Ok - so I took a look at my rack, and the bushings look good. But you mentioned 3 of the 4 bushings on yours failed.
Are you referring to the busings on the brackets that pivot so the rack can fold upright behind the vehicle when not in use? If so, I thought I counted 8 bushings, 4 on each side.
Which 4 were you referring to?
Thanks again.
2003 Country Coach Intrigue, Cummins ISL 400
Toad: 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (LJ) toad, with just a few mods...
Other rig: 2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Duramax Dually / Next Level 38CK Fifth-wheel Toy Hauler w/ quads, sand rail, etc...
There probably are 8 total. With the rack on the ground with the hitch facing up, the ones that failed were on the pivot arm. The piece that slides into the hitch. I noticed that when the rack was on the car and in the up position, the rack was moving a lot more than it should. I used a bungee cord to secure the rack to the Jeep's roof rack until I returned to the campground.
It only takes a couple minutes to take the bolts out and inspect the bushings. One had a piece broken off the bushing when I removed it. I greased all of them while it was apart.
A friend suggested that I may have backed into something or that someone hit the rack. If so, there are no signs of damage to the rack or the Blue Ox lights attached to the rack. It is possible the rack was hit when in the up position causing no visual damage to the rack.
I have a 2005 Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi with quite possibly every option offered in that year. No problems at all. It is lifted, with 4XGuard skid plates and rock sliders.
My son has a new Grand Cherokee. He loves it.
IMO, forget the Explode...er...Explorer or the Acadia, get the JEEP!
CM1, USN (RET)
2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32V, Ford V10
Toad: 2006 Jeep Rubicon LJ
Other toad: '06 PT Cruiser, Kar Kaddy dolly
Toy: 1977 Dodge W100 CC SWB, 3/4 ton axles & springs
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away!"
I think the Grand Cherokee and the Acadia are both good choices. I do love my Jeep Wrangler, but I generally prefer GM over Chrysler. I've had many Chevy trucks and SUVs over the years, and they've been solid. Whereas my experiences with Chrysler have not been as positive. But everyone has their own views on that, and I'm not looking to start an argument.
I'm actually taking my sister shopping for a used (1 year old) Acadia tomorrow, so I'll have first-hand experience with sitting in them and driving them very shortly.
I'm not sure if it matters to you, but the reason my sister wants the Acadia is that it's one of the few 3-row vehicles that can be towed 4-wheels-down without any modifications.
Acadia Denali- Ride was okay, huge hesitation when accelerating hard. I mean a huge hesitation. This vehicle has none of the current technology found in other new vehicles; IE Adaptive cruise control.
Explorer Limited- MyTouchFord is fantastic, but what an awful ride. The worst ride ever. The wind was blowing at 15 to 20 with gusts to 30. The car was moving all the lane. I can't imagine what it would be like on 81 with all the trucks passing.
Grand Cherokee Overland- We drove a 6 cylinder first. As stated above, great ride with very current technology. The car was somewhat underpowered. rated 16/23 MPG
We then drove a 8 cylinder Grand Cherokee Overland with exactly the same options. The power was great, but had very poor gas mileage. rated 13/20 MPG
I am going back in the morning to try to put a deal together for one of them. Mathematically based on $5.00 gallon (future price) there is $2,468 dollars difference driving 50,000 miles at an average of 16 mpg for one and 19 mpg for the other.
I like the gas mileage on the six cylinder, but like the power of the eight. Any thoughts?
My 5.7 hemi averages about 18 MPG. Considering what it is, how heavy it is, and the way I drive it, I'm happy with that.
However, the 4.0 I-6 in my Rubicon does just fine, on the freeway at 75MPH and off road at 2 MPH.
And gets about the same fuel economy.
All things considered, I like them both!
My 2012 Hemi Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 gets 25 MPG at 65 MPH (flat and level, no wind). Not bad at all for what it is, much better than the 18 MPG that my 2005 (which Mowermech now owns) did. It can tow up to 7,200 pounds, and has electronic anti-sway control to help.
The 2012 is higher geared than the 2005 and has VVT, both resulting in better mileage. The air suspension lowers it down 1" at speed (over 50 MPH) also improving mileage. The adaptive cruise is awesome and everything works well. The ventilated seats don't seem to warm up as quickly as the 2005 (less contact area), but the cooled seats are SO nice on a hot day.
The 3.6l V6 is also a good engine (my brother loves his in his 2012 Rubicon, getting 25 MPG half around town / half mixed highway), but doesn't have the low end torque that the Hemi has, of course (260 vs. 390). Still, it's 290 horsepower, the Hemi is only 360 HP in the Grand (due to the exhaust design, but it's higher torque at lower RPM than the other Hemis.)
For 2013, Jeep will offer the VM V6 turbo diesel in the Grand here, and also will be offering an 8 speed automatic transmission. The 6 speed automatic in mine is fine, and is a good stout one (basically, it's a slightly reprogrammed version of the 545RFE in the 2005 Hemi Grand).
* This post was
edited 04/29/12 11:57pm by HoJoPo *
1984 Chevrolet CUCV Ambulance to RV / ham radio conversion project
2009 Four Winds Chateau Sport 23A on Ford E-350 V10 chassis
2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with AiROCK air suspension and 35 inch tires
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 with 5.7L VVT Hemi
I am about to get rid of my Outlook (sister to the Acadia) and get a Jeep. WAY too many problems with the Outlook (Steering, transmission, steering again, timing chains, roof leaks). I know all vehicles have issues, but GM has convinced me to go elsewhere for my next car. It does tow easily though.
This afternoon I purchased and took possession of a 2012 Grand Cherokee Overland with the "advance warning and adaptive cruise control" package.
Since I had so may mechanical issues with the 2005 Grand Cherokee Limited I traded in, I bought the extended warranty package (Allstates, not Chrysler's) 7 years or 100k - bumper to bumper that can be fixed by any qualified mechanic.
For those thinking of getting one as a toad, the curb weight is slightly under 5,000 pounds.
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