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Christian
10-29-2001, 01:07 PM
Hi all,
Anyone have info on Jeep Wranglers?

looking into a 98 or newer 4X4 jeep, can they tow an 18?
Geoo, i think i remember you said you owned one, did you like it?

any info would be great, thanks

Christian :)

boxy
10-29-2001, 02:18 PM
Christian, I owned a 1988 Jeep YJ (Canadian version of the Wrangler) and I used it to tow my 19' Regal (approx same weight as an 18 - 2500-2750) all over Ontario. Just make sure you get a well built frame mounted hitch, and you shouldn't have any troubles.

CDMA
10-29-2001, 02:23 PM
Yeah but you see the thing with Geoo's jeep was that it was as wild as his x-18....not exactly stock...

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=1265596&a=9366030&p=30616441&f=0

Bryan Tuvell 33ZX
10-29-2001, 02:59 PM
I had just put a thread yesterday on OSO regarding the same type info. My 2001 Jeep GC inline 6 in total weight of 10,000, she weighs 4K roughly and the new Donzi empty weighs 5000, so I keep reading that is....
I have the heavy duty cooling and factory installed class III, I figure as long as I take my time I will get back from Lake Erie with the new 26.
Wish me luck!

How heavy is your 18?
Bryan

boxy
10-29-2001, 03:14 PM
Hey Bryan I noticed that post on OSO, what's wrong, are you doubting the collective brain-trust on Donzi-Net. :D :D
My buddy tows his 235 Baja with a Ford Explorer with no problem (I assume they have similar capacities)
Anyway your Jeep should be fine to get the boat home, and then after that you'll know whether you have to upgrade your vehicle or not.
Congrats on the new boat purchase, and let us know how the trip turns out.

Christian
10-29-2001, 03:57 PM
thanks.

yes, the Full size bronco 351 W has to go, just to big for me right now. served me well, and i enjoy the truck, i will miss it.
need a little better gas mil. its a 1995, gray and green, great condition.

what motor Geoo do you run in that beast?
thanks guys

Christian :p

bverd
10-29-2001, 04:02 PM
Does Geoo own anything "stock".

Christian
10-29-2001, 05:07 PM
sorry guys had no idea the face stuck it tounge out. how about this one :)


Christian

Bryan Tuvell 33ZX
10-29-2001, 05:15 PM
BOXY, thanks, I was looking for a bigger target audience thats all...

I will keep everyone posted on the trip.
Bryan

Sagbay32
10-29-2001, 05:27 PM
I would have to say the 4 litre TJ should be ok for towing the 18. Short wheelbase not good for long haul high speed towing though. I have owned many jeeps in the past and towing wasn't one of their strong points.
I currently have a 2001 ZR2 Blazer that I tow my 18 with and it is adequate. This summer, with the wife and kids (which means air condtioning on)in the BlaZeR2, mileage was about 10mpg on the highway. I will be getting a full size pickup again.
If you do end up doing the "Jeep Thang" I am sure you will be happy. There is nothing like 'em. Owning one is a brotherhood just like the Donzi brotherhood.

My $.02

Shanghied Again
10-29-2001, 05:57 PM
Christian. We owned a stock 1997 Wrangler 6cyl, We had the 16 at the time.I do Not Recomend that for towing anything. My 16 used to pull that jeep from side to side. Max Towing including trailer was 2500lbs, Good for a Jet Ski!

Christian
10-29-2001, 08:10 PM
Thanks Frank,
I am trying to decide weather to keep the Big Bronco (her name is BB) and work her more a little, or get something smaller.
plus i have bigger boat plans.

frank hows your son like the bullet?
and did you get that 27 mag?
wheres GEOO?
thank guys for your help
all the info is great!

Christian :)

Shanghied Again
10-29-2001, 08:24 PM
Christian. my son loves his make believe Donzi with his 25 Merc Sporting a Donzi on the Cowling and Donzi emblems on the side. The Magnum is on hold for a little while. I have fingers crossed other big boat plans.

boldts
10-29-2001, 08:30 PM
Guys,

I can help you with the Geoo search. Got an e-mail over the weekend. He's moving into a bigger home and it's occupying a lot of his time. On the towing issue, I'm currently using a Chevy Tahoe with 4 doors. Comfortable and I don't even know the 18 is back there. Trip to Sarasota, I got 16 MPG and 15 in the mountain sections. Before the Tahoe, I had a S-10 Blazer 4 door. Towed the boat well also. Got 20 MPG on the highway when not towing. Would recomend a trailer with brakes though if using a S-10 Blazer. Currently, I have no brakes on my 18's trailer, but when I buy a new trailer for the Classic, it will have brakes on it.

