Specialty Build Thoughts

Bubba45

Bubba45

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Ok, so here is the plan. As some of you know already, I am looking toward purchasing a 1997 to 2003 TJ soon. I have some very specific requirements for my daily driver though that I need you alls help with please?

My TJ will need to be a factory 4.0 to deal with pulling a 6'x14' trailer with my 6x6 Ranger to clients farms and ranches for property showings. That will equate to the TJ pulling a trailer about 3-6 times a month or so on average for an average of say 40 to 90 miles per trip. That being said, I would also like to have a capable TJ that will handle a good amount of wheeling as well as highway traveling. So I want a quality lift with 33 or 34 inch tires and plenty of room for suspension travel. What are you alls thoughts with the best way to accomplish this type of build? And are there certain factory options I should be looking for in a TJ purchase? Will I truly need a 44 rear axle or is a Super 35 going to handle the trailering stress as well as the wheeling since I will be on 33" to 34" tires max?

Any of you alls thoughts will be much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
 
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Do you know what your combined trailer plus Ranger weight is? As @Steel City 06 mentioned, the TJ maxes out at 2000 Lbs and, although the LJ, thanks to its longer wheelbase, is rated at 3500 Lbs, that's really kind of pushing it; mostly due to the brakes. A big brake kit would go a long way to fixing that issue, though.
 
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Electric over hydraulic disc brakes on the trailer with an independent controller in the TJ/LJ is a very good idea. With a 3500 lbs trailer (almost the weight of the LJ) and a perfect big brake kit, the stopping distance will still be almost doubled without trailer brakes, due to the limit of tire traction.
 
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Sounds like a job for a half ton pickup, not a TJ, probably not any wrangler, although I believe a 4door JKU or JLU would be a better match for what you're wanting to do. Is there a reason you need a Jeep to pull this trailer due to access or something? I couldn't imagine lifting it, adding 33's, then pulling a trailer with a ranger on back. Too much rolling and wind resistance, too short of wheel base, and lack of towing and safety features to be safe IMO. By the time you purchase a TJ (let's say 10k) then upgrade things (I think it'll take another 10k, lift, tires, brakes, gearing, suspension, transmission, steering, etc) you're going to end up with a $20k TJ that won't pull half as good as a $10-15k half ton truck. JMHO
 
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Im certain a TJ, even with a 4.0, is NOT the right choice. Get a truck that is designed to tow a trailer that often.

A 4.0 makes 180-190 horsepower and 220-230 ft lbs of torque...and in addition to the fact, you are adding bigger tires, its just not the best choice.
 
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jjvw said:
What about an LJ?
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An LJ would be great, and honestly my first choice for this type of task. However our main concern about using an LJ is with coming up with the excess money it takes to find and purchase a nice LJ at this point.
 
TJ Hunnicutt said:
Do you know what your combined trailer plus Ranger weight is? As @Steel City 06 mentioned, the TJ maxes out at 2000 Lbs and, although the LJ, thanks to its longer wheelbase, is rated at 3500 Lbs, that's really kind of pushing it; mostly due to the brakes. A big brake kit would go a long way to fixing that issue, though.
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TJ, the combined weight would be about 2,200 lbs; so I am seeing that this setup will not be possible in a safe configuration with a TJ. I may have to look into the possibility of trying to locate a nice LJ.

In reply to you and Steel City 06 thoughts, I do plan on a solid trailer brake set up. I used to haul over the road and I have had trailer brakes save the day multiple times, on top of obviously being much easier on the tow vehicle.
 
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I am going to try to reply with this and address what everyone has said thus far.

Cornbread, I do not need a Jeep for access, it is simply what I am choosing to buy and want to drive again.

Fouledplugs, I do agree it is not the absolute best choice, but it was something I really wanted to be able to do. I have often wanted to build a Jeep with an overland style trailer. Probably planted in my head from my dads military years and all the playing around I did on Army Jeeps with cargo trailers attached to them when I was a kid.

With that all being said, I will end with this. I was hit in the rear end by 2 vehicles a few months back in my truck. I am waiting on the insurance company to settle the vehicle damage claim, my truck is most likely totaled from the wreck. I have felt the desire for about a year to start a ministry based around Jeeps and off road because it is something I have loved through the years. We do not want to get off into debt over an extra vehicle or even another daily driver for me; so I simply want to change what is my daily driver and use the insurance settlement to purchase a Jeep. My truck was paid off and had been for a couple years. So while I really pretty much need a 4x4 truck for work; I do not want to go that route again unless I am forced to.

