'24 Gladiator Willys tow rating (again...)

[avere3]

I'm wondering if the Jeep site in 2024 was showing information for the manual version, because I really thought it showed 4,000 lbs when I looked the night before I bought the truck. That was about a year and a half ago, though. The site for 2025 and 2026 models show 6,000, which lead to my confusion.

I test drove a Nighthawk with Max Tow and my Willys when I bought it. I asked the salesperson about towing, and as expected, she looked at the GVWR instead.

I mentioned GeneralRV because I saw it called out in another similar post, and I realized it was lacking when I checked it.

Thank you all, you have been most helpful.

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[S JEEPN]

Just make sure you have your brake controller, weight distributing hitch, max toe sticker, 2020 owner’s manual, 2024 owner’s manual, pdf printout from a random forum post in 2022, and map of every DOT weigh station between each of your destinations and you’ll be good.

Unless you have a diesel, then pack an extra 3 fuel filters.

I would not even hook up the trailer without all that list of essentials onboard. I was sure i was close to GCWR leaving Home Depot. The In and Out order would have put me over luckily i thought ahead and picked up a couple dozen helium balloons at the party store to offset the order.

 

[DylanM]

This post is also not pointed at anybody specifically, just food for thought.

Re: trust the manufacturer. Yes, this is the best route to take, but there's a catch.

Scenario one: we have a person that's looking to buy a used 2024 JT, we'll go with a Mojave. Per the owner's manual, it tells you in order to find the tow capacity specs to go to www.jeep.com, go to the vehicles dropdown menu, select the vehicle, select your year, select your model, then select specs. We encounter our first problem right off the bat, and that there is no 2024 year listed, only 2025 and 2026. Alrighty, let's just look at those two and that should tell us what the tow rating is. For 2025 it lists 7000lbs for towing. For 2026 it lists 7700lbs towing. Which do we use? Do we use either? We download a pdf copy owner's manual of the previous year model, 2023, and take a look in that... it says the tow rating for a Mojave is 6000lbs. Now what?

Scenario number two: same person is looking at another 2024 JT, this one a Sport S. We still have the problems of no tow specs listed in the owner's manual, and the manufacturer's website doesn't have 2024 models listed. Ok, so what do we see for 2025 and 2026? The 2025 shows it's rated for 6000lbs while the 2026 shows 4500lbs. Which one is right? What if the truck has the Max Tow package? No mention whatsoever in the specs on the manufacturer website as far as that's concerned.

Jeep's website "solution" to this is to add a note about how ratings vary based on options, and go see your dealer to get the details explained. Yep, the same dealers where half the folks that work there have a hard time understanding much on the window sticker outside of the MSRP, let alone the technical details of the vehicles they're trying to sell.

 

[DylanM]

Just make sure you have your brake controller, weight distributing hitch, max toe sticker, 2020 owner’s manual, 2024 owner’s manual, pdf printout from a random forum post in 2022, and map of every DOT weigh station between each of your destinations and you’ll be good.

Unless you have a diesel, then pack an extra 3 fuel filters.

Always bring extra filters! Dang things are so expensive, they can be better than cash at times. One week's stay here at the campground with full hookups, that'll be two ecodiesel filters please.

 

[Zachanadandy]

This post is also not pointed at anybody specifically, just food for thought.

Re: trust the manufacturer. Yes, this is the best route to take, but there's a catch.

Scenario one: we have a person that's looking to buy a used 2024 JT, we'll go with a Mojave. Per the owner's manual, it tells you in order to find the tow capacity specs to go to www.jeep.com, go to the vehicles dropdown menu, select the vehicle, select your year, select your model, then select specs. We encounter our first problem right off the bat, and that there is no 2024 year listed, only 2025 and 2026. Alrighty, let's just look at those two and that should tell us what the tow rating is. For 2025 it lists 7000lbs for towing. For 2026 it lists 7700lbs towing. Which do we use? Do we use either? We download a pdf copy owner's manual of the previous year model, 2023, and take a look in that... it says the tow rating for a Mojave is 6000lbs. Now what?

Scenario number two: same person is looking at another 2024 JT, this one a Sport S. We still have the problems of no tow specs listed in the owner's manual, and the manufacturer's website doesn't have 2024 models listed. Ok, so what do we see for 2025 and 2026? The 2025 shows it's rated for 6000lbs while the 2026 shows 4500lbs. Which one is right? What if the truck has the Max Tow package? No mention whatsoever in the specs on the manufacturer website as far as that's concerned.

Jeep's website "solution" to this is to add a note about how ratings vary based on options, and go see your dealer to get the details explained. Yep, the same dealers where half the folks that work there have a hard time understanding much on the window sticker outside of the MSRP, let alone the technical details of the vehicles they're trying to sell.

Easy solution, screenshot the highest rating you can find and that's your tow rating if anyone asks. A. They never will B. Any JT with the auto can safely tow 7700lbs if you're smart enough to slow down a bit. 50-55mph and you're good to go. Hell even the JLU is rated at 5k pound in Europe and Australia where they limit trailer speed to 60mph while we only get a 3500 pound rating because they know owners are going to be cruising across Utah at 80mph... and that's if they only go the speed limit. If you have to climb a steep grade in mid day heat you might even have to slow down a bit more.

 

[avere3]

Easy solution, screenshot the highest rating you can find and that's your tow rating if anyone asks. A. They never will B. Any JT with the auto can safely tow 7700lbs if you're smart enough to slow down a bit. 50-55mph and you're good to go. Hell even the JLU is rated at 5k pound in Europe and Australia where they limit trailer speed to 60mph while we only get a 3500 pound rating because they know owners are going to be cruising across Utah at 80mph... and that's if they only go the speed limit. If you have to climb a steep grade in mid day heat you might even have to slow down a bit more.

In Europe, they also put less weight on the tongue, which is easier on the tow vehicle's suspension and chassis, but it is less stable. There's a video on YouTube where they run toy cars with trailers on a conveyor belt. When there is more weight on the tongue, you can poke the side of the trailer and it will self-correct. If you shift the weight to the rear of the trailer and poke it, the trailer begins to oscillate wildly across the belt. That's why Europeans have lower speed limits while towing.

 

[Zachanadandy]

In Europe, they also put less weight on the tongue, which is easier on the tow vehicle's suspension and chassis, but it is less stable. There's a video on YouTube where they run toy cars with trailers on a conveyor belt. When there is more weight on the tongue, you can poke the side of the trailer and it will self-correct. If you shift the weight to the rear of the trailer and poke it, the trailer begins to oscillate wildly across the belt. That's why Europeans have lower speed limits while towing.

A tandem axle trailer really helps with stability at lower tongue weights, which is the only thing I'd tow over 5k lbs anyway. The lumber load pictured was 8240lbs and only 600 lbs on the tongue. No sway and perfectly stable for 600 miles at speeds up to 70mph. The water buffalo was 6800lbs full and only 420lbs on the tongue. The toy car example is also pretty extreme, likely resulting in a negative tongue weight. I've seen dump trailers lift the rear axle of dualies off the ground when all that weight shifts past the rear axles. I don't think we need a toy car demo to know that it's going to be unstable as hell with the rear end off the ground? You can tell in the pics that there's nowhere near 10% tongue weight as there's very little squat.

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