First time towing and impressed .

[JeepNightHawk]

Looking into getting a camper . So , I'm renting now to see what I like. Over the weekend i towed a Apex Nano 194 BH . Dry weight 3800 . It likely had 1,000 of stuff in it. Jeep pulled it easily. I have a 2025 Nighthawk with the tow package. Its rated for 6k . I was probably just under 5k . However, I towed on flatlands (midwest). The Jeep was a little loud accelerating . However , when i used the manual shift function , I was able to keep it nice and quiet. I even had 2 kids fall asleep in the back seats. I did not use a weight distribution hitch . I couldn't see anything behind or on the side of me. I just received the snap on tow mirrors. I will be ordering a nice weight distribution hitch and sumosprings. 6k rated towed just under 5k on flat land , and it towed very well. I have two kids ( 4 and 2 years old ) the longest drive will be 5 - 6 hours. It looks like ill be staying in the Midwest. So , towing 5k on a 6k rate Jeep is not bad. I read horror stories on Gladiator towing and did not experience anything like that. Now I'm wonder if I could go slightly bigger on a camper. I will always be staying a full hook up camp grounds. So , I will never be towing with water tanks filled. Overall great experience towing.

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[Labswine]

I have the Overland (ordered 5/19, delivered 7/19) and I tow a trailer that's 27' and is around 5,100 lbs with all we want or need. It's just me and the bride. I have the Vantage Sonic SN220VRB which sleeps the two of us nicely. There are other Vantage Sonics which are of similar weight and length which have the rear bunks too for your two li'l urchins. I think if you're looking to purchase, I would definitely go for one with twin axles as they tow better and, are just more stable on the road.

Yes, I totally shift the 8sp manually and never see 8th. I can cruise along in 7th at 65 MPH and around 2,100 RPMs. Going up a grade, when my speed drops below around 58 MPH, I simply drop a gear and go until I crest the grade then it's back to 7th. RPMs are between 2,600 and 2,800. Even on days where the temps are 95 degrees or better, when I check system temps using the 'Off road' page on my display, they are still well within safe parameters. I typically get between 12 and 13 MPGs towing.

I have been towing east coast which like you there in the mid-west, is relatively flat. I am going to Massatuchetts this summer with mine and there are a few hills on the way there, and the way back so we'll see how mine handles them...which I'm sure will be with aplomb

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Looking into getting a camper . So , I'm renting now to see what I like. Over the weekend i towed a Apex Nano 194 BH . Dry weight 3800 . It likely had 1,000 of stuff in it. Jeep pulled it easily. I have a 2025 Nighthawk with the tow package. Its rated for 6k . I was probably just under 5k . However, I towed on flatlands (midwest). The Jeep was a little loud accelerating . However , when i used the manual shift function , I was able to keep it nice and quiet. I even had 2 kids fall asleep in the back seats. I did not use a weight distribution hitch . I couldn't see anything behind or on the side of me. I just received the snap on tow mirrors. I will be ordering a nice weight distribution hitch and sumosprings. 6k rated towed just under 5k on flat land , and it towed very well. I have two kids ( 4 and 2 years old ) the longest drive will be 5 - 6 hours. It looks like ill be staying in the Midwest. So , towing 5k on a 6k rate Jeep is not bad. I read horror stories on Gladiator towing and did not experience anything like that. Now I'm wonder if I could go slightly bigger on a camper. I will always be staying a full hook up camp grounds. So , I will never be towing with water tanks filled. Overall great experience towing.

I've had two Overlands - rated for 6,000 pounds towing.
I towed ~5,000 pounds (maybe a bit over at times) and with our hills, I just let it do what it is programmed to do - keep in the best rpm range for power and heat rejection.
Trying to keep RPM down too much is actually harmful - generates higher combustion pressures, added wear.
Unless it's "hunting" or shifting up and down constantly - just let it do its thing.
I only ever use manual mode - like the book says - to control excessive shifting or hunting by the automatic.
I often see RPMs in the range of 3,300 to 4,300 and sometimes for an extended time. It's perfectly fine, the engine is made for that.

