Here are my experiences with towing thus fair: 1.) Trailer wiring harness shorted out fuse-lost all dash lights and tail lights (check your fuse bank, if the trailer wires get crossed, you won't know how fast you're going at night) Fixed harness but I also have a set of fuse in the glove box too. 2.) Hitch worked for one trailer but hit the spare tire like yours did for another. The heighth of the hitch compared to that of trucks causes a problem for some trailers. In one case I had to go get a truck.
3.) Lastly, the noise caused by the tongue banging on the hitch is TOO D*MN LOUD! If ANYONE has a tried-and-true method of reducing this noise I would deeply appreciate it. I'm used to pulling with pick-ups. All of this noise transferred into the cabin and then echoed around the cavernous back end of the vehicle is just awful and unnacceptable. :mad:
Sorry for the rant, I just can't believe how much noise a little 6x10 garden trailer can make and punishment it can deliver enven when empty. :confuse:
I would suggest if possible to open the back door far enough to open and close the trailer latch. I hook and unhook a trailer all the time using this method. This clears the ball. One of my trailers has an arm (a german made trailer)which gets in the way, but this still works. BR
SPETE, Amen on the hitch issue!!! I can't belive what engineering moron must have designed that set up. The tire is too close to the hitch to work properly plus the hitch itself is too low. If you raise the ball then you can't get the hitch coupler over the ball because it hits the tire. I towed my boat back to the dealer for service for the first time only to find that the toungue was so low that I couldn't get the wheel to deploy under the tongue so I could crank it up and off the ball!! I was screwed!!! I ended up making a ramp out of wood blocks and driving the back wheels of the Libby up on the ramp to give me enough clearance to deploy the trailer tongue wheel!!! You think I wasn't ready to strangle a DC engineer at that point? I found a 12" long ball mount from JC whitney that might work. I haven't measured yet to see if it would clear the spare tire. How long is your ball mount? Is it 12" or more? I too am concerned about increaseing th tongue weight by extending the ball distance from the receiver.
This makes no sense - all this from a company that touts you can tow 5000 lbs with this truck! This rig definitely isn't built for towing !!! :sick:
I'm afraid the trailer hitch clearance is a systemic problem of a multi-purpose vehicle. I did not already own a hitch, so bought a 2" drop hitch. It's slightly lower than I'd like, but works out fine- especially with the tight springs. I do have to open the gate when connecting/disconnecting a trailer. That annoyance saves me from having to put a lock on the receivers most of the time, though.
I tolerate the minor brake noise too. If that's the worst defect I ever find.....
Just a second there, Holmes. I've towed 2-plus tons several times- more than you, I'm sure- and it performs quite ably. What's your agenda, the 'Daimler-Chrysler Smear Society'? If not..... If you want help in this forum, the defeatist posts don't engender much goodwill. Buck up! Set your boat over the trailer's axles more. Or merely jack up the hitch with a shorter jack until the hitch jack engages. No big deal. Need a silver platter?
these are the problems that I have had consistently with my 99 new beetle TDI. The idiot lights keep going on and service doesn't know what to do. This is a shame if the same thing is going to happen on the CRD.
Bullhead, Good name by the way. A little honest discussion only benefits everyone. I will point out the shortcoming of this vehicle as I see fit. You act as if you personally designed the truck yourself. No one should have to alter their trailer in order to accomodate a poor vehicle design. So don't tell me to buck up. DC doesn't need a smear society - they just need honest feedback about design flaws such as this. I still like my Liberty even though it has issues. Lighten up Bud. :shades:
Hi I towed a 2200 pound camper trailer with my 2002 3.7 liberty for 3 years on most every weekend starting from Memorial day weekend through the second week in October averaging about 500 towing miles each weekend ( 2 ways ) and have never had any type of problem. Nothing.
I just traded in the 2002 for a 2006 Liberty CRD and so far I have not towed much but what I have done there also seems to be no problem yet accept one. The spare tire gets in the way so it takes me an extra minute or so to hook the trailer up. I was thinking about looking for a better solution but for a minute or two why spend the money.
The first time I towed with my Liberty the hitch was banging around so loud that I turned around and went home. I put the boat away and started measuring hitches. The receiver on the Liberty was (memory?) about 3/32 inch bigger inside measurement than the hitch on my old truck and other vehicles on the dealer’s lot (measured later).
