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Towing a horse trailer

12K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Jim_in_PA 
#1 ·
I am looking at purchasing a new 2014 Diesel Grand Cherokee Limited for towing a 2 horse trailer. I am concerned that all though the vehicle is rated to tow up to 7400 pounds it will be very taxing on the transmission as I live in a pretty hilly area in PA. The horse trailer fully loaded should be around 6,000 pounds, but keep in mind horses move, and are not the typical standard steady trailer because of this. Also, the Jeep is has a shorter wheel base than other trucks out there used for towing. This will be my everyday car as well as my towing vehicle, so that is why I'm leaning toward the jeep and away from the truck. I know the diesel models are new, but does anybody have any experience towing a horse trailer with them or any insight into this?
Thanks!!
 
#2 ·
I have no experience with the new diesel, but for comparison I had a 2004 JGC with 4.7 HO engine that I pulled a two horse trailer with no problems here in the Denver area. My new 2014 JGC has the 5.7 Hemi which I haven't used to pull yet, but now that I also have a RAM diesel truck I won't need to pull very often. IMO the diesel should be fine, it has a 30 lb ft more torque which is better for towing. That's why the trucks like to show off their torque when it comes to pulling things. Plus you'll get way better gas mileage whether you tow or not.
 
#3 ·
The transmission used with the diesel is the same one used in the V8 Grand Cherokee and Dodge Ram 1500 with Hemi. It is much stronger than most transmissions found in other vehicles of similar size. The diesel GC should pull it without issue. I would suggest the Off Road Adventure 2 (ORA2) which gives you 4x4, Air Suspension, and Towing packages. The air ride is self leveling and many here say it helps with towing. The 4x4 helps get that heavy horse trailer out of a wet pasture.
 
#5 ·
All good here.
Tows with ease, two Arabs loaded. The 8sp ZF out of Germany is great.


 
#6 ·
You are going to come up against the "you need a one ton dually to tow a small 2h BP trailer" crowd. Get used to it...and ignore it.

That said, you do not want to tow a live load up to your vehicle's limit which I see you already acknowledge. If you choose a trailer with reasonable weight you should be able to keep things in the 5-6K range max and tow just fine. A WDH is a good idea and also recommended by Jeep for loads up in that range. While the JGC wheelbase is "only" about 115", that's still respectable for towing a smaller 2h BP trailer. And the vehicle weight is also up in pick-em-up truck range at about 5300 lbs.

I tow a 2004 Trailers USA Minuteman Sport 2h BP trailer with my 2012 Summit. (Hemi...diesel wasn't available then or I'd be driving one) The trailer weighs about 2200 lbs including the storage I installed. Our horses weight in the neighborhood of 1250 lbs each. So my load is under 5K with both horses. It pulls great. It stops great. (The latter is the most important part) Would I cruise the interstates constantly with this rig? No. But it's great for my needs which are largely local for trips to the horse park, local shows for my daughter and emergency use.

My rig...



 
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