Tow capacity for Jeep Wrangler Pickup Truck (JT)?

Might be tough though? JKU's towing capacity is 3500 lbs. JKU Sahara weighs about 4400 lbs. So towing capacity has to go up by almost 1000 lbs.

Hope they do it though... I'm just imagining a JT in front and JK in back.

 

Keep in mind towing capacities in US are always understated for liability reasons and to make FCA lawyers sleep better at night.

The JKU towing capacity is listed as 3500 lbs in US but guess what it is in Australia? 4400 lbs! And it's the same car made in the same plant in Toledo.

So real world towing capacity will be much higher than what's actually published for the US JT pickup.

 

This number needs to go up significantly if the JT is going to compete with other trucks. 4,000lbs is depressingly pathetic.

 

2017 Toyota Tacoma Towing Capacity: 3,500 lbs
2017 Chevy Colorado Towing Capacity: 3,500 - 7,000 lbs
2017 Honda Ridgeliine Towing Capacity: 3,500 - 5,000 lbs

My guess is it will be on par with those, the diesel will get similar to the diesel in the Colorado around 7,000 lbs and the base V6 around 3,500 lbs. The Grand Cherokee with the Eco Diesel is at 7,500lbs

 

The Tacoma can pull up to 6,400lbs if it gets the tow package. And seeing as how virtually all V6 mid-size trucks average a towing capacity of 6-7k, the JT should at least match the competition.

 

Impressive # for a midsize pickup. WHat's in the towing package that almost doubles the Tacoma's towing capacity?

 

The 3,500 lb capacity for the 2017 Tacoma is for the 4 cylinder option. The V6 with Toyota's "Tow Package" looks to be between 6,400-6,800 lbs. All this info was taken from the 2017 Tacoma brochure

 

So "tow package" includes different engine. Same transmission?

 

6,800 lbs with the V6 is impressive. I bet it wouldn't be fun to tow 6,800 lbs with the V6 though. That motor isnt much better then the wrangler's 6

 

I'm surprised that 278hp / 265 lb-ft can tow 6800 lbs. But gives me hope that the Jeep JT can achieve 6000+ lbs tow capacity too.

 

The XJ was rated for 5,000lbs towing and it was only putting out 190hp / 235 lb-ft with the 4.0L I6. The Pentastar puts out 285hp / 260 lb-ft. With a full frame, heavier duty axles and powertrain, plus longer wheelbase and bigger brakes, it still baffles me as to why the JKU is only rated at 3500 lbs towing (or even 4400lbs in AUS). A Grand Cherokee with the same engine (and the 8sp transmission) can tow up to 6200 lbs.

Given that the Tacoma will be the JT's primary competition I'd be really surprised if Jeep doesn't at least come spitting distance of the Taco's towing and payload capacity.

 

The Export Wranglers with tow package come with the Big Brake kits, so that's one aspect regarding the AUS vs USA.
However as I mentioned in the diesel/transmission thread, it's not the power of the Engine that's the limiting factor. When asked if the AEV Hemi conversion would improve towing, they replied that it was still limited by other components.

As I mentioned in the other thread the Pentastar in the RAM 1500 can tow much more, 7,650 lbs (quad/8spd/4x2) giving back 200lbs for 4x4, and that's using the 3.55 axle ratio, not even the 3.92 that the EcoDiesel can be equipped with. With the same configuartion with the 3.55 axle the EcoDiesel is rated for 8050lbs, only 400 lbs more than the Pentastar. Who knows what the Pentastar could do on the same 3.92 axle/setup of the EcoDiesel.

So it's definitely more than just the engine holding things back.

 

So sounds like it's the axle ratio that's makes the biggest difference in tow capacity and the reason the JK tow capacity is so low because of its high 3.21 axle ratio?

Any idea how much more higher tow capacity the JK would have if it used the Ram's 3.55 or the even higher 3.73 that JK owners often upgrade to?

 

Not exactly, but partially. As you noted, the JK/JKU actually has higher available ratios than on the RAM with 3.73 & 4.10 options from the factory in addition to the base (efficient) 3.21 , and if you get the tow package on any JK it comes with at least the 3.73 ratio, but the max towing capacity doesn't change in the Wrangler when going from 3.73 to 4.10, meaning the limiting factor is outside that component.

As I meantion in the AEV comment it's a bunch of other things holding it back (suspension components, frame tollerances, etc) also including the brakes, which the Euros can upgrade to the Big Brake Kit. However if you max out all the stock Mopar bits available in the 'build & price' section or in a FCA build sheet ordering directly from the factory, you're likely still topping out at the 4,xxx lbs mark, not getting anywhere near the Gand Cherokee max towing numbers, let alone a Ram.

