Gladiator is crap for towing

[EliD]

I have a stone stock Overland with the tow package (ordered 5/19, built 6/19, delivered 7/19).

I tow a 27' travel trailer that is ~5,100 lbs with all we want or need in it (tanks empty) and (I'm guessing) around a 520 lb tongue weight (with all the stuff in the pass through in the front).

I measured the tongue drop of unhitched vs. hitched BEFORE attaching the WDH stuff and the drop was about 1 1/2". Hooked up the WDH and the drop was about 3/4".

I shift manually and do NOT drive over 65 MPH. Most of my towing has been east coast towing (more level roads) so, I have yet to try the more mountainous terrain. Shifting, I get to around 2,500 RPM then move to the next gear. My truck moves that trailer nicely. Cruising, I don't get into 8th gear at all because the RPMs are too low and she seems to lug, even at 65 MPH. When going up a grade, when the speed drops to around 57 MPH, I'll drop to 6th and run around 2,500-2,700 RPMs until I get back to around 61-62 MPH or the crest of the grade then it's back to 7th at around 2,100 RPMs.

I have found this technique has served me well. I have averaged around 13 MPG towing this setup.

I think your issues come from not really understanding what your vehicle is doing and responding accordingly.

Plus, I have a good WDH/sway control set up (BlueOX) and she's very steady even when getting passed by tractor trailers.

Thanks for the tips!

Sponsored

 

[Reddog]

I've been trying to get some numbers on that, but so far this is the closest I can find -

So i can't really say if it's as aerodynamic as a shipping crate or not.

Okay, conceding your point I did a lot of testing with my LS3 converted JK a few years ago when I didn't like the way the engine temp was fluctuating. I used yarn and taped pieces about four inches long to various spots on the front of my JK and then had my wife drive it a varying speeds so I could drive beside her in another vehicle and observe what was happening to airflow. Jeep frontal areas and grilles suck for aerodynamics...........nonscientific term here. They do pretty well up to about 50 mph and then airflow starts going totally turbulent and above 60 air flow is so backed up it starts reversing itself and "peeling backwards" at some points. One of the problems is that the grille is too small with blunt exposure to the airflow and then the opening is further reduced at the crossmember holding the radiators. In my opinion the air just can't get thru the cores and exit the engine compartment fast enough. I had a new radiator built that had larger voids for air to travel thru and the difference in cooling was dramatic. I wish people with Jeeps would think before they install anything in the airstream in front of their grilles. Winches and bull bars are especially bad for air flow at all speeds. I studied aerodynamics in college while getting my engineering degree and have been dangerous every since. Anyway, the Gladiator is a great vehicle for my purposes but I do wish the Jeep engineers would simplify the electrical system a bit. Too many issues due to too much sensitivity to variations in load I think.

 

[guntrust]

Glad i got a manual.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Jeep frontal areas and grilles suck for aerodynamics...........nonscientific term here.

Don't need to look very hard to believe that.

In my opinion the air just can't get thru the cores and exit the engine compartment fast enough.

I had wondered that - the engine compartment is so packed, so tight, air that does get in is slowed down exiting and that's got to be a problem - as well as for cooling. If you want it to get in through the radiator, it's got to get out somewhere.

 

[Reddog]

Don't need to look very hard to believe that.



I had wondered that - the engine compartment is so packed, so tight, air that does get in is slowed down exiting and that's got to be a problem - as well as for cooling. If you want it to get in through the radiator, it's got to get out somewhere.

Yes, correct. The plastic valance under the front bumper of stock JK's appears to actually help the air existing under the Jeep by creating a low pressure area behind it, thus helping the high pressure area inside the engine compartment evacuate the hot air more efficiently. Physics is your friend when you own a Jeep.

 

[Dkman71]

If your avatar shows your actual truck, I'd say towing should be the least of your worries... ?

Kinda has that FabFours stank.

 

[troverman]

I think a lot of the opinion on here as to whether or not the Gladiator is a "good tow vehicle" comes down to what has the person compared it against? Below are a couple of shots of my Gladiator - a 2022 Overland automatic with the stock 3.73 axle ratio. Suspension is stock, I'm running 34.5" Wildpeaks and a 1.75" spacer on each wheel. The trailer seen here is a Freedom 20' long box trailer, 102" wide and 8.5' tall with a blunt nose. My Jeep has the factory "tow package" which means nothing more than the higher-wattage electric cooling fan and a Class IV 2" towing hitch on the back. My trailer - fully loaded - grosses at 8,000lbs or just under. I'm carrying mowing and landscaping equipment, including a 1300lb and 1500lb zero turn mowers, 5 trimmers, 3 blowers, a self-propelled blower, a variety of hand tools, a push mower, about 10 gallons of fuel, a toolbox, a small generator, hedge trimmers, a couple chain saws, power brooms, etc, etc. The trailer normally is pulled by my F-350 dually diesel. However, when that broke down and it took me a couple weeks to replace the turbo and other misc parts, I used the Jeep as my other dump truck was in use by one of my employees as was my other one-ton pickup. My Jeep is rated to tow 6,000lbs. I removed quite a bit of equipment when towing with the Jeep - one of the mowers, the self-propelled blower, a number of the small equipment pieces, etc. I weighed the trailer and it came to about 5200lbs. Given the width and height of the trailer, I knew this would still be a lot for the Jeep to tow. Since the Mopar factory trailer brake was on backorder, I bought the RedArc brake which is very similar to the factory setup. My tow route includes one 90 mile round trip tow, and one 100 mile round trip tow, and a number of shorter distance tows. I used the Jeep for two weeks, and it got the job done. I think the transmission is excellent in the Gladiator, and trans temps remained in a comfortable zone. The little Pentastar had to work very hard on the hills, revved up quite high and coolant and oil temps got very hot during these summer pulls. The Jeep was not super stable going 55mph with crosswinds. However, I was not using a WD hitch or stabilizer bars, so I expected it. The suspension is obviously soft and floaty feeling compared to the 350 dually. But power was never an issue, and neither was braking with the trailer brake installed. Frankly, I'm not that impressed with the RedArc - it doesn't work nearly as well as the built-in controllers on my HD pickups. But it worked well enough. The Gladiator has quite large rear brakes, much larger than a Wrangler. I would not say this is a poor towing vehicle. Would I purchase this truck to specifically tow this type of trailer? No. But it still tows pretty well, within the confines of what it is rated to do.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Yes, correct. The plastic valance under the front bumper of stock JK's appears to actually help the air existing under the Jeep by creating a low pressure area behind it, thus helping the high pressure area inside the engine compartment evacuate the hot air more efficiently. Physics is your friend when you own a Jeep.

