Gladiator as a purpose built work truck

[Chinman]

I think this has come up before from Jeepfest. Lots of use cases come to mind.

Sponsored

 

[JamesJimmyD]

would make a great overland truck platform

 

[NotSo Bright White]

Would it? What does that work body weigh? It seems like you would be pretty close to max weight.

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

I guess if someone was a fan of using Phillips screwdrivers to drive flat head screws then they’d love a JT based utility truck

 

[MikeD93]

Would be good for working in remote areas on shitty service roads.

 

[ChrisNLA]

https://morganolson.com/kestrel/

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Would it? What does that work body weigh? It seems like you would be pretty close to max weight.

Probably,but removing the rear seat and shortening up the cab, removing rear doors, must save a chunk of weight off it.

 

[NotSo Bright White]

Probably,but removing the rear seat and shortening up the cab, removing rear doors, must save a chunk of weight off it.

After diving deeper, they state 1700 pounds which I find hard to believe!

 

[ChrisNLA]

After diving deeper, they state 1700 pounds which I find hard to believe!

Remove all the glass you don't need, the back seat, the bed, the back half of the cab and replace it with an aluminum box with aluminum doors - you aren't putting back as much as you would think. I'd bet it weighs around the same as it did before.

My Gladiator stickers at 1,470 pounds payload and the models that are even more stripped out go higher.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Remove all the glass you don't need, the back seat, the bed, the back half of the cab and replace it with an aluminum box with aluminum doors - you aren't putting back as much as you would think. I'd bet it weighs around the same as it did before.

My Gladiator stickers at 1,470 pounds payload and the models that are even more stripped out go higher.

There's a lot of weight in that area behind the backs of the front seats. The rear doors, any rear airbags, the seats aren't light, any mats or carpeting in the rear, the back of the cab can be more simple and plain because they don't have to latch rear seat backs or furnish hooks for child seats, and the roll structure back there has some serious weight to it, a part of that gets removed.

 

[biodiesel]

I love that Kestrel work truck!

 

[Mad Mac]

"Brush" Fire Truck could be useful.
My volunteer fire department
high-centered a one-ton dually
fire truck on a tree stump,
abandoned it and lost it to the fire.
We have a lot of deep sand around here
specially during a drought
which has the greatest risk of wildfires.

 

[Mad Mac]

By the same token, in rural areas
a Gladiator based
emergency rescue team ambulance
could prove useful.

 

[biodiesel]

The Gladiator really is the perfect midsize work truck. Alright, maybe "perfect" is exaggerating, but in my opinion, the Gladiator met and exceeded my expectations, especially being a first-generation truck.

Before the Gladiator, I was using a Jeep Cherokee XJ as my midsize work truck. The XJ had a lot of interior space for housing tools, cooler, spare clothes, and everything I needed for the worksite. The engine and transmission were solid, but the lightweight unibody (and overall suspension) wasn't designed to do much towing.

It makes me happy to see others using their Gladiators for work, even if it's limited to occasional use. Here's a few pictures showing how I used the XJ as a work vehicle.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The Gladiator really is the perfect midsize work truck. Alright, maybe "perfect" is exaggerating, but in my opinion, the Gladiator met and exceeded my expectations, especially being a first-generation truck.

Before the Gladiator, I was using a Jeep Cherokee XJ as my midsize work truck. The XJ had a lot of interior space for housing tools, cooler, spare clothes, and everything I needed for the worksite. The engine and transmission were solid, but the lightweight unibody (and overall suspension) wasn't designed to do much towing.

It makes me happy to see others using their Gladiators for work, even if it's limited to occasional use. Here's a few pictures showing how I used the XJ as a work vehicle.

I loved our XJ - it was a 4.0 with automatic. The issue towing with it was the transmission. If you tried to tow too FAST, you'd literally boil the fluid.

Otherwise, I did tow quite a bit with it. And overall, really liked it a lot.
It is what led us to the later ZJ and WJ.

Sponsored