Jeep Commander Towing Capacity | How much can you tow?

The jeep commander is a crossover SUV introduced by jeep to the automotive industry in 2005, and production lasted until 2010. With most SUVs, every owner expects a balance of performance, utility, and practicality.

All jeep commander generations are fully equipped to provide these three simultaneously. Still, they cannot outdo larger SUVs such as the Jeep wrangler when it comes to performance, especially offroad, where the jeep wrangler is rated one of the best SUVs.

The Jeep commander comes equipped with a couple of engine and transmission options to choose from, and you choose accordingly, how you will use your jeep commander towing capacity.

If you are buying it just for family use to commute to work with or take your children to school, go for a lesser displacement engine. You’ll get better fuel economy with such engines than larger displacement engines.

Just because the Jeep commander is not built like the jeep wrangler does not mean that you cannot use it for off-roading or towing, just like a standard jeep wrangler.

But you cannot use it just like you use a jeep wrangler without referring to the owner’s manual for the maximum load limit, towing limit, and tire clearance.

Before we get to these, you have to know the engine options available for the jeep commander as maximum towing and load capacity vary with different engines.

Table of Contents

Maximum towing limit for Jeep commander’s engine

The Jeep commander came with the following engines, and each engine had a specific towing limit.

3.0-lier OM602 turbodiesel with a power output of around 220 horsepower and 380 lb. ft had a maximum towing limit of approximately 7700 pounds. It had the highest towing capacity among other engines.
3.7-liter Powertech gasoline V6 with 210 horsepower and 235 lb. ft had a maximum towing limit of 3000-3500 pounds depending on the year of manufacture.
4.7-litre Powertech gasoline V8 with 300 horsepower and 330 lb. ft had a maximum towing limit of 5500-6500 pounds depending on the year of manufacture.
The 5.7-liter Hemi V8 had the most power output at 360 horsepower and 390 lb. ft and had a maximum towing limit of 7000-7500 pounds.

The Jeep Commander was available in All wheel drive or front-wheel drive configurations, and the towing limit between trims with either driving system differed by around 200 pounds.

For example, an all-wheel-drive jeep commander with a 3.7-liter engine has a maximum towing limit of 3500 pounds. In comparison, a 3.7-liter font wheel drive jeep commander has a maximum towing limit of around 3320 pounds.

These engines came with a 5-speed automatic transmission which increased efficiency and fuel economy. This is an advantage to the jeep commander as when towing with a car with a manual transmission, you can damage the clutch when shifting gears.

Since the commander is an all-automatic vehicle, it has a higher load and tow capacity when compared to cars with the same engine but with a manual transmission.

Does a jeep commander have a tow hitch?

A tow hitch on a jeep commander is a factory option. You can find a jeep commander with a tow hitch installed directly from the factory, or you can also find one that has an aftermarket tow hitch installed.

The advantage of an aftermarket tow hitch is that you can choose a tow hitch for a sole purpose or a multipurpose tow hitch.

Moat factory tow hitches also tend to be of poor quality and can break when stressed even when the towing load is within the minimum and maximum towing capacity bracket. If you opt for an aftermarket tow hitch, you should consider the following.

Weight of whatever you will be towing

It is somehow hard to decide what you will be towing, but if you have a rough idea of what you will often tow, you can select a tow hitch that can accommodate the weight.

All hitches also have a maximum load limit, and once that limit is exceeded, the hitch will most likely break. You will most likely use your trailer, so knowing the weight of your trailer itself with nothing on it and its maximum load weight is essential.

Suppose you are going camping and have some equipment or recreational vehicles. In that case, you probably know their weights when loaded on the trailer.

Maximum tow capacity and rating of the hitch

Hitches have a maximum towing capacity. If you don’t check it when buying one, you might end up with a hitch with a lower towing capacity than your jeep commander. This means that you cannot utilize the full ability of your commander to do whatever you need.

Suppose you don’t check the maximum towing capacity of the hitch even before installing it, and you end up overloading it. In that case, it will definitely break when driving, which might lead to a severe accident.

Checking the hitch rating is essential, especially if you are buying it online. Most people will rate whatever they buy online on the product reviews and rating section.

If the hitch has a poor rating and negative reviews, you are better off avoiding it even if you’ve been told how good it is. Buy a hitch that you are delighted with and one you will have no doubt about while installing it on your jeep commander.

