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Towing Capacity - Lets get serious here...

5JeepsAz

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I use the Jeep to haul our trailer from our summer home in MN to our winter home in AZ.
We do a significant amount of desert mountain trail riding (~2k miles year) and the Raptor is just waaaaaay to wide for the trails at a full 13” wider track and the body a few more inches than that. Believe me - I tried it.... Blow up the attached image - that was from one short 50 mile trip being careful as possible... Most of it compounded out, but you can only do that a couple times before you start running out of paint.

The Jeep was bought off the lot and has everything but the 4.10’s (2015 had 4.10 as an option even on Max Tow) ~225 RPM difference at 65 mph would help, but don’t believe it would be a huge difference.

If Jeep really produced this truck with enough nads to tow my trailer without working it to death, I would sell both trucks and buy the Gladiator. A turbo would make all the difference in the world.

2C3591CE-D599-4527-B2D2-4A26C55624DC.jpeg

I've been thinking about this problem you showed us. I'd be pretty sad about those scratches. My wife also, on a new car. Mostly you can buff out pretty easily, but who wants to? If my JT looks like that after a little jaunt, man I'll be pissed. I hope you just ran into some oily or waxy shrubs. Did you get into paint on any that day?
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Big-Foot

Big-Foot

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The paint (clear coat) too a fairly heavy hit. About half of what was visible in the picture were scratches, some just streaks. The bad thing about today’s paints is that they are almost all using water based basecoat and a solvent based clearcoat. The clears are very thin. The base is even thinner. You have to rub them out carefully, checking the cloth or bonnet frequently for signs color.
I got almost all the scratches out. There were some on the mirror caps and front fenders that remain.
The JT is also going to be even longer than my JK Unlimited - which is somewhat handicapped when it comes to ground clearance when crawling. I have a 3” lift and factory tires (31’s). I have about the same climbing break-over clearance as a stock JK. I wonder if I will have to do a 3” lift and 35’s on a JT to get the same basic break-over clearance since it is a good bit longer than the JKU?
Well - I guess that isn’t really going to matter if they don’t put some more snap under the hood...
 

5JeepsAz

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The paint (clear coat) too a fairly heavy hit. About half of what was visible in the picture were scratches, some just streaks. The bad thing about today’s paints is that they are almost all using water based basecoat and a solvent based clearcoat. The clears are very thin. The base is even thinner. You have to rub them out carefully, checking the cloth or bonnet frequently for signs color.
I got almost all the scratches out. There were some on the mirror caps and front fenders that remain.
The JT is also going to be even longer than my JK Unlimited - which is somewhat handicapped when it comes to ground clearance when crawling. I have a 3” lift and factory tires (31’s). I have about the same climbing break-over clearance as a stock JK. I wonder if I will have to do a 3” lift and 35’s on a JT to get the same basic break-over clearance since it is a good bit longer than the JKU?
Well - I guess that isn’t really going to matter if they don’t put some more snap under the hood...

The length and turning radius... Yep.

The breakover, guess we'll learn how to approach, nav, and exit all over again.

It's a pickup, light if empty. Gonna bounce and spin if not careful.

As for the paint, I've been out in the desert and lots of that washes off like you said. It's a huge concern though, thinner clear coat. I'll check it. Once was seven layers or something like that!
 

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I use the Jeep to haul our trailer from our summer home in MN to our winter home in AZ.
We do a significant amount of desert mountain trail riding (~2k miles year) and the Raptor is just waaaaaay to wide for the trails at a full 13” wider track and the body a few more inches than that. Believe me - I tried it.... Blow up the attached image - that was from one short 50 mile trip being careful as possible... Most of it compounded out, but you can only do that a couple times before you start running out of paint.

The Jeep was bought off the lot and has everything but the 4.10’s (2015 had 4.10 as an option even on Max Tow) ~225 RPM difference at 65 mph would help, but don’t believe it would be a huge difference.

If Jeep really produced this truck with enough nads to tow my trailer without working it to death, I would sell both trucks and buy the Gladiator. A turbo would make all the difference in the world.

2C3591CE-D599-4527-B2D2-4A26C55624DC.jpeg
When they come out I suggest you take your trailer to the dealership and connect it to one with the 4:10 gears and see if that suits you.

If it doesn’t then wait for the diesel. It will pull that little trailer without any problems. I’ve got the diesel in my GC and have towed bigger trailers that you have...the additional benefit of the Gladiator is that it will have a longer and wider stance than my GC which would further aid in stability towing down the road.
 
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When they come out I suggest you take your trailer to the dealership and connect it to one with the 4:10 gears and see if that suits you.

