How hard is it offroading in a manual transmission?

[BoatDude]

I’ve got a manual JT and a manual TJ, I have a bicycle shifter mounted on the TJ shifter I use as a hand throttle, it works great.

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[DeezJT]

My first trail ride was with a manual. My first time putting it in 4lo - Scary as hell if your a rookie during steep inclines...I was shifting gears like driving it in the streets. Stalling in the middle of an incline is gut wrenching.
With more wheeling time, it will be easier and more fun. Your gonna know your Jeeps capabilities first hand.

 

[MrJeep]

I cannot stand being off road with an automatic. You need too much throttle finesse over obstacles, you are too "disconnected" from the rocks by the slushbox. The clutch shouldn't be an issue, you should be in low enough gear that there should be no clutch (unless it's an uphill climb requiring a shift.)
That said, I cannot stand towing with a stick shift.
Pick your poison.

 

[WK2JT]

I cannot stand being off road with an automatic. You need too much throttle finesse over obstacles, you are too "disconnected" from the rocks by the slushbox. The clutch shouldn't be an issue, you should be in low enough gear that there should be no clutch (unless it's an uphill climb requiring a shift.)
That said, I cannot stand towing with a stick shift.
Pick your poison.

Can you still start the JL/JT while in gear and clutch engaged? Seems like the push button start would make this harder than the control of turning a key.

 

[MrJeep]

Can you still start the JL/JT while in gear and clutch engaged? Seems like the push button start would make this harder than the control of turning a key.

Apparently you can but you are right, it's not as easy, you have to slightly hold the brake to start it from what I read. They need to fix that. I use that all the time in the TJ Rubicon.

 

[jimbom]

Apparently you can but you are right, it's not as easy, you have to slightly hold the brake to start it from what I read. They need to fix that. I use that all the time in the TJ Rubicon.

Edit (I stand corrected) No Yes, light brake required. No clutch Feet flat on the floor, push the button. (It's in the owner's manual.)

 

[MrJeep]

No brake required. Feet flat on the floor, push the button. (It's in the owner's manual.)

Sweet, they did fix it or people just couldn't work it. Early JL reports were people were having trouble.

 

[jimbom]

Sweet, they did fix it or people just couldn't work it. Early JL reports were people were having trouble.

I tried it out in the driveway and I had to brake (really hard) just to get it to stall. Then with my foot off the brake (& clutch) it restarted and just kept on going as advertised. Used it once successfully for real on the trail. The second time I tried it on the trail, it cranked for a second but I let out the button too soon. It didn't roll or restart and didn't give me a second chance. So I think the key is you have to hold the button in until you are well underway. That time I had to push in the clutch (& brake to keep from rolling back) to get it to start.

Unlike the Jeep, our other car with push button only requires a momentary push of the button and it keeps cranking until started. I sometimes still forget to hold the button in long enough to keep the Jeep cranking until it starts.

 

[jimbom]

Sweet, they did fix it or people just couldn't work it. Early JL reports were people were having trouble.

I forgot to mention, it only works in 4L.

 

[ADK Tiro]

It looks like the OP already made up his mind, but here’s my $.02:

My first serious off road was in a FrankenJeep CJ7 with a Ford T18 granny tranny (boy has the meaning of THAT phrase changed in the past decade or two). It was pretty difficult to stall out in Granny Gear. FrankenJeep could crawl up a wall all by itself - literally! I found out by mistake one day starting it up outside the Jeep when I thought it was in neutral. It rolled right over the 4”x 4” wood I was using for a wheel chock, and up onto the side of the house before I was able to turn the key off. Fortunately, there was no damage to FrankenJeep or the house - just my pride and ticker.

I’m HOPING the MT in the Gladiator will be similar. You really shouldn’t have to worry about the clutch at all when crawling. As for the wife, mine already drives MT, but I’m hoping she won’t like the Gladiator any better than she disliked the FrankenJeep.... I don’t mind being a passenger for my daughter, but the wife makes me nervous in a minivan....

 

[ADK Tiro]

I tried it out in the driveway and I had to brake (really hard) just to get it to stall. Then with my foot off the brake (& clutch) it restarted and just kept on going as advertised. Used it once successfully for real on the trail. The second time I tried it on the trail, it cranked for a second but I let out the button too soon. It didn't roll or restart and didn't give me a second chance. So I think the key is you have to hold the button in until you are well underway. That time I had to push in the clutch (& brake to keep from rolling back) to get it to start.

Unlike the Jeep, our other car with push button only requires a momentary push of the button and it keeps cranking until started. I sometimes still forget to hold the button in long enough to keep the Jeep cranking until it starts.

‘And yes..let’s not a bad idea to practice ahead of time.

 

[5JeepsAz]

This will get me killed by pros but I love using the starter when in gear to get the thing over the hump. I've even killed the engine on purpose just to have all the control in a key twist. Dead stop. In gear. Waggle that key. Up and over. Hit the clutch, it starts, away you go. "You'll burn up the starter motor" "it wasn't designed for that". Okay doke. See you all up top.

 

[MrJeep]

This will get me killed by pros but I love using the starter when in gear to get the thing over the hump. I've even killed the engine on purpose just to have all the control in a key twist. Dead stop. In gear. Waggle that key. Up and over. Hit the clutch, it starts, away you go. "You'll burn up the starter motor" "it wasn't designed for that". Okay doke. See you all up top.

Nahhh, no pro should mock you too much for this. My CJ5 had some kind of problem with the carb so I used the starter motor to move it in and out of the shed in 4 low all the time for like 3 weeks. If the gearing is low enough, and you have a decent starter, it's really no big deal to the starter motor.

 

[Dwosgood]

I never enjoyed rock crawling in my TJ with an Nv3550; especially not having lockers. It was always stressful having to drive with three feet plus an extra foot to keep from rolling backwards, stalling on rocks, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I wheeled the piss out of my TJ, but always enjoyed cruising through the desert at a higher rate of speed to more enjoyable.

 

[ADK Tiro]

No brake required. Feet flat on the floor, push the button. (It's in the owner's manual.)

Hmmm. I just tried it on my new Gladiator. When I tried in 2H and 4H, I immediately received the message push clutch and button to start. I managed to finally get it into 4L I tried it again. It looked like it was going to try to start for a second, but then I received the push clutch and button to start message again. Can someone pount out where it states it in the manual? I’ll keep looking for it all the same.

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