BigGrizzly
10-29-2001, 09:26 PM
The wrangler wheel base is too short to tow any distance. Plus the brakes are too small. I own a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 it tows the 22 fine and stops well. We also have a Expidition with the 5.4 V8 it also tows great and usually gets between 14-16 towing on long trips. All my trailers have brakes, the Corsican has drum and the Criterion has disk.

Randy

clayman
10-29-2001, 09:28 PM
Hey,
The TJ is rated at 2000 lbs because of the short wheel base. The Cherokee with the same drivetrain is #5000. I tow around town with mine, but for long hauls or any highway speeds, I use my F-350 dually. This is my TJ, and yes I drove up that tree stump. http://www.orlandojeepclub.com/clubmem/jspiroff.jpg null (http://www.orlandojeepclub.com/clubmem/jspiroff.jpg)

Dr. Dan
10-30-2001, 04:48 AM
Clayman, great shots of the Jeep! Christian, this is not recommended parking with your boat in tow! As you will come to find out, there is no substitute for a sustained torque curve coupled with horsepower. Most of the long haulers will have a "BB" that has a worked suspension so it's not scooting around with every bump you hit,plus dressing under the hood. There are previous posts that discuss this, but as you could probably discern from some of the comments, most of the serious distance is best for a longer wheelbase vehicle,with alot of grunt/torque under the hood. The most uneasy feeling is when you hit a "Bump in the Road" and your shocks/springs are too soft and your whole rig feels like your doing Disco Inferno at 70mph, not fun, but it does wake you up! :eek: If you have a lighter load you can get by with a smaller(Blazer,Cherokee,4 Runner,etc..) SUV, but I agree with Griz, remember you have to bring that puppy to a stop eventually, The Ideal Rig is a Dually, Diesel/Large V8 or V10,with plenty of room to haul you and your Donzi Girls,or their families with you. The more the merrier! Good Luck, let us know what you come up with! Come to some of the events and you'll see what the Brothers on the Donzi Board use,some really great and in some cases extreme tow vehicles...Doc ;)

Christian
10-30-2001, 05:13 PM
Frank, Doc, et al. your comments are great!!
i think i will keep the Bronco, i can spend some $ to improve mpgs and keep it running well.
I will be getting out of undergrad soon so i need a reliable means of transpo + i don't want to have to call a buddy up to pick up the boats. Frank, glad to hear your son likes the bullet, i hear sharkey has the molds for sale- if i could only get rid of these duck / hydo molds i could consider em. but the R/Cs have me busy.
Doc thanks so much for your imput, we are not far from each other. i can't wait to free up some time and come to these wounderful events all over the US.
again thanks for all your imput. to bad its cold, surf fishing with my donzi lady is what we do now

Christian

Dr. Dan
10-30-2001, 05:56 PM
Christian, Your welcome, our company has a little warehouse in your neck of the woods,"Mohawk Industries" one of our 4 East Coast Distribution Centers, sometimes I come there for for meetings, it's about 2.5 hours for me depending on traffic. Next season will come quick, I need the winter to take care of my Donzi Santa List anyway! I too was shopping for a new Tow Toy, but, I decided to just sit tight for now! I've almost completely rebuilt my '93 Lightning,and by Spring it'll basically be complete! I'm psyched,it's fun to drive and it's reasonbly rare if you're into that sort of thing? We'll see, I am first to admit I am guilty of that "Boy and His Toys Syndrom!", but I guess that's a character trait of most of the lunatics on this board...Doc :rolleyes:

Christian
10-30-2001, 09:42 PM
Thanks Doc,

yes, i to have the bug. But i can't take credit for this, my family has given me this passion for loud quick, safe stuff. for now its the family 86 18 but we hope to move up to a bigger aronow product maybe. Hope we can get one of these AC meets in line. the rain has a way of not enjoying our donzi dates

Christian :)

Barry Phillips
11-02-2001, 09:57 AM
Christian: I have owned 5 Jeeps, my first
being a 4 banner 5 speed Wrangler Base.
I towed a 15' Boston Whaler with it
for which it worked fine, but I am not shure
about an 18. My 18 is 2,6000 pounds dry,
factor in fuel, gear and trailer weight it
works out to be 3,600 more or less.I just sold
my 5.2 liter Dodge Dekota 4x4 club cab which
towed great but hard on gas. I have a 35 mile
commute one way, filling it twice a week.
I recently purchased a 3.7 liter Jeep Liberty
with a class 3 tow package and the Up Country
Package. The Liberty tows the 18 well. The
Up Country suspenion handles tongue weight
really well, the only way to go in any Jeep.
I have been getting 22 mph highway and 19
mph mountain towing, gota love it.

