Talk me off the ledge…

[Jefe1018]

So we have 4 diesel and absolutely love them 3 Jt's and 1 Jlu we have had temps raise here and there keep the Jeep out of overdrive rpms down helps a ton my son is running 40's with a 4.63 gear and pulls a 5200 travel trailer the gears helped a lot but he has a lead foot....he put in a cold air intake and did a radiator upgrade and has very little issue now when you lug this diesel it tends to heat up they are awesome motors probaly never buy another new Jeep since you can no longer get the diesel I own 7 Jeeps but the rest don't see much road time after having the diesel. Stick with the diesel is my vote

I cut and pasted this comment from my response to the post yesterday by the 1945gpw fellow about how well his JTRD towed:
"If you lift a mid-sized JT 3-5", then add 150+ lbs. of 35-37" tire/ custom wheel unsprung weight, and a 200 lb. bumper/winch, please don't be shocked if it doesn't like to tow. That is for the HD chat group." This platform just isn't designed for both. A stock max tow JTSD tows like a mid-size truck up to about 6500#.

Having personally owned and put several hundred thousand miles on all three sizes of diesel trucks (my current JTOD, current '02 Excursion 7.3, and previous 1500, 2500, and 3500 from Ram and GMC) over the past 35 years, this issue always comes down to a compromise. A '15 2500 GMC Duramax was the closest thing to a perfect truck I ever found, and the only one I seriously regret not keeping. It returned a consistent 20mpg unloaded with a Diablosport programmer, towed a 10K boat with ease, and a comfortable ride. I love the 28-30 mpg unloaded with the stock JTOD, and look forward to putting a GDE tune in it, it tows a 5500# loaded cargo trailer here in FL with no issues, and I find it fun to drive with the top back.

Anyone who tows over 60-65mph has probably never had a blowout on a trailer and is a danger to everyone else on the road, period. Those guys in the semi-trucks have a bunch of extra wheels and tires under the trailer for a reason.

I think gears would help somewhat. I’m never expecting to set the cruise to 80 and not look down with the JT, not its purpose.

What is disheartening is a mild day, with a non-existent to light weight trailer with 0 wind resistance and fearing a derate. Even if I do regear, install the bulletproof diesel aux cooler and a 2024 grill… would it even matter if towing a say, 3,500lb trailer like a Wolfpup?

The JT is okay daily, convenient to down right awesome as a little truck, and nothing compares on the trails.

Outside of cool days or strictly city speeds, towing isn’t its forte.

I don’t own the trailer yet and I can get my boat to the water just fine. The little diesel isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Hopefully I can afford a wheeling rig and a daily/towing one in a few years. Now that I need to choose, I’ll keep on chugging the little diesel that can.

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[TheSolarWizard]

I think gears would help somewhat. I’m never expecting to set the cruise to 80 and not look down with the JT, not its purpose.

What is disheartening is a mild day, with a non-existent to light weight trailer with 0 wind resistance and fearing a derate. Even if I do regear, install the bulletproof diesel aux cooler and a 2024 grill… would it even matter if towing a say, 3,500lb trailer like a Wolfpup?

The JT is okay daily, convenient to down right awesome as a little truck, and nothing compares on the trails.

Outside of cool days or strictly city speeds, towing isn’t its forte.

I don’t own the trailer yet and I can get my boat to the water just fine. The little diesel isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Hopefully I can afford a wheeling rig and a daily/towing one in a few years. Now that I need to choose, I’ll keep on chugging the little diesel that can.

Gears make a lot bigger difference than you are thinking they will. Under load it wants to be in the 2000-2300 cruising range. Doing too much gear will make it a little too shifty around town and pull mpg down a bit but you can still get 23-24 mpg at 70 with 4.56 on 38s

 

[Flyboy2109]

Just remember: If it was meant to go fast it would not be shaped like a brick.

 

[DylanM]

What is disheartening is a mild day, with a non-existent to light weight trailer with 0 wind resistance and fearing a derate.

Even though the center is expanded steel grating, that trailer's rear ramp standing perfectly perpendicular to the wind creates a fair bit more drag than you think.

 

[Rusty PW]

Talk him off the ledge. Hell........let's push him off the ledge and watch him go spat. Just like the coyote.




Bore at work and clock watching.

 

[1945gpw]

Cheapest option might be going back to stock size tires or maybe even 35s I’m sure would help if you’re planning to tow a lot. I haven’t had any issues towing 3500 lbs up 6% grades in mine with temps or de-rating. I don’t have a lift or bigger tires yet, but planning on some 35x11.5 and will see how they perform

 

[Zachanadandy]

Gears won't help at all. If the grade is steep enough that you need the power output of 3k rpms, the engine doesn't know the difference between 5.13 axle gears in 7th or 3.73s in 5th. Load dictates the power needed, the 8 speed will put the engine in that power band regardless of axle gears. The barely adequate cooling system is the issue. Anything you can do to increase the cooling capacity will help. My hemi ram rebel on 35s never got hot dragging 8500lbs of Jeep and trailer through the rockies and across Utah at 85mph and the ecodiesel has more torque.... it's clearly not a gearing issue.

 

[Jefe1018]

Even though the center is expanded steel grating, that trailer's rear ramp standing perfectly perpendicular to the wind creates a fair bit more drag than you think.

Right, but the mass and weight is near nothing. What would happen with a full fledged travel trailer that weighs 4,000lbs vs 1,000lb trailer with a 6x7 slotted parachute?

Again, great for what it is and what it does, but I’m stretching capabilities by towing, lifted, 37’s and in the desert. More below on my next response.

