Towing my automatic TJ with a JLU and a 2/4 wheel dolly / trailer?

jsfoster75

jsfoster75

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
May 2, 2021
Messages
103
Location
Bluff City, TN
I'm towing my TJ with Automatic transmission home today from the frame repair shop. It's about a 35-40 mile drive on back roads and I'll be pulling it with a 2018 Wrangler JLU with 2.0L 4cyl.

Question: Should I rent a 2 wheel dolly/trailer (I only have a 4-pin connector on my JL) and if so, is it okay to put the front tires on and leave the TJ in Neutral or should I put the rear wheels on and tow it in reverse?

or

Should I rent a 4-wheel dolly/trailer and not be able to connect the wiring to the trailer??

Thanks in advance. :)
 
Last edited:
jsfoster75 said:
I'm towing my TJ with Automatic transmission home today from the frame repair shop. It's about a 35-40 mile drive on back roads and I'll be pulling it with a 2018 Wrangler JLU with 2.0L 4cyl.

Question: Should I rent a 2 wheel dolly (I only have a 4-pin connector on my JL) and if so, is it okay to put the front tires on and leave the TJ in Neutral or should I put the rear wheels on and tow it in reverse?

or

Should I rent a 4-wheel dolly and not be able to connect the wiring to the trailer??

Thanks in advance. :)
Click to expand...
What are you putting in neutral?
 
I could be mistaken but I don’t think they can be towed on a dolly. I tow mine flat. Transfer case in neutral, transmission in gear.
 
I understood the OP to mean this is probably a one-time thing to get it home from the shop, and may not want to purchase the tow bar and lights as a long term investment.

U-Haul rents car hauler trailers with surge brakes, so only a 4-pin connector is required. For a 35-40 mile one-time tow a 2-wheel dolly should work fine also. U-Haul rents those and I believe they have surge brakes so only require a 4-pin connector.

Jeep officially warns against 2-wheel dolly towing, due to the fact that the rear driveshaft would be spinning and the front would not. However plenty of members on this and other Jeep-related forums report many, many miles with lockout front hubs which would do the same thing, or driving with the front shaft removed for diagnosis or repair.
 
Farmergreg said:
I could be mistaken but I don’t think they can be towed on a dolly. I tow mine flat. Transfer case in neutral, transmission in gear.
Click to expand...
It is a very common misconception that you can't dolly tow with the reason given that the t-case will not respond favorably to the rear half turning and the front half being static. That is until you point out the thousands of TJ's running around with hub kits and the front hubs unlocked with zero ill effect.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rasband
rouxbicon said:
I understood the OP to mean this is probably a one-time thing to get it home from the shop, and may not want to purchase the tow bar and lights as a long term investment.

U-Haul rents car hauler trailers with surge brakes, so only a 4-pin connector is required. For a 35-40 mile one-time tow a 2-wheel dolly should work fine also. U-Haul rents those and I believe they have surge brakes so only require a 4-pin connector.

Jeep officially warns against 2-wheel dolly towing, due to the fact that the rear driveshaft would be spinning and the front would not. However plenty of members on this and other Jeep-related forums report many, many miles with lockout front hubs which would do the same thing, or driving with the front shaft removed for diagnosis or repair.
Click to expand...


Awesome, thanks, you assumed correctly. Although I don't mind purchasing them if they aren't a ridiculous price...
 
Thanks to everyone for the help, I did call and reserve a 4-wheel car dolly and confirmed that it does have a 4-pin connector.

U-Haul is $54.99 for the day, but a local rental company has them for $35 for the day and I'm only using it for a half day, so it will probably be around $30 with tax, etc.

AutoTransportLarge.png
 
Good thing you found a backwoods rental. U-haul probably wouldn’t rent you one with your configuration. Unless they turn a blind eye.
Those trailers are a bit heavy (because they see a lot of abuse and need to be heavy duty) and is about 2/3 of your rating empty.
 
Kid Mechanic said:
Good thing you found a backwoods rental. U-haul probably wouldn’t rent you one with your configuration. Unless they turn a blind eye.
Those trailers are a bit heavy (because they see a lot of abuse and need to be heavy duty) and is about 2/3 of your rating empty.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I plan on taking it very slowly... Not excited about pulling that much weight, but it's a one-time thing...
 
Kid Mechanic said:
It’s quiz time with the Easter Bunny!
Click to expand...
Not really. If he knows the proper way and says he is putting the t-case in neutral then we don't need to waste each other's time with a lengthy explanation. If he says he puts the trans in neutral then we know he doesn't know what he is doing and now he can be instructed as to the proper method. All of which is discerned with a single simple question. What are you putting in neutral?

BTW- you can stop being a dick any time, that much butt hurt doesn't look good on anyone.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: Matt131, rasband, Vasq and 4 others
jsfoster75 said:
Well, if I towed it with the back wheels on the ground I would be putting the transmission in Neutral. :)
Click to expand...
I see you decided to get a 4 wheel dolly, good choice, but if you had chosen the 2 wheel dolly, you would have needed to put the trans in park and transfer case in neutral. Transmission in neutral will only damage stuff.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JKP
jsfoster75 said:
Well, if I towed it with the back wheels on the ground I would be putting the transmission in Neutral. :)
Click to expand...
I know you got a 4 wheel dolly, but the above is incorrect for future reference. You put the Tcase in N and the trans in P on an auto and the trans in gear on a man.
 
Are you sure your booking went through? For the hell of it, I input what you're towing and the tow vehicle, and their website won't even let me proceed.
 
Top Bottom
Back