Who blatantly tows a camper OVER 3500#?

[_olllllllo_]

I have a 2019 JLUR with just shy of 100,000 miles on it. It has a 3.5" RK lift, 35s, 5.13s, the 6-speed manual and I tow a 2700+ lb Off Grid Expedition 2.0 trailer all over the place. I have a Redarc Tow Pro Elite brake controller and do not have a weight distribution hitch and actually use max coupler so that I have maximum articulation when pulling the trailer off-road. I have been over 10,900 ft passes and have switched the grill inserts to the gladiator style to increase airflow and I also installed a Cold Case all aluminum radiator (big difference in cooling capability). I have pulled the trailer in 97˚ weather with the AC on up a 6% grade for 15 straight minutes and had no issues with temps. The oil runs a little higher than when it was stock, but I attribute that to the Dorman aluminum oil cooler housing.

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[Robnfl]

Have you tried the strap on mirrors that you can recommend? It looks like that is what I will have to go with. Then the next issue is there are a bunch of different ones to choose from and who knows what one works best and is of good quality.

These are the ones I bought and used last weekend: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVKCR2VS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
They worked ok, there is some vibration at highway speeds, but I could still see any vehicles that were along side of me. The best part is that I was able to remove them and then making sure I put them back on the same side, they didn't need to be readjusted. Of course they worked great for backing up the trailer.
I just noticed that those particular mirrors are out of stock, but there are a bazillion more available that are just like them.

 

[Robnfl]

The wife and I took our new (to us) 2021 E-pro 19fd on a shakedown trip a few weekends ago. The UVW is supposedly 3200lbs,, but I'm sure with all of our stuff (clothes, shoes, boots, food, tools...etc...) I was probably close to 4000lbs. Well, my 2021 Rubicon 3.0 Turbo diesel handled it better than I thought it would. With the Andersen weight distribution hitch I was able to level out the jeep and the TT perfectly. The anti-sway aspect seemed to work very well since the tractor trailers flying by me didn't cause much reaction in the Jeep or the TT. This is my third tow vehicle and TT combination and for whatever reason seemed to be as stable as my other pickup truck and TT combinations. Now, when it comes to the 3.0 Turbo diesel, all I can say is WOW! I very rarely travel over 65 while towing and I maintained that speed with ease on I40 headed west out of Knoxville. That stretch of highway is very hilly with numerous 1/2 to 1+ mile climbs at probably around 4% grade. The gas mileage going to the campground was an astonishing 18.7 MPG. On the return trip I was more comfortable with the setup and decided to see what the 3.0's 442lb/ft of torque could do. Before the up hill grades I accelerated to about 68ish and kept on the throttle to maintain speed, well it climbed all but the steepest incline at that speed and amazingly stayed in 8th (top) gear! My previous tow vehicle, a 2014 F-150 Raptor was unable to do that...plus it's towing mileage was between 6 and 7mpg. Of course since I was a little heavier on the throttle, the fuel mileage dipped to 16.5mpg.
So far I'm very satisfied with the wrangler turbo diesel and E-Pro combination.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Just be honest lol. I’m curious. Who tows over the limit, and by how much? I know you’re not supposed to, don’t need to lecture. I’m simply curious as to who all does it, in their experiences towing have been.

I you don't have a CAT Scale ticket, your guess does not count: Look at the CAT Scale ticket and you see my trailer I pull with my Glady and my JLR, 3060 lbs.

I got hooked up to my F 450 for the CAT SCALE ticket.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Here is the driver side mirror https://www.ebay.com/itm/324360741799
Passenger mirror https://www.ebay.com/itm/224214840633

I wonder how well these work??



These get some nice comments but the Ebay link no longer works. I believe that link is for some brackets?

Not worth a crap for towing. They're too far inboard.

 

[jaymz]

The majority of those items are along a "is it safe", not "is it legal". For instance, there is no law against having expired propane tanks, old tires, or solar panels affixed with tape. However, when you enter a state park (or any other private or controlled-access property), you have to follow whatever rules they put in place.

If they said, "Today is chicken day, and only people dressed as chickens may enter", then you'd better be looking like Foghorn Leghorn to get in!

Everytime I read a post like the one you're responding to, it makes me wonder -

Who the hell is "they", and what authority do "they" have to tell me what I can or can't do?

 

[00 Trans Ram]

Everytime I read a post like the one you're responding to, it makes me wonder -

Who the hell is "they", and what authority do "they" have to tell me what I can or can't do?

I was talking about the state park officials. "They" can say who does and doesn't get into a park.

 

[Whaler27]

I wish I’d maintained a crash-list to share, but I haven’t. Lots and lots of truck-RV-trailer combinations crash every year, even when they are well under the stated maximum for the vehicle, which is nearly always accompanied by an asterisk specifying every perfect condition required to achieve the max rating. (Weight-distributing hitch, proper balance & tongue weight, etc). At the maximum rating both the tow-vehicle manufacturer and the trailer manufacturer tend to be optimistic and rely on asterisks, caveats, and written warnings.

I have found RV manufacturers to be consistently “optimistic” about the weight of their trailers and other vehicles. The rating is supposed to be ”as equipped” but many are not. I have found many trailers and Class-C vehicles in particular over the gross vehicle weight rating, and often at or over the RV’s aggregate tire weight-carrying rating when water and holding tanks are near capacity. (As to Class-Cs, most were over-gross once an average family of four was inside. That’s without any food, clothing, toys, bikes, etc…)

Can you tow over-gross? Sure. People do it all the time, and most of them get away with it. Are you a gambler?

I used my little TJ to reposition a 5500 pound boat by my shop. But when it comes to the lives of my family members, the motoring public, and tow ratings, I discount the tow vehicles reported max tow capacity by 20%, and increase the reported trailer weight by 10%. If that gets the job done I know I probably have a decent safety margin.

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