Expo stretch- how much on a TJ?

[1speedlos]

The spectacular deal on the 'Mog I was looking at fell through, so I'm taking my TJ off of the market, and am going to go ahead with trying to make it expo-worthy.
A trailer of some sort is going to be a must, just for cargo capacity.
How much should I plan on stretching the wheelbase for a smallish trailer? Thinking of something homebuilt, but would also like to be able to pull a Casita-type camper if I come across one for more "civilized" trips with the wife.

Thanks for any input!

Los

 

[Trail Monkey]

IMO, dont touch the truck length, buy a used AT chaser.. youll be ready to go just about anywhere in the states.. and youll always have a nice trailer that is resaleable, and an un molested TJ..

 

[NOMADIC_LJ]

If you really want a longer wheelbase for stability, I wouldn't bother going to all the trouble of a stretch. Sell your TJ and get a used LJ. A LOT less headache and work with a nicer ride at the end.

 

[TOTJ]

I just got done streching a friend of mines jeep.
We used the arms and brackets from GenRight and there
4" stretch fuel tank and skid.
We also used a Black Dimond coil spring relocater, A Polly Performance
out boared shock kit and a Currie Rear Anti Rock sway bar.
And had the driveshaft built by High Angle Driveshaft.
It was alot of work and the parts were expensive.
I realy like the results. It rides realy well, It handles much better around
corners and flexes as well if not better then it did with a 4" short arm kit.
I would love to do this to my jeep but the expense I dont feel is worth the
benefits. On the other hand I will be out boarding the shocks, Installing a
currie rear sway bar and relocating my rear coils. Iam also thinking about
changing my rear control arms to Rubicon Expresses rear radius arms. After
I drove JK with the radius arms in the rear I think it will be perfect for
towing a trailer in the type of wheeling I do.
We have wheeled the jeep a little since the stretch and going up or down steep hills feel much more stable. Now he's looking at strtching the front a few inches.

 

[SGNellett]

Yeah, a wheelbase stretch will have minimal, if any impact on towing a small trailer. I know of several people who tow small trailers on a regular basis, myself included, with a regular wheelbase TJ. Now stretching the wheelbase for offroad capability is a different matter, or you could look into the AEV Brute package..:drool:

http://www.aev-conversions.com/products/brute/

 

[1speedlos]

Yeah, a wheelbase stretch will have minimal, if any impact on towing a small trailer. I know of several people who tow small trailers on a regular basis, myself included, with a regular wheelbase TJ. Now stretching the wheelbase for offroad capability is a different matter, or you could look into the AEV Brute package..:drool:

http://www.aev-conversions.com/products/brute/

How big of a trailer can you pull safely? We'd probably just be needing cargo room for camping gear, and to free up dog room.

That Brute frame stretch would be awesome! Ideally, I'd love to do that closeout and stretch, and do a flatbed/rack setup, kinda like this:

 

[smbisig]

How big of a trailer can you pull safely? We'd probably just be needing cargo room for camping gear, and to free up dog room.

That Brute frame stretch would be awesome! Ideally, I'd love to do that closeout and stretch, and do a flatbed/rack setup, kinda like this:

anymore info on that jeep?

 

[Lumberjack]

As far as pulling a small trailer a stock wheelbase tj would be fine... but I really like the stability my TJ got from a 15" stretch...


Since then I have lowered it 3" for more stability...(work in progress)

and to make it easier for me to get in and out(hip replacement in my future)

I had planned to add another 12" to the back for more cargo room and a nice RTT, something like this...

but this lousy economy has me just trying to get her back on road after a little spill in Moab a year ago.

The stretch was easier than I thought, total cost doing everything but the sheetmetal myself was under $700 bucks and the fun was priceless:wings:

Dennis

 

[alosix]

This guy has made a fairly cool brute setup:

Hope that image will work from the aev forums

if not:
http://forum.aev-conversions.com/showthread.php?t=803

FWIW though, I've had no problems towing with my TJ. Its on 35s and towing a 600lb (empty) M101 trailer. Pulled it across the country last summer to move out to CA. There were a few hairy moments, but I was way overloaded on both the Jeep and the trailer. I also had the trailer weighted wrong for most of the trip.

I'm not sure if an LJ is enough longer (wheelbase) to warrant the change. It would be useful for more space though. Now the JK Rubi I used to have (4door) was much easier to tow with.

I'd concentrate more on engine and transmission cooling as well as making sure the jeep handles well normally before worrying about stretching it.

Jason