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Towing Weight Question

runningforyou

runningforyou

Well-known member
I know the GCL with 5.7L V8 can tow 7,200 lbs. I'm looking at a 24 foot boat with trailer that would weigh right at 7,200 lbs including boat, trailer, motor, gear, etc. My question is how accurate is Jeep with that towing weight capacity? Is jeep under estimating or over estimating their capacity? Any advice is appreciated.
 
FlyingAvocado

FlyingAvocado

Well-known member
The question I have been asking to determine if the ratings are inflated or not is if the tongue weight plus gear, supplies, and passengers is within limits of the vehicle.

If you subtract the tongue weight from the vehicle's max payload (which varies by model) you will end up with a reminder max payload weight for all your supplies and driver/passenger. If it's under that, you should be good.

With regards to the tongue weight; you want to try and have at least 15% under. I'm not certain this applies to boats as much as it does for travel trailers, but it seems like a good rule of thumb to me for safety reasons. This is to say, if the max tongue weight for your vehicle is 750lbs, you really want to try not to exceed around 650lbs. As you suggested, most manufacturers *grossly overstate* this capacity. In my opinion, the GC and GCL are one of the very few SUVs on the market today which on paper appear to actually be able to tow what they claim.

I am still waiting for my GCL, so I can't say without question that it's not going to be any issues, since I haven't had first hand experience yet. I am interested in hearing what others have experienced. Nevertheless, if the max GVWR of the boat/trailer is 7200 lbs and the payload calculations are within safe limits, it's should be fine. If this is a trailer/boat you already own, it probably would be wise to take it to the scales if you haven't already. Also, if you expect to tow at higher elevations, the naturally aspirated engine regardless of size will show it's age.

Hope this helps!
 
C

cosmo

New member
runningforyou said:
I know the GCL with 5.7L V8 can tow 7,200 lbs. I'm looking at a 24 foot boat with trailer that would weigh right at 7,200 lbs including boat, trailer, motor, gear, etc. My question is how accurate is Jeep with that towing weight capacity? Is jeep under estimating or over estimating their capacity? Any advice is appreciated.
Click to expand...
7200 lbs is listed as the max, but it's a good safety idea to reduce max weight by 10% for long distance hauling. Also, its not so much towing as it is: having to suddenly stop with a 7200 lb load pushing from behind. If the trailer has adequate hydraulic surge breaks its safe to pull near the max load. If you get a weight distributing hitch assembly, it makes it even safer. I was once rear ended by someone pulling a big boat with a big SUV at 35 mph, with no brakes on the trailer. Its very dangerous to pull anything over 3500 lbs without trailer brakes. If for some reason you have a trailer with electric breaks, they now have brake controllers that plug into the 7 pin receptacle, and are controlled by a phone app. From what I've seen, the GCL does not have an installed brake controller, so the 7 pin plug-in controller is a nice option, or you can install an after market controller under the dash.
 
B

bricci1013

Member
If you plan on towing this boat often I would honestly be looking at a truck. You will beat the shit out of it over time towing at max capacity. My boat is 6000 pounds total with trailer and fuel. I have the 3.6 with tow pack that can tow 6200 but I only will need to tow it 2x per year to get in the water then pull out at end of the year. I usually borrow my dads truck and feel much safer doing so. Just nice to have the ability to tow if needed but would not have bought the L to tow at max capacity all the time
 
S

saleen032

Well-known member
FlyingAvocado said:
The 2 row Grand Cherokee has one, but I've read they don't offer it as a factory installed option.

2018-2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailer Brake Control 82215834AB | Mopar Estores

2018-2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailer Brake Control 82215834AB
store.mopar.com store.mopar.com

This part isn't listed as compatible with the GCL for whatever reason.I have no idea why they don't offer this on the GCL yet... It would be really nice to have it fully integrated.
Click to expand...
www.ebay.com

2021-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Electronic Trailer Brake Controller OEM Mopar | eBay

Mopar warranties their parts for 24 months/unlimited miles. Warranty does NOT cover altered, modified, tampered, or abused parts. Mopar warranties are also VOID once sent international. Genuine Mopar OEM Parts!
www.ebay.com

This dealer lists it as good for the 2021 L's, and if you look through the actual instructions, they show the L' interior. So I would suspect it works with the L's BTW, I installed a RedArc brake controller that looks very similar to the Mopar one....
 
M

MotownBob

Well-known member
For boats , tongue weight should only be 5-7 % , NOT 10-15 that is for trailers. Because of a boats engines, a high amount of weight is located near the back of the boat .





A.Transom should be flush with the end of the bunks/rollers to make sure that tongue weight calculation is correct.
B.To determine proper tongue weight, total the package weight (boat with fuel/battery, motor with maximum horsepower, and trailer) and multiply it by 6% on single axles and 5% on tandem axle trailers. ShoreLand'r suggests that tongue weight may be acceptable in a 5-7% range.
  • Example:
Boat with fuel and battery
2,000 lbs.​
Motor
500 lbs.​
Trailer
900 lbs.​
Total Weight
3,400 lbs.​
Single Axle Figure
x 6%​
Tongue Weight
204 lbs.​


3c1.jpg

 
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