How Does the Jeep Wrangler 392 Tow When it's FULLY Loaded? We Hookup a Trailer and Find Out

Hey folks and welcome to the Truck King YouTube channel. Sitting next to me today is a ridiculous vehicle. That is the Jeep Wrangler 392, which of course is fit with a massive 6.4 liter V8. Now we know it's got lots of power, we know it's probably pretty good off-road, but in this video I'm going to look to answer the question, how does this Jeep tow that trailer? Let's start by talking about what we're towing today. Now this is the Kawasaki Special Edition. First of all, let me tell you, if you want to see a review on this thing, go check out our other channel, TK Powersports and RVs, where we cover the entire ATV and side-by-side market and you'll see a lot more on this. Now what you need to know for this video though, is that this machine weighs 1,600 pounds. Our trailer here is about 2,000 and then yes, we're actually moving one of those soft-sided hot tubs as well. That thing can't be more than 150 pounds. So altogether, we're putting this whole rig at about 3,700-3,800 pounds. Now yes, that is slightly overloading our Jeep. This Jeep Wrangler 392 has a tow rating of 3,500 pounds, but you know what? I think it's funny that this Jeep gets a huge engine, all of that power, but still the same tow rating. Now I recognize it has more to do with the suspension than it does with the power, but you would think with that big V8, you might get a little more. Anyways, we're going to put it to the test by overloading it. Now there's a couple other things I want to show you here with the hitch. First thing you need to be aware of with a vehicle like this, you're getting the spare tire on the back and this can get in the way of some trailers. Now with our trailer, we have just enough space, but if you were to turn tight enough, this jack handle is definitely going to contact this tire. So definitely something to be aware of. Another thing, especially with this Wrangler, because it has 35-inch tires, it sits really high off the ground. So you're probably going to need a draw pitch. We put the draw pitch onto its lowest setting here and our flat deck is sitting nice and flat, which is crucial. So those are things you have to keep in mind when you're towing with a vehicle like this Wrangler. Plus that door won't open, Steve. Yeah, you're right. If you want to access your cargo, well, you can't do it. You can't even get it open enough to get the glass open. So once your trailer's on, you ain't getting in the back. Well, what is the payload rating on a Jeep like this? And I got to tell you guys, it's pretty disappointing at only 850 pounds. Now, the other thing I want to show you, and you've probably already noticed, is just the attitude of this Jeep. It's squatting quite a bit in the back and that's what I was saying earlier. The limiting factor here is the suspension. It is made to be soft, so it'll handle off-roading, but this is what you end up with. A rear end that's squatting right down and a front end that's lifting right up. And about now, it's time to go drive and see if this attitude makes it sketchy on the road. Hey now folks, we're actually out here on the road and I think I've already teed it up pretty well. You've seen how the Jeep is sitting, you've seen the load, and Dad actually has been towing it for a number of hours now. He drove up to my place. So let me just throw to you right off the bat, Dad, how has it been towing today? This is not an ideal tow vehicle by any stretch. Jeeps, at the best of time, have a tendency to wander. And with the size of this rubber and now the nose is lifted a little bit, it's not dangerous, don't get me wrong. But what it is, is you're constantly, constantly adjusting. All right, because it's constantly falling off the crown of the road. Now the good news is that there's no tail wag, so it hasn't done anything bad in the back like that. But on the other hand, because it's a Rubicon, that suspension is soft and it's squatting. When you hit some big bumps, it doesn't hit the bump stops, but I just, my butt tells me that there's not a lot left. So it kind of makes me sad when I think about what this thing costs. Yeah, you know what, we might as well get the price tag out of the way. As it sits, this Wrangler you're looking at here is $116,000 Canadian. Now it does have the Extreme Recon package, which is the 35 inch tires, and the OneTouch Skyroof, and all of the options. But still, that's really expensive. And yeah, I think that, like you mentioned off the top, it's kind of a known thing that Jeeps have never toned that well, or Wranglers are not great tow vehicles. But I think we also know that the person who buys the Wrangler generally has a more active outdoorsy lifestyle, and usually has something they want to pull. Like a boat, like a fishing boat, or ATVs, or a side-by-side. So it's funny that this vehicle, which isn't really great for towing, I think a lot of people do tow with it. So I think you laid it out there, Dad. Don't be ready for, you know, a really kind of dialed-in, buttoned-down towing experience. However, the other big takeaway is it's not scary. You don't feel sketchy, right? You're not being blown all over the road. No, and I don't want anybody to get that. I mean, with this one, I tend to stick to speed limit, because that's just what my butt's telling me to do. But otherwise, I mean, it's going to do what you want. And interestingly enough, I think Steve alluded to it when we were at the Hershey RV Show a couple of weeks ago, the amount of small, what they're calling off-road trailers. These things are lifted, and they've got aggressive tires on them. They're tailor-made for a vehicle like this, because you're the guy who really wants to get off the beaten track. You're not going to the RV park. You want to be right down on the lake, and you want to be off a fire access road, or some other place that only you can get into. So you own the Jeep. You got that small trailer, and you want to get it in there. So you are going to be towing a lot. And I think what I'm getting to here is that the guys down in Toledo at Jeep need to listen and think a little more towards the fact that don't just build the ultimate off-roader. Build one that'll work well towing on-road to get you to the off-road. Yeah, this is the kind of vehicle where even with a 3,000-pound travel trailer, a small little travel trailer, I'd want an equalized hitch, right? Just to kind of lift up your back end a little bit, even with not a lot of weight. Yeah, well, either that or get some airbags on this thing so that you can level it out. There's a number of things that they could do if they started thinking along the lines of, yeah, Jeep guys are going to tow more than ever before. So I just wanted to speak to that $116,000 price tag. This is the 392, so you're talking about the 6.4-liter V8. And frankly, that's what you're paying for, or more importantly, you're paying for this. Because you've never had a Jeep that made a sound like that. It's ridiculous. And there aren't too many cars around that'll do that. Is it really worth it? I don't know. Is it a collector's item now? Damn right it is. So you know what? I've got to do it again. It sounds so good, and it has no business being that quick with a big trailer on the back. I know, I know. Oh yeah, that's true. We got the trailer. Yeah, you almost forget about it, right? So yeah, consider that as certainly part of the price tag. Well, folks, we have come to the end of this one. So what's the verdict? Well, with this Wrangler 392, if you are towing at the limit, no, it's not going to be the best tow vehicle. But it's also not going to be sketchy, and that is important, especially considering this is a $116,000 Jeep that delivers ridiculous performance both on and off-road. Well, folks, like I said, that's it for this one. Now, please go in the comments, let me know what you think of this 392. As always, make sure you come back to the channel because tomorrow we're going to go film a full off-road review with this Jeep and that Kawasaki. So we have lots more coming. So make sure you come right back here to see what we are testing next. See ya.