I was told by a Chevy guy when I asked about a Silverado I had with LS V8 - he said "let it run, it's supposed to, it's made to do that".

I did 13.9 average towing in our constant hills by letting it choose the RPM and not me.
It's smarter.

 

[bd100]

(Yea, towing is easy on a 45 degree down slope. Now let's see you try it at 45 degrees up!)

(Actually something like this happened to me once with our big pickup w/ 318 towing the 2000lb pop-up. Some state forest in Indiana had a piece of paved road with a super steep uphill slope. Kept down shifting the manual transmission lower and lower and ended up in 1st to get up it, if I remember right!)

 

[JeepNightHawk]

I have the Overland (ordered 5/19, delivered 7/19) and I tow a trailer that's 27' and is around 5,100 lbs with all we want or need. It's just me and the bride. I have the Vantage Sonic SN220VRB which sleeps the two of us nicely. There are other Vantage Sonics which are of similar weight and length which have the rear bunks too for your two li'l urchins. I think if you're looking to purchase, I would definitely go for one with twin axles as they tow better and, are just more stable on the road.

Yes, I totally shift the 8sp manually and never see 8th. I can cruise along in 7th at 65 MPH and around 2,100 RPMs. Going up a grade, when my speed drops below around 58 MPH, I simply drop a gear and go until I crest the grade then it's back to 7th. RPMs are between 2,600 and 2,800. Even on days where the temps are 95 degrees or better, when I check system temps using the 'Off road' page on my display, they are still well within safe parameters. I typically get between 12 and 13 MPGs towing.

I have been towing east coast which like you there in the mid-west, is relatively flat. I am going to Massatuchetts this summer with mine and there are a few hills on the way there, and the way back so we'll see how mine handles them...which I'm sure will be with aplomb

I would love a dual axel trailer but it will just end up too heavy.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

(Yea, towing is easy on a 45 degree down slope. Now let's see you try it at 45 degrees up!)

(Actually something like this happened to me once with our big pickup w/ 318 towing the 2000lb pop-up. Some state forest in Indiana had a piece of paved road with a super steep uphill slope. Kept down shifting the manual transmission lower and lower and ended up in 1st to get up it, if I remember right!)

I must have missed that part of Indiana - each time I've been there, I get my best mpg because it's some of the flattest land I've seen outside of eastern KS or NE. You can see for MILES. But then I stick mostly to the northern areas, generally Fort Wayne is my goal.

 

[1Seekingzen]

I tow a 3500 lb tear drop trailer and have never had a problem. Going over the mountain passes in the Tetons made it work hard, but never lacked for power. I use Air Lift 1000 HD air bags to keep it level, and switched to 75w-140 gear oil in the rear end. I do not use a WDH, but may consider doing so in the future. Overall, no complaints.

 

[1Seekingzen]

If anyone is interested in what they can so to increase towing performance, or how to protect their vehicles while towing, I have found of all things ChatGBT an outstanding source. I highly recommend it!

 

[Lost1wing]

Watch out for those cross winds on the midwest highways. Especially with the 2 and 4 year olds. That trailer will become a sail and take the Gladiator with it. Going slow sometimes is not enough, you just have to pull over and wait.

 

[Sandman 4x4]

Looking into getting a camper . So , I'm renting now to see what I like. Over the weekend i towed a Apex Nano 194 BH . Dry weight 3800 . It likely had 1,000 of stuff in it. Jeep pulled it easily. I have a 2025 Nighthawk with the tow package. Its rated for 6k . I was probably just under 5k . However, I towed on flatlands (midwest). The Jeep was a little loud accelerating . However , when i used the manual shift function , I was able to keep it nice and quiet. I even had 2 kids fall asleep in the back seats. I did not use a weight distribution hitch . I couldn't see anything behind or on the side of me. I just received the snap on tow mirrors. I will be ordering a nice weight distribution hitch and sumosprings. 6k rated towed just under 5k on flat land , and it towed very well. I have two kids ( 4 and 2 years old ) the longest drive will be 5 - 6 hours. It looks like ill be staying in the Midwest. So , towing 5k on a 6k rate Jeep is not bad. I read horror stories on Gladiator towing and did not experience anything like that. Now I'm wonder if I could go slightly bigger on a camper. I will always be staying a full hook up camp grounds. So , I will never be towing with water tanks filled. Overall great experience towing.