I asked the dealer why the hitch receiver was over-sized. The dealer didn’t know but agreed that it was unacceptable and promptly replaced the hitch with one that had the correct sized receiver. No more clunking.
The diesel version of the Jeep Liberty has also proved popular with buyers. Jeep is projecting sales of 10,000 Liberty CRD models for the 2005 calendar year — double what it originally projected. It's not a surprise when you consider that fuel economy is 22-percent better than in a comparably equipped gasoline Liberty, in addition to improvements in towing capacity and driving range. Jeep has added another 2,500 vehicles to its production schedule to meet the demand and the company is still unsure if that will suffice. Jeep is so encouraged by Liberty sales that it is assessing whether to adapt the powertrain to other vehicles.
New2diesel; This may seem strange to you but, DAWN dish soap does the job! My wife used it on our 2004 BLACK seats, and boy were they pretty dirty. The seats cleaned up, just like new. The Jeep cloth seats are scotch guarded and seem to clean up just the same. Hope this helps, but try it on a spot that is either really bad or hidden if you are some what skiddish. By the way DAWN will clean out cooling systems and has lots of uses. Good luck!
Come on guys use a little imagination when trying to fix this little problem. I solved the trailer hitch clearance problem by going to a welding shop in town and had them make a a one piece stinger. It's 11" long measured from the center of the hitch pin hole to the center of the ball.(It's total length is longer than 11 inches but 11" will clear the rear tire with room to spare). To solve the rattle I had them weld 8 weld spots (4 in ea flat spot at the end of the stinger and 4 just at the inside edge of where the stinger come out of the receiver. Brought it all home and used a grinder to grind down the weld spots so the stinger fits like a glove in the receiver. Then I re-painted the stinger. I tow a 2800Lb trailer with a tongue weight of 300lbs with no problems. (PS: I did install Firestone air bags in the rear coil springs to get the Jeep back to level when towing).
DC made 8,333 CRD's in 2005. There are still dealers with 05 CRD's on the lot. The advantage for me was the 7year 70,000 mile Warnt. instead of the 3year 36,000 miles. I do not know how you could find out with any certianity what DC is really planning for 2006. The Nitro Dodge is due to be built right with the Liberty, and perhaps it might have a CRD as well. Anyone read anything worth repeating?
vtdog: I went with the triple tred Goodyear Fortera, which are a directional tire. The ride is excellent. You can go to the GoodYear web and you can see that these tires are just basic rubber to get city dwellers to and fro, and not much more. On dry pavement they rate the grip at 5. Enjoy the better tires.
I guess I didn't mention that the dealer replaced my odd sized receiver hitch with one the correct size for free and I didn't have to do any welding, grinding or painting.
I have a tongue weight of 550 lbs and a trailed weight of 5k+ so an extension is not an option. When I tow, I remove the spare tire and throw it in the boat. With a short draw bar the rear barely drops under the load so no air bags or air shocks are necessary.
The spare tire placement is clearly an example of form over function and I am okay with it. Most of the time I am not towing and the spare tire looks great on its mount.
Well... yes. I made honest comments on design flaws, too. But, I'm supposed to lighten up. Okay. Anyway, I don't like Bud Light.
Short of moving the spare to the left or dropping the hitch, I'd like your solution. Since the weight of the driver is already on the left, I wouldn't want the weight of the spare shifted there. The back door hinge shouldn't have to bear the weight on the right.
I can't imagine anyone who'd have to go to the trouble of driving onto blocks to raise the tounge of a trailer, either. It does kinda connect the dots, though.
I just bought a Liberty CRD (leftover 2005 model) I think I got a great deal because it was the last 05 on the lot. Sticker priced at $27,800, I bought the car for $21,900 after incentives. I tow a boat and the CRD seemed like a great balance between economy and utility. I didn't even think about the problems with clearance between the hitch and the spare tire. I've also seen a lot of negatives about EGR valves and brakes. Its making me nervous (buyer's remorse) My 1993 Cherokee was still running good with 193,000 and no car payment.
I had the same difficulty and after a little research found that Fram Filter # PH8316 and Wix # 51516 both fit our vehicles. The Fram may be purchased for as little as $1.95 each. If you wish to buy them by the case there is an outfit in Margate Florida that gives a case discount that drops the price to $1.79 each. I am sure you can find a local merchant that will duplicate that case discount and save additional money on the shipping.
