Gladiator bent frame offroading with trailer? Why do you think this happened?

[hjdca]

I think, just maybe there is a little more to this story.........

Unfortunately, this picture has been around since last October or so. Since then, nobody on this forum has reported anything even remotely similar. The Gladiator is a truck with a stout frame and a body. It is not a "unibody" 4WD SUV, so, the strength of the Gladiator is undeniable. Just take a look at the frame. I just ran my rear flood lights along the passenger side frame and it is stout -- looks like my old '88 FJ62. ..

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[LarryL]

Ive been pulling a 24ft / 5500 lb boat all around with no problem. I thought I was safe.
I learned today in this thread that I’ve apparently been living on the edge.
Decided to get crazy and put those wacky Jeep engineers to the test.
I really wanted to test the limits of the Gladiator.
So I did what any thrill seeker would do.

WARNING: The rest of this posting is not for the faint of heart. (Insert knees clamoring together here)

....I made sure the boat trailer was secured to the truck.

.......Reluctantly placed myself into the cab.
Buckled up.

.....Had my son standing by with his finger on the call button for emergency services if needed.

Took 3 controlled deep breathes.......

I then said a quick prayer to the lord almighty asking him to please protect me during this wild stunt, as apparently not many Gladiators have survived what I am about to attempt.

This whole time my daughter is screaming at me as her mother holds her back, she continues to yell...”don’t do it daddy, don’t do it, it’s not worth it, please daddy don’t!”..

As I mouthed a subtle “I love you” and gave her a wink, I then realized that the time for play was now over.
It was go time gentleman .....It was time to get serious ......

(Last chance for those reading this to turn away)

As I flicked down the visor on my helmet,


.......I put the truck in drive........


.........and drove over a tree root.........

......THEN REVERSED AND BACKED OVER THE SAME TREE ROOT!!!.....

While! Pulling! The! Trailer!





To everyone’s disbelief, by some sort magical whim of what surely must have been nothing less than modern day witchcraft,...

THE FRAME HELD STRONG!!!
THE GLADIATOR HELD STRONG!!!
THE SHOCKS STAYED IN POSITION!!!
OMG ...TOTAL PANDEMONIUM !!!

Shortly thereafter, as the many calls from Red Bull, Monster Energy, X Games, etc we’re all pouring in,....all I could think about was that maybe,....just maybe,... those Jeep engineers DO IN FACT have their shit together.

God bless you all.
God bless America.

Lol. That is funny. Glad you made it through unscaved. And most importantly the Jeep made. Again, I'm not trying to stir anything up, just noting what happened. For my money, I think I'll give it some time and see how it all plays out. I keep reading the majave model has reinforceents

 

[Mkcagle]

I think, just maybe there is a little more to this story.........

Thinking a whole lot more.

 

[Bowerss2]

New to the forum and this is my first post. I've been driving jeeps for 35 years and owned 7, currently a 2015 JK bought new. Life long Jeep fan. I have been waiting for the gladiator and am still thinking about getting one. I will say this, My wife and I test drove a new and I commented to a friend that drives tow truck. He called the following morning to let me know he had just gotten back from a call for a brand new Gladiator, less than 300 miles. The owner hooked up a +- 18 boat and was pulling out of the yard. Ran over a small tree root and stopped. Backed up slightly to reposition and the gladiator frame folded exactly like the gladiator pictured. There was no abuse and certainly no high speed. Bone stock Jeep. It made my decision for me. The bent frame issue is due to poor engineering and poor manufacturing. I will still consider one IF and WHEN Jeep improves their game. I see nothing in these photos that tells me the owner is responsible in any way. If the Gladiator can't take a small trailer and a bumpy road it is not worth owning. I understand the leverage and force being applied, however, every frame/chassis is designed with a safety margin, Jeep seems to have missed this one.

Two things
1) i am calling shenanigans on that entire story
[yt]

2) Good job on the zombie resurrection thread with your first post, keep up the good work, you are a value and asset to this community and I personally look forward to your continued contributions.

 

[LarryL]

Two things
1) i am calling shenanigans on that entire story
[yt]

2) Good job on the zombie resurrection thread with your first post, keep up the good work, you are a value and asset to this community and I personally look forward to your continued contributions.

There wont be any more posts from me. I've seen all I need to see of the keyboard warriors on this site.

 

[Bowerss2]

There wont be any more posts from me. I've seen all I need to see of the keyboard warriors on this site.

Two more points

1) if you think about it even for a second, if slowly backing over a tree root was enough to bend the frame that badly, then I doubt the truck could have even supported its own weight.

2) as far as you taking your ball and going home:

 

[P.Lo]

10 pages of uninformed comments based on a couple of random photos with zero information.