Hello there! You sound knowledgeable enough, but I would highly suggest not going any bigger, maybe a double axle if you can find one at the under 5,000, 4,500 lbs sweet spot. Definitely get a good WDH, look st the Fastway E2, with 5,000 lbs bars, have the trailer dealer sell and install for free, he should get f you haggle. As for the Sumo inserts? Don’t waste your money, spen a little more on Air Bags and Bilstein 5100 shocks. Also keep in mind the CGVWR, combined gross vehicle weight rating, that’s around 10,000lbs. That means everything under your control rolling on your wheels. So load up as usual, then drive on a Cat Scale at a local truck stop. There you will get a printed legal weigh document o each axle and total weight. If you’re over the CGVWR, even though it drives fine you could have a real issue if involved in an accident! Drive safe, have fun!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

(Yea, towing is easy on a 45 degree down slope. Now let's see you try it at 45 degrees up!)

(Actually something like this happened to me once with our big pickup w/ 318 towing the 2000lb pop-up. Some state forest in Indiana had a piece of paved road with a super steep uphill slope. Kept down shifting the manual transmission lower and lower and ended up in 1st to get up it, if I remember right!)

Hope his park brake holds................. that's a heck of an incline!

 

[Jaxmax]

Do research , wife and I wanted certain things , narrow camper for better towing in visibility, no bump out cause of weight , around 3,000 pound dry rating , walk around queen bed, dry bath , and the toughest part was rear dinette with wrap around windows and tandem axles. We found so many campers in the light weight range , but could never meet all our needs . Winnebago minis have small campers with tandems and are 7’ wide! We settled on a 24’ long camper single axle walk around queen, dry bath , 7’6” wide , 3100lbs. Dry weight , 4100 pounds max weight Vista Cruiser 19ERD and love it , single axle tows fine , tandems are nice but add the weight of the axle and two more wheels , best thing you can do if you get a single axle is look at the tires and go buy quality tires with higher ranges most come with cheap tires and range is close. Don’t go to the max weight you have kids you will have water in water tank at times for roadside rest stops and such or going to primitive camp sites. Always figure in your weight with a full water tank and other tanks empty to start a trip. Lastly do not tow without WDH, things happen fast , it is not worth it!
I think Gladiators are excellent tow vehicles for what they are but not for going for much over 5,000 pounds, and staying where I am it is an awesome truck…..Jack

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I use Air Lift 1000 HD air bags to keep it level,

How well did those go into and work in that Mojave? I had them in an Overland and am very seriously thinking about them for my Mojave - I'll have 500 pound tongue weight.

 

[JeepNightHawk]

I see all these negative comments about the Jeep Gladiator Towing ultimately it's a midsize truck . Mid size trucks tow 4k to 7k , half tons 7k to 13k , 250/2500 13k + , etc.

 

[Jaxmax]

I see all these negative comments about the Jeep Gladiator Towing ultimately it's a midsize truck . Mid size trucks tow 4k to 7k , half tons 7k to 13k , 250/2500 13k + , etc.

I love mine but know it’s limits , I drive a F-250 for work and haul generators around four states as we need them . A gas engine F-250 rated at 12,500 knows it when getting up to its max. Over the years there have been a lot of guys here towing big trailers some huge with Gladys, most were Max Tow for 7600 pound and almost all if not all moved up to full size trucks. They were doing stuff like towing with one person in truck and family following in a car. If you really look into your door plate and owners manual you might come to the realization that I have that I drive an awesome extended Wrangler that does so many things better then a Wrangler!

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