Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm wanting a 6x12 to convert (no black tanks, showers, etc.) Just off grid / off road (need better suspension / tires). (nothing crazy).

I'm wondering if you are comfortable towing a 6x12 with a Jeep Wrangler and its 3500 lbs weight limit?

I can take the bad news...

With a V6 ?
I'd have to say No.
I just towed my 6x10 to Goblin valley from Salt lake. Mountain passes suck. 2nd gear, 3,500rpm ----- 45MPH ---- hazzards on.
But , im on 31's with 3:55 gears. A bone stock rig may do better if stock size tires.

On the way there we had a tail wind which helped us get up some smaller hills at 60+.
Coming home was headwind the whole way, 55 at best on level ground. Add a steep hill.
Not trying to scare ya, but maybe save ya some grief.



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i'm towing my 6x12 with a 2014 jk wrangler, i've only towed it once, from the manufacturer to home so far. i was quite comfortable towing it the 45 or so miles along windy, hilly secondary roads without the electric brakes wired up. the distance i will be towing is about 200-250 miles max one way to our usual crown land campsites.
my build plan is quite simple and light weight, one of the first things i did was strip out the 500lbs of osb floor and walls to insulate and replaced it with lighter revolutionply (luaun) walls and 1/2" plywood for the floors shaving about 250lbs of weight off of the trailer. i will not have an indoor shower or holding tanks either, cabinets will be sparse, basic and built with cedar framing and revolutionply, the plan is to let the build evolve as time goes on and add/remove items as needed. good luck with your build

one of the first things i did while i had the floors up i installed shock absorbers since the last few miles on fire access and logging roads to our campsites can be very bumpy particularly in the spring....

I tow a very modestly built-out 6x12x7 Wells Cargo (main added weight is front-V cabinets only, 2 golf cart batts, 12V fridge, no white-grey-black tanks, no running water, no toilet....). It nets out at a dry weight(not loaded for camping) in the 2800 lb area. I installed electric brakes last summer. I have a 9600 lb towing capacity on my vehicle. I didn't buy the truck to tow this trailer..I've always had a stout towing vehicle as I never know what I might be towing next. The 7 foot height does add some windage.

Knowing how the trailer feels (it tows very well, no off-road BLM land adventures..yet) on trips in all kinds of weather, I wouldn't tow it with a short wheelbase 3500 lb capacity vehicle. Even towing a light weight trailer(6x12), the vehicle's available cargo capacity (tongue weight, gas, gear, passengers) will be pushed close to the limit. This is not to say it can't be done as people tow with marginal vehicles all the time..and seem to get away with it. Of course on the web it's much more common to hear about the victories than the defeats. Consider it's not only your own safety to think about, but also your passengers and others on the road...who assume you're competent in what you're doing.

I'd think a vehicle with a 5000 lb rating would be OK. In the end, vehicles are pricey, trailers are cheap, and people do what they do..

Modstock wrote:With a V6 ?
I'd have to say No.
I just towed my 6x10 to Goblin valley from Salt lake. Mountain passes suck. 2nd gear, 3,500rpm ----- 45MPH ---- hazzards on.
But , im on 31's with 3:55 gears. A bone stock rig may do better if stock size tires.

On the way there we had a tail wind which helped us get up some smaller hills at 60+.
Coming home was headwind the whole way, 55 at best on level ground. Add a steep hill.
Not trying to scare ya, but maybe save ya some grief.

Thanks for the feedback. Normally a 6x12 is only about 150lbs more than a 6x10. (empty weight). I have a manual transmission. (don't know if that helps or hurts in towing).

I have one size up from stock tires (265/R75/16). Many JKUs come with 17" tires. (again, don't know if mine helps or hurts or makes no difference).??

onehoser wrote:i'm towing my 6x12 with a 2014 jk wrangler, i've only towed it once, from the manufacturer to home so far. i was quite comfortable towing it the 45 or so miles along windy, hilly secondary roads without the electric brakes wired up. the distance i will be towing is about 200-250 miles max one way to our usual crown land campsites.
my build plan is quite simple and light weight, one of the first things i did was strip out the 500lbs of osb floor and walls to insulate and replaced it with lighter revolutionply (luaun) walls and 1/2" plywood for the floors shaving about 250lbs of weight off of the trailer. i will not have an indoor shower or holding tanks either, cabinets will be sparse, basic and built with cedar framing and revolutionply, the plan is to let the build evolve as time goes on and add/remove items as needed. good luck with your build

Thanks. I was planning on electric breaks and keeping he thing well under 3000#. Again, I don't know if thats realistically towable for a JKU that is rated at 3500# (which I believe includes the stuff in the Jeep itself)

I won't be toy hauling. Just a long range spartan camper (no showers, black water tanks, etc. Just batteries, solar, water and supplies to last about 2 weeks) At least thats the plan.

fishboat wrote:I tow a very modestly built-out 6x12x7 Wells Cargo (main added weight is front-V cabinets only, 2 golf cart batts, 12V fridge, no white-grey-black tanks, no running water, no toilet....). It nets out at a dry weight(not loaded for camping) in the 2800 lb area. I installed electric brakes last summer. I have a 9600 lb towing capacity on my vehicle. I didn't buy the truck to tow this trailer..I've always had a stout towing vehicle as I never know what I might be towing next. The 7 foot height does add some windage.

