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Help! Buying a Travel Trailer and need help with weight/size of trailer to buy

kelkolb

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Just bought a 27' Vantage Sonic. 4700 unloaded, will be about 5100 loaded. Tow rating 6000 lbs? I think it's more than that but I digress. Antisway bars, electronic braking will go along way. I have an Overland, tow package, not the Max tow. So, in light of all that, I'm about 83% of towing capacity.
You’re only adding 400 lbs beyond yourself?
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Labswine

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True...I always forget me and my wife :CWL: But still under the tow rating :)
 

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Jeep Gladiator Help! Buying a Travel Trailer and need help with weight/size of trailer to buy B601F589-CB36-4C70-BCAF-24CC4EDF96F9

I have a 2020 sport s tow max. Arguably rated to tow 8,000lbs, though I would never attempt it. I do tow an Ibex 19mbh with sway bar system and redarc brake controller. Dry weight 4134 lbs, hitch weight 465 lbs. 24 feet long, 7 ft wide. No slide. Sleeps 7! While it tows better than I expected, I couldn’t Imagine towing anything larger or heavier. Not even short trips. I did find other trailers I would have preferred, but I just didn’t want to chance the extra weight. This is a great place to ask others opinions that have been towing something behind their JT though because once you own it there’s no turning back. No matter what you choose, I would seriously consider the redarc brake controller and sway bar set up for safety.
 

White Jeep

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Labswine: With your trailer at 5,100 lbs loaded I would bet you will be pushing your 600 lb max tong wight of your Overland. You will also "for sure" be over your "payload" number. My Overland (fed sticker on door) has a 1035 lb payload. Yours should be mostly the same unless a stripped down Overland. I am having a tuff time with my payload, and staying LEGAL. I can do it, but my 16' (not 27') Airstream is only 3,500 dry and 4,300 max GVW. I am moving things around and changing a few things. Like going with Aluminum Propane tanks, switching out the AGM lead acid batteries with Lithium batteries (half the weight of the lead acid saving about 100 lbs on the tong weight.)

And, to save weight I am "towing on the ball". No WD or sway bar. (to save weight) So far so good. Trailer tracks well, no sway, tractor trailers passing have not caused white knuckles at all. Overland Max rear axle is 3750 lbs. CAT scale (with trailer attached) is 3,340 lbs. So well within factory specs. My total weight of truck (loaded to go) and Trailer (load to go) is 9,060 lbs. Max is 11,000 for Overland with tow package.

Tong weight comes off the payload, along with all passangers and gear you put in the truck and bed. Also the weight of the hitch you will be using. Could be easily 125 lbs coming off the payload.

Best, after loading your trailer for a trip, including full propane tanks check your tong weight. Go to a "CAT" scale and get weight of the front axle, rear axle, and trailer weight. Then see how that compares with your max 11,000 towing weight (Truck and trailer). And MFG axle ratings. Based on where your water, black, gray tanks are, and if they are full or empty will also change dramatically your tong weight.

Sway bars and WD hitch do nothing to change the payload number for your Overland. As many have said to me, "why did you buy your Overland, before buying your trailer" ?? I bought the Overland with no thoughts of towing a trailer. Then, I got the bug and than looked for the lightest trailer I could find and still have some space for the 2 of us and our dog. Bob
 

jpjpjp

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Unless you already own it I would strongly recommend against the echo. I have hit a few sketchy situations where I was being pushed by the trailer on a downhil and used the manual button to balance things out. Relying on my phone and bluetooth is not the way I would want to go. Get the redarc, trust me.
I was going to purchase this bluetooth brake controller, but I read far too many horror stories like yours. I ended up buying the redarc. I did, however, chicken out of drilling holes in my dash so I returned the redarc and had the required landscaping rental equipment delivered to me for $200. I preferred spending $200 and keeping a brake controller, but I might trade my other Jeep in soon and I didn't want to ruin the dash.
I wholeheartedly agree with you to stay the heck away from the echo. People should read the horror stories about them. I haven't read any about the redarc, which is why I planned to buy it.
 

