2023 Glad Sport no Max Tow - how to make it tow-worthy and what to tow with it?

[Blade1668]

i assume from this he was talking about the truck's sway bars. No, don't mess with those.





Trailer sway control is different. The truck handles most of that, but it can't hurt to have a load leveling hitch with trailer sway control which is often just cylinders or pads with brake lining to mitigate the trailer swaying back and forth - which it should not do when properly loaded (see the multiple videos I've posted on that science)

The truck - leave the suspension as it is as far as towing those light loads talked about.
You don't need to mess with the suspension of the TRUCK at all.
If you towed a heavier load, then air bags in the rear springs can help but if you use a load leveling hitch setup, you likely won't need air bags or added spring support.

A properly set up trailer and hitch will pull itself out of sway with just one very slight back and forth after a truck passes on a 2 lane highway. The trailer will tend to pull back straight by itself.
If it feels goofy, you can apply trailer brakes only if you have a GOOD trailer brake controller by pressing the button on the brake controller - that applies only trailer brakes and pulls things straight again.

With the rigging being talked about - a good weight distributing hitch with some sway control - combined with the Gladiator's built-in sway control, you'll be fine.

There is no need to change anything about the truck's suspension - leave the truck's sway bars and such alone.

Yeah, I should have clarified sway control for trailer. I wouldn't recommend screwing with OEM parts on JT. Air bags would be a recommend if towing or hauling loads regularly. "By me"
I installed a Anderson one on my Scamp, it's got some negatives with it, but it equals out for the advantages in my use. The negative is added wear on trailer ball hitch.

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[Boxr4]

I have been towing similar trailer to what you consider. Payload sneaks up real fast on gladdy with a TT. I put light bicycles in box, and other light items when towing. 4 people, dog, hitch, tongue weight, and tank of fuel just about does it in for all gladdys and then some unless you have max tow (kids and dog small for me fortunatley for now). My trailer came with roof rack, but I find tongue weight easily creeps up and high weight not great. Trailer here 23 ft. Total length. 3700lbs empty.

 

[MemphisMississipp]

Have a 2023 Sport with the Off Road package, but NOT Max Tow. What can I do to make it a safe tow vehicle for a decent small bunkhouse travel trailer? What won't break the bank? Be helpful, please.

I put this in the tailgate of my Max Tow and got 50 more horsepower. Not bad for a one arm dude.

 

[MemphisMississipp]

I put this in the tailgate of my Max Tow and got 50 more horsepower. Not bad for a one arm dude.

Seriously though, buy a hitch made for your vehicle, a good trailer brake your all set. Make sure of your tongue and trailer weight.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Since he's in the Quad Cities, I'd also suggest staying off I80 heading west toward Des Moines unless he's ready to let the engine wind up a bit. Can't be afraid of RPM. Let 'er rip.
East into Illinois, smooth sailing. Flatter ground. But west is all up hill, literally, with a ton of ups and downs, esp Iowa City to about the Newton area and you will see RPMs in the 3,000s and 4,000s and do not try to keep it down.
People get really shy about letting a 3.6 wind up. Don't, just let it do what it needs to do.
If it needs to make 4,000 RPM to make that grade, so be it. DO IT.
For the OP, MPG will be much better going east into IL (thank god because of the fuel prices) and mpg will suck coming back into Iowa along I80.
I've towed along those routes quite a bit, and I talked to a friend in the Vancouver area who routinely drives from home to events in the states, days worth of travel at a time and even he says it's taxing to keep the grades on I80 unless you have some torque behind you (or let the RPM climb) He says it's among the worst stretches for mpg, especially going back west. (he hauls his AMCs around NA in an enclosed trailer and gripes about driving through Iowa)

 

[MemphisMississipp]

the 8 speed
Have a 2023 Sport with the Off Road package, but NOT Max Tow. What can I do to make it a safe tow vehicle for a decent small bunkhouse travel trailer? What won't break the bank? Be helpful, please.

Pulling my teardrop of right around 3000 lbs, no sway bar, Redarc trailer brake, done lots of mountain roads and discovered it’s lots better using your auto trans in manual mode. Also works well on those long interstate hill climbs when the 8 speed trans is shifting up and down. Keeping the revs up makes my Glad, Happy.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Also works well on those long interstate hill climbs when the 8 speed trans is shifting up and down.

That's one place "the book" says to use manual mode. Prevent "hunting".
Around here, it's often a leapfrog over gears - might drop from 7th to 4th, skipping 5th and 6th, then it crests and you jump up a couple of gears. The hills here are long enough I find it does fine in automatic mode - very little back and forth and I'd be hitting it 2 or 3 times to get the RPM up and then popping up 2 or 3 like it does. Compared temperatures and most of the time it's doing fine.
However, NW Iowa, heading up to Spirit Lake, for example, the hills are more like a short roller coaster - up/down/up/down/up/down and it's really crazy - might go only 1/4 mile before it shifts up, then another 1/4 mile it's down again. That's where I use manual mode.
The automatic is really annoying with the constant, and I actually timed it on one trip up to that area where Spencer's store is - 5 shifts a minute? Crazy.
Manual mode rules that part of state for sure.
I was like nope, ain't doing this - locked it in a gear and kept going for probably 30 minutes or so to prevent that whiplash shifting.

 

[MemphisMississipp]

That's one place "the book" says to use manual mode. Prevent "hunting".
Around here, it's often a leapfrog over gears - might drop from 7th to 4th, skipping 5th and 6th, then it crests and you jump up a couple of gears. The hills here are long enough I find it does fine in automatic mode - very little back and forth and I'd be hitting it 2 or 3 times to get the RPM up and then popping up 2 or 3 like it does. Compared temperatures and most of the time it's doing fine.
However, NW Iowa, heading up to Spirit Lake, for example, the hills are more like a short roller coaster - up/down/up/down/up/down and it's really crazy - might go only 1/4 mile before it shifts up, then another 1/4 mile it's down again. That's where I use manual mode.
The automatic is really annoying with the constant, and I actually timed it on one trip up to that area where Spencer's store is - 5 shifts a minute? Crazy.
Manual mode rules that part of state for sure.
I was like nope, ain't doing this - locked it in a gear and kept going for probably 30 minutes or so to prevent that whiplash shifting.

Good to hear, I put a cat back exhaust on last week. Does the ecm learn your driving habits shifting manual mode? Seems the auto is driving closer to how I drive manual, just close. This in my head or actually true?

 

[Blade1668]

I've noticed that my JT tracks recently driving patterns, I finished a 850-900 mile trip towing my heavy duty utility trailer and 4wheeler. Oil life monitoring and slammed on MPG's. 12.6 A little over 2 years having that trailer tires worn-out.. a lot of towing. Now not towing a couple of days it's starting to shift up and down not as far down again. But it's only been 150 miles or so, and MPG's going back up. Now a light duty utility trailer too.

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