I am using a Reese 1200lb tounge weight rated insert and it positions the ball back enough to allow the trailer's hitch to be connected without any clearance issues. My trailer empty weights 3200 hitch weight 400lbs. Loaded camper trailer tips in at 4400lbs and the hitch weight is close to 600lbs. The spring bars are 600lb capacity, the rode is very level. I know the type insert is expensive but you don't have to keep moving the tire around and finding a place to store it.
Come on guys use a little imagination when trying to fix this little problem.
Not only am I confident the Liberty CRD will tow 5,000#: After pulling a 25 year old Scotch pine clean out of the ground using a heavy chain wrapped around the trailer ball, I know the hitch assembly is tougher than it looks.
I shimmed my stinger with some spare brass sheet I had lying around. The oversized 2-3/32" hitch is a flaw. Keep it context, though! I'm so damn tickled to buy an American-made rig with the number of virtues this one has, including sound (German-like) workmanship, I'm not going to call anyone involved in it's design a "Moron". I consider my "glass is very full" in this purchase.
I hope DC does nothing rash in response to a few off-handed criticisms that may increase problems, rather than lessen them. This a quality, UTILITY vehicle with style and attitude!
That WAS my solution - until I purchaces my new cargo trailer that has a "V" front end - there is not enough clearance to open the rear door - the door hits the trailer jack! I am working with the local welding shop to fabricate a long, strong, insert = maybe I will go into business and sell them to Liberty owners who are having the same problem!
I never thought about checking JC Whitney. I used to get lots of stuff from them when I was younger and needed parts for my old jalopies. I think the insert I have (from Bumper-to Bumper) says that it is 10-1/4" from center of pin hole to center of ball. This is just a little too short to allow the hitch to go down on the ball. I think 11-1/2" would do it. Hard to find on the open market though! By extending, I will just have to be cautious with the tongue weight. Evidently other brands of vehicles that use rear door spare tire systems must hang the tire a little higher???!!
Hey - Thanks! Just came across your post - I should learn to read through everything before asking so many questions! Must be a flaw I inherited from my parents! I will check out Rocky Road Outfitters -
To be honest, in the long run, you may be more happy if you have the tounge on the trailer extended. I know- easy for me to say since I do my own fabricating. However, that results in solving the door clearance problem and reduces weight on the hitch (apportions more to the trailer axles). You'll have better performance all the way around. Go with a 2 to 7-foot long, 3" steel tube (1/8 or 5/16"). I'm inclined to do same with my travel trailer as I have a 7' extension on my utility trailer and love it!
CR Brophy sells extended ball mounts and they work perfect for lighter trailers. I have the BM20 and it is 13 1/4" long. There is no problem hooking up the trailer with the tire on, nor do I have to open the door a little bit.
I only tow a jetski that weighs about 1,000 lbs. with the trailer, but it has been a perfect fix for me.
This ball mount bs was driving me crazy. I also bought the 13 1/2 inch CR Brophy with the crudely lathed 7500 lbs rated 2 inch ball and mentioned it my post months ago.
I got that info at edmunds or at our other all jeep liberty sites.
I haven't towed in thirty years and learned by reading (lurking) at the good jeep sites. Please do the same. Hitch extenders reduce load ratings.
Since my purchase I learned by searches that there are other long ball mounts for less than I paid.
Speaking of payments, how do all the early buyers feel about making payments and having a balance due for more than some can buy a new leftover for now. A true "marketing misfire" like I've posted before.
Please tell Toyota to make a real American one-half ton truck with a comfortable seat and driving position and built with real tough engineered parts and build it in Japan or build it here with workers who care and are allowed to do the right thing.
Please tell Cummins to build me a B diesel 5.9 divided by two (a 2.95B?) and put it in my truck.
I don't care about 0-60 times or sunroofs or 20 inch tires. Give me hi-way mileage, and with the diesel, I'll have some towing torque.
Price, who cares, quality can cost (I'll pay for quality), but you can pay too much for less.
Wow. Thanks Siberia. Now that's a lead I can follow-up on. It's 18 degrees here so I'll measure it in a few days when I won't freeze to the ground.
If you can expand on how you showed the dealer the hitch was oversized, I would appreciate it.