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eaglerugby04

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I was going to purchase this bluetooth brake controller, but I read far too many horror stories like yours. I ended up buying the redarc. I did, however, chicken out of drilling holes in my dash so I returned the redarc and had the required landscaping rental equipment delivered to me for $200. I preferred spending $200 and keeping a brake controller, but I might trade my other Jeep in soon and I didn't want to ruin the dash.
I wholeheartedly agree with you to stay the heck away from the echo. People should read the horror stories about them. I haven't read any about the redarc, which is why I planned to buy it.
Drilling the hole was for sure scary. really glad now that I went that route, feels nice and secure this way. Another option is to put it in the 12volt slot and no drilling needed there.

The Echo did fix some of the issues I had with it though since they now have a wireless button you can use. Still wireless but better than relying on an app for sure.
 

MPMB

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To chime in:

From what I've read on trailer forums, your towing capacity should be 80-85% of listed capacity. So 6000# would be 4800-5100#. This range depends on your towing environment (hills v flats, windy v calm, etc.).

The Gladiator can tow a lot. Specifically, pull. The problem isn't pulling, though. It's stopping. That's why you don't want to push the weight limit of what you're towing. Sure, a Toyota Highlander can pull a 5800# trailer with 4 kids and 4 bikes. Stopping? Start stopping in Montana and you'll be able to slide into an In-And-Out in Nevada.

There's also the wheelbase to trailer length correlation. There are tables that list the max length you should be towing based on your wheelbase. With the Gladiator, the max length should be 26' or 27', iirc.

Are these hard and fast rules? Not exactly (other than the weight limits). They are guidelines from years of hard and expensive experience.

In addition to the vehicle add-ons (winch/racks/jugs/sliders/etc.), the cargo - as mentioned earlier - weighs a fair amount, too. Most stuff will go in the trailer, so it's not "on" the truck, but it's still weight.

A few years ago I weighed all of our camping gear. All of it - we have lightweight hiking stuff in addition to our car camping. I didn't pare down to the "essentials," just threw the bins on a scale. Total was 400#, then add the 125# or so for the RTT. The only things that weren't weighed were the coolers and clothing (the wife's bags are probably 200# alone, lol).

Since then I've added a bigger stove, cast iron pans, portable firepit, etc. I'll be doing some trim work here shortly.

Water is roughly 8# a gallon. Fuel is 7#. Plan accordingly.
 

sroberts1519

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Both trailers are more than likely too heavy for your Gladiator Overland.

I own a 2020 Overland, and a 2021 Freedom Express 192RBS.

Things to consider (some people have already pointed out some of the items):
1. is that 4700 pounds what the RV website says or is it actual dry weight of the trailer (actual dry weight of the trailer should be somewhere on the trailer)? with options, my trailer dry weight is atleast 200 pounds more than what is advertised in the website.
2. Water in RV tanks, stuff packed in RV, etc will add alot of weight to RV
3. People, stuff in Gladiator, Gas, Jeep add-ons (winches, etc) all take away from the payload of the truck.

Also, you will need a good weight distribution hitch with sway control and extended mirrors.

Back to my setup. My RV dry weight is around 4450 (website says 4200). I do not tow with water in my tanks - before I tow, I empty fresh water, grey water, black water, and even hot water tanks. I am guessing (last time I weighed the rig, the RV wasnt fully packed) that my RV, fully loaded for travelling is around 5100 pounds. my rig is perfectly level. before my first trip, I made several adjustments to how the RV dealer setup the wdh. after a few trips, I am still making minor adjustments - I think the other day was my final adjustment I will make - we will see, we are leaving in a few hours for our 6th trip in our RV. My rig is perfectly level - measured, there is less than 1/4 inch difference between the height at my gladiator front wheels vs rear wheels. My RV has less than a inch difference between rear height and tongue height (a slight RV nose down will help sway control). My RV is also a tandem axle trailer.