If it doesn’t then wait for the diesel. It will pull that little trailer without any problems. I’ve got the diesel in my GC and have towed bigger trailers that you have...the additional benefit of the Gladiator is that it will have a longer and wider stance than my GC which would further aid in stability towing down the road.
I do have a great dealer that would let me try towing my trailer, but unfortunately it’s in flat land country at less than 1,000’ - so - it would be tough to tell how well it would or would not do in the mountains or altitudes above 3500’ where the 3.6 really struggles.
I will not ever own another EPA Diesel, so that’s off the table. It might work for others though..
I’m hopeful that Jeep will do a bigger gas engine or turbocharge the 3.6...
 

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smlobx

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I do have a great dealer that would let me try towing my trailer, but unfortunately it’s in flat land country at less than 1,000’ - so - it would be tough to tell how well it would or would not do in the mountains or altitudes above 3500’ where the 3.6 really struggles.
I will not ever own another EPA Diesel, so that’s off the table. It might work for others though..
I’m hopeful that Jeep will do a bigger gas engine or turbocharge the 3.6...
I seriously doubt that will ever happen.
If you don’t care for a diesel then you should just buy a regular F-150 with the regular 3.5 Ecoboost and drive that with a few options. At least it will be narrower than the Raptor and with a few suspension upgrades it can be made very capable...
 

koala

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I have never heard of that acronym before. After some searching, I find it used mostly in BW Hitch related websites and the one percentage I found was 25% ... I’ll stick with what I know for now.
The 3.6 engine is way too underpowered for this sort of tow rating.
Yup I agree, me thinks the 7650 is going to turn out to be maybe true on paper only and will not be the case in the real world (at all).
 

bangolia

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Quadratec already has accessories for the gladiator including an aftermarket hitch.

E1DFD9E3-1561-44BB-8628-5679D7C9E1AA.png
 
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Quadratec already has accessories for the gladiator including an aftermarket hitch.

E1DFD9E3-1561-44BB-8628-5679D7C9E1AA.png
I would think that the Max-Tow package would already include the hitch receiver and 7 way connector. Hopefully would also include an integrated trailer brake controller.
 

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There's an awful lot of Pentastar bashing going on in this thread.

Over the last 15 years, I've towed everything from farm tractors to 4x4 pickup trucks to ATVs to boats and everything in between with V6 engines that had less power than the Pentastar does. And the three Pentastar engines I've had over the last 5 years have never disappointed me when pulling a trailer at all. They actually are very strong and get good fuel economy while working.

As far as the turbo goes...be careful what you ask for. Those little turbo motors are very expensive in more ways than one, and they have poor reliability, which is likely the reason why Jeep will sell you the turbo in a Wrangler but not a Gladiator.
 

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I think you need to tow a high profile trailer in the mountains.... Heck, even without a trailer at. Over 3500’ the 3.6 feels like you’re dragging an anchor.
Ford has had outstanding success with the Ecoboost engines. Today’s water cooled turbos don’t have near the troubles that oil cooled ones had years ago.
 

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I think you need to tow a high profile trailer in the mountains.... Heck, even without a trailer at. Over 3500’ the 3.6 feels like you’re dragging an anchor.
Ford has had outstanding success with the Ecoboost engines. Today’s water cooled turbos don’t have near the troubles that oil cooled ones had years ago.
The FastLane boys will likely throw the JT through the Ike gauntlet challenge. I'm very very curious to see how that goes down!
 
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The FastLane boys will likely throw the JT through the Ike gauntlet challenge. I'm very very curious to see how that goes down!
You’re right - they will.... I just hope that Jeep gives them a truck that isn’t specially prepped or “tuned”... Their reviews and tests of the Raptor Pickup were spot-on.
 

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You know...Throughout various threads here, a general consensus is that if you want the most capable total vehicle, you should go for the max tow package with the small engine. I want better towing so I choose the smaller engine? Yes. I know what the engineers are saying about cooling but am I the only one that finds this strange? Do I want engineering data or actual real muscle? I think, within the 5000 pound range, better towing has to be with the diesel in spite of the lower numbers.
 
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You know...Throughout various threads here, a general consensus is that if you want the most capable total vehicle, you should go for the max tow package with the small engine. I want better towing so I choose the smaller engine? Yes. I know what the engineers are saying about cooling but am I the only one that finds this strange? Do I want engineering data or actual real muscle? I think, within the 5000 pound range, better towing has to be with the diesel in spite of the lower numbers.
Towing is all about Torque and staying within the useable torque band of your engine. Which is why diesel engines are generally the best choice for moving moderate to heavy loads. The 3.0 diesel puts out a lot more torque at a lower RPM than the 3.6 Gasser - so from that perspective, I have to agree with you. While I personally won’t go for this diesel, I know a lot of people will. How FCA came up with the Tow ratings for this truck is a mystery...
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