Gladiator bent frame offroading with trailer? Why do you think this happened?

[xpcdoojk]

Thanks for sharing... and you picked this thread for the first post.

Wow.

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[361Sean]

I dont know if this was said but I think speed was the problem. I think I he was going too fast.

 

[xpcdoojk]

I dont know if this was said but I think speed was the problem. I think I he was going too fast.

Or it could be because a tow truck operator pulled in dozens of them with the same problem. At least that is how I make my big purchasing decisions.

 

[Hootbro]

New to the forum and this is my first post. I've been driving jeeps for 35 years and owned 7, currently a 2015 JK bought new. Life long Jeep fan. I have been waiting for the gladiator and am still thinking about getting one. I will say this, My wife and I test drove a new and I commented to a friend that drives tow truck. He called the following morning to let me know he had just gotten back from a call for a brand new Gladiator, less than 300 miles. The owner hooked up a +- 18 boat and was pulling out of the yard. Ran over a small tree root and stopped. Backed up slightly to reposition and the gladiator frame folded exactly like the gladiator pictured. There was no abuse and certainly no high speed. Bone stock Jeep. It made my decision for me. The bent frame issue is due to poor engineering and poor manufacturing. I will still consider one IF and WHEN Jeep improves their game. I see nothing in these photos that tells me the owner is responsible in any way. If the Gladiator can't take a small trailer and a bumpy road it is not worth owning. I understand the leverage and force being applied, however, every frame/chassis is designed with a safety margin, Jeep seems to have missed this one.

1st post with a third hand story. Interesting.

 

[Mkcagle]

10 pages of uninformed comments based on a couple of random photos with zero information.

 

[ALVagabond]

10 pages of uninformed comments based on a couple of random photos with zero information.

That's normal. Lol.

 

[Sallaman]

New to the forum and this is my first post. I've been driving jeeps for 35 years and owned 7, currently a 2015 JK bought new. Life long Jeep fan. I have been waiting for the gladiator and am still thinking about getting one. I will say this, My wife and I test drove a new and I commented to a friend that drives tow truck. He called the following morning to let me know he had just gotten back from a call for a brand new Gladiator, less than 300 miles. The owner hooked up a +- 18 boat and was pulling out of the yard. Ran over a small tree root and stopped. Backed up slightly to reposition and the gladiator frame folded exactly like the gladiator pictured. There was no abuse and certainly no high speed. Bone stock Jeep. It made my decision for me. The bent frame issue is due to poor engineering and poor manufacturing. I will still consider one IF and WHEN Jeep improves their game. I see nothing in these photos that tells me the owner is responsible in any way. If the Gladiator can't take a small trailer and a bumpy road it is not worth owning. I understand the leverage and force being applied, however, every frame/chassis is designed with a safety margin, Jeep seems to have missed this one.

I think the tow truck driver didnt get the whole story from the people he towed... From what ive seen on this forum even small issues get plenty of screen time so if all it took was a small root and an 18’ boat to bend a frame there would be thousands of post and pictures on here instead of just this one

 

[CMac]

I think the tow truck driver didnt get the whole story from the people he towed... From what ive seen on this forum even small issues get plenty of screen time so if all it took was a small root and an 18’ boat to bend a frame there would be thousands of post and pictures on here instead of just this one

Ya, sounds like the post was written by the Mayor of Troll City...

 

[Bbannongmu]

My $0.02 and you can keep the change.... I have no idea what happened or if any of these stories are true or not. Could be real, could be fake. Doesn’t matter, crawl under a JT and you’ll see its reasonably well built and engineered. Drive it off road and tow with it and it’s solid. I got no worries based on some interweb stories. I do have about a dozens times towing and another dozen off-roading and zero issues. YMMV. O|||||||O

 

[Forum Crawler]

I think the tow truck driver didnt get the whole story from the people he towed... From what ive seen on this forum even small issues get plenty of screen time so if all it took was a small root and an 18’ boat to bend a frame there would be thousands of post and pictures on here instead of just this one

Fact. I tow a 22 foot travel trailer with mine.

