Alright so im planning my decend back to Nebraska from California some time in June. My family and I will be taking a UHaul and of course our Jeep has no towing package so......so far I have purchased these products for my home install. Im fairly motor savy so I feel confident in this install. Especially the Hitch being its a bolt on install. Anyways gettting to the point, This is what i've purchased and am paitently waiting for the parts in the mail!!! What else may I need? Besides fluids and Tools???

Total So Far:

Hidden Hitch......$125.00 (Off Ebay, Free Shipping!!! Placed my own Price)
Wiring Harness....$54.95 (ETrailer.com)
Ball Mount Kit.....$49.95 (Etrailer.com Paid alot but like the variety)
Hitch Lock.........$23.95 (Etrailer.com Dont need but mine as well)
Hitch Cover........$34.95 (ETrailer.com, way to much but nice touch)
**ETrailer.com offered free shipping on products over $150.00 and I used Coupon Code XCCB8 for a saving of $8.19.

Final so far not including Oil Cooler....

Etrailer $155.61
Ebay $125.00
= $280.61

Gotta love e-bay

If you are considering getting the oil cooler, reconsider. I just towed the 5x8 uhaul trailer, which weighs about 900lbs empty, filled with another 600lbs of furniture and belongings, from Pittsburgh, PA to Las Vegas, NV. Yea far trip...try over 2200 miles. I did it in 2 days and it was a breeze. Only thing that I can attribute to the success of this trip would be my ability to keep RPMs low on certain areas of the road, as well as full synthetic oil. The tow rating on the non oil cooled Pat is a measly 1000lbs. Thats a factory "cover your ass" number that they use to wel...cover their ass. You will not have a problem towing that without the oil cooler to your destination. If you can fit more then a full size bed set, 2 couches, more furniture, as well as several large tools and boxes, they you might have to reconsider.

They thing about the oil cooler that makes it useless is, well, the whole thing. Its a terrible design that really has no benefit in towing. I could see if it came with a seperate radiator style cooler, but its cooled by your coolant. Not only that, it cools your oil....the real area that needs cooled is that tranny.

Also, if you have the CVT, it is great for towing. The low RPM initial launch is great for towing as it is very slow and steady.

If you have any more questions about towing with your Pat, let me know and I can be of help to you. Enjoy the trip!

The tow rating on the non oil cooled Pat is a measly 1000lbs. Thats a factory "cover your ass" number that they use to wel...cover their ass.

They thing about the oil cooler that makes it useless is, well, the whole thing. Its a terrible design that really has no benefit in towing. I could see if it came with a seperate radiator style cooler, but its cooled by your coolant. Not only that, it cools your oil....the real area that needs cooled is that tranny.


Ya those stupid Factory people Have no idea how to build cars. Just think they put a stupid oil cooler on the Engine that won't work so when you tear up the transmission pulling too heavy of a load they will have to repair it free Because you have the nonworking engine oil cooler. There is a ton of free advise out there and some of it is good however if the advice is bad don't hold your breath waiting for a check from the person with the wrong advice to pay for the repairs needed because you followed their advice.

Ya those stupid Factory people Have no idea how to build cars. Just think they put a stupid oil cooler on the Engine that won't work so when you tear up the transmission pulling too heavy of a load they will have to repair it free Because you have the nonworking engine oil cooler. There is a ton of free advise out there and some of it is good however if the advice is bad don't hold your breath waiting for a check from the person with the wrong advice to pay for the repairs needed because you followed their advice.

Please do me a favor and pull your head out of your own ass. If you took the time to read any of my 500+ posts, you would realize that I am not just making up some numbers and technical information to sound cool, and that I actually speak from experience. On a purely functional level, the engine oil cooler is in fact useless. Take the time to look at a diagram and talk to a Jeep parts guy/technician and he will tell you the same if he isnt reading off a card given to him by DCX.

I took the time to monitor my engine temp on the trip. This is driving from mountains to deserts. My engine temp never rose above the middle line. This is because towing doesnt strain your engine as much as it strains your transmission. The engine oil cooler cools, well you guessed it, engine oil. If this were a tranny cooler, this discussion wouldnt be happening and I would have already installed one.

As for warranty, what I meant by "cover your ass" numbers was that they UNDERestimate the rating to keep repairs to a mininmum. This is all long term.

My only suggestion for towing is to start early and use full syntetic oil. Rather then evaluate other peoples experiences and suggestions, try to provide some helpful information.

/end emo teenage rage

/back to adult conversation

Thanks for your opinion!

Mak001 Sorry to have offended you. I am sure you must have several degrees in just about anything to do with engines and transmissions and at least one or two in communications and diplomacy. I promise not to disagree with you anymore and act so childishly as we must be adult about this!

What mak said.

Mak001 Sorry to have offended you. I am sure you must have several degrees in just about anything to do with engines and transmissions and at least one or two in communications and diplomacy. I promise not to disagree with you anymore and act so childishly as we must be adult about this!

^^And this is your attempt at being an adult and apologizing? Don't bother please.

"You must be the change you want to see in the world" Ghandi

Mak01:

Did you monitor trans and engine oil temps during your towing trip? If so, how?

What was the ambient temperature range during your trip? I understand it probably varied by 40 degrees from PA to NV.

Thanks Mak for the usefull info. Although my trip wont be 2200mi, Should be somewhere around 1800mi but I appreciate the help. That was exactly what I was looking for. Its funny b.c. I just got home from work and was gonna get online to check out the oil coolers again but am now confident that I wont need it. Plus its just one trip, not like I plan on moving that distance hauling something all the time! Thanks Again.