The lacking air dam, the added front receiver and plow mounting bar coupled with the plow in front of the radiator tend to create a low pressure area between plow and grill, drawing engine bay air forward. Air temps measured by the sensor in the grill can show 80-100 degrees when it's 10 degrees, and the typical coolant temps range wildly from 195-230, I'm assuming it only drops when the fan kicks in, then you watch the coolant temp drop fairly fast back to about 200.

So I need to hire you to help resolve those issues.

 

[Reddog]

The lacking air dam, the added front receiver and plow mounting bar coupled with the plow in front of the radiator tend to create a low pressure area between plow and grill, drawing engine bay air forward. Air temps measured by the sensor in the grill can show 80-100 degrees when it's 10 degrees, and the typical coolant temps range wildly from 195-230, I'm assuming it only drops when the fan kicks in, then you watch the coolant temp drop fairly fast back to about 200.

So I need to hire you to help resolve those issues.

You don't need me, I have just enough thinking power to be dangerous. I just think that in the year 2024, the common issue of engine cooling should not be a problem for so many people driving Jeeps. So much of heating issues is self-caused I think. I would urge anyone with cooling issues on any type of vehicle to call Chris Culp at CG&J Heat Transfer in Gadsden Alabama. These guys built my radiator and it is still performing great after many years. This goes double for anyone with a V8 powered Jeep or any Jeep that is used for high stress work like rock crawling or overlanding in desert environments. People with over heating issues while towing could benefit as well.

 

[FloridaMan655321]

But do you have larger tires, heavier tires/wheels? What's the gear ratio?

Never did really answer this, or a lot of questions that were asked. Probably for obvious reasons. Kind of surprised the dealer is taking care of the transmission, assuming it's being taken care of via warranty.

 

[Bonanza]

Mine tows OK. It goes and stops when I want it to go and stop. I'm lifted, 37s, and 4.88s. I've towed to Arizona from socal, up and down mountains. No indication that anything was getting warm, but I got 11 mpg.

Edit- originally a Max Tow S. But gears obv. changed, springs changed, and shocks changed.

 

[Strawdg]

Rubi tows 4600lb Airstream no problem and consistently over 14 MPG.

 

[Stan H]

Hi all,
I have come to the conclusion that my Gladiator is crap for towing.
6 months ago, we travelled to California from Florida. 2600 miles. averaged about 350 miles a day towing 3500lb travel trailer (ultra light weight).
55MPH average. The ride was good .
When we got there trailer unhooked, that's when I found that the suspension was not right. It was like being in a boat.
So moving on.......... we were there 6 months. Sold the trailer.
December 2023 we moved back to Florida towing 'on a dolly' my wife's Hyandai Veloster. Not a heavy car by any means.
About 600 miles from home after travelling 2000 miles, I could feel the transmission struggling.
We made it home and I took the Jeep to dealer. They inspected and found transmission to be failing.
Thankfully it is under warranty so it is being replaced. My jeep has only done about 55k miles.
So after 55K miles the 1st and only times we have towed the transmission is done as well as the suspension.

I thought I would just post this to see if anyone has any input or has experienced similar issues.

(When i get it back from dealer I will be putting upgraded suspension on, but I don't want to lift it).
Happy days

I have hauled quite a few max payloads up steep terrain a dozen times and pulled a heavy camper several times . And mine has 85000+ and I never experienced any of that. Could it be the lack of air and extra weight on the front causing a problem ..just asking ?

 

[bd100]

A few camping trailer ideas some of you may want to consider:

ALiner Campers or Rockwood hard sided trailers
TrailManor trailers
HiLo trailer ( if they can resume production )

The lower frontal area gives better fuel efficiency and resistance to cross winds, at the expense of more setup, less storage, maybe no nice bathroom. Good if you travel around a lot, not so good if you park for a week.

We have a folding A-frame. A little finicky to set up and tear down, but it sure does tow nicely. Only 1500lb plus options, so around 2000lb while towing. Plus the truck cap and whatever cargo we carry. The only problem was steep mountain passes where I could hold 2nd but not 3rd, so was stuck screaming at the redline at 40MPH or so. 6-speed stick. An auto truck would have done better.

 

[Stuntman Mike]

Not sure if this question already has been asked during this conversation.

Did the OP already conduct an oil change on the gearbox?

Sponsored