Maximum towing limit of your Jeep commander

Having a tow hitch that can tow massive loads does not mean that you can exceed your commander’s maximum towing limit. Some hitches have a high maximum tow limit for when you decide to increase the power output of your commander to tow heavier loads.

Material of the hitch

Most hitches are made of different metals such as aluminum, steel, or alloy metal. Hitches made of steel are the cheapest, but they are also the strongest.

Thus, they are more durable than hitches made from aluminum or alloy metals. You can opt for an aluminum one if you want a light hitch since they are the lightest.

However, they have the highest price tag, and when they get dented or cracked, they are hard to fix, and the damage might not be fixable, and you’ll just have to get a new one.

Hitches made of alloy metals balance strength and durability while still having a reasonable price tag on them. But they do not match in strength with steel hitches. You are better off with a steel hitch, but if you need to save some weight, go for aluminum or an alloy metal hitch.

Installation

Check the installation instructions of a specific hitch before you buy it. If you are buying online, there is an installation guide in the product description. You can also check online on installing a hitch on a Jeep commander produced in a specific year to get one that suits the commander you have.

This helps you choose a hitch that you can install without doing any or fewer modifications on your commander. Thus easing the installation process and reducing the cost and time for installation.

Price and insurance

Most sellers who have higher-priced hitched offer after-sale services such as return policies and warranties if the hitch is faulty and the fault is traced back to the seller or the manufacturer.

Some even provide a lifetime warranty for their hitches. This assures the buyer of the strength and durability of the tow hitch. Some even come with accessories for installation, unlike in cheap hitches where you’ll have to buy installation extras if you need them.

Low-priced hitches mostly do not have warranties, and the seller does not allow a return policy. When this is the case, and you find that you cannot install the hitch on your commander, you’ll have to buy another one.

Can a jeep commander tow more?

Jeep commanders are old cars, and a car’s performance decreases with time as the vehicle is used. This means that your jeep commander might not tow as much as stated earlier as the fires are put when the vehicle is new or has been in use only for a short while.

Upgrading your Jeep commander to tow more

Upgrading major components and checking the condition of the frame

You can start by upgrading the main components such as the driveshafts, axle shafts, suspension, braking systems, and transmission.

Whether a jeep commander has been appropriately maintained or not, the factory components are not made for loads more than the stated towing limits or load limits.

Such upgrades should be the first ones you should consider before proceeding to the engine. Even if you start with the engine and transmission, it will not help to tow heavy loads with old and faulty suspension or axle shafts.

The braking system should be checked and upgraded if you’ll tow heavy loads. Failure to do this and you’ll have lesser stopping power.

You do not want this when towing loads regardless of the weight. You might crash into another vehicle or get into another type of accident because you cannot fully break on time.

You’ll also need better tires for more grip when pulling heavy loads as they increase handling and reduce loss of traction. It might be costly to upgrade such components.

Still, it is worth it. It will also increase your commander’s ability off-road and increase its lifespan if you add quality components.

Car frames are meant to last a lifetime unless the vehicle has been involved in an accident causing damage or rust has eaten into the frame.

Ensure you check the frame’s structural integrity and apply a rust protective solution to it. Every other component underneath that can be damaged by rust.

Increasing the performance

For SUVs, you do not need many modifications to increase the performance. Improving the performance to high horsepower figures is sometimes unnecessary as you rarely utilize such power.

To increase the power output of your engine, an ECU remap to increase the power output slightly but ensure the engine’s internals are in good condition.

If you have the finances, you can opt for an engine overhaul which ensures that the engine and its internals are in good working condition. You can replace the factory engine internals with aftermarket ones that can handle more power.

Increasing the radiator size to cool the engine better is also a viable upgrade. This is because the engine works more when towing, and it will need constant cooling to prevent it from overheating. You can also use better coolant, which also serves the same purpose.

Upgrading the exhaust system and air intake helps your engine “breathe” better. A good air intake filters the air getting into the engine better.

A good exhaust system enhances the emission of burnt gases from the engine. You can opt for a double exhaust system which helps the engine “breathe out” even better.

Conclusion

Jeep commanders are old SUVs but still reasonably powerful if appropriately maintained. Suppose you already have one or you want to buy one.

In that case, you should have in mind that it will take some modifications to be fully capable if you’re going to use it for towing or off-roading. But such modifications should not dent your pocket that much.