Trailer pulling

[John Hofstetter <hofs@domain.elided>]

>
>John,
>  I've used my Jeep Grand Cherokee V-8 to pull a trailer.  A little =
>trailer with either the John Deere lawn mower or my brothers Polaris 4 =
>wheeler.  I leave the 25,000 lb grain wagons to the IH.
>Andrew Thomas
>'69 1200 4X4 

Andrew, 
The post I put up was put there because many of the digesters and other 
IH guys that I've met at IHC gatherings, have asked me, and even doubted 
that I pull my 24 foot travel trailer with the GC. More than a few have 
suggested that I'm pulling it with the wrong vehicle and should be using 
my Scout. 

You and I know that the 318 even though it is smaller in displacement 
than the Scout's 345, because of its valving and computer controlled fuel 
injection, is a powerful puller. My trailer weighs about 5K dry, and my 
GC is rated at 6500 lbs. but I've had a lot of power train problems with 
the GC, maybe because of the percentage of time that we're actually 
pulling the trailer. The GC, a 96 has 58K miles on it, and probably 45K 
of that was pulling the trailer. The problems have all been front and 
rear axle problems. Jeep put an Aluminum differential housing in the rear 
on that sucker to save weight, and I've had bearings spin in the Al 
mounts.
John H.