Do we know when the Ecodiesel will be released?

[Matt84]

Perfect thoughts on buying the ecodiesel, if you are doing it for the efficiency maybe rethink it. If you want the diesel because you want the badass diesel sound and torque then go for it. It’s only money so might as well get what you want.
For those massively concerned that the payload will be too low, the ecodiesel ram 1500 payload is 260 lbs less than the 3.6, but more than the hemi. I’m sure FCA will upgrade shocks and springs or do what it takes to keep the payload over 1000.

Sponsored

 

[rolape2]

For the weight/payload to be increased we have to consider several items.
The drive train has to have enough strength/torque, The Diesel, enough said there.
The frame has to be strong enough, Hopefully they planned for the weight of the diesel up front (Pun intended).
The axles have to have strong enough tubes to carry the weight, They increased the tube size on the Gladiator for the payload in the rear, hopefully they did the front also, it should be fine, also the for those us that remember, the Dana 44 was the axle of choice under 3/4 ton trucks in the 60s/70s/80s, Unless it was a diesel, But those where larger heavier diesel, it should be strong enough.
Wheel bearings, This is a scary one, Some American manufactures seem to be having a problem with that lately (can you say unit bearings). But it worked in the old days.
And spring rate, that is easy to take care of.
Probably a few more but I think those are the biggies.

 

[rolape2]

Forgot to mention ball joints. That seems to be a biggie on the heavy duty trucks with diesels. I know Ford and Dodge have had issues with them. I have had both. I think the front of the Gladiator is light enough it should be OK even with the diesel.

 

[TennesseePA]

Forgot to mention ball joints. That seems to be a biggie on the heavy duty trucks with diesels. I know Ford and Dodge have had issues with them. I have had both. I think the front of the Gladiator is light enough it should be OK even with the diesel.

For some reason that I have not been able to reason through in my mind towing seems to be hard on ball joints, gas or diesel. I had a 2004 F250 with the 5.4 gas engine and the ball joints had to be replaced at about 100k miles. I asked the service manager, who happened to be my uncle, why they wore out so fast and he asked me if I towed all the time. Since I used the truck solely as a work truck I wouldn’t even unhook on the weekends. No way to be 100% sure but I would guess that truck had a trailer behind it 70k miles out of the 130k it had on it when it went to it’s new home. On an unrelated note I never had a single problem out of that truck. When I got my first forestry mower I towed it with the 250 for about a month before I got the 450. Towed it on the highway once and the poor old 5.4 never got below 3500 rpm. That was when I decided to go with the 450 with a 6.0.

 

[rolape2]

Just guessing here but. I would think it would not make much difference with a 5th wheel or Goose neck. You would have some additional weight on the front axle due to the hitch being just forward of the rear axle, however it should not be that significant. With a bumper pull though, depending on load distribution around axle, the tongue of the trailer could push the rear of the truck side to side, using the rear axle as a lever to push front axle side to side putting more stress on the ball joints. Sounds like a stretch but would be my best guess. Or in the case of a weight distribution hitch, I have heard of some adjusting it to tight and busting their front axle.

 

[Socks]

Do you feel the weight of this engine? In cornering, braking, lane changes? 400lb penalty on the front axle or is it?

 

[PK2]

Hmmmm I read an article last week that Australia may miss out on the diesel, due to the drop in carrying/tow capacity for the diesel.
Now in Australia, the biggest selling vehicles are dual cab diesel utes with a towing capacity of 3500kg. I have one myself (and have for the past 15 years).
IF Jeep Oz don't bring a diesel JT, it could well be the death of Jeep here. Seriously. Jeep sold over 30000 vehicles in 2014, and less than 6000 last year. Surely this isn't sustainable.
I know a number of people waiting for a diesel Gladiator (including me!) But if it isn't a diesel with a 3500kg tow capacity, they'll go elsewhere, I'll go landcruiser twin cab v8 diesel.

 

[Etoimos]

Hmmmm I read an article last week that Australia may miss out on the diesel, due to the drop in carrying/tow capacity for the diesel.
Now in Australia, the biggest selling vehicles are dual cab diesel utes with a towing capacity of 3500kg. I have one myself (and have for the past 15 years).
IF Jeep Oz don't bring a diesel JT, it could well be the death of Jeep here. Seriously. Jeep sold over 30000 vehicles in 2014, and less than 6000 last year. Surely this isn't sustainable.
I know a number of people waiting for a diesel Gladiator (including me!) But if it isn't a diesel with a 3500kg tow capacity, they'll go elsewhere, I'll go landcruiser twin cab v8 diesel.

Go ahead and buy that Landcruiser you have been looking at. The gas 3.6 does not even hit 3500kg towing in its best form and Jeep has already stated that the diesel will tow less.

 

[WXman]

TFL put a diesel JLUR on the CAT Scale and it went 5,080 lbs.(!). Interestingly, the front/rear distribution wasn't all that bad, leading me to believe that some of that 600 lbs. of extra weight vs. the gas version is in the DEF tank, shields, and fluid located in the rear.

Still, the listed curb weight on the 3.6L version of the JLUR is 4,450 lbs....which means checking off the box for the EcoDiesel engine actually adds more than 450 lbs. of weight.

So, if we extrapolate that data over to the JT, that would put a JT Rubicon at roughly 5,600 lbs. right out of the box. That's a massive amount of weight for a midsize truck. It greatly surpasses most 1/2 ton full size trucks.

I did notice that the JLUR EcoDiesel had a 6,100 lb. GVWR, so clearly that's what FCA is going to do...they're going to increase the GVWR on the JT EcoDiesel to try and make this happen. Probably to around 7,000 lbs. or so...which again would put the truck right on top of full size competitors.

 

[TheSolarWizard]

How much weight do the steel bumpers added to the JLUR?

 

[Matt84]

How much weight do the steel bumpers added to the JLUR?

According to Quadratec, the mopar steel bumper is 78 lbs, skid plate is 24 lbs.

 

[TheSolarWizard]

According to Quadratec, the mopar steel bumper is 78 lbs, skid plate is 24 lbs.

how about the rear one?

 

[Matt84]

how about the rear one?

JLR steel rear is 67 lbs, again, according to quadratec. I’m going by what they have listed for shipping weight so all these number could be off by a bit but I doubt the box and packaging weigh too much

 

[PK2]

Go ahead and buy that Landcruiser you have been looking at. The gas 3.6 does not even hit 3500kg towing in its best form and Jeep has already stated that the diesel will tow less.

The limited information that we've had from Jeep Oz has been that the Gladiator will be a class leader in carrying and tow capacity. If it can't tow 3500kg, they may as well not bother going to the expense of building it in RHD. It'll flop here.

 

[Etoimos]

The limited information that we've had from Jeep Oz has been that the Gladiator will be a class leader in carrying and tow capacity. If it can't tow 3500kg, they may as well not bother going to the expense of building it in RHD. It'll flop here.

The US spec 3.6 gas Sport with max tow package is rated at 7,650lbs (3470kg). They have said that the diesel will tow less than the 3.6, as of now we still don't know how much less. Of course Jeep could always release different specs for the Aussie market. That said, I don't see how they could get the diesel up to your 3500kg target.

Sponsored