Now for what I cant recommend to anyone. I know with me and my wife, with the RV hitched up and other stuff in the truck, I am over the GVWR of the Gladiator by almost 200 pounds. I am under tow capacity, under GCVWR, and under front and rear GAWR. Later this year or sometime next year I will be replacing the P rated tires on the Overland with LT tires. I may also swap out the rear springs with the max tow springs.

I also pull in flat Oklahoma. I would never dream taking this combination into mountains. How does it pull in Oklahoma? not bad, but you do know the trailer is back there. I wished the engine had a little bit more power, because the tranny spends more time in 4th gear than I would like. On flat lands, with cruise set to 66 mph, it will be in 6th gear, dropping to 5th gear occasionally. and yes, I probably should slow down to 60 while towing.
 

danielspivey

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To chime in:

From what I've read on trailer forums, your towing capacity should be 80-85% of listed capacity. So 6000# would be 4800-5100#. This range depends on your towing environment (hills v flats, windy v calm, etc.).

The Gladiator can tow a lot. Specifically, pull. The problem isn't pulling, though. It's stopping. That's why you don't want to push the weight limit of what you're towing. Sure, a Toyota Highlander can pull a 5800# trailer with 4 kids and 4 bikes. Stopping? Start stopping in Montana and you'll be able to slide into an In-And-Out in Nevada.

There's also the wheelbase to trailer length correlation. There are tables that list the max length you should be towing based on your wheelbase. With the Gladiator, the max length should be 26' or 27', iirc.

Are these hard and fast rules? Not exactly (other than the weight limits). They are guidelines from years of hard and expensive experience.

In addition to the vehicle add-ons (winch/racks/jugs/sliders/etc.), the cargo - as mentioned earlier - weighs a fair amount, too. Most stuff will go in the trailer, so it's not "on" the truck, but it's still weight.

A few years ago I weighed all of our camping gear. All of it - we have lightweight hiking stuff in addition to our car camping. I didn't pare down to the "essentials," just threw the bins on a scale. Total was 400#, then add the 125# or so for the RTT. The only things that weren't weighed were the coolers and clothing (the wife's bags are probably 200# alone, lol).

Since then I've added a bigger stove, cast iron pans, portable firepit, etc. I'll be doing some trim work here shortly.

Water is roughly 8# a gallon. Fuel is 7#. Plan accordingly.
As a guy who pushes to the limits with capacities (but not over), I disagree with your statement regarding the gladiator has an issue with “stopping”. This is completely resolved with a properly set up brake controller. My trailer likely stops my set up faster with the trailer brakes than the gladiator alone w no trailer. I prefer to have my brake ratio set up a little trailer brake heavy. I prefer this to feeling the trailer push you while braking.

Regarding the motor, I’ve done some pretty steep inclines in the mountains. Does it rev up? Definitely. Does it get 9 mpg towing? Yep. Is it fine for pulling my heavy ass TT 6 times a year? Definitely. Would a f-350 pull it better? Of course.

Towing ability with the motor is mostly about perception and comparison. My wagoneer had a 360 in it, but the JT has more HP and is a stronger more efficient motor.
 

White Jeep

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Shawn, nice report on your Gladiator Overland. Same as I have towing a 16' Airstream. See below my numbers for my rig.
================================================
2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland.

Max GVWR (MFG number) 5,800 lbs.

Max Cargo weight (FED sticker on door) 1,035 lbs.

Max Front axel weight (MFG number) 3,100 lbs.

Max Rear axel weight (MFG number) 3,750 lbs.

Max trailer weight (MFG number) 6,000 lbs.

Max hitch weight (MFG number) 600 lbs.

Max total truck and trailer weight (MFG number) 11,000 lbs.

