- Location
- Roanoke VA
I finally got to use my Commander for what I bought it for, towing my XJ.
My XJ, in full trail readiness weighs in at 4500#, the 19' Tow Rite trailer weighs in at 2000# with winch, Valley stabilizing/equalizing hitch.
I was able to tow the mountains of I-81 from Roanoke to Abingdon VA with ease and maintain 70 all while getting 12.8mpg, cold air blowing, iPod cranking loud through the premium sound!
The Hemi XK has a 7400# tow capacity along with the tow package usual stuff(hitch/cooler/7-pin) the XK also has TSC, trailer sway control. My trailer does not sway when loaded properly but if you get a semi blasting by you on one of the long down-hill sections it will actually control the sway caused by the wind off the big rig.
I'm running a Prodigy controller that mounts cleanly in the cubby hole next to the steering column and above my left knee.
At one point on my trip I lost trailer brakes suddenly during a quick stop on a wet road going downhill at a stoplight! The XK's ABS stopped the trailer straight but I missed the stop bar by a couple of car lengths. It turns out one of the axles had a bad brake magnet that had shorted out and after 4 hours trying to figure out what had happened and why, I just cut the rear axle out and continued on the front axle alone which was sufficient.
All in all, I'm happy with the XK as a part time tow rig. It's no diesel dually but gets the job done in comfort and at no point did I feel like the "tail was waggin the dog". The Commander had full control over the 6500# behind it!
My XJ, in full trail readiness weighs in at 4500#, the 19' Tow Rite trailer weighs in at 2000# with winch, Valley stabilizing/equalizing hitch.
I was able to tow the mountains of I-81 from Roanoke to Abingdon VA with ease and maintain 70 all while getting 12.8mpg, cold air blowing, iPod cranking loud through the premium sound!
The Hemi XK has a 7400# tow capacity along with the tow package usual stuff(hitch/cooler/7-pin) the XK also has TSC, trailer sway control. My trailer does not sway when loaded properly but if you get a semi blasting by you on one of the long down-hill sections it will actually control the sway caused by the wind off the big rig.
I'm running a Prodigy controller that mounts cleanly in the cubby hole next to the steering column and above my left knee.
At one point on my trip I lost trailer brakes suddenly during a quick stop on a wet road going downhill at a stoplight! The XK's ABS stopped the trailer straight but I missed the stop bar by a couple of car lengths. It turns out one of the axles had a bad brake magnet that had shorted out and after 4 hours trying to figure out what had happened and why, I just cut the rear axle out and continued on the front axle alone which was sufficient.
All in all, I'm happy with the XK as a part time tow rig. It's no diesel dually but gets the job done in comfort and at no point did I feel like the "tail was waggin the dog". The Commander had full control over the 6500# behind it!