Which components exactly are holding it back is not widely known, but that the military J8 version has both higher payload (2,500lbs) and towing (7,700lbs) numbers gives us an indication of possible clues. The J8 has a Euro 2.8L CRD diesel, leafs springs instead of coil-over suspension, and a D60 axle instead of the D44, so those likely play a role. Though the diesel alone doesn't offer that type of a boost to Eruo Wranglers, so it's the other components that open up the increased capacities. The suspension impact can also been seen in the Power Wagon, which has noticeably lower capcities than the Ram 2500.

 

The tow rating on the JKU has intrigued me for a long while.

If you look at how the vehicle is built, it's basically structured the same as the Ram 2500. Ladder frame, solid axles, heavy duty automatic transmission, deep axle ratios, etc. The wheelbase is on par with midsize 4x4s like the Tacoma, Frontier, etc. Mechanically, there is NO reason why they straddled it with that miserable 3,500 lb. limit.

So then you think, ok, what is it? Is it the body? Places like U-haul won't rent large trailers to convertible owners because of safety issues. Is it the fact that on the JKU, the receiver hitch only bolts to a horizontal crossmember, rather than bolting down both frame rails like on every other truck? There's something about the body/design that's causing the low tow rating. It's not a mechanical/drivetrain issue.

 

The other theory is that they don't want to canibalize sales of the other models. They tout the Grand Cherokee as a heavy tower. That's why it's always had V8 power as an option.

I guess the point is, as long as the Wrangler is convertible, uses only a crossmember to attach the hitch to, and is placed under the Grand Cherokee in terms of power, we can likely expect that towing capacity will not increase much for the JL, JLU, and JT...if it even increases at all.

 

Agree with all that, except for the mention of power. Plus the JT will be a different animal, because it has to be, even to be considered at the adult table instead of at the kiddies table with the Subaru Baja, etc.

The engine has little to do with the Wrangler's limits, it tops-out elsewhere long beforehand. The Pentastar can tow twice as much in other applocation as it does under the Wrangler's current limit. So, mentioning 'power under a GC' doesn't add up when the difference in towing capacity in a GC between the Pentastar and all other options is just 1,000 pounds and starts 2,700 lbs above the Wrangler in US spec, while the export Grand Cherokees put the Hemis in the same tow rating as the Pentastar with only the diesel getting the bump. And in 2012 the Pentastar and 6.4L Hemi had the the same tow rating too, all pointing to other bottlenecks even there. And while I mention the RAM's axles being low ratio at 3.55, the GC is even lower at 3.45, so they definitely are putting efficiency over capability, as seen by the usual Hemi's ultra low 3.09 also, the SRT gets a nice 3.70 but somehow tows just as much as the 5.7 with a lower ratio... again denote it's not a power thing.

So how much is REALLY the engine, versus other physically limiting components plus those aspects/features held back for marketing reasons, which I agree definitely plays a role in this. It probably shouldn't play as big a role since they are so different, but that's business analysts for ya'.

Something FCA needs to consider is that if they continues to cripple the Wrangler's capabilities then stop making and showing marketing material like the image above implying any type of serious capability in towing. Don't show it towing more than a seadoo or pop-up tent trailer, and even then... just don't.

Either improve the capabilities or stop implying it's capable, and you can't get away with that crap in the truck market with a weak JT, they will eviscerate and mock it, and it will never recover from that kind of launch.

 

Sorry for bringing an old post back to life, but first time posting. I've been a mopar guy for a bit now when choosing a truck. First with an 03 Dakota, then an 08 Dakota. I've been following the Jeep Wrangler pickup with much interest. There are 2 things I use my truck for, plowing and towing. I've almost considered the new Colorado, as it can tow 7,000 Lbs and still carry a half ton plow on the front since the FGAWR is rated well enough.

I've noticed the overseas versions of trucks (Hilux, Ranger, etc) are all rated higher with more compact footprints. Something the Wrangler will probably have. I think all signs point to the Wrangler and Wrangler pickup being pretty capable. Some of the concerns about suspension design for off road capabilities are true. But I suspect similar to the Rubicon versions, the truck will have more off-road capable suspension options at the cost of capacity to towing or axle capacity.

One thing I am curious to know from the group here is what has the news been on release dates, and especially with the diesel engine and if it makes it. Seeing how FCA is under scrutiny with regards to the EcoDiesel, and GM seems to be the only name in the game right now, does it look like the diesel option will make it?

Thanks guys.