Flat towing versus car hauler

[mojowrangler]

I purchased a blue ox towing system (got a deal on FB Marketplace and impulsively bought it because I know I can resell it for at least what I paid). I was hoping I could flat tow my Jeep using my Ram 1500, but there's a bout a ~13.5" difference between the Jeep's bumper mount points and the truck's hitch receiver. The tow bar warns that the towed vehicle hitch should be level or no more than 4" higher than the towing vehicle mount points. Without researching and measuring first, I assumed I could make up any difference with a hitch riser. However, hitch risers seem to only go up to about 10". I assume if I look hard enough that there are specialty risers I could use, but I'm also guessing there's a good reason I'm not seeing any risers over 10" (I assume it starts putting leverage/stress on the hitch receiver). So now I'm planning to pick up a car hauler (dovetail trailer with ramps). I see old/used car haulers that would work that are around $3K, while new the ones are around $5K+. I might pick up a new one today. While I'd rather not spend the money, hauling the Jeep on a trailer will put less wear and tear on it than flat towing and I won't need to remember to get the transfer case, etc. setup for flat towing (I've read/heard some bad stories about folks doing this wrong).

This is the trailer I'm thinking of getting (top of my list out of a few others I'm thinking about)...

https://murdocktrailers.com/inventory/cargo/details/936445/2024-PJ-C5-16-Dovetail

If anyone has advice on flat towing a lifted Jeep versus trailer towing (especially for this particular trailer), I would appreciate your insights. If it wasn't lifted, I think flat towing would be the way to go.

Some other details... I measured my Jeep from front bumper to rear spare tire and it's about 14', so this 16' trailer (including dovetail) should be big enough. I believe I measured tire width at 78" and the trailer would accommodate up to 83", so a little tight, but should be fine. The Jeep factory weight is around 3200 lbs. With all the modifications (lift, axles, etc.) I assume I'm around 4000 lbs or under. The trailer has a GVWR of 7000 lbs (2 3500 lb axles), so I'll double check the trailer weight, but it should be under 2000 lbs, leaving me with at least a 5000 lb payload capacity to work with. I'll offset the cost a little by selling a 5X10 utility trailer, which the car hauler can double as, and the blue ox tow system, but I'll also need to pick up some other things (straps, spare tire, etc.). I'm less worried about cost ($5K price point seems fair for a new car hauler), and more concerned about long term safety and usability. I'd consider picking up a bigger car hauler for other things, but I have small side yard I'll be storing this in and need to keep it under 20'.

I also consider a tilt trailer, but the dovetail design seems like it will be OK for my purposes.

 

[GenClorthoo]

I flat tow my TJ with a Ram 1500 on occasion. You can get a adjustable drop/raise hitch for the RAM to ensure the tow bar is close to level. Consider you need to have a break away brake cable for the Jeep and a wiring harness with diode so its tail lights work with your truck. I think there are some states where the Jeep either needs to have an auxiliary brake system or you can use a "brake buddy", both of which are costly. I don't but really should for safety alone. flat towing distances can cause odd tire wear on our expensive rubber and some of your drivetrain is turning all the time. Consider if the Jeep is broken in the drive train, you will be hard pressed to flat tow in some situations. You are also limited to being able to reverse when flat towing. You can reverse to a limited degree but really cannot maneuver well if you need to back onto a tight spot like with a trailer. You have to disconnect.

The only reason I flat tow is because I bought the Jeep already setup that way, had a good tow bar and cables already, and would be a bit of a pain to store a trailer at my house.

A trailer with its own brakes and solid tie down points is a much better way to go in my opinion.

 

[Bobsled84790]

A 16’ 7k trailer should work great if your jeep is under 5000 lbs.
If you ever intend on getting a Jlu with a lift and such a 18’-20’ 10k trailer would be better

 

[Harold&Cat]

With a trailer you know you can get it home in the event of breakage .