SO-SLO
;)

Formula Jr
11-04-2001, 01:59 PM
I have a little experience in the towing area so I'll throw out my .02.

If you only tow short, non hiway distances, in an area without hills and all the ramps you use are not steep (moderate tides), then just about any thing besides an economy car will work for up to 18 feet as long as its an automatic.

For short flat highway speeds, you need Wheel Base. Wheel Base is much more important; than HP and trailer braking becomes a factor.

For long haul go anywhere towing, you are looking at an entirely different animal for any boat over 16 feet and 2000 lbs. This is because the real life needs of long haul towing are much more extreme in everyway than anything you could encounter in short haul towing. And the underlaying reasons for over kill are slightly different than most people think. I know most of the guys on this board are primarily on the right coast where you just haven't experienced the Western Terrain in a towing situation, but many of the most beautiful lakes in this country require the kind of over kill I'll describe here.

First you need Wheel Base. Big long wheel base, like an extended van, Long-bed full sized PU or a Suburban-like SUV. The main reason is cross wind. The plains of the mid-west normally have sustained 20 to 30 mph cross winds. Heading east, these are to your aft port side, heading west they are to your starboard bow side. I've met up with alot of folks at the rest areas that had to stop and wait for the wind to die down. They were getting tossed all over the road. Remember, if you're cruising 60 miles an hour in a 20 MPH head wind, your truck thinks its going 80. And I have faced some near full lock braking situations, where the extra wheel base was the only thing that saved my cheeks from a jackknife. In a short wheel base vehicle the rear tires are unloaded in a panic stop. There are quite a few dogs and deer that are still alive due to overkill. I don't brake for rabbits anymore. :)

Second, you need Big Block Horse power. There are four reasons for this.
A. Long, steep up hill Grades. By long and steep, I mean 10 miles at 7%.
B. 90 to 100 degree, zero humidity temperatures. You have no room to stress the engine and even with an over kill tow-er, AC becomes selective.
C. 9000 foot passes. Where the thin air robbs the engine.
Anyone who has driven I-70 around Vale, knows what I'm talking about.
I've met people who were literally trapped in a valley here cause they could not pull back over the next grade in any gear but low 1 for short streches.
D. Gett'em up and go Power. There were alot of on ramps put in during the bad old days of 55 MPH. Many are now inadequate for getting up to the 70 MPH you need to merge with traffic. The ability to accellerate becomes a safety factor in these conditions.

If you encounter the first three of these conditions at once, with anything but a serious tow vehicle, you will be doing alot of 40 mph, night driving with the heater on at full blast.

As to tires; driving in the Great Basin Area, where temps hit 105, you need some serious tires. Cause those tires will not be able to shed heat properly on a road surface you can cook on. My van now has E rated 80 PSI tires. This also means you need a tandom axle trailer or a pair of high quality radial ST tires to keep the heat at bay. Most wheel sizes are 13s for trailers. Unfortunately you can not find D rated trailer tires in this size. If you are long hauling with a single axle trailer it is imparitive that these be 14's and D weight class rated for ply or C rated radials. Marginal tires on hot roads don't just wear out, they explode. And standard tire ratings have not really kept up with the fact that people now Average 70 MPH on long western hiways. I once drove thru the Mojave in August with a brand new set of C rated tires on a loaded Van. They were shot after 8 thousand miles. They just melted right off the vehicle.

Lastly, I can not stress enough the importance of a Factory Installed, 10,000 lb., Tow Package. There is alot more to this than an added Oil cooler. The reciever hitch is weight distributing. The brakes are beefed up, the rear suspension is beefed up, The Radiator is larger with built in recovery, and is matched to a secondary fan and auxilary sub radiator. There is both an oil cooler and a transmission cooler. The wiring is all in place. The alternator is higher amp. The oil pan is larger. Even the flashing unit is heavy duty to work with the trailer lights. And anti-sway bars are standard on the front suspension. Even though I only pull little 17 and 18 footers, the conditions I drive in, max out even my full size towing rig. So the gist here, is, Yes, there are minium numbers you can play with. But they don't really mean anything in real life towing situations where you need a huge margin of over capacity. My advice to anyone interested in distance towing, is to buy the biggest, longest, most heavy duty, gas sucking pig you can afford. Even if your towing requirements look light duty on paper. And then get a second smaller car for the usual transportation needs.

Formula Jr
11-04-2001, 04:35 PM
Poodle, I agree totally with point one. A tandem, with radials IS the prefered set up. I would also add, that a bunk trailer is far easier on the boat than a roller for long distances. This is really due to the road dust getting between the rollers and then sanding into your finish. The bow stop is a major problem area.

