MotorTrend 2021 Gladiator Review - Terrifying Towing?

[Clv22p]

That's towing from the bumper and not the frame.



To keep the truck from shifting use the auto-stick.
Manual states, "When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as when operating the vehicle under heavy loading conditions, in hilly terrain, traveling into strong head winds, or while towing"

Using the autostick has made me happier when towing.

Sponsored

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That's towing from the bumper and not the frame.



To keep the truck from shifting use the auto-stick.
Manual states, "When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as when operating the vehicle under heavy loading conditions, in hilly terrain, traveling into strong head winds, or while towing"

The problem with that is then I'd be doing a lot of shifting as it was just plain gutless, struggling. That was before the PCM flash so I hope it's better now.
I wish there was a trailer setting like BOTH my Ford and Chevy had. I also wish it was like prior Jeeps I had where you could lock OD out. I'd simply disable 8th gear completely. It's not much good around most of Iowa.
But my other trucks KNEW when there was a trailer and the shift pattern was totally different.
(and twice when I tried the manual mode, because it's BACKWARDS from my floor shift cars, I'd upshift when I really wanted to downshift, and downshifted when I wanted up upshift - and that was really bad. It should be the same pattern as any other automatic - push FORWARD to upshift, pull BACK to downshift.)

 

[wvyankee2]

If you are doing much towing over 4000# on anything other than flat land. Get the Diesel, and use a WDH. Otherwise you are just beating this 3.6 liter up. With a truck weight of 4800#, 260ft/lb of torque is whats needed to just haul it and it's passengers around. I towed 4500# TT around the foothills of the Appalachian mountains with 488 gears, and it sucked.

 

[Stevevdbh]

We take our trailer out every month or two. Usually head up to Tahoe, which is a 6000-7000' climb, depending on where we go. I use a sway controller and WDH. Obviously a brake controller too. The truck has zero issues controlling the trailer. I am sure proper setup is half of the reason why it handles so well. My only issue is it is under powered for the heavy loads. I will be regearing it soon to increase the torque. Other than that, I am perfectly satisfied with the towing our travel trailer with. I get excited when I go pick the trailer up from its storage location.

I should mention I am a slow poke towing. I don't go over 60mph and usually am between 50-55.

Nice set up? Can you provide more details about your trailer? Live in the bay area and looking to get one similar? Thanks!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Totally depends on how often you tow........... for me a diesel would be a joke. I don't use the truck often enough to pay the premium costs of owning a diesel. A person must decide what the primary used of the vehicle is, how often do they tow. And there's been plenty of forum members who regularly tow 4,000-5,000 (mostly RUBICON owners, of course) and have no real problems.

My load will be 1600 pound trailer (1500 plus spare and a few tools) and a 3200 pound car on it. 4800 pounds. Well under the 6,000 pound capacity of the Overland - but my initial experiences were bad. I seriously think it will do better since the PCM flash. It just plain behaves more like a truck now in shifting and engine performance. I've not had a chance to tow anything since the flash - no reason since all events have been postponed until next summer, but I'm hopeful now.

Can't use a WDH on an all-aluminum trailer. I spoke with a trailer design engineer - he said plainly and clearly DON'T DO IT.
Frankly with a car hauler, there's no need. I've not seen any of my peers towing race cars, show cars, etc. with WDH or anti-sway hitches. You load the car properly and they sit and ride nicely. I've towed 3 different car haulers all over the country and never any issues at all.

 

[PDiddy]

6,000 pound towing, likely not........

nope.

Nice set up? Can you provide more details about your trailer? Live in the bay area and looking to get one similar? Thanks!

It’s a grey wolf 26dbh. To be honest I wouldn’t go with something this big. It tows it fine fine but with family in the truck we are not far under the gladiators GCVW. So I’m always watching what we put in the trailer for a trip. Total weight nazi when we are packing. If we do decide to bring a lot of stuff, my wife follows with your girls in her car. If I were to do it again I would go with something 5000-5200lb range. That way loaded up with whatever I wanted to put in it would be still be under or at 6000lb. They make a grey wolf 23dbh, which is the same, minus a couch.

 

[Oilburner]

But my other trucks KNEW when there was a trailer and the shift pattern was totally different.
(and twice when I tried the manual mode, because it's BACKWARDS from my floor shift cars, I'd upshift when I really wanted to downshift, and downshifted when I wanted up upshift - and that was really bad. It should be the same pattern as any other automatic - push FORWARD to upshift, pull BACK to downshift.)

