Towing your Jeep vs. Driving it

[JeepsySoul]

I'll be the unpopular opinion and say that I'm looking forward to towing my Jeep on a trailer we are borrowing from a friend to Moab this year (11 hour drive). Granted, we are bringing other things along on this trip that require our truck anyway, but even if we weren't I would still tow it. I'd love to be able to have my jeep be more comfortable on the highway for long trips, but the reality is that (1) its a TJ, and (2) this is the setup I have and can afford right now (and I love it).... so I'll enjoy the creature comforts of the pickup on the all-day drive and still have just as much fun.

That being said I still absolutely love driving my Jeep and if the trail destination is inside of 5ish hours, I'd drive it. But for those longer, vacation destinations... it just makes more sense to me to tow it.

 

[ababinili]

Besides the fact that I couldn't afford to buy a tow rig and trailer and still keep the jeep, I though the point of buying a jeep was to drive a jeep, not a truck.

I drove my jeep out to Moab from Houston within a week of getting the plates put on it and I am looking forward to doing it again in September with this group.

 

[Randy Tadevich]

For those worried about breaking something and not being able to get it home....I'm sure there are plenty of people on this forum, or just jeep owners that have trailers, who would be more than willing to help you get your rig home. If i got a call friend stuck somewhere from a breakdown, I would drop what I'm doing to get them home.

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[Jeep Bro 08]

How about if you break down say in somewhere like Rubicon trail and dint have parts to fix is it possible for someone to drag u out over big obstacles & up hill thats what i worry about being from Dallas being hung out far away would suck on a Sunday with nothing open

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[WJCO]

How about if you break down say in somewhere like Rubicon trail and dint have parts to fix is it possible for someone to drag u out over big obstacles & up hill thats what i worry about being from Dallas being hung out far away would suck on a Sunday with nothing open

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Probably more possible than getting a trailer back into that same location.

 

[jeffj]

I agree with the majority that driving your jeep, instead of trailering it, is the ultimate way to go. But I can understand both ways. I bought my jk in 2012 and did a 6000 mile tour from the east out west and did the rubicon trail and it was the best trip I have ever had. But back east there are more parks and we went through a bad spell where we had major breakdowns on three trips in a row. That being said, my goal is to build my jeep so it can take what I throw at it, because I love driving my jeep.


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[Ddays]

Last year I was on the fence bout driving vs trailering. After driving to Utah twice last year I can honestly say I will never trailer my Jeep. Its too much fun! The range is perfect (round 300 miles) so we stop for bathroom breaks often & walk round for a few minutes then climb back in & go. Gas is relatively cheap too. In fact we are now looking at a camping trailer to pull with our Jeep, not a camper to pull our Jeep around.

 

[NecessaryEvil]

The other thing that makes no sense to me is how much a tow rig + trailer costs. For the money, there's a LOT of quality parts you can buy for your Jeep to make it perform on the trail AND make it more comfortable and dependable.

My thoughts exactly! Plus part of the fun of owning a jeep is driving it on trips.

http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?33039-How-do-you-transport-your-Jeep-Cross-country

I was going to post the same thread. People need to learn the search function.


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[notnalc68]

Last year I was on the fence bout driving vs trailering. After driving to Utah twice last year I can honestly say I will never trailer my Jeep. Its too much fun! The range is perfect (round 300 miles) so we stop for bathroom breaks often & walk round for a few minutes then climb back in & go. Gas is relatively cheap too. In fact we are now looking at a camping trailer to pull with our Jeep, not a camper to pull our Jeep around.

I drove my 2 door, from Mississippi to Ouray, CO, or about 1350 miles, and loved it. The only problem I had, was the gears. 3.73 with 33" tires, really shifted a lot, when the elevation started changing.


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[black pearl]

I'm one that will drive the jeep wherever I need to to do what I want and I really only worry about breaking something after it's broken (I do carry spare parts) but I also have a small camper I pull on longer trips so if I do break at least I have a place to stay


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[Ddays]

I drove my 2 door, from Mississippi to Ouray, CO, or about 1350 miles, and loved it. The only problem I had, was the gears. 3.73 with 33" tires, really shifted a lot, when the elevation started changing.


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Yeah. mine was suckin' wind too going through Co on Rt70! Going through those mountains out Wes tare a bitch at times. I can see why so many guys do the V8 conversions out there.

