Am I crazy to buy a Gladiator EcoD to tow my Travel Trailer?

[maSS-hole]

I am getting very close to pulling the trigger on a 2023 EcoDiesel, but, I want a sanity check before I get to much farther down the road.

I tow a 2012 Jayco JayFeather X213 currently and live in Utah at 6500'. I tow here, WY, ID, MT and sometimes down into NV. Dry weight is ~4250 lbs and GVWR with 5500 lbs, 24' total length. I've pulled this trailer >20,000 miles with my 2014 F150 and >1000 miles with my 2011 Lexus GX460. Both trucks handle the trailer very well, with no sway. I think the trailer is just inherently stable as I have pulled it threw some absolutely nasty crosswinds(40+ mph) in Wyoming with zero issues.

My biggest concern with the Gladiator is the cooling system. It seems the EcoDiesel doesnt like to stay cool. Am I going to hate towing this trailer with the Gladiator? I dont expect to be climbing hills at 70mph, my GX460 climbs at 50-55 due to lack of power and my F150 will do 55-60 due to lack of cooling.

Trailer hooked up to my GX460.

And the reason I am looking at the JT EcoD is because I would like a truck that can fill the role of both my F150 and GX. The F150 tows well but is huge and difficult to take offroad. Its often to big for forest trails and some tighter desert trails. The GX on the otherhand, offroads well enough and is tiny, but towing is not quite what I want it to be in the HP/TQ department. It basically need to sit at 3000-3500 rpm just to tow on flat ground.

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[MPMB]

maybe a little crazy.

knowing beforehand the limitations, you might be able to mitigate the overheating.

I think someone's added a bigger trans cooler for improved cooling.

 

[Jefe1018]

The oil temperatures may become an issue in the summer. Watch for heat soak when stopping for fuel, this isn’t limited to just the ecodiesel but is amplified due to the small engine compartment in the JT.

Watch your speeds, understand your limitations and you should be okay. It’ll be hard because the engine has the torque to pull that trailer, but know you are right at where the fault tolerance according to the engineers is to safely drive on the roads.

Another cocern is payload, my truck has just over 1,000lbs of payload. My wife and I plus two dogs is about 600lbs easy.

 

[maSS-hole]

The oil temperatures may become an issue in the summer. Watch for heat soak when stopping for fuel, this isn’t limited to just the ecodiesel but is amplified due to the small engine compartment in the JT.

Watch your speeds, understand your limitations and you should be okay. It’ll be hard because the engine has the torque to pull that trailer, but know you are right at where the fault tolerance according to the engineers is to safely drive on the roads.

Another cocern is payload, my truck has just over 1,000lbs of payload. My wife and I plus two dogs is about 600lbs easy.

Yeah payload will be an issue for sure. I agree.

I usually try to pack everything I can in the trailer to keep weight out of the truck.

 

[Labswine]

A gasser should handle that quite well. From what I understand, the 3.0L EcoDiesel has has some serious issues to the point of Stellantis not offering it right now until they correct the issues.

Besides, gas is like at least a dollar a gallon cheaper than diesel.

I tow a 27', 5,100 lb (with all we want or need) trailer with my gas Overland and it handles it quite fine. I shift the auto manually to help with keep it from screaming along at 5K RPMs. Now, mind you, I am east coast US so it's pretty flat. I tow at around 65 MPH MAX in 7th at around 2,100 RPMs so, with you in the mountains, it'll probably be different. So, if you're going up a hill at 45 in 4th or 5th and people are getting mad at you, eff 'em...drive YOUR drive not theirs.

Get a MaxTow if you're concerned about tow weight and ability to handle the mountians. My Overland has the 3.73 stock gearing where the MaxTow has the 4.1 gearing, 3" wider axles overall, and heavier rear springs to handle the extra weight.

 

[Jefe1018]

Yeah payload will be an issue for sure. I agree.

I usually try to pack everything I can in the trailer to keep weight out of the truck.

All trim level diesels are rated for 6,000lbs max towing weight. I try to use a comfort factor of 80% of that, so personally I’d try to stay around 4,800lbs. I think you could probably get away with it, but there is also a max surface area for the trailer in the owner’s manual. Look into that too.

If you understand the limitations of the diesel, you will also love the endless torque it offers.

 

[Teserak]

you be fine , I tow a 21 footer Bass Boat (28 including engine & trailer) 5500lbs

no problem , no overheating issues .

2022 ecodiesel

 

[maSS-hole]

A gasser should handle that quite well. From what I understand, the 3.0L EcoDiesel has has some serious issues to the point of Stellantis not offering it right now until they correct the issues.

Besides, gas is like at least a dollar a gallon cheaper than diesel.

I tow a 27', 5,100 lb (with all we want or need) trailer with my gas Overland and it handles it quite fine. I shift the auto manually to help with keep it from screaming along at 5K RPMs. Now, mind you, I am east coast US so it's pretty flat. I tow at around 65 MPH MAX in 7th at around 2,100 RPMs so, with you in the mountains, it'll probably be different. So, if you're going up a hill at 45 in 4th or 5th and people are getting mad at you, eff 'em...drive YOUR drive not theirs.