As to Point Two. The remote areas I have been in give no quarter to a low pegged fuel meter. I can not tell you how many times I have had to take gas from the boat to get somewhere - anywhere - out of the middle of the nowheres I have been. The small remote service station, gas or diesel, doesn't exist anymore to a large extent due to the UST boondoggle. Yes, a diesel is a much better idea, but fuel finding IS a problem in some areas unless your tank is huge or you are willing to jerry can both types of fuel. If you have to travel at night cause of the heat of the day, your options are limited. And a simple engine problem with a diesel can confound the local mechanics if they are only use to Gas engines. And if you do have a problem with a diesel, you better have one hell of a stout battery as they drain fast on test starts.

Bryan Tuvell 33ZX
11-04-2001, 05:53 PM
As always, the reading here has helped my education.

I am either leaving tomorrow or Tuesday to head North to get the new Donzi.

I sure hope all the stuff in my tow package works!
I too feel confident I will make it home, nice slow ride back...
Bryan

clayman
11-05-2001, 08:33 AM
Lets not forget that the Diesel will run you about $4800 more in fords case. I don't know what the gas prices are were you all live, but here Diesel is about 20-30 cents more a gallon than reg gas. I get around 11 miles per gallon avg. in my v-10 ,and up to 14 on the highway. My friends with the Ford powerstroke have reported 14- 16mpg. and diesel owners usually spend more money putting a bunch of hop up items on the thing too. If you do the math, you would have to drive a long ways to ever pay for that diesel. Plus they are noisey and smelly. Just my two cents.
James

Steven Cohn
11-05-2001, 02:31 PM
Hey Guys,
I've trailered a few boats. I've experienced more braking, i.e. stopping deficiencies than accelerating problems (especially w/trailers that were sans brakes). Steven

Christian
11-05-2001, 09:33 PM
Thanks guys.
your knowledge has been great to read.
I will keep the bronco, it has all the heavy duty tow equip. i've had it for about 2yrs pull the donzi with ease, and brings it right up the ramp. i can back it into any spot my father wants, and its a neat-o commuter ride for school
gas up here = 1.02 for the cheap-o stuff
and 1.14 for 87 i mix and match for the 351
again thanks guys. i will let you know what improvements and what kind of mil i get per gallon
Stay well
Christian

SundanceKid
11-07-2001, 07:27 PM
Your a Ford guy Scott??? :confused: Sorry to hear that! :D Just kidding of course! I'm sure you've seen some of our GMC's running around Miami (especially the black one with dual exhaust ;) ). So Scott doesn't like Merc or the Bow-Tie group...hmmm...this could be interesting! Ah, you know I'm just pulling your chain!

roadtrip se
11-07-2001, 11:19 PM
I traded my 97 Dodge Cummins dually on a 00 PSD Excursion last year. Diesel is good for any towing job. Long distances? Owen, are you driving on gravel roads or what? Truck stops are on most open roads that we roam.
Excursion is much more smooth and comfortable than the dually was and I can take a whole bunch of my buddies with me. Jill loves to drive it and she is all of a little over five foot tall. Mileage can be 18-20, if you keep the rpms below 2k, Poodle! Finally, nothing beats the torque on a slimy, steep ramp!
The Excursion is the king of the roadtrip! Todd

Formula Jr
11-08-2001, 11:04 PM
Think there's any diesel around here? :D
http://www.donzi.net/photos/osaffell2000.jpg

And the beauty of this sign is it was absolutely true...... there WAS nothing there for 170 miles in any direction. Thats 340 out and back.

Danny
11-20-2001, 07:05 PM
Its the only way to tow. 4-wheel drive for those ugly ramps. A vehicle that is heavier than your boat. Lots of room for people and gear and matching Donzi logos.

ps. sorry the colours don`t match.

