracketry is, how they are welded ,etc. You'll quickly notice that some "Class III" hitches are built in a much less robust way than some of the "Class II" hitches. And, there are some rated Class III that look identical in design and construction to the OE hitch.

After seeing all of this for myself, I elected to keep the OE hitch in place.

 

[BoiseJL]

There's already an identical thread to this.

The short answer is that if you look at many of the "Class III" hitches on the market you will notice they are constructed EXACTLY like the OE hitch. Go browse through eTrailer dot com's selection of hitches and see for yourself. Pay close attention to the actual construction of each hitch, where the bracketry is, how they are welded ,etc. You'll quickly notice that some "Class III" hitches are built in a much less robust way than some of the "Class II" hitches. And, there are some rated Class III that look identical in design and construction to the OE hitch.

After seeing all of this for myself, I elected to keep the OE hitch in place.

I searched but obviously missed that thread.
And I agree about the Class 3 being almost identical to the Class 2. In fact, almost all of them only have 3,500 lb capacity, which means it's really a Class 2, right?
That's why I was asking for recommendations... I suppose I should have been clearer.

 

[WXman]

In the Towing section of the forum there are several threads on this. Page 2 right now has a couple of really good threads.

If I was buying a hitch through the aftermarket, I would look for one in which the bracketry and welds surround the receiver tube. This will give the most strength. Examples would be the Blue Ox, Curt Model #C63FV, and Mopar factory hitches. I would NOT purchase the eTrailer house brand, the Curt Model #C13392, or the TowSmart brand hitches which do not surround the receiver tube with welded brackets.

If you already have the OE factory hitch on your JL, then you already have the strongest hitch available for this vehicle.

 

[LazyJL]

In my Etrailer link above, the Blue Ox hitch is stout. We installed one on my brother's Jeep, and it is much beefier than the Factory hitch on my Rubicon.
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hi...mited/2025/BLU33UR.html?VehicleID=20256020251

 

[Apples491]

The bottom line is, the class ratings are about more than the hitch itself. Vehicle length, suspension, and various other factors play into it. The Wrangler has traditionally sat at a Class II rating, 3500lbs. Recently with the full float rear axle, that has been bumped up to 5000lbs.

I personally think the OE hitch specifically is a Class III hitch but the rest of the factors above have required derating it so somebody doesn't just assume the Wrangler can handle Class III towing.

And that gets at the crux of the issue, legality and insurance. If your Rubicon is sporting a full float axle and is documented as supporting 5000lbs of towing capacity, I would say trust that the OE hitch is rated appropriately for that use case. More importantly, that's the CYA if something does happen and your insurance questions whether you should have been towing something that heavy.

Installing an aftermarket hitch could call into questions around installation and capacity, so if you go that route make sure you have the documentation to prove it.

 

[WXman]

Just a reminder that the Jeep Gladiator does not get the full floating rear axle, and yet it has a 7,650 lb. towing capacity.

I think when the 2024 JL refresh happened, two of the things they updated were the rear axle on Rubicon and the towing capacity on Rubicon, SEPARETLY, and a lot of media outlets assumed wrongly that the towing capacity was a product of the new axle. That's not the case. The reason Rubicon got the towing bump is because Rubicon is the one that has the 4.10 axle ratio and no 35" tires, making it most suitable for the change, and a ton of people simply had been begging for more capacity to handle a camper, etc.

And the end of the day, the full float axle has nothing to do with the bump in towing capacity. I'm glad they made the change though, it was long overdue.

 

[Snowjeep]

this is what I bought for my 2025 JLURX that for whatever reason didn’t come with one from Carvana dealership. This is what I added.

https://www.roughcountry.com/product/receiver-hitch-1051

 

[Apples491]

Just a reminder that the Jeep Gladiator does not get the full floating rear axle, and yet it has a 7,650 lb. towing capacity.

I think when the 2024 JL refresh happened, two of the things they updated were the rear axle on Rubicon and the towing capacity on Rubicon, SEPARETLY, and a lot of media outlets assumed wrongly that the towing capacity was a product of the new axle. That's not the case. The reason Rubicon got the towing bump is because Rubicon is the one that has the 4.10 axle ratio and no 35" tires, making it most suitable for the change, and a ton of people simply had been begging for more capacity to handle a camper, etc.

And the end of the day, the full float axle has nothing to do with the bump in towing capacity. I'm glad they made the change though, it was long overdue.

The Gladiator is almost 2 feet longer with a completely different rear suspension.

Also, you're saying Jeep set the Rubicons tow rating at 3500 for 6 years, just because? No.

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