Tow Vehicle Advise Please

[pdhj1990]

I own a 2012 Ford F-150, FX 4x4 with the EcoBoost V-6 motor. This truck has an 11,000 lbs. towing capacity, more than enough to pull our 06 Tige 24v in/out of the water. However, I'm considering selling the truck later this week as we simply don't use it very often.

One of the replacement tow vehicles I'm considering is an 06/07 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4x4 with a V-8, maybe the Hemi motor. The towing capacity is 6,150 lbs.

The boat launch is about 1/4 mile from our boat storage. The tow vehicle will be used to drive the 1/4 mile and to take the boat in/out of the water.

Does anyone have experience towing a Tige 24V with a Jeep Grand Cherokee? Does anyone have an opinion on this subject?

Thanks for your help!!!

[bmoorewiz]

My friend has a 21 foot MB Sports boat, he also has a 06 Jeep Cherokee and he has a lot of trouble pulling that boat out of the water.

The ramp he uses does have some algea and is a little steeper than some others, but he still has an awful lot of trouble and has been thinking of upgrading.

[jmhatchett]

IMO you are going to literally max out that jeep with a 24 foot boat... my 22 fotter weighs in at near 5500 when loaded and then a trailer that weighs enough to put it over a 6000 lb towing capacity. I think you will honestly be MUCH better keeping the ecoboost, i havent driven one but have heard great things. Over enough time the Jeep will wear out when pushed to its limits repeatedly, but an easy load for the f-150 will keep it running stronger longer.

[TeamAllen]

I'm a Toyota fan so in that category I would see if I could find a 4Runner 4X4 V8 for comparison. It has 7K towing capacity.
Look for 05 -09 years. It has the VVT-i engine, 260 HP.
Good luck with your new tow rig. Post up what you get.

[Wickedcummins]

See tons of jeeps pulling boats at our lake.. never seen a single one have issues... And the V8 jeeps Have way more than enough ability to get teh job done!

[jmhatchett]

Just thought about where you live, as you know here in TX we get very very hot summers. The truck will be much more geared to tow a heavy load i.e. better engine cooling, trans cooling, gearing, stability. All of those are things to consider.

My last truck was a 2008 silverado 1500 and loved the truck but was towing to Possum Kingdom and it was first week of august, truck handled the boat great until it got too hot and the rear diff overheated badly spewing boiling oil out of casing and shattering gears. Needless to say i upgraded to a new f-250 diesel. My point i guess is that it is ALWAYS better to get too much vehicle rather than not enough.

[Joeprunc]

My friend has a 21 foot MB Sports boat, he also has a 06 Jeep Cherokee and he has a lot of trouble pulling that boat out of the water.

The ramp he uses does have some algea and is a little steeper than some others, but he still has an awful lot of trouble and has been thinking of upgrading.

It must me a 2wd model. That would be pretty embarrassing for Jeep as a whole if it was a 4wd.

The 4x4 Cherokee's are full time 4wd and shouldn't have any issue pulling your boat out of the water. For driving 1/4 mile I would not worry about the towing weight, it looks like your Tige would about 6k with a trailer & loaded.

My wife has a 2009 Cherokee with the Hemi for her work truck and loves it.

[jslayde1]

My point i guess is that it is ALWAYS better to get too much vehicle rather than not enough.

Well said -

I personally would stay with the F150 as well. But if you really just want to trade/downgrade, I think your best option would be to fine an older diesel - they run forever and can pull anything. Just my

[What she said]

If you ONLY plan on 1/4 drive to the ramp, and have 4wd- go for it! If you plan on doing some real towing i would want a lager truck.

[pdhj1990]

I really appreciate the input. Yes, the Ford F-150 with the EcoBoost motor is a TERRIFIC truck - power, features, gas mileage, etc. However, the primary reason I bought the F-150 was to tow the boat 1/4 mile and take it in/out of the lake. Candidly, the balance of the time it's a city commuter.

My reason for selling the F-150 and trading down is this truck cost $43,000, after rebates/incentives. A friend wants to buy the F-150 without too much of a haircut. However, I still need to tow the boat 1/4 mile and take it in/out of the lake.

Sounds like the Jeep Grand Cherokee with a V-8 and 4x4 could meet our needs. And, an 06/07 can be bought for $12,000 to $14,000. This puts cash back in my pocket.

Thanks again for the feedback.

[Heffs08rz2]

Have you not seen the pics of my tow rig on here! I have the SRT-8 jeep from 2012 and it tows like a boss! Very happy with it and honestly I feel like it does as good as my 2010 Dodge 1500 4x4 did if not better due to more power.

[pdhj1990]

Very nice looking rig Heff.

I'm also going to check out a 2007 Ford Explorer Limited V8, 2WD. It's rated at 7,230 towing capacity.

Anyone have experience with this rig?

[Wakeman22]

Your choices seem ok for a short tow. However if you ever want to go a distance they probably are not good enough. Try shutting down a load at 70mph. I would go bigger than less. Just in case.

[lalhc]

If you ONLY plan on 1/4 drive to the ramp, and have 4wd- go for it! If you plan on doing some real towing i would want a lager truck.

x2

[kmkramer71]

Just for comparison, I have a 2011 Tahoe LTZ with towing rated at 8500#. I have a 05 22v. I live just below Mansfield Dam and typically tow only about 10 miles round trip. The Tahoe on the hills does seem to struggle and I have 1 ramp that I can't pull the boat out of (algae). My boat loaded down with trailer is about 5700#. I'm looking for a used 4x4 Tundra to replace the Tahoe.