So i have a jeep cherokee sport and wanna pull a 18 foot ranger with it,im pretty sure the jeep is a 6 cylinder,how do yall think it'll do at pulling and launching this boat? All feedback will be greatly appreciated.

Tony Lee

i believe it will pull the boat just fine. the problem lies with stopping. but you may have surge brakes on the boat trailer- and that would be fine. pulling out the boat from a steep ramp may be an issue with wheel spin.

if you have problems pulling it out a steep ramp and have 4wd, use it and you should be fine.

thanks guys, yeah i dont have FWD, but thanks for the info,i wasnt to sure id get any feed back on this topic but thanks to yall i have.
Thanks,
Tony Lee

I pull my Skeeter with a 6 cyl GC. But I have 4WD ( which gives me the granny gear if needed on steep ramps), and the lower geared rear end with trac lok and a transmission oil cooler. I have pulled a 23 foot Kenner with it, but I wont do it again. It was too hard on the tranny and I had to use the granny gear to get off the ramp. (I only pulled it for 5 miles.)

It doesnt like to stop, though, unless you have trailer brakes or go to an upgraded front brake on the Jeep.

Put a locker in the rear diff. They are much better than limited slips or posi tracs. A Powertrax Lock Right would do well in a 4x2 Cherokee. I had one in a late 80's 4x4 Suburban and I couldn't believe what I could do in 2 wheel drive. My Grand Cherokee will have one when I get my next boat even though it's a 4x4.

i had the same set up your ok as long as you dont pull in overdrive
that is a good strong solid motor plenty of torque, i believe it has a trans cooler but if it doesnt id get one put on

I have a friend that pulls a 22ft wakeboard boat with his jeep cherokee, so you should be fine.

I pull a Triton 186 with a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 single cab 4-cylinder. I just put it in low when pulling up the ramp, only use 4wd in bad mud. Pulling is easy but stopping will get you in trouble real quick.

High speed on the interstate can cause the boat/trailer to sway. It did on my wife's JC when I pulled a center console with it. It also may have been due to bow down/bow up trailering attitude that caused it but I didn't use it very much because of it.

I have a 06 Tacoma 4 door with a 6-cylinder, and I have pulled my friends 20 ft boat with no problem. It is one powerful mid sized truck, and the rear end doesn't sag when pulling a 20 ft boat.

I have the same truck and pull an 18' Ranger no problems

Guys, you have 4-door, six cyl pickups. Try stopping on a dime with a 20' boat in the rain. Give yourself some room and have a way out. Good trucks, but still gotta be careful.

I am sure that could be quite a scare. I have never had any problems with my Tacoma pulling anything, or stopping. A few weeks ago I was rebuilding my flower beds and picked up 1/2 ton of rocks from a landscape co in Lantana. Loaded them in the bed with no problem, and didn't have any problems bringing it to a stop.

I used my previous '98 Cherokee Sport (4.0L 4x4) to pull an '87 Ranger 360V (18ft, single axle, no trailer brakes). The 4.0L has plenty of power to tow an 18ft'er in a relatively flat area. The only problem I ever had was sway on the interstate when 18 wheelers pass. You have to steer real gentle and not try to power the wheel when the weight of the boat/trailer is pulling the Jeep side to side. Other than the swaying, I never had a problem towing the setup you're describing.