Towing caravan with 3” IRO lift.

[rodxj]

Originally Posted by drover

To the last four posts......yep, yep and yep, couldn't agree more...........towing can be a bloody pain.

WG has a 350Kg ball weight, just found some tiny cracks where the cross member joins the rails which the hitch bolts onto, bugger here we go again. Previous owner towed a boat but no cracks when I bought it, my camper has about 100Kg ball weight. Just have to pull it all apart and have a look and drag out the Mig, will post piccies when I do the job in a couple of weeks time.

Hey drover, that ball weight of 350 kgs is crazy man!! If thats correct, no wonder those Grands are busting their arses around the country side. The JK 4dr petrol's only rated at 170kgs ball weight......................

[drover]

Thats what the Jeep Plate says on the towhitch, 350kg ball and I think 3500kg tow, the crd has a bigger tow limit than the V8 and I6.
I wouldn't like to put 250kg let alone 350kg on the ball, there isn't much there for the tow bar to bolt onto, only a bit thicker than a dog food can.

[itsstock]

Rodxj - man you beat me too it and your 100% on the money, 140kg max at the coupling.(from the "OWNER MANUAL")
Even on the door of my GC it got a sticker stating 227kg max ball weight(for the I6) even so its the same unibody as the V8.
The Manual also states 4% of the gross trailer weight is over the tongue.
3000kg max towing capacity = 120kg on the tongue

Still dosn't explain all of the crack's

Drover - look forward too seeing the pics, don't forget to disconnect the battery too.

[drover]

I had to go out and check my book in the WG and sure enough it says 140Kg, so I took a phot of the tow bar plate, this may be why they tend to rip the arse out of the odd jeep.
and yes I know it's the rating for the towbar not the vehicle.

I just wouldn't put anything near that weight on the back of any vehicle that only has a pretend chassis. Still a great vehicle though.

[pmac]

Originally Posted by itsstock

Ill go out on the limb here Pmac (Boys load your guns ready to shoot)
Sounds like a alginment or steering problem could be the underlying reason.
Yes the load distribution or angle or the hitch will be playing a major part in making the problem worse.

Twitchy steering??
When going straight(with no trailer connected) is there much play between getting the car too steer left to right? If yes check ur draglink TRE's or steering box adjustment.


I thought longer LCA's gave you more caster(positive), dosn't this give you better straight line tracking.
What did they set your caster at?

I had a wheel alignment when I got tyres and adjustable LCA's a few weeks ago. Had it re done today as well. Also brought castor back a bit in line with IRO's specs. Was 6 degrees. Now 5 on left and 4.5 on right. Toe in was about 2mm out, but now zero. Still feels similar though.

Mechanic thought that it was the back that was creating the issue. It was twisting around at times. Hasn't worked out problem yet, but maybe bushes on rear UCA's are stuffed allowing axle to move slightly out of alignment in comparison to body of car. Ever heard of this before?

Never seemed to do it when I had road tyres and original lift though, but lift can supposedly cause a heap of other things to become apparent in a Jeep.

[pmac]

Further to the above, I was driving today down the highway trying to think of what was happening so I could describe it. One of the best analogies is its like driving a Mitsubishi Express with a strong cross wind. The slightest movement in the steering wheel and it reacts as if a cross wind has hit you. Also when going round a sweeping bend at 110, rather than turning in and staying, you have to keep on adjusting the steering input, maybe 3 or 4 times to keep within the lane.

Any chance this could be the steering dampeners? I have the original as well as the IRO high mount one.

[Matty05]

Originally Posted by pmac

I had a wheel alignment when I got tyres and adjustable LCA's a few weeks ago. Had it re done today as well. Also brought castor back a bit in line with IRO's specs. Was 6 degrees. Now 5 on left and 4.5 on right. Toe in was about 2mm out, but now zero. Still feels similar though.

Mechanic thought that it was the back that was creating the issue. It was twisting around at times. Hasn't worked out problem yet, but maybe bushes on rear UCA's are stuffed allowing axle to move slightly out of alignment in comparison to body of car. Ever heard of this before?

Never seemed to do it when I had road tyres and original lift though, but lift can supposedly cause a heap of other things to become apparent in a Jeep.

I know the feeling Pmac.

I have the same suspicion that the rear sometimes tracks different to the front. Could be the stock control arms?????dunno
As for the twitchy steering my jeep is no different to my VZ SV6 commodore.