Thats how the News Media operates as well, in 2020!!!

 

[CMac]

Not a troll and not interested in online arguments. I'm just stating what happened , trying to defend someone who may not have doing anything wrong, and trying to help solve a serious problem with a vehicle I would to buy, once it's fixed. Your more than welcome to come talk to me personally.

Im sorry, Larry...i am freely admitting that im having some fun at your expense. You are probably the nicest guy east of the Mississippi River and i am sure I'd enjoy swapping war stories over a good dinner and some nice bourbon afterward.

But many times, and this is only my observation, many people come in here, being brand new to Jeep or this forum or both, they pull the pin on the grenade and lock the door upon their hasty exit.

I'm sure this trolling is done in an attempt to get Jeep fans spooled up and im also sure it's an effective tactic with some of the forum members. Usually these tactics are similar and your post didn't leave much doubt...at least to me it didn't.

If you're legit and you're not trolling, then i do apologize to you and will look forward to reading more from you here on the Gladiator forum.

CMac

 

[P.Lo]

Clearly these Gladiators had not only poorly engineered frames, but body panels as well!!!
This has to be considered a complete fail to not be able to withstand a routine train derailment!!
Guess I'll wait for the Mojave to come out.

 

[Shootist]

I have said nothing but watched this thread as it unfolded. I believe Larry has held his composure quite well throughout. Though I also believe for anyone to lay down a claim that the Gladiator frame is flawed or weak without knowing the full story is certainly indicating poor judgement and/or just jumping to conclusions. I would love to know what caused the failure on the one with pictures because that just boggles the mind and none of the explanations I read made much sense outside of extreme driver error. Physics at work can be a real bitch and easily exceed engineering specifications due to poor judgment. That said, I think Larry is right not to buy a Gladiator just yet as I would hate for him to experience a similar failure. It would be tragic to lose another Gladiator. Haven’t we lost enough already with that train derailment?

In all seriousness, please don’t take things too hard. It is just a forum and I am pretty sure nobody means anything more than just joking around and having fun. But it is also not anyone’s responsibility to convince anyone to own what we own or to operate it in any specific way. If you play hard with your toys they will occasionally break. I have ripped out numerous transmissions, broken driveshafts, and bent frames myself but I am man enough to admit that my poor judgement and lead foot was at fault rather than the engineered marvel which happened to be on the receiving end of my right foot. For me, it has always been a known risk with known consequence and cost but I chose to play anyway because pushing limits of man and machine can be exciting.

 

[J.Noack]

Lol. That is funny. Glad you made it through unscaved. And most importantly the Jeep made. Again, I'm not trying to stir anything up, just noting what happened. For my money, I think I'll give it some time and see how it all plays out. I keep reading the majave model has reinforceents

I hear ya man. Although my post above may have come across otherwise, I do respect your opinion and meant no disrespect. You are absolutely correct with spending your hard earned money in what ever you see fit.

Surely you must have expected some degree of push back when coming on a Gladiator forum and telling everyone that Gladiator frames bend when backing over tree roots lol.

Just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to poke a little fun Here and there with it, as I would only hope you would do to me if it were reversed.

It’s all good!

 

[Terry]

Send it!!!

LOL

 

[Terry]

Aside from being smart about your trailer choice, it's weight and the load you're going to carry that's key to your success when towing. With that in mind, I'd suggest investing in a tongue weight scale.

I've said since I first saw this series of pictures that I'd like to know the tongue weight of that trailer. The trailer itself could be light and well within parameters, but the wheels being so far towards the ass end would be a concern to me. It would be easy to load up the box and area in front of the sleeping area and be way over recommended tongue weight.

Four rules of thumb I try to follow with trailers that I plan to pull for any distance:

1. Avoid a trailer that's significantly longer than your tow vehicle.
2. Avoid a trailer that's more than 50% of the manufacturer's tow rating.
3. Know your trailer's loaded weight and set the tongue weight accordingly (10% to 15% of the trailer weight).
4. If your trailer is anything larger than a utility trailer, use trailer brakes and a brake controller.

Bonus rule, don't drive like a fool. Lots of things are different about towing versus not towing.

I amlooking to tow a camp trailer with my 2020 JT Rubicon. I will invest in a Weigh Safe Hitch receiver that will tell me what tongue weight I have achieved and allow me to load the trailer safely.

 

[Terry]

Many a pig farmer had one of these

 

[khokhonutt]

I am looking to tow a camp trailer with my 2020 JT Rubicon. I will invest in a Weigh Safe Hitch receiver that will tell me what tongue weight I have achieved and allow me to load the trailer safely.

I bought a tongue scale years ago. I've only used it a few times, but it is good piece of mind to know you've set tongue weight correctly.

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