BTW, I have a March '05 build date. Is your's close? This might have been a short-lived supplier issue that only affected a few units before it was caught. :surprise:
I took the insert along for show and tell with the service manager. We put it in and rattled it around. Then we put it in a new 3.7 Liberty and a new Dodge Ram diesel and the fit was good. The service manager agreed (after some measuring) that it was unacceptable and swapped it out while I waited.
He offered that farmers sometimes leave their receivers in until they rust solid and it takes a sledge to drive them out. Maybe this is a solution to that problem, he wasn’t sure.
Look, you got a really good deal on an 05 (last model year with locking differential, 06 gets Electronic Stability Control). It's also probably got a build date much later in 05 so some of the "glitches" are probably taken care of with ECM software. Rocky-Road outfitters sells a hitch extension, or get a cargo basket on the roof and secure the spare on top. Anyway, those items should not put you into buyers remorse. As of the EGR concern, I bought my CRD in Sept with a build date of May. I have over 5K miles and have no issues with EGR valves nor brakes. I use PS additive to boost the cetane up by a half dozen points so it's in the 50's
I was talking to a service tech today; he had come by to try to determine why my brakes groan in the morning (like me) and he actually is a big fan of the CRD. I asked him about the EGR valve problem, and he said it would only be a matter of time before the EGR went; they all do. He said the odd thing was when he pulled the valve on the last CRD he couldn't see what could be wrong with it. It was very clean, and it didn't look like it could be a failure caused by clogging or fouling. He said that they expect the replacement EGR valves to be the solution, and they don't expect secondary failures. He said he loves the CRD, but Daimler basicly rushed it to market with a few loose ends. He said that 7 or 8 other Liberty owners have complained about noisy brakes, and that Star hasn't had an answer, so they would like to replace the rotors and pads on mine to see if it provides a permanent fix. I told them that the noise wasn't that big of a deal; I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't something evil happening with the brakes. Other interesting stuff: I asked about the tranny not shifting in OD until I was a few miles down the road and he said the tranny is programmed to stay out of overdrive until the fluid has reached a certain temp to prevent damage to the OD unit. The tranny is provided by Mercedes, and the service techs have a pretty high opinion of the unit. They also expect the service life of the diesel engine to be a solid 350,000 miles before major service, other than replacing timing belts.
The service at my dealer is great. I'll let you know how it goes with the brake replacement.
Quote Not only am I confident the Liberty CRD will tow 5,000#: After pulling a 25 year old Scotch pine clean out of the ground using a heavy chain wrapped around the trailer ball, I know the hitch assembly is tougher than it looks.
There are easier ways to get Christmas trees.
I got one of those hitch extenders too to clear the spare tire (about 7"). Supposedly, you take a hit on the allowable tongue weight, but it seems to work just fine. Easy to put on and to remove.
ULSD will be more readily available in the states next year or so. All calender year 2007 big trucks(Freightliner, Peterbilt etc...) will have motors designed to run on ULSD to meet the more stringent 2007 EPA diesel emission requirements. I am told that by 2010, all petroleum companies will have to make ULSD by law. This should help our little engines.
I got one of those hitch extenders too to clear the spare tire (about 7"). Supposedly, you take a hit on the allowable tongue weight, but it seems to work just fine.
No argument in how much easier it is. But, if you're like me, a utility trailer gets used lots to replace need for a pickup truck. The more you're going to use the trailer, the poorer the choice the hitch extender is.
Of course, did we mention a hitch extender makes backing up more difficult too, and a tounge extension makes it less difficult?
I'm guessing a 7" hitch extender could reduce capacity by 30%. That's easy enough to compute. The 'searchlight' effect on the headlights when towing is already bad enough without unduly swamping the hind end. Ultimately depends on the duty expected as a tow vehicle, though.
You guessed it, I like my Christmas trees about 25 y.o., barefoot and prostrate, too. Libby's up to the task!
This site shows the area where ULSD fuel is currently available. ULSD burns cleaner and should not cause problems with EGR valves like the current higher sulfur content fuel does. Hope this helps.
I'll probably opt for taking the spair off too. Trailer mfr. is discouraging me from purchasing a 41k# trailer. Thinks the Lib won't tug it. Considering that I'll be pulling mountain grades, can you give me any feedback on your towing experience. Do you pull on flat or hills, both?
I'd like to purchase a Travel trailer to tug behind the Lib. Most trailer mfr. I speak with are discouraging me from pulling anything heavier than 4K#. What's your experience? Any bad experiences out there? Successes? Who'se pulling what Thank you for your imput.