Get a MaxTow if you're concerned about tow weight and ability to handle the mountians. My Overland has the 3.73 stock gearing where the MaxTow has the 4.1 gearing, 3" wider axles overall, and heavier rear springs to handle the extra weight.

My Lexus GX makes 301hp and 330ft-lbs out of its 4.6L V8 and I am looking for more than that. The Pentastar is a decent motor, and I have had them in Ram 1500 rentals, but it just wont have the low end torque I am looking for to keep the RPM's down while towing. My GX makes 330 ft-lbs at only 3400 rpm while the Pentastar is at 260 and 4400 rpm. My GX struggles as it is.

And really, at my elevation, the Pentastar is only going to be making 208 ft-lbs and 228 hp.

If I dont get the Ecodiesel, Im not getting a Gladiator. I would probably look at the new Colorado or Ranger with the 2.7L Turbo motors. Or the new Lexus GX550 with the 3.4L TT V6 from the Tundra.

 

[Teqsand]

I'd use the 3.0 Diesel before a 3.6 pentastar

 

[Koolcarguy]

I am getting very close to pulling the trigger on a 2023 EcoDiesel, but, I want a sanity check before I get to much farther down the road.

I tow a 2012 Jayco JayFeather X213 currently and live in Utah at 6500'. I tow here, WY, ID, MT and sometimes down into NV. Dry weight is ~4250 lbs and GVWR with 5500 lbs, 24' total length. I've pulled this trailer >20,000 miles with my 2014 F150 and >1000 miles with my 2011 Lexus GX460. Both trucks handle the trailer very well, with no sway. I think the trailer is just inherently stable as I have pulled it threw some absolutely nasty crosswinds(40+ mph) in Wyoming with zero issues.

My biggest concern with the Gladiator is the cooling system. It seems the EcoDiesel doesnt like to stay cool. Am I going to hate towing this trailer with the Gladiator? I dont expect to be climbing hills at 70mph, my GX460 climbs at 50-55 due to lack of power and my F150 will do 55-60 due to lack of cooling.

Trailer hooked up to my GX460.

And the reason I am looking at the JT EcoD is because I would like a truck that can fill the role of both my F150 and GX. The F150 tows well but is huge and difficult to take offroad. Its often to big for forest trails and some tighter desert trails. The GX on the otherhand, offroads well enough and is tiny, but towing is not quite what I want it to be in the HP/TQ department. It basically need to sit at 3000-3500 rpm just to tow on flat ground.

Not crazy we own 4 ecodiesels and tow trailers all the time and ours are in 37's . Watch the temp in the summer there is a couple companies now making kits to offer more cooling which I have heard helps alot. My trailer is 4060 dirt bike in the bed and a e bike in the bed me my wife 2 labs in the cab had no issue going over I 70 in Colorado my son runs 40's on his Jtrd he has cut out the vents in his hood and put in some inner fenders with more ventilation and he does fine his trailer is 5140 just take it easy you'll be fine plus off road the diesel is by far the best option down the highway also and I get 25 to 27 mpg. Running 37's empty. I've owned 30 + new Jeeps and the ecodiesel for us is by far the best motor ever put in a Jeep absolutely love it!!!

 

[Lunentucker]

https://www.truecar.com/best-cars-trucks/trucks/segment-midsize/by-towing-capacity/

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

Nothing to add here from me. Love the GX though. I’ve been toying with idea of an older GX460 or 470 for years now.

 

[tj3089]

I'll let you know how my new JTRD does towing our travel trailer this weekend. We are headed to some state parks in AZ from West TX. Our trailer weighs 3200lbs empty and about 5k lbs loaded with a couple of motorcycles and generator. My old sport S with the 3.6 did ok towing, but it always felt lacking in the power department. I sold it with 33k miles on it and more than half of those were towing miles. We regularly travel up to the mountains at 9k ft from our home at 4k ft so it will definitely be a challenge for the diesel. Summer temps where I live are regularly over 100F.

Here is a picture from a month ago when I went to the lake.

 

[rharr]

Yes crazy, the gald is a off road thing not really a tow thing. it will do it but it's a compromise.

The glad is also almost the same size as a 05 suburban so you aren't down sizing.

Go buy a chevy tahoe in 5.3 or 6.2 and what ever package suits you if you want reliable plenty of power and cooling without issues. It's a touch smaller then the glad and uses proven motors that have been around forever.

get the z71 and you can wheel it on trails too. Added bonus you will have way more interior space

 

[MrClortho]

I tow a 3,500-4,000lbs TT regularly with my setup in my signature. I set the cruise at 67mph on the highway with the 3.6L and it does pretty good. I am not running an anti-sway setup and don't need it, but the Clayton rear springs are BEEFY. I am running the Mopar plug and play brake controller.

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