Jeep Cherokee Towing Capacity

[Teri C.]

There are reasons why I am asking all these questions about towing so just chill me!......



the 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo and the 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport have V6 4.0L engines and the same horse power listed. The towing capacity on both state 2000lbs. Why is it not 5000 lbs.? I thought alot of people towed with these two vehicles. What's up?

 

[Jim B]

are you looking at the rating on the bumper or form the owners manual? if its the one on the bumper its because thaqt is what the bumper is rated to carry not the vehicle itself

 

[Texas Transplant]

It's likely not the engine, but rather the frame and cooling capacities (radiator/engine and transmission). Though the engine certainly plays a part.



One question would be, does either have an included towing package, with Transmission cooler?



Also, the V6 4.0 is not really that big an engine/worker. In addition to HP, what is their torque ratings? How many ft/lbs of torque do they deliver?



I've got a Mountaineer with a 5.x litre V8. Tranny cooler and all. I believe it is rated around 3500 lbs. (but not certain).



Tex

 

[Jim B]

The 4.0 6 in those is an inline 6. For its size it has decent torque at 230 ft/lbs.

 

[Bob G.]

Teri,



If the Grand Cherokee has the factory tow package, it should have a tow rating of 5000lbs. Having owned a 93 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0L motor, I don't think I would want to tow 5000lbs, but I think it should handle your boat.



Bob G.

 

[Teri C.]

Yes the Jeep Cherokee is an inline 6 and the Grand Cherokee is a V6. Does that matter for towing? I read those ratings when I looked up the specs on the internet. I think it was Edmunds.com and I verified it on some other web site, both said 2000. I think my Infiniti was a 3.7L but I guess it had more hp and torque, 275. The Laredo and the regular Cherokee have 190 hp and 230 torque (I think). How does the Liters play into everything? I would think 4.0 is sufficient for 3000lbs but maybe it has to do with the low 190 hp. Just trying to understand all this to be able to explain it.

 

[Larry Harp]

My 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a 4.0 STRAIGHT six. The Liberty has a V-6.

Usually the bigger the engine the more horseys under the hood. That's not to say that a big ol' V-8 with old low technology will have more horsepower that a small 4 cylinder with lots of high performance equiptment. There is a lot of factors that go into determining the horsepower of an engine.



I thought you bought a Jeep GC a couple of months ago.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Teri -



The regular Cherokee has an in-line 6. It's the engine I have. The towing capacity is 5,000#. This vehicle is no longer made.



When they discontinued the regular Cherokee and came out with the Liberty, they also discontinued the 4.0L in-line 6 and replaced it with the 3.7L V-6. (I think that's the displacement.) The V-6 is no where near the engine that the old one was.



You may well also be looking at specs for the 2-wheel drive vehicles.....



me!

 

[Jim B]

just for curiosity i look on the jeep website and the 6 they put in the grand cherokee is still the 4.0l inline 6. When it comes to towing torque is king and it needs to be low end torque not high up in the rpm band

 

[Staci Matheis]

NO KIDDING! Great!! I had heard that they had completely discontinued the 4.0L..... I am so glad to hear that! There is hope for the folks at the EPA yet!

 

[Bruce Moore]

Teri, we bought a 98 Grand with the 4.0 INLINE six new. Towed the TV-18 from St Louis to Lake Okeechobee a few years back with NO problems at all. The 4.0 is a torquey little engine at low and mid range rpm's, perfect for towing. Most folks don't realize that the inline sixes were and are some of the best engines for towing because of their high torque. Also the inline design is inherently low vibration.



Hope this helps.



Bruce

 

[Teri C.]

This is one woman that doesn't have a problem admitting she was wrong. The Jeep sales guy (go figure) told me the Laredo was a V6.

 

[Larry Harp]

Did he also say, "TRUST ME!!" ?



Harpo

 

[TrepMan]

Or "I'm a Dr.?"??

 

[Teri C.]

No but he did ask me to dinner. Uncomfortable moment 101. Said no to the car and no to dinner.

 

[Kraig Clement]

Terri,



I am a sales mgr at a Jeep store...



Email me your vin # in the morning and I will tell you all the stats on your Jeep.......you can call me at 972-538-4109



Kraig

 

[Bill Gintzel]

I towed my 2001 ProDeepV17 including provisions 900+ miles to Canada with a 1996 Cherokee inline 6 (4x4). No transmission cooler but did use tranny protectant installed when fluid changed.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

I've enjoyed this thread, thanks Teri. I have a Cherokee, 4.0, in-line six w/trans cooler but was afraid that it wouldn't tow well. It just seemd to light to me. There are a number of places I couldn't fish anymore because my truck wasn't four-wheel drive. Now I'm thinking I should get a hitch on my jeep.



Bill

 

[Staci Matheis]

Bill -



Here's my Cherokee 4.0L, 4x4, automatic pulling a 929 and my old Nitro 2000DC. Never gave a hiccup even with these heavy loads!

 

[Larry Harp]

I've wondered if I got a heavier boat if my Jeep would pull it. It pulls the tin rig like nothing. In fact I'll sometimes forget the boat is back there and then glance in the rearview mirror and think, "Who the hell is tailgating me!!?".



Harpo

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Thanks Me! I'll have to get the hitch put on. I haven't even thought about it since I went to "Tin". Should be a piece of cake.



Bill