Gears won't help at all. If the grade is steep enough that you need the power output of 3k rpms, the engine doesn't know the difference between 5.13 axle gears in 7th or 3.73s in 5th. Load dictates the power needed, the 8 speed will put the engine in that power band regardless of axle gears. The barely adequate cooling system is the issue. Anything you can do to increase the cooling capacity will help. My hemi ram rebel on 35s never got hot dragging 8500lbs of Jeep and trailer through the rockies and across Utah at 85mph and the ecodiesel has more torque.... it's clearly not a gearing issue.

I think gears and cooling upgrades will help, I just don’t know how much and what the $$$ to difference ratio will be. It may just be a matter of getting the right tool for the job.

Talk him off the ledge. Hell........let's push him off the ledge and watch him go spat. Just like the coyote.




Bore at work and clock watching.

Based on our dealings here…. You’d never guess what I window shopped, even test drove today.

 

[ZeeJay]

Larger tires aren’t helping because they never do, it’s the reason mine is still on stock tires even though it is gas, because it’s towing something constantly.
The big one though is the cooling package, it’s nowhere near adequate, mid size trucks just don’t have the real estate to support the cooling needed like a full size in the current spec, and even they can fight that anymore.
The cooling package by itself isn’t the direct issue, it’s compounded by after treatment, that’s your huckleberry. One major reason AFM systems are garbage, it’s a laundry list of heat generating and saturating cocktail that just rips engines apart.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Right, but the mass and weight is near nothing. What would happen with a full fledged travel trailer that weighs 4,000lbs vs 1,000lb trailer with a 6x7 slotted parachute?

Again, great for what it is and what it does, but I’m stretching capabilities by towing, lifted, 37’s and in the desert. More below on my next response.



I think gears and cooling upgrades will help, I just don’t know how much and what the $$$ to difference ratio will be. It may just be a matter of getting the right tool for the job.



Based on our dealings here…. You’d never guess what I window shopped, even test drove today.

These aren't the wide ratio 3-4 speed transmissions of last century. The final drive ratio is all the engine sees. 5.13s in 8th are no different than 4.10s in 7th or 3.45s in 6th and you can work your way through the ratios from there. Unless you need more 1st gear changing axle gears will only change what gear the trans is in for a given load but won't change the rpms needed for that load or the heat generated. With all the torque of the ecodiesel at low rpms I'd bet you'd be better off in 7th than 6th unless it was a very steep grade. In your exact scenario, you were holding it in 6th with 3.73s giving you a final drive ratio of 3.73. Switching to 4.56 gears and holding it in 7th would be a final drive ratio of 3.83... congratulations you spent $2500 to show your engine the exact same load in the same scenario. Or maybe you're still going to hold it in 6th to get the rpms up (probably not what you want with the diesel), so now you've got a 4.56 final drive ratio? Could have just downshifted to 5th with the 3.73s and had a 4.8 final drive ratio and $2500 towards the cooling upgrades that will actually make a difference.

 

[CJ5w4wdSmokyOnMyTail]

2021 JTRD, 31,000 trouble free miles

2 inch Mopar lift
37’s
Stubby bumper and 12k winch
Misc lighting, air compressor, etc
Motobilt hood vents

Love the JT for everything it is and everything it isn’t. However, I’d be lying if I wasn’t disappointed yesterday.

The situation: father in law needed help, just bought a 16x6 utility/UTV/ATV trailer but his truck is out commission.

Location Logandale, NV, roughly 120 miles round trip.

Weather: 99-105

Trailer is maybe 1,200lbs at most.

Speed limits here are 75, people cruise at 80-85. With a load, I wouldn’t expect to do anything near that. However, with an empty trailer I was still seeing oil temps in the 255-265 range all the way home at 60-65mph I saw my water temps rise to 250.

This was an empty trailer, I dream of a travel trailer one day. Not sure it is feasible in my parts with the JTRD.

I know bullet proof diesel makes a radiator and there are other solutions. But I’m curious if I’m wanting to tow a trailer across the country at near the speed limit or at least a safe speed with traffic, maybe JT just isn’t the right platform and a full size pick up would be.

Interest rates and vehicle prices are outrageous right now, the JT’s trade in is somewhat diminished. Help me make it make sense… I want to keep it!

I do tow an open bow boat and a pontoon, but don’t have the same issue because it’s mostly city driving and back roads to the lake are 50-55mph speed limits. In the winter I’ve take my boat as far as Texas, but 1/3 of the year here is unbearable.

Get the 3.6. I've towed with it across the country with zero issues.

 

[Jefe1018]

Get the 3.6. I've towed with it across the country with zero issues.

If I’d done that, I’d be asking how to get more power in the 3.6 forum

My pop’s used to say.. that’s like wiping but putting the same soiled drawers back on.

Pics to remind myself what I have when not towing in summer:

 

[CJ5w4wdSmokyOnMyTail]

If I’d done that, I’d be asking how to get more power in the 3.6 forum

My pop’s used to say.. that’s like wiping but putting the same soiled drawers back on.

I do kinda want more power.

 

[Freems]

I think a regear, aux cooler and a 2024 grill would be a good start. I love this truck too much to sell.

Let me propose a solution to all your issues…I’ll trade you mine for yours. It’s a gasser, your short and long term anxieties will be gone and you’ll still being driving a killer JT.

 

[Rusty PW]

Based on our dealings here…. You’d never guess what I window shopped, even test drove today.

I figured you was snooping around dealer lots since you got a bug for something different.

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