We have towed ours on a car hauler for over 11 years and 60,000 miles . Trailer tires and bearings are much cheaper . Also , the trailer comes in handy for other hauling needs .

 

[bucky]

I don’t flat tow any more. I find it easier to trailer, it allows me to bring extra supplies such as firewood and I can bring a broken vehicle back home. Personally I would go with a 10K trailer and go 18’. I question having the tires on the dovetail. Also I prefer to have the hitch mounted on a C-channel because it gives more options for height adjustment and hitch type. You’ll find other uses for a trailer once you get one.

 

[EWatauga]

With a 16' dovetail the tires will be on the flat part of the trailer. My TJ evenly balanced on my 16' dovetail puts the rear tires almost directly above the rear trailer axle. I would check to see if they possibly have an 8k version over the 7k just for less stress which is what I have. Also the link doesn't show if you have brakes on 1 or both axles, its highly recommended to having them on both axles.

I also tow with a Ram 1500 and its a bit of a balancing act in my opinion, if you get too big/heavy of a trailer putting a 4000lb Jeep on a 2500+lb trailer puts you pretty close the tow rating for a 1/2 ton. To me the 8k trailer option is good middle ground with a TJ and a 1/2 ton.

 

[mojowrangler]

I ended up getting the 16' dovetail trailer. I plan to load up the Jeep soon to figure out the hitch drop I need. I ordered some "Rhino USA Ratchet Car Tie Down Straps" to go along with it (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PRMGF2N?tag=wranglerorg-20). I think the only other thing I need right now is spare tire and mount. I would have gone with a bigger trailer if I had the room to store it at my house, but I don't. I have a cabin about an hour away with a lot more room for storing things like this, but it's not convenient.

 

[mojowrangler]

With a 16' dovetail the tires will be on the flat part of the trailer. My TJ evenly balanced on my 16' dovetail puts the rear tires almost directly above the rear trailer axle. I would check to see if they possibly have an 8k version over the 7k just for less stress which is what I have. Also the link doesn't show if you have brakes on 1 or both axles, its highly recommended to having them on both axles.

I also tow with a Ram 1500 and its a bit of a balancing act in my opinion, if you get too big/heavy of a trailer putting a 4000lb Jeep on a 2500+lb trailer puts you pretty close the tow rating for a 1/2 ton. To me the 8k trailer option is good middle ground with a TJ and a 1/2 ton.

I got the 7K rated trailer with a sticker that reads "The weight of cargo should not exceed 2,999 kg. or 5,068 lbs.". I'm just guessing for now on the 4,000 lb. weight of my Jeep ('97 TJ with 3.5" lift, 35" tires, Dana 44 axles, and some other aftermarket heavy stuff like bumper, wench, etc.). I think the stock curb weight was. 3,202 lbs. The door lists a GVWR of 4,360 lbs. (stock rating). So, I "feel" like a ~4,000 lb. guestimate is close enough until I get it weighed sometime (a good trick to doing this is simply to take something to the landfill where you have to drive up onto a scale where I live).

The trailer has brakes on all four wheels. For towing, my 2022 Ram 1500 Rebel has a towing capacity over 11,000 lbs.

 

[mojowrangler]

Here's what it looks like. I need to drop the hitch another couple inches. This is on a 2" drop, so I'll try a 4" drop next. It also looks like I need to add some air to the trailer tires. I don't have straps yet, so I'm not planning to take it for a "test drive" yet. I also might park it further back on the trailer to balance the weight a better.

 

[bucky]

Nice trailer. As you drive it on the trailer you will feel the weight shift to the tongue. 10-15% is what you are looking for. Your’s looks a bit too far forward. I put a paint dot next to my door so I can get mine is the same spot every time. Just a little trial and error to find the sweet spot.
Spend the money on a good ball mount and ball. I mainly use drop forged solid ball mounts from Curt. I use 1.25” shank gooseneck balls because they have the highest rating. It may be overkill for most people but most of my trailers are rated at 12K-18K. Always better to be safe.
4” and 6” drops in pictures.

