Why a Gladiator (JT) and not a Wrangler (JL)?

[jurfie]

I go with a more stylish attire!

I liked your post, but I don't really like your post. And now I shall go wash my eyeballs.

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[PyrPatriot]

One of the first things I did when I got home was go up to my wood shop, find some nice 2x4s and trimmed them for a good fit in the bed so I could have them just in case I decided to haul - gasp, plywood!
I even curved the ends to fit instead of just a square cut end on them. I may route the edges a bit more, sand them and poly them. Can't stand that raw wood just laying back there getting dirty from being unfinished. Might even take a fancy bit to them and make the edges decorative. Maybe like a raised panel door look on them.

If you get the chance to recall the lengths you cut I am sure several folks here would want to know them

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Im sorry, I forget that not everyone loves driving their Gladiator so much that they look for excuses to take it out on trips.

You didn't ask why I was out in blizzard and ice conditions today when I could have done that tomorrow when I need to go out again Christmas shopping. LOL - all I had to do was run into town to the doctor, then to the grocery store on the way home - and home. But no - I got home, unloaded groceries and told my wife I'm heading up to Ankeny (30 minutes in great weather and clear roads) to chat with the dealer about the bed cover and other stuff.
She didn't even think to say - but you are going to Ankeny tomorrow, can't you do that then? HA
But I got there and the blizzard kicked in and no one was going out there for nuttin. And many never even made it to their destination. Major mega-pile-up on I80 as I was coming home....... semis couldn't make corners, Fedex couldn't make it around a corner and up a 3 percent grade to an entrance ramp.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

If you get the chance to recall the lengths you cut I am sure several folks here would want to know them

I write stuff down, keep lists (severe ADHD - walk out without shoes sometimes)
So, when I can remember what I did with my notes or lists - in this case, my shop.....

The 2x4 for over the wheel wells, in those shallow recesses there is cut at 49.25"
I MIGHT have been able to go a bit longer if I had rounded the bottom ends where it rests on the inner fenders or sides of the box but naw, I might find a better board and do that later.
For the two that go on edge, stacked one above the other, further back, the top one of the 2 is 57.5625" (57 9/16)
and the lower one, you put in first, is also 57 9/16" at the top but I curved the bottom of the ends in a bit to fit the profile more - otherwise the bottom board would either sit higher or need to be a bit shorter) so it's 57 9/16" at the top and curves in to 56.75" at the bottom edge. I could have done it more neatly with my profile tool but I may do that later - or not. I'm no Norm Abram.......
That rough bedliner really grabs at the boards and you end up leaving sawdust in the bed if you slide things around back there.

 

[TrewBrew]

My reason has nothing to do with reason or logic. I saw the Galdiator, I wanted the Galdiator, I got the Gladiator.

But now I am thinking of getting a some kind of Wrangler if I can find one I can pay cash for, just because.

 

[Deleted member 24603]

I liked your post, but I don't really like your post. And now I shall go wash my eyeballs.

My thoughts exactly when I saw Jean-Luc in a bathrobe . It may take weeks/months to get that image out of my head!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My reason has nothing to do with reason or logic. I saw the Galdiator, I wanted the Galdiator, I got the Gladiator.

But now I am thinking of getting a some kind of Wrangler if I can find one I can pay cash for, just because.

Yup - saw a red one in a show room - told my wife I wanted one. She said "as long as......" and named off a list of things but the biggest was if I could get one in purple or that Mogito! color- she LOVED it. Well, there went that. No way to get the other restoration project car I have I need to get done for another customer in the next year, and they were not available in that green - not even the blue at that time.
So, I did some talking and convinced her......

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My thoughts exactly when I saw Jean-Luc in a bathrobe . It may take weeks/months to get that image out of my head!

You just can't un-see those images.

 

[PyrPatriot]

You didn't ask why I was out in blizzard and ice conditions today when I could have done that tomorrow when I need to go out again Christmas shopping. LOL - all I had to do was run into town to the doctor, then to the grocery store on the way home - and home. But no - I got home, unloaded groceries and told my wife I'm heading up to Ankeny (30 minutes in great weather and clear roads) to chat with the dealer about the bed cover and other stuff.
She didn't even think to say - but you are going to Ankeny tomorrow, can't you do that then? HA
But I got there and the blizzard kicked in and no one was going out there for nuttin. And many never even made it to their destination. Major mega-pile-up on I80 as I was coming home....... semis couldn't make corners, Fedex couldn't make it around a corner and up a 3 percent grade to an entrance ramp.

Wow! So how did your JT handle?

 

[firemedic2714]

I disagree. From what I have seen of the JLU (and correct me if I am mistaken, I have not driven one or been inside of one, the cargo space of the JLU is pretty good given you can stack items. I saw a video of all the stuff LiteBrite got into the back of theirs, it was impressive. With the truck bed, given it is fairly low siding, you can't really stack items. Heck, a set of 32" tires felt like they were about to topple out of my bed with every curve in the road.

My previous vehicle was a Honda Element. With the seats folded up you could fit ALOT of stuff in it. What it (and other comparable SUVs) didn't have is the payload of a JT (only 675lbs!) which is why I got the JT over anything else. Nothing had the payload, off-road capability, and looks, but mostly payload.

How do the actual numbers play out? The JLU has a listed 72.4 cubic feet of cargo area. The JT only has 25.8.