Knowing how the trailer feels (it tows very well, no off-road BLM land adventures..yet) on trips in all kinds of weather, I wouldn't tow it with a short wheelbase 3500 lb capacity vehicle. Even towing a light weight trailer(6x12), the vehicle's available cargo capacity (tongue weight, gas, gear, passengers) will be pushed close to the limit. This is not to say it can't be done as people tow with marginal vehicles all the time..and seem to get away with it. Of course on the web it's much more common to hear about the victories than the defeats. Consider it's not only your own safety to think about, but also your passengers and others on the road...who assume you're competent in what you're doing.

I'd think a vehicle with a 5000 lb rating would be OK. In the end, vehicles are pricey, trailers are cheap, and people do what they do..

thanks, that was what I was wanting was an honest assessment. Its always nice to hear someone tell you want you want to hear, but that isn't want I want by asking. I didn't buy the JKU for towing, but to be honest, I'm surprised it is as wimpy as it is. Most mid-SUVs (mid size by 2020 standards and small for 1990 standards) have better tow rating than the Jeep does.

I've been planning on renting a 6x10 from U-Haul for a day and dragging it around to see how it handles.

onehoser wrote:one of the first things i did while i had the floors up i installed shock absorbers since the last few miles on fire access and logging roads to our campsites can be very bumpy particularly in the spring....

The plan is to put timbren axle less suspension system on it, and Jeep size 16" tires. ( I know that adds weight).

thanks.

we have 2 jeeps, the jk which is our daily driver will tow the 6x12 and the tj rubicon which is built for the trails so we take both when we go north with a small utility trailer that we use for supply runs, collecting firewood, trail spares, propane, fuel cans and rita's kayak so she can load up and go off and do some fishing on the many lakes and rivers in the area when she gets tired of bouncing around on the trails, lol

onehoser wrote:we have 2 jeeps, the jk which is our daily driver will tow the 6x12 and the tj rubicon which is built for the trails so we take both when we go north with a small utility trailer that we use for supply runs, collecting firewood, trail spares, propane, fuel cans and rita's kayak so she can load up and go off and do some fishing on the many lakes and rivers in the area when she gets tired of bouncing around on the trails, lol

Without divulging your secret spots, what Crown Land areas do you generally go to? ... and let's hope can get out soon!

PCO6 wrote:

onehoser wrote:we have 2 jeeps, the jk which is our daily driver will tow the 6x12 and the tj rubicon which is built for the trails so we take both when we go north with a small utility trailer that we use for supply runs, collecting firewood, trail spares, propane, fuel cans and rita's kayak so she can load up and go off and do some fishing on the many lakes and rivers in the area when she gets tired of bouncing around on the trails, lol

Without divulging your secret spots, what Crown Land areas do you generally go to? ... and let's hope can get out soon!

5 points trail system in the minden area, hindon forrest baysville and ardbeg near parry sound to name a few. not far from you. you're on jeepcentral and jeepkings?

onehoser wrote:

PCO6 wrote:

onehoser wrote:we have 2 jeeps, the jk which is our daily driver will tow the 6x12 and the tj rubicon which is built for the trails so we take both when we go north with a small utility trailer that we use for supply runs, collecting firewood, trail spares, propane, fuel cans and rita's kayak so she can load up and go off and do some fishing on the many lakes and rivers in the area when she gets tired of bouncing around on the trails, lol

Without divulging your secret spots, what Crown Land areas do you generally go to? ... and let's hope can get out soon!

5 points trail system in the minden area, hindon forrest baysville and ardbeg near parry sound to name a few. not far from you. you're on jeepcentral and jeepkings?

I need to get out more. lol. Jeep Central but not Jeep Kings for quite a while. I think things have slowed down a bit there.

Had a 2014 JKU and towed my 6x12 v nose about 30000 total over 4 years. this included Calgary to San Fran, 3 times to Moab and 1 tip to Colorado. I must confess my trailer was an all aluminum weighing in at around 2000lbs when setup. If you do decided, make sure you put airbags on the rear..Makes a huge difference

Cheers
Al

onehoser wrote:we have 2 jeeps, the jk which is our daily driver will tow the 6x12 and the tj rubicon which is built for the trails so we take both when we go north with a small utility trailer that we use for supply runs, collecting firewood, trail spares, propane, fuel cans and rita's kayak so she can load up and go off and do some fishing on the many lakes and rivers in the area when she gets tired of bouncing around on the trails, lol

hah. thanks!