Mild trail rig that can tow?

k1n3k

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Joined
Sep 10, 2022
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12
Location
Utah
I'm looking at starting to tailor my TJ more to my needs. The goals for this build are not super typical, so I'm not 100% on what direction to go.
The goal is to build a reliable daily driver/weekend warrior build that will be towing a trailer on the trails. The trailer will be below 2000 pounds, just basically going to carry the tent, the propane, and an auxiliary 12 volt system. We will tow the trailer to the camp spot, then unhitch it and go explore, or we'll pull it through some mild trails. So I've been weighing a few options and because of the towing aspect and just wanting to run mild trails, and wanting good road manners, I'm seriously considering just a 2.5" lift, some good short arms, dual rate springs, highlines, 33's or 35's, a selectable locker in the rear 44, possibly some chromoly shafts in the front 30, and either a np241 OR or an atlas.
my thoughts are a larger tire will give a better footprint to pull, and more sidewall to air it down. I don't need really any more break over clearance for the trails I run, especially while pulling something. Keeping it low keeps the short arms at a better angle for the on-road ride quality, and the highlines give the fender clearance needed to make it work without rubbing. It does need to be able to be at full flex at full lock with minor or ideally no rubbing.
Now with that all said, I am debating if the 30 up front is still going to be sufficient, or if it would be worth the coin to just pony up and get a rubi 44 especially pulling a load and having some better t-case gearing. Both axles would need to be regeared anyway. I think 4.88 gears or even 5.13 gears because of the towing. Also questioning if going to a long arm wouldn't be good just for the articulation. Keeping the wheels on the ground would help it pull the dead weight without stressing only one axle shaft when twisted up.
Thoughts or suggestions? everything is totally open and i'm not dead set on anything, not even it being a jeep. so if you have a thought or concern, lets hear it!
 
You don't need to stay with small lift height like 2.5" to keep the arm angles low for a good ride, not even 4" or 5" lift heights create a steep arm angle that could make the ride stiffer. And I would recommend a 3" plus 1" body lift for 33's and a 4" plus a 1" body lift for 35's since you will be offroading. 2.5" is only enough for 33's if the TJ is pretty much a street rig.

This is my control arm with a 4" Currie suspension, you can see its angle is not even close to being enough to cause a stiff ride. In fact my TJ has an excellent ride on the highway, so good my Lexus-driving wife even commented how well it rides on a long drive out to the desert while towing my 16-1700 lb. (loaded weight) pop-up tent trailer.

Control Arm 1.jpg


This is my pop-up tent trailer...

20181012_181433_resized.jpg
 
Since you are in Utah and you have some good grades to navigate I would also focus on brakes. Even though you do not legally need brakes on a lite trailer. I personally like having electric brakes because with a short wheelbase vehicle such as a TJ there are times when things get squirrelly it’s nice to be able manually hit the trailer brakes to get back in control. Fortunately the PO of my LJ put in a good quality brake controller.
 
I would recommend a 3" plus 1" body lift for 33's and a 4" plus a 1" body lift for 35's since you will be offroading. 2.5" is only enough for 33's if the TJ is pretty much a street rig.
The 2.5" lift was intended to be used in conjunction with highlines, and NO bumpstop extensions. The goal isn't so much clearance as its traction and gearing. So with the highlines and 33's would that still be able to clear at full flex and lock? The aversion to lifting it is that entails more chainsaw work to clear the low logs and branches my friends slip under. They're driving samurais with a small lift so as is they already fit places I don't, and my sammi isn't going to tow a trailer any time soon either. With the need to carry 3 people, a dog, and gear the little zuk just isn't up to the task. So I'm in the TJ with a 2.5" lift and 31's. It handles the trails fine as is without needing to winch a ton, but I doubt I could drag a trailer up some of the hills. Some 33's aired down and lockers would solve that though, and some gearing just helps when it gets more technical.
The other thought here was in regards to axle strength. I know the 30 in the front isn't the most indestructible unit, but I've been reading that it should survive fine with a 33" tire. How about with a selectable locker and a rubi/atlas t-case? the rear is a 44, no worries there. Would the front be better off swapped out to a 44 or just run the 30?
Since you are in Utah and you have some good grades to navigate I would also focus on brakes.

Yeah, the trailer is getting electric brakes. My main thoughts were I didn't want to have it pushing me down hills in the mud or shale.
if an auto, then definitely trans temp gauge and probably an aux cooler. If possible, consider the same tire/wheel combo for trailer as the rig. That way it’s just one spare to keep the load light.

Its a manual. Thats part of why I was looking for lower gearing in the t-case. I had a doubler in my samurai that bumped my final crawl ratio to 131:1, and my buddies are running a 6.5:1 gearset in their t-cases. So the stock transfercase in my sport isn't well matched to their rigs. But the tire thing is also planned as well. the axle has the same 5x4.5 lug pattern and the fenders will be built to match whatever is on the jeep when I build it.
 
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