I recently pulled my wooden boat out of the river and hauled 35 mi. to kalkaska for storage. On the way, I really worked the engine to get up some of the hills and out of this valley. I had read others who say to keep the OD off which I did. I noted that it really locked into a gear with no slippage. The engine seemed to really groan and I was tempted to try and get it into a lower gear which it would not stay in, it shifted back up and stayed at 30-35. Does this low growling and vibration hurt it in any way. I suspect the boat may have exceeded 5000# due to water taken on during the summer. On the level all was well and I tried it in OD which seemed to work well. Is this inviting a problem.
My concern is,I will be going from Fl. to Annapolis in Jan. to pick up a telstar sailboat and trailer down. This comes in at 4800# with trailer. I will be putting on tranny cooler and air lifts next week in anticipation. I suppose the struggle of getting up those hills got me thinking about going through mountains on the way back to mi. My ears are open for those with experience. Happy sailing.BR
I would be concerned about frequently pushing or exceeding the maximum limits. Remember your warranty is at stake! Follow advice in the owner's manual.
Mine growled similarly pulling a 3,000# load up a 6% grade. Yes, everything wears faster under those conditions. Change your fluids more often and keep your eye on temperatures in the high demand situations. My philosophy on this would be to examine the alternatives. I'm betting the best is to tow that 4,800# trailer with the Liberty CRD.
We towed a 2700# chalet camping trailer with a 300# tongue weight 3500 miles last week. Climbing hills over 7k feet. I Have a 11" one piece stinger. Dual air bags in rear. We traveled around 64 on the flats in od, and when climbing I simply shifted out the od put on the cruise and climbed the hills at 55MPG at around 2500rpm. We got between 17 and 19MPG depending on how many hills. Just because the crd is rated to pull 5k lbs, I would not make that a regular pull. Going to the max will wear out your jeep that much sooner. Remember the jeep weight on also around 5klbs.
Comments
1.) Trailer wiring harness shorted out fuse-lost all dash lights and tail lights (check your fuse bank, if the trailer wires get crossed, you won't know how fast you're going
2.) Hitch worked for one trailer but hit the spare tire like yours did for another. The heighth of the hitch compared to that of trucks causes a problem for some trailers. In one case I had to go get a truck.
3.) Lastly, the noise caused by the tongue banging on the hitch is TOO D*MN LOUD! If ANYONE has a tried-and-true method of reducing this noise I would deeply appreciate it. I'm used to pulling with pick-ups. All of this noise transferred into the cabin and then echoed around the cavernous back end of the vehicle is just awful and unnacceptable. :mad:
Sorry for the rant, I just can't believe how much noise a little 6x10 garden trailer can make and punishment it can deliver enven when empty. :confuse:
Boiler
Amen on the hitch issue!!! I can't belive what engineering moron must have designed that set up. The tire is too close to the hitch to work properly plus the hitch itself is too low. If you raise the ball then you can't get the hitch coupler over the ball because it hits the tire. I towed my boat back to the dealer for service for the first time only to find that the toungue was so low that I couldn't get the wheel to deploy under the tongue so I could crank it up and off the ball!! I was screwed!!! I ended up making a ramp out of wood blocks and driving the back wheels of the Libby up on the ramp to give me enough clearance to deploy the trailer tongue wheel!!! You think I wasn't ready to strangle a DC engineer at that point? I found a 12" long ball mount from JC whitney that might work. I haven't measured yet to see if it would clear the spare tire. How long is your ball mount? Is it 12" or more? I too am concerned about increaseing th tongue weight by extending the ball distance from the receiver.
This makes no sense - all this from a company that touts you can tow 5000 lbs with this truck! This rig definitely isn't built for towing !!! :sick:
I tolerate the minor brake noise too. If that's the worst defect I ever find.....
Good name by the way.
A little honest discussion only benefits everyone. I will point out the shortcoming of this vehicle as I see fit. You act as if you personally designed the truck yourself. No one should have to alter their trailer in order to accomodate a poor vehicle design. So don't tell me to buck up. DC doesn't need a smear society - they just need honest feedback about design flaws such as this. I still like my Liberty even though it has issues. Lighten up Bud. :shades:
I just traded in the 2002 for a 2006 Liberty CRD and so far I have not towed much but what I have done there also seems to be no problem yet accept one. The spare tire gets in the way so it takes me an extra minute or so to hook the trailer up. I was thinking about looking for a better solution but for a minute or two why spend the money.
