LJ/TJ setup for towing?

[Haggis]

What do you folks use for your towing duties, rear receiver hitch or aftermarket bumper with built in receiver hitch? My LJ didn't come with the factory tow hitch and I don't really want to add a rear receiver and lose some clearance. I thought I'd mount an aftermarket bumper with the hitch, but there are few that are rated for towing. Now I know this has a lot to do with manufacturers limiting their liability and all that but what bumpers do you run that have held up good? Some look like the hitch is well mounted well others don't look they would support a storage rack let alone haul a trailer. Main use is to haul tag along contractor compressor (200 CFM) for work and maybe later on a offraod trailer. So far I'm leaning towards the Bestop Highrock rear bumper becasue it is rated up to 4500 lbs, though I'm not real sold on the looks. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[The Swiss]

What trailer/weight are you planning on towing?

 

[Steve Curren]

Mark, I have a 2005 Unlimited and I pull a fully loaded Chaser and I do mean fully loaded. I bought a bumper / tire swing from 4 WD, it is one they make themselves. I like it because it is strong, will stay in the open position and latches easily, also will take up to a 35" tire.

 

[jeepboyd]

the best bumpers i've seen and used for towing are the boxed tube ones. another thing to look for is the reenforcement brackets that go from the outside of the rear cross member to the side of the frame(gives you 10 1/2" grade 8 bolts to hold it all together instead of just 6). with that you should have zero problems towing what ever that jeep will handle. also check out A to Z fabrications , a friend runs thier bumper and it is STOUT !

 

[DevEmp]

I have a Jeeperman for my LJ, and although it hasn't given me any problems towing my fully overloaded CDN M101 trailer, I'm thinking I might change it out in the coming year. No structural issues or anything out of the ordinary, I'm just thinking there might be something else out there that's better for me. It's a great bumper otherwise, and even though Jeeperman is currently out of business, I think the Rockhard bumper is nearly identical except for the latch.

 

[kodiak1232003]

i don't know if they make one for our application, but i've always run a Uhaul hitch on my other rigs...usually around $130-160.00 installed


thats what i was planning on doing w/ mine, anyways...i don't like bumper mounted hitches(at least the one's i've seen) for three reasons

1. price
2. weight
3. mounting orientation

pro's for a hitch bumper
1. clearance...thats about it for me.

but some of the new "hidden" hitches come out RIGHT under the stock bumper location, so there goes the pro for a bumper style...lol

by the way, i've towed boats, trailers, and recovered stuck trucks with a Uhaul brand hitch and if install correctly, should
be the last one you buy.

 

[computeruser]

OK, I tow a lot with my TJ. Skidding logs, towing chippers (2500lb on the road, 5000lb off-road), utility trailer with landscaping materials, and lots of this towing is done off-pavement. All of this has been done with a round tube receiver hitch (Most are the same - hiddenhitch, uhaul, etc). The hitch mounts to both sides of the frame with three bolts per side and uses 1/4" plate in conjunction with the formed tube pieces.

I think that the primary consideration in selecting a hitch is that it attaches to the frame and not just the crossmember. If you can get a bumper that does that and is made of sufficiently stout material, then there is no physical reason why a bumper-based hitch setup couldn't be just as strong, if not stronger, than a commercially available hitch.

Do keep in mind that a bumper-based hitch may interfere with the operation of your rear door, tire carrier, etc., depending on ball height, trailer coupler/tongue design, and whatnot. I have a slight drop on my drawbar and will still contact the sparetire if the trailer is angled up relative to the vehicle, such as when the vehicle is headed uphill slightly and the trailer isn't yet; I have a 31-10.50 on the stock rear door setup, so an aftermarket setup would sit higher and afford more clearance.

 

[kodiak1232003]

http://store.uhaul.com/hitch_detail.aspx?id=3700

here's a link to the uhaul site...if it doesn't open, basically a class III hitch rated @ 3500lbs is 109.00 plus tax...this doesn't include installation which you can probably do yourself. if you go for it, i think that it's right around 40-60 bucks...

like i said, i've used and abused this brand of hitch and for the money, i think its a great value...

regards,
brian j.


haggis, just reread your first post...sorry didn't realize you weren't considering a hitch....oh well,lol.

 

[Lawrence]

Mark,

If you plan on towing an offroad trailer, I would suggest getting a bumper only instead of a bumper/carrier combo. The reason being is a lot less weight. I recently sold my Body Armor bumper/carrier and I was amazed at how much the rear end of my TJ came up. I now run a Hanson rear bumper with the spare on the tailgate and I am very happy with it, it “only” weighs 55 lbs and has beefy frame tie-ins. I just bought a Kimberley Kamper (1,900 lbs dry) and I don’t have any issues pulling it with the Hanson. Another good a light bumper is the Currie one. Regardless of your choice, make sure you have frame tie-ins.

