TJ Sahara or JTR: Which should I take to Moab, the Rubicon

[Mad Mac]

To quote Woody Allen,
"My goal in life is to climb a low mountain."

I have a 1998 bone stock Sahara TJ,
except for tube style front fenders
added after a previous incident,
and a 2021 bone stock Gladiator Rubicon.

For those of you who have hit the trails with both,
If I just wanted to have a good time,
take in the scenery
and spend as little as possible,
which should I consider taking?

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[Artsifrtsi]

Rent a trailer and take both...

 

[kauffmj1]

The TJ will take less to mod and need less lift than the Gladiator to climb things. That little guy will have a much easier time getting up and over stuff. You could do it with the Gladiator too, but its going to require more mods and lift to come out unscathed.

However, the Gladiator is going to be more comfortable to drive and haul a lot more too. Guess it depends on what you want to take with you supplies-wise.

I agree with the sentiment of trailering the TJ with the Gladiator and then enjoy both. I plan to do the same with my Powerwagon and JK next summer. JK on the tough stuff. Enjoy the scenery of the easier trails in the Powerwagon. Plus, I have the bonus of trailering the JK home if something breaks on the trail and I'm far from home.

 

[chorky]

I think this needs to be broken up into two different categories. MOAB, and Rubicon. Because at MOAB there are lots of stock friendly trails/roads (if they haven't been closed yet). But for the Rubicon, based on what I have seen others say - you will need to modify either vehicle to do it without damage. In both cases, you defiantly want a winch unless someone else in your group has one. Jeep has put a 'Rubicon' through the Rubicon stock - but it was costly in the form of body and frame damage.

 

[HorneyBadger]

Second, The Rubicon Trail is not for the faint of heart and should not be done alone! Nobody leaves unscathed!

 

[bleda2002]

I mean if the TJ has open diffs i'd go jtr just because open diffs will severely limit how much you can do.

 

[Viper501]

Rent a trailer and take both...

You beat me to it.

 

[pcrawfordpt]

Before I modified my JTR, I flat towed my already modified TJ to Moab with the JTR. It towed just fine. Last year I modified my JTR and towed our camper with the JTR to Moab. Honestly I preferred my JTR in Moab as there are a ton of steep climbs and felt much more comfortable in the JTR. I did drag the ass all over, but have a 41.22 hitch skid.

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