Whats pulling your RPod

jeep commander 5.7L v8 hemi....pulling 172T...should be enough,,,,

saxack:  I am going to be pulling our new 177 (with slideout) with my 2008 Wrangler X 2 door.  I also have the 3.8 V6, 6 speed manual transmission.  So far, I've only pulled it home from the dealer, about an hour's drive and it did OK.  It handled very nicely with just my standard hitch.  It was also empty.  I had no problem accelerating.  I do however have a bit of trouble climbing hills.  Now when I say trouble, I only mean that I do have to go down to 5th or 4th gear going up the hills.  I'm in North Carolina and we have some decent sized hills!  Jeep's tow rating leaves much to be desired.  But I truly feel if one is safe and takes into account what you are pulling we should be ok.  I've heard the ratings aren't about what the vehicle can pull, but what the vehicle can stop!  I'm sure that statement will open a whole new can of worms.  I am currently awaiting an Equal-i-zer weight distribution hitch that I'm going to install on my 1998 Ford Ranger since my rear suspension isn't what it used to me.  I have nearly 250,000 on the truck, but she is still a good one.  It has a 4.0 V6 with 5 speed manual transmission.  The only reason I mention this is that we traded our pop-up this past November, but I had pulled it with the Jeep and the Ranger. It had about the same tongue weight as the pod; overall weight was just a bit less than the pod.   I don't know if its the torque or the horsepower but the Ranger did a slightly better job of pulling the pop-up, but the Jeep did well also.  Only difference would be gearing down more in the Jeep than in the Ranger.  I'm getting the truck ready simply because I like being able to throw firewood and the cooler on the back of the truck.  And where we camp we usually stay put for the duration of the trip.  If I plan a trip to the beach or mountains, I will take the Jeep because we will want to go "cruising" and that HAS to be done with the top down!!!  Hope this helps.

I'm happy for you!  I agree with Tech...try it without it and see what you think (regarding the WDH). 

Sweet.  I've considered upgrading during this down time.  What was your final price?  

I would say hook it up, and drive it around for a while.  If you feel it every time you hit a bump (the usual tounge bounce onto the hitch ball), then try the WDH.  If you can't feel the 'pod back there, forget the WDH.  A secondary consideration, if you get more than an inch of sag on the rear axle then you may want to use it no matter how it feels.

I Agree with that statement.  I have pulled our 171 with several different cars/trucks and got about the same milage.  The only time I have seen improvement was when I had kayaks on the roof in a vshape.  I plan to to more testing this summer with my truck and kayaks as we will be pulling to the same several times.