No issues across GA/FL/AL/MS pulling it.

 

[J.Noack]

Ive been pulling a 24ft / 5500 lb boat all around with no problem. I thought I was safe.
I learned today in this thread that I’ve apparently been living on the edge.
Decided to get crazy and put those wacky Jeep engineers to the test.
I really wanted to test the limits of the Gladiator.
So I did what any thrill seeker would do.

WARNING: The rest of this posting is not for the faint of heart. (Insert knees clamoring together here)

....I made sure the boat trailer was secured to the truck.

.......Reluctantly placed myself into the cab.
Buckled up.

.....Had my son standing by with his finger on the call button for emergency services if needed.

Took 3 controlled deep breathes.......

I then said a quick prayer to the lord almighty asking him to please protect me during this wild stunt, as apparently not many Gladiators have survived what I am about to attempt.

This whole time my daughter is screaming at me as her mother holds her back, she continues to yell...”don’t do it daddy, don’t do it, it’s not worth it, please daddy don’t!”..

As I mouthed a subtle “I love you” and gave her a wink, I then realized that the time for play was now over.
It was go time gentleman .....It was time to get serious ......

(Last chance for those reading this to turn away)

As I flicked down the visor on my helmet,


.......I put the truck in drive........


.........and drove over a tree root.........

......THEN REVERSED AND BACKED OVER THE SAME TREE ROOT!!!.....

While! Pulling! The! Trailer!





To everyone’s disbelief, by some sort magical whim of what surely must have been nothing less than modern day witchcraft,...

THE FRAME HELD STRONG!!!
THE GLADIATOR HELD STRONG!!!
THE SHOCKS STAYED IN POSITION!!!
OMG ...TOTAL PANDEMONIUM !!!

Shortly thereafter, as the many calls from Red Bull, Monster Energy, X Games, etc we’re all pouring in,....all I could think about was that maybe,....just maybe,... those Jeep engineers DO IN FACT have their shit together.

God bless you all.
God bless America.

 

[J.Noack]

Ya, sounds like the post was written by the Mayor of Troll City...

Yes sir, very possible, or perhaps a 2021 Ford Bronco engineer.

 

[Jellygladiator]

Yes sir, very possible, or perhaps a 2021 Ford Bronco engineer.

or some pissed off 160k brute owner lmao

 

[LarryL]

Ya, sounds like the post was written by the Mayor of Troll City...

Not a troll and not interested in online arguments. I'm just stating what happened , trying to defend someone who may not have doing anything wrong, and trying to help solve a serious problem with a vehicle I would to buy, once it's fixed. Your more than welcome to come talk to me personally.

 

[Walldo]

New to the forum and this is my first post. I've been driving jeeps for 35 years and owned 7, currently a 2015 JK bought new. Life long Jeep fan. I have been waiting for the gladiator and am still thinking about getting one. I will say this, My wife and I test drove a new and I commented to a friend that drives tow truck. He called the following morning to let me know he had just gotten back from a call for a brand new Gladiator, less than 300 miles. The owner hooked up a +- 18 boat and was pulling out of the yard. Ran over a small tree root and stopped. Backed up slightly to reposition and the gladiator frame folded exactly like the gladiator pictured. There was no abuse and certainly no high speed. Bone stock Jeep. It made my decision for me. The bent frame issue is due to poor engineering and poor manufacturing. I will still consider one IF and WHEN Jeep improves their game. I see nothing in these photos that tells me the owner is responsible in any way. If the Gladiator can't take a small trailer and a bumpy road it is not worth owning. I understand the leverage and force being applied, however, every frame/chassis is designed with a safety margin, Jeep seems to have missed this one.

I think, just maybe there is a little more to this story.........

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