Receiver hitch suggestions

DrDanger

DrDanger

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HEYYYYY!! I am so happy to be a part of the TJ community! So disclaimer, one of the reasons I bought my TJ was because I wanted to learn how to work on and upkeep cars(I am a civil engineer by trade so I have a mechanical disposition but no experience in the field).

I am currently about to graduate and I need to transport my stuff from school to my job out west. My plan is to rent a Uhaul trailer and tow my shit(roughly 900 lbs max). I need a hitch on my jeep and I ordered a highly recommended rear bumper+hitch off of extreme terrain. But now I am wondering if it is cheaper and easier to have Uhaul install a hitch for me(I recently found out that was a service they offered).

Any of you TJ veterans have any recommendations for me? I snipped a photo of the rear bumper+hitch I ordered.

1617316334158.png
 
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Where do you hook the safety chains on that bumper. U-haul may not rent to you without them.
 
InOmaha said:
Where do you hook the safety chains on that bumper. U-haul may not rent to you without them.
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Great question, I was planning on attaching them to the recovery hooks(i don't know if this is allowed) but that was my plan.
 
The safety chains won’t be long enough to reach the shackles.
An integrated bumper hitch is better than the ground clearance robbing pos UHaul sells.
On that note, Uhaul sucks. Buy a 4x8 or similar enclosed trailer new, use it, sell it for zero loss or a profit after the move.

This is rated to tow 5000#
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATNH1LY/?tag=wranglerorg-20

And....where are the pics?
 
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never monday said:
The safety chains won’t be long enough to reach the shackles.
An integrated bumper hitch is better than the ground clearance robbing pos UHaul sells.
On that note, Uhaul sucks. Buy a 4x8 or similar enclosed trailer new, use it, sell it for zero loss or a profit after the move.
Click to expand...
I've done that a few times, buy a decent used trailer with good tires, pack the bearings, & sell it wherever I ended up if I didn't need it. Not hard to break even on them & they sell quick.
 
Welcome to the community, Doc.

U-haul will not rent to you if you do not have a hardtop installed, so be aware of that fact.

Also, I would not trust anyone working at U-haul to do any work on any of my cars, certainly not with something like the installation of a trailer hitch.
 
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Some years ago (when I knew less!!) I had U-Haul install a hitch on my XJ. The hitch part worked OK but the adaptor for the lights ended up shorting out and killed the rear lights on then XJ. Had to rewire the rear lights.
Just my experience with U-Haul. Needless to say I won't be doing that again.
 
Welcome! I only have my Cert 4 in Civil but I mentor new grads all the time at work through years of experience, dont get locked up in road construction else you will just become a project manager for the first a few years :)
 
glowell222 said:
Welcome to the community, Doc.

U-haul will not rent to you if you do not have a hardtop installed, so be aware of that fact.

Also, I would not trust anyone working at U-haul to do any work on any of my cars, certainly not with something like the installation of a trailer hitch.
Click to expand...
So you cant rent with a softop? that's something I never really thought about.
 
I can confirm that uhaul will not rent a trailer if you have a soft top.
The pictured bumper is rated only for recovery according to Extreme Terrain. That would explain why there are no provisions for safety chains. A small 4x8 uhaul trailer weighs 850lbs empty. In stock form a TJ is rated to tow 2000lbs. You will need to subtract the weight of anything you have added to your Jeep from this number. A heavy bumper will just lower your load capabilities. I would personally just get a frame mounted hitch and install it. If you can turn a wrench the right way you will not have any difficulty. They can easily be found on FB marketplace or at a local junkyard if you want to save some $. Car-part.com is pretty good for checking inventories. I have personally thrown away 2 because I couldn't even give them away.
 
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Fishtaco said:
So you cant rent with a softop? that's something I never really thought about.
Click to expand...
I learned it the hard way-for safety reasons, they told me. I put my hard top on the Jeep and showed them the sticker on the hardtop right in the center above the rear view mirror that says something like: the top and doors are not meant to be safety devices to protect the driver and occupants.
 
Against popular opinion here. Smitty is the onLY aftermarket bumper with integrated hitch that I found. That HAS a certified tow rating.
FWIW, i’ve dolly towed a Honda CRV with no issues, and towed a 6x12 single axle enclosed with about 1500# of motorcycles/tools/cabinetry.
 
glowell222 said:
Welcome to the community, Doc.

U-haul will not rent to you if you do not have a hardtop installed, so be aware of that fact.

Also, I would not trust anyone working at U-haul to do any work on any of my cars, certainly not with something like the installation of a trailer hitch.
Click to expand...
Luckily, I have a hardtop installed on my TJ, and gotcha ill make sure to keep a close eye if I do end up renting from Uhaul.
 
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Fishtaco said:
Welcome! I only have my Cert 4 in Civil but I mentor new grads all the time at work through years of experience, dont get locked up in road construction else you will just become a project manager for the first a few years :)
Click to expand...
Luckily the company I'm going to work for is an international civil company so I'm not to worried about getting earholed due to specializing but thank you for the heads up!
 
06lj said:
I can confirm that uhaul will not rent a trailer if you have a soft top.
The pictured bumper is rated only for recovery according to Extreme Terrain. That would explain why there are no provisions for safety chains. A small 4x8 uhaul trailer weighs 850lbs empty. In stock form a TJ is rated to tow 2000lbs. You will need to subtract the weight of anything you have added to your Jeep from this number. A heavy bumper will just lower your load capabilities. I would personally just get a frame mounted hitch and install it. If you can turn a wrench the right way you will not have any difficulty. They can easily be found on FB marketplace or at a local junkyard if you want to save some $. Car-part.com is pretty good for checking inventories. I have personally thrown away 2 because I couldn't even give them away.
Click to expand...
Thanks man ill take a look.
 
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