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Explain different Gladiators tow capacity?

Jonb1032

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Could someone explain the difference of towing capacity between trims. I under stand the max tow, what about the trailer tow package on the sport and sport s? Why does the overland seem to have a higher rating? Also if I buy a none tow package Jeep and add the mopar hitch, does that change any rating? Ideally the max tow is nice but seems harder to find(more expensive).
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The weight of the Gladiator you bought has almost everything to do with the tow capacity as well as the payload. From what I've read, payload is the more important number because you're quite frankly going to bump up against that before you hit the maximum number for your towing capacity. If you are at towing capacity for your specific vehicle but are over your payload, then you have issues.

Generally, the max tow gives you around 7,200 pounds of towing capacity, and the regular towing package gives you closer to 6,000 pounds of towing capacity. Again, this depends on the weight of your vehicle. And, the diesel engine weighs more than the regular Pentastar, thus cutting into both towing capacity and payload. Weight of the vehicle is a critical consideration for both numbers.
 

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Each different configuration of JT potentially has different;

  • Axles
  • Brakes
  • Alternator
  • Radiator/cooling
  • Engine
  • Transmission
  • Weight
All of these factors play a huge role in the towing capacity of any vehicle. For example, the Max Tow package includes wide-track axles. Those aid in towing. A Sport/Sport S without that package is lacking that, so even adding a tow bar will not compensate in that regard.

Another example; A Rubicon without the tow package will lack an upgraded radiator & alternator. Even adding an aftermarket hitch will not compensate for the improved cooling, and will in some way have less of a towing capacity.

IMHO this isn't something I'd skimp on. Adding some of these components can get costly, especially if you weren't already looking to do mods that might have you swapping axles (for example).
 

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Could someone explain the difference of towing capacity between trims. I under stand the max tow, what about the trailer tow package on the sport and sport s? Why does the overland seem to have a higher rating? Also if I buy a none tow package Jeep and add the mopar hitch, does that change any rating? Ideally the max tow is nice but seems harder to find(more expensive).
Page 205 of the Jeep Gladiator Owner's Manual (available digitally, too).

As mentioned, the towing capacity is affected by the options (overall weight) and truck components (cooling, axles, gearing, suspension).

Top towing trims:
Sport & Sport S w/ Max Tow - 7650
Rubicon - 7000
Diesel version of Sport & Sport S & Overland - 6500

Willys versions aren't included in my manual, but I think they fall under the Sport/Sport S limits.
 

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Could someone explain the difference of towing capacity between trims. I under stand the max tow, what about the trailer tow package on the sport and sport s? Why does the overland seem to have a higher rating? Also if I buy a none tow package Jeep and add the mopar hitch, does that change any rating? Ideally the max tow is nice but seems harder to find(more expensive).
Simple answer first - no, adding a hitch only give you a hitch and changes ZIP. Doesn't matter who makes the hitch, it's just a hitch which has nothing to do with tow capacity or rating unless you put a 3500 pound capacity hitch on a truck that is rated for 6,000 pounds of trailer - then you are limited by the hitch, but adding a heavier hitch doesn't increase what the TRUCK can do.
They've already covered the basics -
cooling, gear ratio, weight of the truck, width of the axles, charging system.
My Overland has the 6,000 pound trailer towing rating.
My car hauler (tilt bed trailer) with spare tire and tool box is about 1600 pounds. When I load one of my cars on it, that adds about 3200 pounds. So trailer with car on it would be about 4800 pounds. That puts me more than 1,000 pounds under the rated towing capacity.
Assuming a 10% tongue weight subtracted from the bit over 1,000 pounds PAYLOAD, that's 1,050 (for round numbers) minus 480 still leaves over 500 pounds for payload (car parts in the back, me and cooler in the front).
Here's my bottom line - I would NEVER buy any truck that did not have a factory trailer tow package. You get the wiring harness and plugs in the back, you get a proper hitch installed properly, get the cooling, brakes, and a truck made to tow something. Otherwise you just have a truck you have put a hitch on.
There's a heck of a lot more to it than having a hitch.
It's a system of parts that make up a whole that is made to tow. It's not individual parts tossed together like people used to do 50 years ago.
 

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Jonb1032

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So a Sport S or Sport with a auto and trailer tow package, not the max tow, is around 6000 lbs. I saw somewhere it was 4500 lbs.
 

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So a Sport S or Sport with a auto and trailer tow package, not the max tow, is around 6000 lbs. I saw somewhere it was 4500 lbs.
Correct. The options are:

None | Tow Package | Max Tow Package

So the Sport/Sport S will have 3 different ratings. I don't even consider the manual since it's rated at 4000/4500 depending on model.
 

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So a Sport S or Sport with a auto and trailer tow package, not the max tow, is around 6000 lbs. I saw somewhere it was 4500 lbs.
That I believe is the non trailer-tow version... the one that comes with no hitch and just the bumper ball support.
 