AGREED = Bass-Ackwards!

 

[DreamedofaJeepSomeday]

, , , the manual mode . . . it's BACKWARDS from my floor shift cars, I'd upshift when I really wanted to downshift, and downshifted when I wanted up upshift - and that was really bad. It should be the same pattern as any other automatic - push FORWARD to upshift, pull BACK to downshift.)

Heard this complaint before. I have a little different take on it. It is a straight pull. All the straight pulls on a typical manual H pattern result in pushing the stick forward to downshift, pull back to upshift. As in 1-2, 3-4, 5-6. Don't know if that is what the designers had in mind.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Heard this complaint before. I have a little different take on it. It is a straight pull. All the straight pulls on a typical manual H pattern result in pushing the stick forward to downshift, pull back to upshift. As in 1-2, 3-4, 5-6. Don't know if that is what the designers had in mind.

Have you driven race cars with floor shift automatics or ratchet shifters like my 73 had?
Push to upshift.
These are automatics, not Borg Warner T4s or T5s or Muncie 4 speeds.

And my HURST shifter was an inline shifter - PUSH FORWARD to go from 2nd to 3rd!
That's an upshift. Sure, pulling back is 3rd to 4th - but then FORWARD is 4th to 5th in my T5 SX5.

Yup - many stick floor shifts with high-performance shifters from Hurst, etc. were inline shifters meaning to upshift, it was a straight push forward - the shifter took care of the offset to the side for you. Just shove it forward - WEEEE - you are in the next gear up.
Nope, these are backwards. Forward means progress - up, pulling back means a step backwards

 

[Gvsukids]

Totally depends on how often you tow........... for me a diesel would be a joke. I don't use the truck often enough to pay the premium costs of owning a diesel. A person must decide what the primary used of the vehicle is, how often do they tow. And there's been plenty of forum members who regularly tow 4,000-5,000 (mostly RUBICON owners, of course) and have no real problems.

My load will be 1600 pound trailer (1500 plus spare and a few tools) and a 3200 pound car on it. 4800 pounds. Well under the 6,000 pound capacity of the Overland - but my initial experiences were bad. I seriously think it will do better since the PCM flash. It just plain behaves more like a truck now in shifting and engine performance. I've not had a chance to tow anything since the flash - no reason since all events have been postponed until next summer, but I'm hopeful now.

Can't use a WDH on an all-aluminum trailer. I spoke with a trailer design engineer - he said plainly and clearly DON'T DO IT.
Frankly with a car hauler, there's no need. I've not seen any of my peers towing race cars, show cars, etc. with WDH or anti-sway hitches. You load the car properly and they sit and ride nicely. I've towed 3 different car haulers all over the country and never any issues at all.

Your overland has a gear ratio better suited for driving and not towing.
We went with the max tow for the 4.10 gears which are awesome.

 

[DreamedofaJeepSomeday]

Have you driven race cars . . .

Nope. And neither is the Gladiator one. Just sayin'

 

[LostWoods]

Using the autostick has made me happier when towing.

Did exactly that across country with a maxed out Uhaul trailer and it was generally great... until I got to Payson, AZ down into Phoenix. I've never missed driving manual so much because I was constantly on the brakes just to keep the speed at 65 and IMO those downhills aren't crazy... mostly a mix of 5-6%.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Nope. And neither is the Gladiator one. Just sayin'

But the shifting concept is the same - forward is up, backward is down. Jeep did it backwards.
Shifting is shifting.
Even an Ambassador, hardly a race car, would have forward = upshoft, rearward- downshifting pattern to the old Borg Warner auto in that boat of a car.
Show me a stock automatic floor shift, be it in a 1980 Eagle station wagon (fast and Eagle do not belong in the same sentence. It's 1st or low at the far back position - you shove the shifter forward a notch to UPSHIFT, forward another notch to UPSHIFT and you pull it back to downshift.

80s Mustangs with the disposable 4 cylinder lawn mower engines used the same shifter - rear is downshift, forward is upshift.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Your overland has a gear ratio better suited for driving and not towing.
We went with the max tow for the 4.10 gears which are awesome.

Yeah but you were very restricted on options in 2019...... they've since changed things of course, now you can outfit a Sport almost like an Overland save for a small handful of things.
But since towing isn't a primary function - it's a truck, first, that's also what people have to consider and decide. What's the PRIMARY purpose of the vehicle.
At least a gear ratio can be changed for a couple grand if purposes change.

 

[marcwithac]

We can probably ease off on the shifting replies now....wow

Sponsored