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Old 04-07-2021, 05:30 PM   #1
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Towing a Jeep With Offset Wheels

I tow a 2 door Jeep Rubicon JK behind a Spirit 22M. I have a 3" lift in the Jeep with 285/75/17 10 ply tires at 33 psi on factory stock wheels. I have dealt with a number of solutions to solve the Jeep wandering or "the tail shaking the dog" syndrome, and they have all helped. Installed Super Steer track bar, quiet hitch clamps, changed air pressures, etc. But I still have a little of it on rutted pavement.

I am considering changing the wheels to a 6mm offset aftermarket which will give me a little wider track; potentially changing to a little wider tires.

My question is for those who've installed offset wheels if they made the wandering worse or better on rutted pavement. Since both the 22M and the Jeep are short wheelbase, and it's a long way back from the rear axle of the coach to the front axle of the Jeep, I don't want to put on a wider track and have it get worse.

Thanks in advance for your advice.
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Old 04-07-2021, 05:48 PM   #2
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I have the same Jeep, 3” lift, and tires. I have AEV Salta rims, which are similar offset as stock. I’ve towed behind my 23’ Class C without issue, and now behind my INTENT 26m Class A. It was really sketchy by itself, and downright scary with the Jeep, until I added track bars, sway bars, Sumo springs, and moved a bunch of stowed weight forward to help plant the front end. No problems anymore. Tows great.
I did add longer lower front links on the Jeep, as well as a full alignment by a knowledgeable Jeep guy. I think that made a big difference.

I’ve used the Ready Brute Elite tow bar since 2013 without issue.

Can you add a second sway bar to the rear of the RV? I have the stock bar and a second rear facing bar, which I think made a big difference. You already have the trac bar, which is a MUST.
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Old 04-08-2021, 09:09 AM   #3
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How does the Jeep behave while driving it? Something else to consider is your tire tread. Some treads are more prone to wandering. Air pressure helps. There are many discussions in the Jeep forums about this. It seems that guys tend to mask the problem with a heavy duty steering stabilizer. You may have a few things to look at before the expense of another set of wheels.
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Old 04-08-2021, 10:17 AM   #4
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Thanks for your comments. The Jeep drive fine when not being towed. I had the coach aligned twice by a competent Ford Truck Shop that I"ve used in the past with a 31' Class C. It came from Winnebago's factory misaligned. That helped. Same for the Jeep - alignment checked and cross checked. i do have 10 ply tires with stiffer sidewalls so that may be a minor issue. Air pressure in Jeep tires I've tried everything from 28 psi to 40 psi and it doesn't seem to make a difference. RV tire pressure is 75 front, 80 rear as stated on the coach (it's an E450 chassis on the 22M). I'll look into adding the second sway bar. What brand of second sway bar did you use?

I also have a Warn winch on front with a Warn bumper. I used a Demco tow bar that my tow shop installed shackles on the ends to connect directly to the shackle mounts on the front of the Warn winch bumper, which saves adding a base plate. That required adding a 9" riser to the hitch on the coach to level the tow bar with the Jeep. I've often wondered if the high hitch point might be contributing, and if it would be better with a lower hitch connect on the Jeep, and lower, or no riser, which I would have to have custom made to drop down from the winch bumper attachment to the frame of the Jeep.

The wandering is not significant, but it requires a little constant correction or tweaking on the steering wheel anytime the road is not perfectly smooth (like new pavement) or if the road's crowned a little.
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Old 04-08-2021, 10:50 AM   #5
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I have Roadmaster sway bars, and the same trac bar as you.
I don’t know about the 9” difference in connection points. I have used the Currie baseplate with the stock bumpers, which is really a heavy duty skid plate rather than that ridiculous cross bar set-up. Now I have different steel bumpers and use the Maximus 3 hooks.
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Old 04-14-2021, 05:25 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OldForester View Post
I tow a 2 door Jeep Rubicon JK behind a Spirit 22M. I have a 3" lift in the Jeep with 285/75/17 10 ply tires at 33 psi on factory stock wheels. I have dealt with a number of solutions to solve the Jeep wandering or "the tail shaking the dog" syndrome, and they have all helped. Installed Super Steer track bar, quiet hitch clamps, changed air pressures, etc. But I still have a little of it on rutted pavement.

I am considering changing the wheels to a 6mm offset aftermarket which will give me a little wider track; potentially changing to a little wider tires.

My question is for those who've installed offset wheels if they made the wandering worse or better on rutted pavement. Since both the 22M and the Jeep are short wheelbase, and it's a long way back from the rear axle of the coach to the front axle of the Jeep, I don't want to put on a wider track and have it get worse.

Thanks in advance for your advice.
Drag racing cars are long and thin for lateral stability. You already have a short wheelbase so my guess is that a wider track and wider tires will make things worse.
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Old 04-15-2021, 05:26 AM   #7
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I find my jeep tows better with a full tank of fuel.
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Old 04-15-2021, 08:10 AM   #8
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I tow my two door Jeep with the tow bar that’s been used for 80 years, Smitybuilt makes new ones, $150 it’s a solid “A frame”. Amazon sells them.
Or 4x4 Parts
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Old 04-16-2021, 07:18 AM   #9
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I tow my TJ using a Smittybuilt tow bar with no wandering issues. My TJ has a 2” lift with 31x10.50x15 tires (no offset). I do tow with a full tank of fuel in the TJ. I use a 0” drop hitch receiver. My RV is the 26’ Winnebago Navion 24J. You have not stated at what speed you experience the wandering. I typically tow at 62 mph.
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Old 04-16-2021, 04:25 PM   #10
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BikingKC,

I'm like your in that I tow at 62 mph. Have done that with all my motorhomes in the past including my diesel pusher. All of them hit their sweet spot for fuel mileage at a reasonable freeway speed around 62 mph.

I'm beginning to think I'll start with the additional rear sway bar and then see if that works. If not, I'll add a new steering stabilizer for the Jeep, once I figure out which one to get. I don't have wandering problems with the stock one when driving the Jeep, but it steers very easily.

Somewhere in this mix of solutions, somethings go to work.

Thanks,

Bill
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