Danny

http://www.donzi.net/photos/dkeefe11.jpg

Dr. Dan
11-21-2001, 06:24 AM
Well Poodle, guess what Liz and I test drove this weekend? A 2002 F350, Crew Cab Dually, 4X4 with the Lariat Package. Apparently my co-pilot and Bride has been holding out on me and loves these trucks! Go figure! We've looked at Excursions also, but I keep reminding her that another Donzi is very likely to come into our family! Especially after drooling at all the fun factory Donzis at Sarasota...So I have a green light for my ultimate tow vehicle!....Now for the 33 Daytona?...Hmmmmmmm! Doc :D

RickSE
11-21-2001, 08:38 AM
What's all this Ford stuff? Where are all the GM guys? I got my dream tow vehicle this summer. 2001 Chevrolet 2500HD Crew Cab, 496 c.i. with a 6-speed manual trans and 4.10 gears. The H.P. of the 496 and the versatility of the 6 forward gears is awesome. I can now pull about anything I can dream up. Best of all I can carry 6 people and all their gear to the lake. Heaviest tow so far has been 12,000 lbs. yielding 10-MPG on the flats and 7-MPG in the mountains. Running empty the truck gets 12-15 MPG.
http://www.donzi.net/photos/rstrones09.jpg

SundanceKid
11-21-2001, 09:47 AM
We have a 1999 GMC Suburban. 2500, 4X4, 454, bad to the bone! Heavbiest tow so far is a 38 Daytona to the Miami show, no problem! :D

Christian
11-21-2001, 06:16 PM
Hey this thread is great.
Now can we get a pic of the whole rig?
Donzi and the puller?
i just need to scan my pics in

This will be fun

HP 600SC
11-21-2001, 06:26 PM
I just bought a Diesel 4WD Excoursion Limited
this week....traded in the Expedition.
I'm getting 16 MPG with it and I love it noise and all! It is a real truck for sure!
It will pull my 22 like the Expedition pulled
my double jet ski trailer. Thinking of AOTH
now...who's going from Florida?

Dr. Dan
11-21-2001, 07:45 PM
Scott, Thanks for the advice, I'm not done looking or test driving! :D It's the fun of the chase to find the ultimate vehicle,that's the rush! Ted glad to hear you're happy with the new Excursion, that's exactly the layout I'd go with if I do go with one!...Doc

roadtrip se
11-21-2001, 08:47 PM
Dr. Dan,
Excursion vs F350 Dually. If you can get away with the Excursion, do it. Dual rear wheels make noise, bounce you all over the place with no load, and cost more in tires.
Not to mention the parking fun. And as I said earlier, try prying the keys from my wife's hands when she gets the choice of vehicles to drive. Finally, not one trip back to the dealership for warranty work and I don't look like I'm on the way to dig a ditch. Either way though, you still get to meet some really interesting folks at the truck stop. Drive the Excursion and you will buy it. Todd

Brad Lyon
11-21-2001, 10:30 PM
Ain't nothing like a dually for pulling a Donzi. Just my two cents.

Brad


http://www.donzi.net/photos/blyon00111.jpg

Stix Magill
11-21-2001, 11:22 PM
My towing rig is a 1985 Ford F-150. I paid $4000.00 cash for it 5 years ago. It hasn't failed me yet! I only added a Detroit Locker, a K+N filter and Glasspacks . My mechanic called me one day and told me my exhaust system was shot. He asked me what kind of exhaust I wanted. I told him "I don't care, gimme what you got on your truck". That's how I ended up with Glasspacks! It is loud as hell (yeah, I'm a redneck now)! The money I save by not having a truck payment is being 1/2 spent on a 3-boat lift boathouse and 1/2 saved to buy the next Donzi! Don't get me wrong, I like your trucks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Scott Smith

http://stixmagill.homestead.com/files/kingdomandminx.jpg :)

CDMA
11-22-2001, 01:08 AM
I tow my 18 and the new 22 with a 1998 Dodge 5.9 dakota. It came as a 5.2 but I pulled a 5.9 out of a rolled Durango and the did a few mods: milled heads, ported polish, crane cam, ecu upgrade. 68 K on the truck 55 on the new motor. Really works great....93 0nly though. It is great for towing the 18. With the 22 in tow the extra HP really helps but the relative small size shows on occasion. All around it isn't a bad truck. It is small enough that I can put 20K + miles a year on it and big enough to tow my boats. I sort of like how it looks too...I call it Ram-lite. The best part is with no weight over the rear wheels and the 5.9....burnouts...I will get some pictures up soon.

Chris

RickR
11-22-2001, 07:20 AM
I'm with madpoodle. If you pull long distances and need the POWER, Diesel is the way to go. A diesel does not save money in the short term (maintinence and fuel costs are about the same) but you have more power and they last a long time.

94 F250 4X4 Turbo Diesel (ATS exhaust and injection pump upgrades) 125000 miles.

I tow the Donzi about 4000 miles a year.
We live in the Smoky Mountains and I regularly pull over a 5400' pass with a 19 mile grade. You need BRAKES AND POWER
:eek:

Fuel has never been a problem to find. Two tanks w/39gallons@12MPG towing the 22 and 18mpg hwy, that's a pretty good range.

http://www.donzi.net/photos/rryan13donzitruck.jpg