The first time I towed with my Liberty the hitch was banging around so loud that I turned around and went home. I put the boat away and started measuring hitches. The receiver on the Liberty was (memory?) about 3/32 inch bigger inside measurement than the hitch on my old truck and other vehicles on the dealer’s lot (measured later).
I asked the dealer why the hitch receiver was over-sized. The dealer didn’t know but agreed that it was unacceptable and promptly replaced the hitch with one that had the correct sized receiver. No more clunking.
Diesel Daydreams
The CRD related paragraph is:
The diesel version of the Jeep Liberty has also proved popular with buyers. Jeep is projecting sales of 10,000 Liberty CRD models for the 2005 calendar year — double what it originally projected. It's not a surprise when you consider that fuel economy is 22-percent better than in a comparably equipped gasoline Liberty, in addition to improvements in towing capacity and driving range. Jeep has added another 2,500 vehicles to its production schedule to meet the demand and the company is still unsure if that will suffice. Jeep is so encouraged by Liberty sales that it is assessing whether to adapt the powertrain to other vehicles.
Farout
I solved the trailer hitch clearance problem by going to a welding shop in town and had them make a a one piece stinger. It's 11" long measured from the center of the hitch pin hole to the center of the ball.(It's total length is longer than 11 inches but 11" will clear the rear tire with room to spare).
To solve the rattle I had them weld 8 weld spots (4 in ea flat spot at the end of the stinger and 4 just at the inside edge of where the stinger come out of the receiver. Brought it all home and used a grinder to grind down the weld spots so the stinger fits like a glove in the receiver. Then I re-painted the stinger. I tow a 2800Lb trailer with a tongue weight of 300lbs with no problems.
(PS: I did install Firestone air bags in the rear coil springs to get the Jeep back to level when towing).
Farout
Farout
I have a tongue weight of 550 lbs and a trailed weight of 5k+ so an extension is not an option. When I tow, I remove the spare tire and throw it in the boat. With a short draw bar the rear barely drops under the load so no air bags or air shocks are necessary.
The spare tire placement is clearly an example of form over function and I am okay with it. Most of the time I am not towing and the spare tire looks great on its mount.
By the way, the CRD handles this load quite well.
Well... yes. I made honest comments on design flaws, too. But, I'm supposed to lighten up. Okay. Anyway, I don't like Bud Light.
Short of moving the spare to the left or dropping the hitch, I'd like your solution. Since the weight of the driver is already on the left, I wouldn't want the weight of the spare shifted there. The back door hinge shouldn't have to bear the weight on the right.
I can't imagine anyone who'd have to go to the trouble of driving onto blocks to raise the tounge of a trailer, either. It does kinda connect the dots, though.
enzodc
Not only am I confident the Liberty CRD will tow 5,000#: After pulling a 25 year old Scotch pine clean out of the ground using a heavy chain wrapped around the trailer ball, I know the hitch assembly is tougher than it looks.
I shimmed my stinger with some spare brass sheet I had lying around. The oversized 2-3/32" hitch is a flaw. Keep it context, though! I'm so damn tickled to buy an American-made rig with the number of virtues this one has, including sound (German-like) workmanship, I'm not going to call anyone involved in it's design a "Moron". I consider my "glass is very full" in this purchase.
I hope DC does nothing rash in response to a few off-handed criticisms that may increase problems, rather than lessen them. This a quality, UTILITY vehicle with style and attitude!
To be honest, in the long run, you may be more happy if you have the tounge on the trailer extended. I know- easy for me to say since I do my own fabricating. However, that results in solving the door clearance problem and reduces weight on the hitch (apportions more to the trailer axles). You'll have better performance all the way around. Go with a 2 to 7-foot long, 3" steel tube (1/8 or 5/16"). I'm inclined to do same with my travel trailer as I have a 7' extension on my utility trailer and love it!
I only tow a jetski that weighs about 1,000 lbs. with the trailer, but it has been a perfect fix for me.
Here is a link:
Ball Mounts
This ball mount bs was driving me crazy. I also bought the 13 1/2 inch CR Brophy with the crudely lathed 7500 lbs rated 2 inch ball and mentioned it my post months ago.
I got that info at edmunds or at our other all jeep liberty sites.