Some people may have different opinions and prefer running a bumper/carrier combo for the ability to carry more stuff. The thing is that if I take the trailer it usually means that I go out with the family, and I prefer to spread the load on the trailer. If I don’t take the trailer, it means I am alone in which case I stuff everything in the back of the TJ.

I hope this helps.

 

[mightymike]

FWIW, I had a rear bumper/receiver/tire carrier combo from Big Daddy Offroad that was very well built, but I ended up not liking it after a while because it became a real pain to get anything out of or into the back of the jeep. The reason I bought the Unlimited was the utility of the extra space behind the rear seat and the new tire carrier made it a pain to access-one more step in a process that already involved opening the tailgate and unzipping the window. I'd recommend a replacement bumper/hitch with added recovery points.

 

[robert j. yates]

Another good a light bumper is the Currie one.

While the Currie is a nice bumper....for rockcrawling, it doesn't begin to stand up that well when used for towing. The receiver is physically to short and a standard size drawbar will need to be cut down in order for it to be secured with a hitchpin. There is also no provision for attaching safety chains to vehicle with this bumper. Additionally, the receiver is also rather flimsy as it is simply notched into the bumper and then seam welded.

To address those shortcomings, mine was reinforced behind the receiver with a piece of steel tube and a piece of 1/4" flat stock and that was then tied into a triangulated piece of 3/16ths flatstock extending out to the end of the receiver tube. This triangulated piece was also drilled with a 1" hole saw in order to provide attachment points for the safety chains.

I still get some *wobble* out of the drawbar but I am working on solving that as well.

 

[Haggis]

Thanks for the responce so far guys. Main towing will be for work, 1200# air compressor for my corn cob blaster. Also might tow our Fleetwood Evolution E1 (1580# unloaded about 2000# loaded) for local runs, the Ram is just much better suited for longer trips. I'm not really interested in a bumper/carrier combo since the LJ is my daily driver for work and it's a pain enough now getting chinking and stain buckets out of the back with the soft top let alone having to deal with a tire carrier (anyone got a good used hardtop?). I thought about just gettin a receiver hitch (hiden hitch probably) but as I was goin' aftermarket on the bumper anyway might as well get one that can tow and pay for one only one thing.

 

[Lawrence]

While the Currie is a nice bumper....for rockcrawling, it doesn't begin to stand up that well when used for towing. The receiver is physically to short and a standard size drawbar will need to be cut down in order for it to be secured with a hitchpin. There is also no provision for attaching safety chains to vehicle with this bumper. Additionally, the receiver is also rather flimsy as it is simply notched into the bumper and then seam welded.

To address those shortcomings, mine was reinforced behind the receiver with a piece of steel tube and a piece of 1/4" flat stock and that was then tied into a triangulated piece of 3/16ths flatstock extending out to the end of the receiver tube. This triangulated piece was also drilled with a 1" hole saw in order to provide attachment points for the safety chains.

I still get some *wobble* out of the drawbar but I am working on solving that as well.

In stock form, I agree. However, a while back I went down to Currie and talked to John about this. I asked him about towing with his bumper and he did mention that it would need to be braced in certain places and that a frame tie-in would be necessary, but he didn’t have any objections to accommodate my requests.

As far as the drawbar being cut down, I don’t think it is anything to worry about if your trailer is properly setup. With my Body Armor bumper, I had to cut a good chunk off the drawbar because it was hitting the gas tank way before it would line up to put the pin in. I never had a problem, even hauling ******** through the Mojave Trail and catching some air on a couple of dunes. The only reason I can see it being an issue is if you have too much tongue weight, putting unwanted leverage on it. Not sure if it matters, but I was running a solid drawbar and not a hollow one.

The Currie might be up to the task, depending on what trailer Mark ultimately decides to go with, which we don’t know yet. For me, I chose the Hanson because of its solid construction, its fairly light weight, its way to tie into the frame, and its shackle tabs.

 

[robert j. yates]

As far as the drawbar being cut down, I don’t think it is anything to worry about if your trailer is properly setup. With my Body Armor bumper, I had to cut a good chunk off the drawbar because it was hitting the gas tank way before it would line up to put the pin in.

The Currie might be up to the task....

2 things....a shortened drawbar due to a short receiver tube tends to move around in the tube and that is in fact what I am dealing with. The trailer has nothing to do with it as I can move the drawbar by hand in the receiver without anything attached to it. The trailer only magnifies that issue.

As for the Currie being up to the task...I am quite positive that the reinforcing that I did to mine make it a viable option for towing but if someone needed a towing bumper, then this one makes no sense to buy new as it needs to be modifed before being used....that is if Currie is unwilling to do it or else unwilling to do it for a reasonable sum of money.

 

[Haggis]

Like I said I'm leaning towards the Highrock bumber; Class three hitch, decent price and no modifications necessary. Eventually the plan is to get a M101 or the like for weekend jaunts. There have been times that my truck has been MIA and I've needed to tow and if I just has the LJ ready it would have saved me some time and money.