 

[Harold&Cat]

Ours has a 20 foot deck which gives us extra storage . I also had to put a lift kit on it to keep the rear from dragging on steep driveways .

 

[Gilaguy23]

Do yourself a favor and keep an eye on the tire pressures and buy a spare. Running low psi at near max cap with todays fine imported tires can end bad, seen way to much of that. Nice trailer though. There always handy for so many things.

 

[RHanna]

Check out https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/

 

[mojowrangler]

Nice trailer. As you drive it on the trailer you will feel the weight shift to the tongue. 10-15% is what you are looking for. Your’s looks a bit too far forward. I put a paint dot next to my door so I can get mine is the same spot every time. Just a little trial and error to find the sweet spot.
Spend the money on a good ball mount and ball. I mainly use drop forged solid ball mounts from Curt. I use 1.25” shank gooseneck balls because they have the highest rating. It may be overkill for most people but most of my trailers are rated at 12K-18K. Always better to be safe.
4” and 6” drops in pictures.







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I have the exact same hitch with the 6" drop. I've got the 4" drop version of this on order. Right now, I have 6 or 7 hitches littering the bed of my truck, but none of them are "just right" yet. I'll eventually get this right! I've collected a lot of hitch hardware over the years from various types of trailers, but it always seems like I have to buy something new.

 

[mojowrangler]

Do yourself a favor and keep an eye on the tire pressures and buy a spare. Running low psi at near max cap with todays fine imported tires can end bad, seen way to much of that. Nice trailer though. There always handy for so many things.

Getting a spare is somewhere on my to-do list. I also need to figure out the best way to mount it on this trailer. The place where I bought it said they could help me out (sell me more stuff), but I've had to do this a few times in the past for other trailers.

 

[mojowrangler]

Ours has a 20 foot deck which gives us extra storage . I also had to put a lift kit on it to keep the rear from dragging on steep driveways .

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I've never heard (or thought about) putting a lift kit on a trailer. Seems like a good idea though. It's probably not as big a deal for the shorter trailer I got.

Nice looking setup. That's got to cost a fortune in fuel with that big motorhome pulling a 20' trailer with a Jeep on it. Looks like a great way to go though.

 

[Harold&Cat]

I've never heard (or thought about) putting a lift kit on a trailer. Seems like a good idea though. It's probably not as big a deal for the shorter trailer I got.

Nice looking setup. That's got to cost a fortune in fuel with that big motorhome pulling a 20' trailer with a Jeep on it. Looks like a great way to go though.

It's not too bad . The coach has a 5.9 Cummins and pulling the Jeep we normally get 10 mpg .
The lift kit was easy to install , it just puts the springs on top of the axle instead of underneath . Research showed that it could negatively affect handling , but I haven't really noticed any difference . Certainly helped with the rear dragging . You can't use it to haul low to the ground vehicles unless you can back it into a ditch to load , but not a problem with vehicles that have some ground clearance .

Our spare mounts on the passenger side of the trailer . I also carry a spare for the motorhome under the front of the Jeep laying flat on the trailer .

 

[Plumber1]

It's not too bad . The coach has a 5.9 Cummins and pulling the Jeep we normally get 10 mpg .
The lift kit was easy to install , it just puts the springs on top of the axle instead of underneath . Research showed that it could negatively affect handling , but I haven't really noticed any difference . Certainly helped with the rear dragging . You can't use it to haul low to the ground vehicles unless you can back it into a ditch to load , but not a problem with vehicles that have some ground clearance .

Our spare mounts on the passenger side of the trailer . I also carry a spare for the motorhome under the front of the Jeep laying flat on the trailer .

View attachment 568797

That’s an old YJ trick, spring over to get some free lift

 

[Harold&Cat]

You never know what you might use your trailer to haul .

 

[bucky]

If it fits it ships.