1 Ton and 40"s JTRD

[tj3089]

So back in Dec 2023, I took advantage of the discounts offered on gladiators and wound up getting my Sarge Green Ecodiesel for 23% off MSRP ($51k before tt&l).

Carvana bought my 2020 gator sport s for $31k, which allowed me to put a decent sized down payment on the diesel gladiator.

I had the gator gladiator for 4 years and loved it, but I never did any serious modifications because I always planned on getting a Rubicon eventually. It had Rubicon take off wheels and tires, and a redarc brake controller. I was pretty happy with it, but it was always working hard when towing our 22ft toy hauler (4800lbs loaded).


Needless to say, one of the first modifications we added to the EcoDiesel was the redarc brake controller from the previous Jeep.

Our first trip in it was to Kartchner Caverns State Park with our 3 month old son.

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[nanook12]

Nice! I have a similar story, bought a 23 JTRD in Washington St. in Dec of 23. I think I figured mine was 18% off MSRP. Drove it back up to Alaska in May of 24. It also is Sarge Green and is currently undergoing a diet program!

 

[tj3089]

Nice! I have a similar story, bought a 23 JTRD in Washington St. in Dec of 23. I think I figured mine was 18% off MSRP. Drove it back up to Alaska in May of 24. It also is Sarge Green and is currently undergoing a diet program!

Nice setup! You are going to love the diet! Mine is so much fun to drive now after a stage 2 tune.

 

[tj3089]

After one night at Kartchner Caverns State Park in AZ, we continued on towards Patagonia Lake for some fishing and paddle boarding.

The EcoDiesel was doing a great job towing the trailer and would hold 8th gear up some steeper grades than I thought it would. If you tow a lot, 33in tires are probably the perfect size if you don't need a lot of ground clearance for off-road.

Our neighbor a couple of sites over had his truck tboned by a nice older couple who where disconecting their tow vehicle (the Tacoma). I believe it was not put in park, so when the RV disconnected from the truck, it started rolling and the elderly lady fell out of the truck before she could stop it. Luckily she was ok and the trucks are nothing insurance can't fix.

The average tow mileage cruising at 65-70mph was also a pleasant surprise. I used to get 10-11 mpg towing with my sport gladiator at a slower speed.

 

[tj3089]

The next thing I did to the jeep was swap out the factory halogen lights for LEDs. It was cheaper to buy used parts on marketplace and do it myself, than it was to pay for the factory LEDs.

I went with refurbished Oracle tail lights and they have held up well so far. The led turn signals were used take offs and I found a pair of DV8 headlights on marketplace too.

Then I bought a set of yellow led fog lights from superbrightleds for 135 doll hairs.

 

[tj3089]

We ordered a set of method 706 tires with +25mm offset and 5 Delium Terra Raider MT 37x12.5r17 tires for the next modification. They are pretty lightweight tires for their size, but I would end up having to swap out the wheels after I lifted the jeep.

It did pretty well with 37s on the stock suspension in my opinion. It only rubbed when I unlocked the front sway bar and really articulated the suspension. I even ran Hells Gate without issues (more on that later).

Yes I got high centered on the dune. I ended up digging enough out to backup.

 

[Free2roam]

How much does that trailer weigh fully loaded and unloaded?

 

[nanook12]

How much does that trailer weigh fully loaded and unloaded?

he said “4800lbs loaded”…. Manufacturer would have the empty weight…

 

[Free2roam]

No derating on the diesel?
AKA "limp mode" when towing in the heat

 

[tj3089]

How much does that trailer weigh fully loaded and unloaded?

3200lbs unloaded

 

[tj3089]

No derating on the diesel?
AKA "limp mode" when towing in the heat

I did have it derate on me while on a trip to Elephant Butte last summer. It was hot and we were loaded down, but I slowed down to 55mph and it cooled off.

Then on a trip to CO with the trailer, I had to force a regen because I got the dreaded "See dealer for DEF service" error message. I used my jscan app to force it to regen and it took about 20 mins to do and it did not happen again for the rest of the trip. That incident pushed me to put it on a diet sooner than planned.

 

[tj3089]

The next modification is controversial for some reason (a lot of RTT haters), but I decided to add a rooftop tent because one finally got down into my price range.

It is the Naturnest Sirius 1 Clamshell Tent and we've used it a dozen or so times and are very happy with it so far. It weighs 150lbs and has enough room for myself, the wife, toddler, and our pug.

I got lucky and found a set of Mopar factory trail rails, cross bars, and 2 Yakima bike racks on marketplace for a decent deal. Yes, I there are A LOT of jeeps in my area so used parts are abundant.

My plan was to get a half rack to keep the RTT as low as possible and out of the wind, so the Mopar cross bars worked out perfectly, and the lower tent makes it harder to steal larger items while I'm out and about.

I took it out on a trip to Aguirre springs and Cloudcroft New Mexico within the first month of ownership to see if I like that rooftop tent life or not.

 

[tj3089]

The first time towing with the 37s was to a trip to Lake pleasant just north of Phoenix for spring break and it did pretty well, but you could tell that it was going to start to run a little warm with the larger tires.

We ran the back way to crown King badge of Honor road while we were there. It was the a fun road with plenty of views.

The last obstacle was blocked by a broken down F-150 that has been there for a while. It was fun going around it. I scraped my exhaust skid plate and knocked one of the bolt heads off.

We took our little dude to his first spring training game (Texas Rangers fans here).

 

[SimonH]

Nice truck, and nice heeler dog!
Aren t crazy busy?

 

[Sandman 4x4]

So back in Dec 2023, I took advantage of the discounts offered on gladiators and wound up getting my Sarge Green Ecodiesel for 23% off MSRP ($51k before tt&l).

Carvana bought my 2020 gator sport s for $31k, which allowed me to put a decent sized down payment on the diesel gladiator.

I had the gator gladiator for 4 years and loved it, but I never did any serious modifications because I always planned on getting a Rubicon eventually. It had Rubicon take off wheels and tires, and a redarc brake controller. I was pretty happy with it, but it was always working hard when towing our 22ft toy hauler (4800lbs loaded).


Needless to say, one of the first modifications we added to the EcoDiesel was the redarc brake controller from the previous Jeep.

Our first trip in it was to Kartchner Caverns State Park with our 3 month old son.

[/QUOT

So back in Dec 2023, I took advantage of the discounts offered on gladiators and wound up getting my Sarge Green Ecodiesel for 23% off MSRP ($51k before tt&l).

Carvana bought my 2020 gator sport s for $31k, which allowed me to put a decent sized down payment on the diesel gladiator.

I had the gator gladiator for 4 years and loved it, but I never did any serious modifications because I always planned on getting a Rubicon eventually. It had Rubicon take off wheels and tires, and a redarc brake controller. I was pretty happy with it, but it was always working hard when towing our 22ft toy hauler (4800lbs loaded).


Needless to say, one of the first modifications we added to the EcoDiesel was the redarc brake controller from the previous Jeep.

Our first trip in it was to Kartchner Caverns State Park with our 3 month old son.

So the reason why you day it seems to be working hard, might be because of the bigger tires and wheels? Great for off road and all, but towing a little bit close to the rated towing capacity takes more than just cruising or running off road. I plan on keeping my stock wheels and tires, just for when I plan a camping trip that’s hundreds of miles away.

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