More Power?

[Hester]

Hey, I am planning on getting my first bass boat sometime soon and was wondering if my current vehicle has enough power to pull a fiberglass boat?

I have a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Lorado. It has the strait six in it and I believe its just a 4.0 liter. Do you guys think this will be enough or not?

thanks.

Hester

[LegattoAD]

If you look it up on msn autos, it will tell you all of the details of what your Cherokee can tow. Make sure you have the right trim package selected though. I'm assuming you have the 4WD package, in which case you have max towing of #6500. Standard towing of #2000.

One thing: if you don't have 4WD or AWD, get something that does. Some landings can get awfully tricky (especially in low water) and on more than one occasion I've been happy I've had my AWD.

[Hester]

Thanks LegattoAD and yes I have the 4WD package.

[Superduty]

I'm sure it will pull it. I would be concerned with stopping it and having control of the entire rig in case of a tire blowout or something of that nature. I've seen people tow with less vehicle. Personally, I think a full size truck frame is important for safety when towing a big glass boat. I had a little chevy s-10 when I got my first glass bass boat. Boat was 17' and heavy enough to concince me to go with a bigger vehicle when I could afford it.

[delmuts]

A couple of other things i'll add. Will the boat trailer have brakes? If so, be certain to have them adjusted properly. If not! Be warned that if you have to get on the brakes hard, it will push your vehicle. ( with my old bass boat[with out brakes] it would jackknife the truck, so i had to stand on the brakes, then let off for a second them back on them)

One other thing you can do when you pull out/up a ramp is to power brake the rig.( stepping on the brake as you step on the foot feed) This will give you a little bit of a lurch(sp?) to help get the rig rolling forward.

Also! The four wheel drive is very handy on ramps that have algae on them. ( slippery little things! )

[Larson15]

Any bass boat under 19ft with a single axle trailer you should have no problem with. Anything bigger I would probably consider something else. Like mentioned before, you wont have any problems pulling the boat with that 4.0 especially in Minnesota since its relatively flat. The biggest issue you will face is having the stopping power. Also, depending on how big of a boat you are getting and how much weight is on the hitch it might seem like you are driving up hill.

[RK]

Will the boat trailer have brakes? If so, be certain to have them adjusted properly. If not! Be warned that if you have to get on the brakes hard, it will push your vehicle. ( with my old bass boat[with out brakes] it would jackknife the truck, so i had to stand on the brakes, then let off for a second them back on them)

That was my first thought too. Absolutely and without question, get brakes on your trailer. I won't own a boat trailer without them - unless it's a little jon boat or something. They're the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy, and if you only really need them once, they more than paid for themselves. Getting pushed by a trailer is no fun, believe me.

The other must-have add-on, if you don't already have one, is a transmission cooler. Pretty cheap to have one installed, and will definitely increase the lifespan of your tranny.

I used to pull a 17' glass boat (big V-hull) with a Cherokee and it was fine. Not as easy as a full-size with a v-8, but it'll do the job.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[fishfearme]

You should have no problem pulling that rig with your Jeep. I pulled my 19' Stratos for 13 years with a Ranger with a 4.0 no problem ever. I pulled it a couple of times with my wife's Liberty and that did the trick also. I usually pulled my rig over 100 miles each way when it was in tow. Like others have said, you want brakes on the trailer.

[bASS_BLASTER]

I towed a 21' fiberglass with dual axle trailer from TN to MN with my 4.0 V6 Explorer. That was a 16 hour drive. In most parts of MN, its mostly flat surface so I have no problems during the summer. btw, the dual axles and trailer brakes really helps!

In the past 3 years, I've towed a deep V 17 footer and my Ford still runs like a champ.