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So a Sport S or Sport with a auto and trailer tow package, not the max tow, is around 6000 lbs. I saw somewhere it was 4500 lbs.
Each vehicle will have slightly different official ratings based on options. Adding leather seats, premium audio, trail rails, etc. adds weight to the chassis and therefore limits tow capacity because the chassis is only designed for a total gross vehicle weight. Adding passengers has the same effect. I don't recall the specifics, but the official rating process assumes a driver that weighs xxx lbs and the vehicle full of fluids (I think so for that last part).

The Rubicon loses tow capacity because the suspension is slightly softer, the added equipment is slightly heavier, and the skid plate under the front bumper limits air flow and therfore cooling capacity.

The Mojave is very similar in that regard.

Any package with a diesel is rated lower due to weight of the diesel and cooling limitations.

https://cdn.dealereprocess.org/cdn/servicemanuals/jeep/2021-gladiator.pdf

Generally speaking here are the tow ratings in order of capacity:

Any trim w/ only bumper mounted ball: 3,500 lbs
Sport, Sport S & Overland with manual transmission & tow package: 4,000 lbs
Mojave & Rubicon with manual transmission & tow package: 4,500 lbs
Sport, Sport S & Overland automatic transmission w/o factory tow package (assume aftermarket hitch): 4,500 lbs
Sport, Sport S, Overland & Mojave auto trans w/ factory tow package: 6,000 lbs
Rubicon Diesel Engine (regardless of tow package equipped): 6,000 lbs
All others with diesel engine (regardless of tow package equipped): 6,500 lbs
Rubicon gas engine w/ auto trans (regardless of tow package equipped): 7,000 lbs
Sport S gas engine w/ Max Tow package: 7,650 lbs


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In the US, the Gladiator (and all mid-size trucks) are "Class 1" which is defined as a GVWR of up to 6K#. The lesser of that or the vehicle's actual capability minus the weight of the vehicle are what defines the payload capacity from a legal perspective. Full size payloads go up to 8.5K#, and are Class 2 and 2a, or 2a and 2b... Something like that. The point is, payload is legal class limit minus weight of the vehicle.

I'm not sure the mechanics of towing capacities off the top of my head though...
 

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I don't recall the specifics, but the official rating process assumes a driver that weighs xxx lbs and the vehicle full of fluids (I think so for that last part).
150# driver and unladen vehicle.

Some people forget that second part and ignore the 100# winch, 75# 2nd battery, 15# of wire and zipties and dell clamps, 100# of bumpers, lights, and racks, 100# s**t that's always in the jeep because JEEP. :D

edit: I just wanted an excuse to say "unladen." Using words like that make me feel so Monty Pythonish. :D
 
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ShadowsPapa

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Each vehicle will have slightly different official ratings based on options. Adding leather seats, premium audio, trail rails, etc. adds weight to the chassis and therefore limits tow capacity because the chassis is only designed for a total gross vehicle weight. Adding passengers has the same effect. I don't recall the specifics, but the official rating process assumes a driver that weighs xxx lbs and the vehicle full of fluids (I think so for that last part).

The Rubicon loses tow capacity because the suspension is slightly softer, the added equipment is slightly heavier, and the skid plate under the front bumper limits air flow and therfore cooling capacity.
Not all Rubicons have the steel bumper or the skid plate attached to the bumper.

Skid plate impacts payload due to the weight, not air flow. The Overland plastic air dam basically does the same thing to air - it's attached at the bottom of the factory bumper and stops at the lower frame horns like the slid plate. I have an Overland. I removed the factory bumper and air dam and put on a steel bumper and Rubicon skid plate. The coverage is nearly identical.
The grill area is what the engineers had to watch for air flow - through the radiator straight on. Thus the slightly different appearance from the Wrangler front end.........
Back of the skid plate is just as open as the Overland air dam was for air flow. It's pretty open down there.

The Rubicon is made for other purposes anyway, so they didn't need to worry about tow or payload ratings. The sway bar disconnect is some weight all by itself, the heavier tires, heavier locking differentials (the lockers add weight to the differentials)
 

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Not all Rubicons have the steel bumper or the skid plate attached to the bumper.

Skid plate impacts payload due to the weight, not air flow. The Overland plastic air dam basically does the same thing to air - it's attached at the bottom of the factory bumper and stops at the lower frame horns like the slid plate. I have an Overland. I removed the factory bumper and air dam and put on a steel bumper and Rubicon skid plate. The coverage is nearly identical.
The grill area is what the engineers had to watch for air flow - through the radiator straight on. Thus the slightly different appearance from the Wrangler front end.........
Back of the skid plate is just as open as the Overland air dam was for air flow. It's pretty open down there.