You may not have any issues with occasional towing, but it is not recommended. The purpose of an oil cooler is not pointless. It cools the oil. Why is that important? Oil does not just lubricate, it also dissipates heat from internal engine components like crankshaft, bearings, rods, lifters, pistons.

Towing adds extra engine load which in turn generates more heat, espeically in stop-and-go traffic or inclines like mountains. More heat means hotter oil. Hotter oil increases the likely hood of oil break down. Oil break down cause engine to work harder due to less lubrication and leads to more heat. It's the possibility for a compounding problem.

Synthetic oil can help as it lubricates better and can take more heat before breaking down. Here's the catch. What kind of synthetic oil are you using? Group III or Group IV base? What's the difference and why is it important? Well group III base is basically group II oil (conventional dino oil) with higher Viscosity (hydrocracked) and made from refined crude products and/or natural gas (GTL - gas to liquid) base stocks. It's considered synthetic in the US but is not a 100% true synthetic. Group IV (pao) is made from synthetic base stocks.

Mobile 1 synthetic oil is a common oil in use by many people. It's made from Group III base oil. Higher temps make group III base oil less stable.

The coolant system (ie radiator) cools the top part of the engine like the combustion chamber, heads, intake manifold.

Hope this makes the purpose of an oil cooler more clear.

I will also mention that driving in hot climates (like desert) and running A/C a lot adds heat and oil cooler helps under those conditions too.
- Dan M

Recieved the hitch last week and the wiring yesterday. Wiring was a B because I wanted to run the power (+) wire threw the vehicle....but when I got to the firewall I couldnt find a access point to run the wire so there you go... I wasted an hour of my time trying to make it look nice and I ended up resorting to running it under the vehicle like the manual said..... THEN the ground wire was only 6" long, so I had to cut it and add an extra 6" or so and ran it under the interior next to the spare tire. I just grounded it on an exsisting ground. Here's the outcome. Im very pleased but my only concern is how low it sits.

I will be getting a hitch added to my patriot eventually. I have been reading the posts here relating to hitches and that is the common theme for after market hitches, how low they sit (and how much they take away of ground clearance)


the MOPAR one sits higher but you have to cut the bumper.

- Dan M

Honestly if you look at the picture it doesnt exclude any ground clearance. It sits up there really nicely. Seems flush to the bumper. I got the wiring harness from Etrailer, wasent a bad price and install is very simple but I always seem to turn simple things into long project. But I say go for the install. Make sure you have 15/16's socket and wrench. Thats what the size of the bolts and nuts were on the hitch.

...common theme for after market hitches, how low they sit (and how much they take away of ground clearance)...

Seriously, if that little 2" wide steel that is 12" clear of the ground (higher than the bottom of the vehicle itself but yes it does extend out some so the local approach angle is slightly less) is causing you some problems while off-roading you must be tearing the crap out of all that plastic everywhere else on the vehicle (especially the bumper). Maybe you might need to work on picking a better line on the trail. At least if the receiver is scraping you aren't breaking the plastic bumper.

Also the picture of the harness up above is not whats inside..... Its alittle more complicated than that. Here's the harness I recieved.

Recieved the hitch last week and the wiring yesterday. Wiring was a B because I wanted to run the power (+) wire threw the vehicle....but when I got to the firewall I couldnt find a access point to run the wire so there you go... I wasted an hour of my time trying to make it look nice and I ended up resorting to running it under the vehicle like the manual said..... THEN the ground wire was only 6" long, so I had to cut it and add an extra 6" or so and ran it under the interior next to the spare tire. I just grounded it on an exsisting ground. Here's the outcome. Im very pleased but my only concern is how low it sits.

It is too late now, but there is a connector behind the driver's side taillight (inside the vehicle, right behind the rubber grommet, taped down to the wires that is suitable for use as the power). Also, you could have just used one of the ground wires of the taillights.
Wiring options for trailer wiring (http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showpost.php?p=86940&postcount=7)

I didnt really want to splice the wires, But that would have made it 10x times faster. All done now though.

Seriously, if that little 2" wide steel that is 12" clear of the ground (higher than the bottom of the vehicle itself but yes it does extend out some so the local approach angle is slightly less) is causing you some problems while off-roading you must be tearing the crap out of all that plastic everywhere else on the vehicle (especially the bumper). Maybe you might need to work on picking a better line on the trail. At least if the receiver is scraping you aren't breaking the plastic bumper.


That's one of the many reasons I kept the drawbar in my old dakota 4x4. I had dual exhaust with chrome tips. I scraped the tips often. keeping the drawbar in helped minimize that. I also scraped the front bumper a few times, mostly exiting streams.

I haven't been to many places in my patriot yet that I went in my old dakota but I assure you, I will scrape the bumper at some point. Stream crossings are good for large drops where this will happen. I want as much approach and departure angle as I can squeeze out.

This is a reason why I'm going to be getting the RRO lift kit. 2" extra can be a lot in some cases.

I'm hitting a local area next weekend weather permitting. I'll try to grab some action shots of an example of a stream crossing I do to illustrate what I'm talking about concerning ground clearance and approach/departure angles.

sometimes I go by myself, I have yet to get stuck. Hope it never happens because in some cases I have no cell phone service. maybe I should get a CB.

- Dan M

I hear ya, No cell phone service is a bummer. I would like the RRO lift also but have been reluctant b/c I would really like around 4". Wish someone would fab. up a whole kit. or atleast fill our satisfaction meters with something close. Something professional would be nice!

I actually havent had to much time to just go out and cruise the trails. I live just north of San Diego and there are awesome trails all over. Plus im taking the Pat. up north next month to Portland and few days in Seattle with the family. Hope to get some good shots!