 

[Lil Nasty]

I'll be the one odd ball. I plan to flat tow my jeep behind the motor coach but it's for a completely different reason. This allows me to bring the wife and dogs along while we see the country. It also allows her to stay at the rv while I go wheeling. She's not into adventure like I am.


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[ob_tj]

I will always pick to drive my jeep to every trail it goes on. I feel as if getting there is half the fun. Even if a 6 hour or however long drive is uncomfortable as all hell in my TJ.

 

[scrota76]

I'll be the one odd ball. I plan to flat tow my jeep behind the motor coach but it's for a completely different reason. This allows me to bring the wife and dogs along while we see the country. It also allows her to stay at the rv while I go wheeling. She's not into adventure like I am.


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I was going to ask about flat towing. I have a '14 JKU with a 3.5 inch lift. I also have a mid width dumper with the armor underneath which covered the frame. All the flat tow stuff I have seen I would have to remove that skid plate. I did see a pull bar that hooks to the d-ring mounts, but I worry that it would put to much stress for long periods of time on the bumper. How is your Jeep set up for flat towing. I would be pulling behind a motor home as well.

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[MR.Ty]

I was going to ask about flat towing. I have a '14 JKU with a 3.5 inch lift. I also have a mid width dumper with the armor underneath which covered the frame. All the flat tow stuff I have seen I would have to remove that skid plate. I did see a pull bar that hooks to the d-ring mounts, but I worry that it would put to much stress for long periods of time on the bumper. How is your Jeep set up for flat towing. I would be pulling behind a motor home as well.

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While you wait from a reply from Lil Nasty you can also PM Moochie. He also flat tows his JK behind an RV.

 

[deadguy]

Road trips I drive the Jeep. Off-road it's on a trailer. Piece of mind for me

Sent from a guy with a jeep

 

[LarryG]

I trailer when traveling in the Motorhome.


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[Moochie]

While you wait from a reply from Lil Nasty you can also PM Moochie. He also flat tows his JK behind an RV.

I use Roadmaster brackets like this: http://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdfinst/1429-3.pdf that bolt to the end of the frame rails. I also have a bumper skid mounted and it had to be modified to clear the brackets. The brackets also had to be slightly modified due to my LOD bumper. I use a Falcon 2 tow bar. This lowers the mounting hardware. The tow bar is not as flat as I would like but, it works. I'll attach some photos later.


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[Moochie]

This is the Roadmaster Falcon 2: http://roadmasterinc.com/products/towbars/falcon2.html. Mine doesn't have the piece, as shown in the photo, connecting the two sides together. It just attaches to the yokes shown in the previous link I posted. A supplemental braking system is also required.


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[wayoflife]

How about if you break down say in somewhere like Rubicon trail and dint have parts to fix is it possible for someone to drag u out over big obstacles & up hill thats what i worry about being from Dallas being hung out far away would suck on a Sunday with nothing open

Assuming whatever the break is can't be fixed, yeah, you can definitely drag someone out or have someone in your group head into town and pick up parts. Hell, I live close to the Rubicon and have had people from the forum contact me to bring parts and a welder that they didn't know they needed, out to them.

Probably more possible than getting a trailer back into that same location.

This ^^^^

I agree with the majority that driving your jeep, instead of trailering it, is the ultimate way to go. But I can understand both ways. I bought my jk in 2012 and did a 6000 mile tour from the east out west and did the rubicon trail and it was the best trip I have ever had. But back east there are more parks and we went through a bad spell where we had major breakdowns on three trips in a row. That being said, my goal is to build my jeep so it can take what I throw at it, because I love driving my jeep.

The money you would spend to buy a truck and trailer could EASILY pay for parts that you really need to help prevent "major breakdowns". Me, I'd be more concerned about breaking down 3,000 miles away from home than at a local off road park that's been having a "bad spell". But then, that's just me.

Plus part of the fun of owning a jeep is driving it on trips.

For me, it's the BEST part of owning a Jeep. If the only thing I were interested in was off-roading, I'd by a side-by-side and trailer it behind a high MPG car.

Road trips I drive the Jeep. Off-road it's on a trailer. Piece of mind for me

LOL!! Makes perfect sense to me. Drive a brick in the wind that gets crappy MPG for road trips but then trailer it to off road parks to give you PEACE of mind because you don't trust it. :crazyeyes: