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Anyone ever tow a heep with a Mercury Mountaineer???

From Fort Wayne, IN to Tellico, TN in 2001.

Braking sucked. Acceleration sucked. It was sketchy, that truck had the 4.0 v6 in it. Would hold 70 on the hills in 2nd gear...

That Exploder was never the same after that trip.

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mac 'some how we didn't die or kill a bus load of nuns' gyvr
 
From Fort Wayne, IN to Tellico, TN in 2001.

Braking sucked. Acceleration sucked. It was sketchy, that truck had the 4.0 v6 in it. Would hold 70 on the hills in 2nd gear...

That Exploder was never the same after that trip.

004.jpg


mac 'some how we didn't die or kill a bus load of nuns' gyvr

Hmmm...
The vehicles weight about the same, they are both rolling bricks, and the Exploder was pulling at full tow capacity.

I don't know why there would be issues with acceleration, holding speed, or breaking :D

Yah, I've done the same kinda thing with my XJ flat towing a Lifted YJ and a Lifted XJ. Sometimes, you just have to use what you've got available ;)
 
I forgot it was off the step bumper hitch too...

I flat towed a lifted TJ with the XJ set up as it is in that picture to Chicago and then to the Badlands once...

mac 'soon after all this non-sense I bought a trailer' gyvr
 
From Fort Wayne, IN to Tellico, TN in 2001.

Braking sucked. Acceleration sucked. It was sketchy, that truck had the 4.0 v6 in it. Would hold 70 on the hills in 2nd gear...

That Exploder was never the same after that trip.

004.jpg


mac 'some how we didn't die or kill a bus load of nuns' gyvr

Flame on here. But i dont get the point in towing like that? Why not just drive it??? If you snap an axle or something in the heep your still stuck fixing it??? Not like a trailer you can just pull it onto and leave.
 
Flame on here. But i dont get the point in towing like that? Why not just drive it??? If you snap an axle or something in the heep your still stuck fixing it??? Not like a trailer you can just pull it onto and leave.

It's easier to make it roll than make it drive, plus a lot of trail rigs suck to drive, especially for several hours. And its a good first step to a trailer if you don't have the cash to buy the tow rig and trailer.

I always hated driving a stinky, muddy wet rig home from the trail.
 
Got pulled over in the beast yesterday on a test run for a burn't out headlight which got me a verbal warning. That was interesting. From the time I pulled over to the time I got back on the road was less than five minutes. Never have I been pulled over before and it only take five minutes! No, I am not complaining, just was not expecting it to go so quick. :D Oh and don't forget your insurance information at home it will cost you $10.00. That is all I got for tickets driving this pig around, with the flares off to make it even worse.

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I am SO glad it wasn't a state trooper. :D
 
Thinking this might be a red day, got something the mail been waiting on.
 
I draw the line on towing at a 1/2 ton or bigger. Prefer bigger, but in a pinch I'd have no qualms about towing with a half. Of course I've always used a trailer, never a tow dolly or flat towing. I have towed with a half, 3/4 and 1 ton, each with and without trailer brakes. You can get by without trailer brakes on a larger truck in an emergency (sometimes things short out, etc.) and although I hate to admit it, I towed 7 cars from my old house to my new house (~30 mi each way) with a 96 Ram 1500 (5500# empty, not light) without trailer brakes. A few times I had to lay on the brakes and locked up a tire or two on the Ram. For anything permanent I'd definitely hook up a brake controller.

That's probably the biggest issue I see with flat towing, I think I'd rather take the extra 2000# of trailer and have brakes than try to stop a 3500#+ XJ without brakes at all, particularly with a lighter tow rig. I wouldn't tow with a 1/4 ton like an Exploder without air bags or a WD hitch, trailer brakes and a trans cooler and temp gauge. And even then, if it's a long or hilly trip that's going to be hard on a transmission. If it's a really short trip, just have it towed, if it's a long trip, rent a U-haul and trailer. My $0.02...
 
AK to go all postal on people?

A check that was 50% bigger then I expected. I expected quite a bit, but the amount shocked me.
 
It's easier to make it roll than make it drive, plus a lot of trail rigs suck to drive, especially for several hours. And its a good first step to a trailer if you don't have the cash to buy the tow rig and trailer.

I always hated driving a stinky, muddy wet rig home from the trail.

True, I dont have a tow rig obviously but ive never seen myself towing like this. If i can afford an extra vehicle i should be able to afford a trailer. To each their own though.
 
True, I dont have a tow rig obviously but ive never seen myself towing like this. If i can afford an extra vehicle i should be able to afford a trailer. To each their own though.

I towed my Sami behind my XJ. The Sami couldn't do 65 :D
and it wasn't cost. A 16ft trailer takes up valuable driveway space.
 
Hey, looky.
 
Attaboy!!!!!!!! Your hitch awaits you if you still want it. It is not brand new but it will get the job done. It is bent just a little but is in good condition.

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If I don't have one before WF, I will take it and install it in the campground I guess (I got the nut strips already) if I can't get it before then.
 
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