Now, I'm sure you can increase the JT's cargo space with a TrailRail system and add cross rails like this

But what the JLU will NEVER be able to compete with is towing capacity. It can actually compete with payload, as the JLU sport has a 1300lb payload rating and the others are in the 1200lb range. When loading up though, that 200-300lbs difference between JLU and JT can make or break your trip. Towing is where the JT shines, and is why I went with it. 7000/7650, or even 6000 for the overland, is double or more the parsley 3500 towing of the JLU.

I had a '15 JKU and I could put about four 8 ft. 2x4s in it and close the back door with the window open. The spare tire and roll bar really squeeze down any area you have to lay things on that tailgate. Also, that's with the back seats folded down. I could haul a 4x8 sheet of whatever, but it had be in 4 pieces. For an SUV, it was decent.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Wow! So how did your JT handle?

You don't want to know....... it wasn't the best winter vehicle I've ever driven - and it wasn't nearly as stable or sure-footed as my Silverado was or my WJ is.
The back end kept wanting to go sideways, I never knew when it was going to let loose.
It MAY be the "limited slip" differential - those are nasty on really slick roads as the axles are effectively locked together as ice and snow pack doesn't allow enough grip/torque to break the clutches loose inside and let one or the other spin.
So on ice they are solidly connected, thus, a slide.
There was a car about a half mile to mile ahead of me that had just slid and spun on I80 and traffic was really slowing down due to the slick hill. I got up to the accident - the front of his car was peeled almost clean off - and as I passed and tried to get a little speed up again - get back up to 40, the back end of the JT slid around and I had fun getting it straight again.
Then in town, intersections, parking lots, etc. - I never felt the traction control or anti-lock brakes work at all. Not a sound, no indication they were even trying. It was literally like driving most other 2 wheel drive trucks - I had to keep shifting into and back out of 4H to make some of the roads and to keep it going straight. It really wants to slide, badly. The tires spun on packed snow, I had to take corners beyond carefully - I had to crawl around them.
Needless to say, not impressed so far. Tires? Maybe. Limited slip? Maybe that's part of it. But I was really disappointed in the lack of traction and stability control. My wife's Grand Cherokee would run circles around this. You simply don't slip and never goes sideways. My silverado I could tell when the traction control took over. It would literally walk me through the snow and up to the road on our slick driveway - no need to shift the t-case into 4. I only did that 3 or 4 times the whole time I owned it -traction control kept that truck straight and moving.
My WJ will likely remain my winter vehicle. My wife's GC is 10 times the winter vehicle the JT is. I no longer plan on selling my 04 WJ after today's fun. Maybe deep snow, it would be ok, but not ice and snow pack and slick roads without deep snow. I was hoping and praying for more snowfall to cover the roads to get me home!
The only thing I've driven like this was a true 2wd truck - as that's all this is really if you can't put it in 4H and leave it - and today there was no way - ice, snow, black ice, snow pack, a bit of wet, then some clear, then ice again - I got tired of shifting between 2 and 4H.
I really hoped for a better winter/icy roads truck. But this isn't near as good on ice and snow pack and black ice as my Chevy was - even in 2wd with the traction and stability control it had.

 

[PyrPatriot]

Then in town, intersections, parking lots, etc. - I never felt the traction control or anti-lock brakes work at all. Not a sound, no indication they were even trying.

I fishtailed a bit making a turn on some mild wet pavement and was surprised nothing came on indicator wise nor did I feel any change in driving as I corrected it. I am looking forward to some snow and ice. May end up fixing my Honda Element sooner than expected as that thing was amazing on ice/snow. Even with half bald tires it made a 500mi trip through a snow storm that left dozens of cars in the ditches or stuck in high snow

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I fishtailed a bit making a turn on some mild wet pavement and was surprised nothing came on indicator wise nor did I feel any change in driving as I corrected it. I am looking forward to some snow and ice. May end up fixing my Honda Element sooner than expected as that thing was amazing on ice/snow. Even with half bald tires it made a 500mi trip through a snow storm that left dozens of cars in the ditches or stuck in high snow

With my Chevy I was unable to horse around and take a corner under hard acceleration and slip the tires. This truck allows me to go around a corner and spin wheels. That Chevy literally acted like it was shutting the fuel off.
I tried the other day as I wanted to see if it would act like my Chevy and back the throttle off and control the slip. Nope, was able to mash it and slide around a corner. Hmmmmm.

 

[WXman]

By the way, what mud flaps are on your rig? They blend in nicely with the fender flares.

They're the Mopar ones. But I'm about to remove the fronts and try the Rokblockz because the Mopars don't offer very good coverage.

 

[MarineHawk]

With my Chevy I was unable to horse around and take a corner under hard acceleration and slip the tires. This truck allows me to go around a corner and spin wheels. That Chevy literally acted like it was shutting the fuel off.
I tried the other day as I wanted to see if it would act like my Chevy and back the throttle off and control the slip. Nope, was able to mash it and slide around a corner. Hmmmmm.

I wonder if you had different tires, what your view would be.

Before the Gladiator, over time, I have had two GMC Sierras; an H2; an H3 (my soon-to-be-ex-wife’s); and a JKUR (not in that order). I think the GMs were a bit easier to drive in moderate snow, especially when mixed with dry pavement. But, I think my JKUR would go anywhere any of the GMs would go, although I might have to do more shifting (the transfer case), and I might go a bit slower on turns. I assume the JTR will be the same. Hopefully, I will find out on Wednesday.

I’m also not concerned about driving mine in 4WH on limited straight stretches of dry pavement in between snow patches.

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