To sum it all up, thank you all for reading this thread and replying with your honest thoughts. I do apologize that I missed the trailer towing thread somehow before I started this thread. I also apologize that I did not realize the 2,000 lb towing capacity limit on the TJ before I posed the best way to build this question. I do hope you all have a great week and happy trails!
 
A jeep could definitely pull something smaller like an overland trailer. I want to build one for mine in the future. There are plenty of threads on this and other forums about small trailers.

Perhaps purchase a jeep for daily and fun and an older beater truck for heavy towing?

Extreme base model pickups (used) can be had for like 5k. My base model F150 is rated to tow at 5000 lbs. Just doesn't have any options though. 2WD, crank windows, no CD player, base V6 engine, etc.
 
Steel City 06 said:
A jeep could definitely pull something smaller like an overland trailer. I want to build one for mine in the future. There are plenty of threads on this and other forums about small trailers.

Perhaps purchase a jeep for daily and fun and an older beater truck for heavy towing?

Extreme base model pickups (used) can be had for like 5k. My base model F150 is rated to tow at 5000 lbs. Just doesn't have any options though. 2WD, crank windows, no CD player, base V6 engine, etc.
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That is what I was trying to stay away from unfortunately, having to run 2 vehicles and the extra expenses involved with that type of set up. I work rural real estate and therefore work with many farmers and ranchers with large acreages. Most of them are not cracked up about you bringing a modified off road vehicle like a Jeep to traipse around their well taken care of place in. Hence me still wanting to use my Polaris UTV for showings and such. But most of them also do not really like you showing up in an older, beater truck either; it seems they tend to gauge your success by what you show up in. Most of the larger acreage hunting places and sellers I deal with do not seem to mind the Jeeps as much for showings. But farmers and ranchers can be pretty set in their ways and thoughts. All in all I am going to have to figure out a way to balance this all out. I do greatly appreciate all of the thoughts and ideas.
 
It sounds like a mildly and tastefully built JKU would do the job, rather than a TJ and a UTV.
 
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That I can understand.
Then it sounds like an Unlimited, such as the LJ (TJ Unlimited) or a later model like the JKU may be best for you. The LJs were manufactured from 2004-2006 and are a TJ with 10” of extra wheelbase and 5” of extra overhang. The only difference in the vehicles that changes the towing capacity is the wheelbase. The drivetrain does not limit the towing capacity, except in the case of the 4 cylinder Jeeps.

The LJs also come only with the Dana 44 rear, which would be more suited to extended towing.
 
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Does the UTV need the capacity to haul 4 people? Could you scale down the UTV to something lighter with smaller trailer?
 
I am surprised by the UTV requirement. There was a time before UTVs when rural property needed to be shown. It was probably done with a pickup truck or an SUV.
 
To address the current thoughts, yes there was a time when pickup trucks were the normal vehicle to show farms and ranches. However there are still many times that rain keeps us from even showing in UTV's, although there are much fewer times when we cant show due to wet weather since we primarily use UTV's nowadays. Plus even in dryer weather, a UTV makes much less of an imprint in well manicured hay fields, and they are usually much easier to get across unimproved waterways.

There is no "requirement" per se about how to show properties or what to use. I am real estate broker, affiliated with the oldest rural property agency in the U.S. and it is mainly just how each of us choose to handle our business. The Polaris Ranger could be downsized to a regular Crew Cab, but it won't save much in weight over the 6x6. It is not that I can't run a tastefully modified Jeep for my work; it is simply that there are times when I could potentially lose business simply because our vehicle might be seen as aggressive for the farmers liking. Kind of like showing up to a potential farm listing in a Nissan Titan or a Honda Ridgeline will not gain you any positive points with a farmer or rancher. lol. Most of them are old school and it's a lot like hanging out with bikers who grew up with Harleys.

A JK would be great, except for the higher cost to purchase one, which simply is not in the budget currently. An LJ/TJ Unlimited would also be outstanding, and that was actually my first thought when considering all of this. But again there is a higher cost of purchase, and a lot less of a quality inventory available. I am not against traveling to buy the right Jeep and I am currently searching south Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona craigslist ads at this point.
 
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That’s understandable. First impressions mean everything.

As long as you aren’t looking for something rarer like an LJ Rubicon, you should be able to find an LJ that fits your needs within a reasonable cost. Seeing as you are in the southern US, rust free Jeeps should be relatively easy to come by.
 
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