I haven't towed in thirty years and learned by reading (lurking) at the good jeep sites. Please do the same. Hitch extenders reduce load ratings.
Since my purchase I learned by searches that there are other long ball mounts for less than I paid.
Speaking of payments, how do all the early buyers feel about making payments and having a balance due for more than some can buy a new leftover for now. A true "marketing misfire" like I've posted before.
Please tell Toyota to make a real American one-half ton truck with a comfortable seat and driving position and built with real tough engineered parts and build it in Japan or build it here with workers who care and are allowed to do the right thing.
Please tell Cummins to build me a B diesel 5.9 divided by two (a 2.95B?) and put it in my truck.
I don't care about 0-60 times or sunroofs or 20 inch tires. Give me hi-way mileage, and with the diesel, I'll have some towing torque.
Price, who cares, quality can cost (I'll pay for quality), but you can pay too much for less.
If you can expand on how you showed the dealer the hitch was oversized, I would appreciate it.
BTW, I have a March '05 build date. Is your's close? This might have been a short-lived supplier issue that only affected a few units before it was caught. :surprise:
Cheers,
Boiler
He offered that farmers sometimes leave their receivers in until they rust solid and it takes a sledge to drive them out. Maybe this is a solution to that problem, he wasn’t sure.
My build date is Feb 05.
Thanks, I'll look into that.
Frank
Rocky-Road outfitters sells a hitch extension, or get a cargo basket on the roof and secure the spare on top. Anyway, those items should not put you into buyers remorse.
As of the EGR concern, I bought my CRD in Sept with a build date of May. I have over 5K miles and have no issues with EGR valves nor brakes.
I use PS additive to boost the cetane up by a half dozen points so it's in the 50's
Farout
There are several filters available for the CRD Liberty, the only brand I recommend avoiding is FRAM.
Cummins already builds a 2.8 marine turbo diesel with up to 200 HP. Is that close enough?
link title
Other interesting stuff: I asked about the tranny not shifting in OD until I was a few miles down the road and he said the tranny is programmed to stay out of overdrive until the fluid has reached a certain temp to prevent damage to the OD unit. The tranny is provided by Mercedes, and the service techs have a pretty high opinion of the unit. They also expect the service life of the diesel engine to be a solid 350,000 miles before major service, other than replacing timing belts.
The service at my dealer is great. I'll let you know how it goes with the brake replacement.
There are easier ways to get Christmas trees.
I got one of those hitch extenders too to clear the spare tire (about 7"). Supposedly, you take a hit on the allowable tongue weight, but it seems to work just fine. Easy to put on and to remove.
No argument in how much easier it is. But, if you're like me, a utility trailer gets used lots to replace need for a pickup truck. The more you're going to use the trailer, the poorer the choice the hitch extender is.
Of course, did we mention a hitch extender makes backing up more difficult too, and a tounge extension makes it less difficult?
I'm guessing a 7" hitch extender could reduce capacity by 30%. That's easy enough to compute. The 'searchlight' effect on the headlights when towing is already bad enough without unduly swamping the hind end. Ultimately depends on the duty expected as a tow vehicle, though.
You guessed it, I like my Christmas trees about 25 y.o., barefoot and prostrate, too. Libby's up to the task!
This site shows the area where ULSD fuel is currently available. ULSD burns cleaner and should not cause problems with EGR valves like the current higher sulfur content fuel does. Hope this helps.
My concern is,I will be going from Fl. to Annapolis in Jan. to pick up a telstar sailboat and trailer down. This comes in at 4800# with trailer. I will be putting on tranny cooler and air lifts next week in anticipation. I suppose the struggle of getting up those hills got me thinking about going through mountains on the way back to mi. My ears are open for those with experience. Happy sailing.BR
Mine growled similarly pulling a 3,000# load up a 6% grade. Yes, everything wears faster under those conditions. Change your fluids more often and keep your eye on temperatures in the high demand situations. My philosophy on this would be to examine the alternatives. I'm betting the best is to tow that 4,800# trailer with the Liberty CRD.
We traveled around 64 on the flats in od, and when climbing I simply shifted out the od put on the cruise and climbed the hills at 55MPG at around 2500rpm. We got between 17 and 19MPG depending on how many hills.
Just because the crd is rated to pull 5k lbs, I would not make that a regular pull. Going to the max will wear out your jeep that much sooner. Remember the jeep weight on also around 5klbs.