The Rubicon is made for other purposes anyway, so they didn't need to worry about tow or payload ratings. The sway bar disconnect is some weight all by itself, the heavier tires, heavier locking differentials (the lockers add weight to the differentials)
Not to start an argument, but I have the non-steel bumper and still have the skid plate, so I'm confident all Rubis have it because it is there to protect the sway bar disconnect.

You are 100% correct that the primary limit on airflow is the grill surface area. However, Scott Blum is pretty active on a couple of the Facebook groups and is a Jeep employee involved in the design of the the Gladiator. He directly provided the details about the skid plate limiting air flow some time back in a discussion I had with him while trying to determine what impacts the diesel was going to have on tow capacity. I'm just going on what he says since he is in the best position to know those details. Obviously I don't have them side-by-side to compare.

I do agree with you that it doesn't matter all that much for the Rubicon because that's not the intended purpose of the trim level.
 

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You are 100% correct that the primary limit on airflow is the grill surface area. However, Scott Blum is pretty active on a couple of the Facebook groups and is a Jeep employee involved in the design of the the Gladiator. He directly provided the details about the skid plate limiting air flow some time back in a discussion I had with him while trying to determine what impacts the diesel was going to have on tow capacity. I'm just going on what he says since he is in the best position to know those details. Obviously I don't have them side-by-side to compare.
The plate probably does limit some airflow, but I think it's not strictly radiator-related; or very minimal. Radiators get the majority of their cooling power from the grille openings. The skid plate would limit airflow around the oil pan and some of the lines underneath. I don't see a lot of air coming up from under the bumper to the radiator with how the parts are aligned. Maybe if the radiator was a couple inches lower.

Transmission skid plates would trap heat as well. The air moving under the truck is part of cooling system, too. The more the air is blocked/deflected will impact heat-generating mechanicals.

Source: Spent 16 years building and working on racecars and developing aero packages. At one point, we may or may not have violated rules when we put in a "brace" in the airbox that had a wing shape. According to a downforce calculator, it had an estimated 100# of downforce at 125mph. Worked great until the dipstick lapper in front of us spun out and we had nowhere to go; ripped the whole front bumper off the car.

We played a lot with nose shapes, flares, side skirt shapes, air deflectors, roof rails, and some underbody work as well. I always wanted to use oblong steel for bars that were leading edge for better aero underneath the car, but costs made that prohibitive.
 

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Not to start an argument, but I have the non-steel bumper and still have the skid plate, so I'm confident all Rubis have it because it is there to protect the sway bar disconnect.

You are 100% correct that the primary limit on airflow is the grill surface area. However, Scott Blum is pretty active on a couple of the Facebook groups and is a Jeep employee involved in the design of the the Gladiator. He directly provided the details about the skid plate limiting air flow some time back in a discussion I had with him while trying to determine what impacts the diesel was going to have on tow capacity. I'm just going on what he says since he is in the best position to know those details. Obviously I don't have them side-by-side to compare.

I do agree with you that it doesn't matter all that much for the Rubicon because that's not the intended purpose of the trim level.
Yes, you have A skid plate but not the one that screws to the bumper.
There are two different skid plates - one will be a bit larger and heavier than the other, but neither block more air than the air dam the others have.
There was an article on the web a while back by an employee of Jeep who was tasked with improving cooling - all of it (as I recall) was air entering from the front, the width of the area available for a radiator, etc. He gave details on how they would not let him have any changes to the front area because all of the certifications had been made for the engine compartment, crush areas, etc. so he had to live with the width they had for the radiator.

The skid plat won't impact air up through the radiator. If it had any impact then they'd not use an air dam down there on the other levels.
Think of an Overland - has an air dam, I bet there's similar on a Sport though I've not looked. Those are similar in size to the Rubicon skid plate - I have both a skid plate and my old air dam sitting on a shelf in my garage.

If anything, the skid plate will HELP because one of the issues involved with MPG and wind resistance is keeping air OUT FROM UNDER the vehicle - they don't want air hitting the steering, suspension and structure under there. Air hitting the rough bottomside of a vehicle cause more resistance - wind resistance under it counts similar to wind hitting the windshield.

That's the reason the Overland has a plastic air dam shaped and sized like a skid plate. Air can EXIT below, air going through the radiator can go down and out under the engine and over the air dam or skid plate. In that respect, a skid plate and air dam improve mpg, decrease wind resistance and may aid in cooling.
One way we make our classic pony and muscle cars go faster and cool better is to force air through the radiator and prevent it from going under the car - but allow it to exit around and under the engine.

Take a look at some of the cars today - all covered with plates to make them smooth as a baby's butt under the car. In fact, you have to remove panels or access covers to change oil and filter. There are air dams and ground effects to prevent air getting under the car.
The worlds fasted road-race Javelin, "Great White", reached crazy speeds on the highway course in large part to the fact it was lowered and the bottom was shielded from air getting under the car and hitting the suspension and body structure, cross members, etc.
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