2021 Airstream 16’ Caravel

Max GVWR (MFG number) 4,300 lbs.

GVW weight (empty MFG number) 3,500 lbs.

Hitch weight (MFG # 2 batteries + 2 full 20 lb Propane) 490 lbs.

Gladiator numbers (“CAT” scale) empty weight (including full fuel but NO driver or cargo)

Front axel 2,540 lbs.

Rear axel 2,260 lbs.

Total weight 4,800 lbs.

Gladiator (“CAT”scale) numbers + Airstream hitched up to Gladiator, ready to go camping. 2 passengers, 1 dog, full fuel, Honda gen set, Grill, Aluminum table, outside floor mat, and a few other light weight cargo items.

NO WD hitch or sway control equipment or their weight. I tow “on the ball”.

Trailer tong weight, measured with scale 560 lbs.

NO black/gray water fluid.

6 gals of water in tank (36 lbs, tank in far forward part of trailer)

Trailer lightly loaded with clothes, food, etc for a week camping.

Gladiator has Firestone air bags in rear coil springs.

Gladiator and trailer are perfectly level.

Air bags with 25 lbs. (can be as high as 60 lbs)

Front axel weight 2,620 lbs (MFG max 3,100)

Rear axel weight 3,340 lbs (MFG max 3,750)

Note: 255/70R 18 tires 2540 lb per tire x 2 = 5,080 lbs total for rear axle

Total truck weight 5,960 lbs (MFG max 5,800)

Over GVW rating of the Gladiator Overland. 160 lbs

Trailer axel weight 3,100 lbs (MFG max 4,300)

Total weight Gladiator + Trailer 9,060 lbs (MFG max 11,000

Notes and thoughts:

You can see in the numbers above I am over Max Gladiator Overland GVW by 160 lbs. I only have a 1,000 lbs for cargo and 560 lbs comes off that for the dead hitch weight, that only leaves 440 lbs of people and cargo. This issue is the weakest point on the Gladiator Overland unless you are doing the “MAX TOW” option on the Sport or Sport S or standard tow package on a Rubicon or Mojave . Also, my Overland is loaded with options which cut into my available cargo lbs. Will consider going to NiCad batteries and Aluminum Propane tanks. That will save about 125 lbs of the hitch weight and give me somewhere around another 100 lbs of available cargo lbs. I have plenty of weight that can be moved to the trailer axels. I will work on moving some items in the Gladiator bed into the trailer to make up that 160 lbs of over the GVW of 5,800 lbs. I am well within the front and rear axle ratings and well within the hitch and trailer towing numbers. Only my payload number on the Gladiator is over limit.

The 16’ Airstream pulls really good so far. No sway or pushing the truck around without a WD hitch or sway control. But, only on flat Florida roads so far. Others in different areas of the USA may need WD & Sway control. Gas V6 seems to pull trailer very well and no issue with that. Generally I get 15 MPG if keeping speed around 60 on these flat roads. Normally runs in 6th gear (3.73 rears, std tires). But I find that using trans in a manual mode and moving it into 7th gear (with cruise control on at 60 mph) , I pickup about 1 mile per gal increase. Does not seem to lug the engine. Of course the Airstream with its rounded shape does not present a square front to push thru the air. Also, the lighter weight of the Airstream helps with the temperatures also.

All Temps are exactly the same with or without the trailer attached for the water, engine oil, trans oil. Again FLAT roads in Florida.



My best to all, be safe, Bob
 

MPMB

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As a guy who pushes to the limits with capacities (but not over), I disagree with your statement regarding the gladiator has an issue with “stopping”. This is completely resolved with a properly set up brake controller. My trailer likely stops my set up faster with the trailer brakes than the gladiator alone w no trailer. I prefer to have my brake ratio set up a little trailer brake heavy. I prefer this to feeling the trailer push you while braking.

Regarding the motor, I’ve done some pretty steep inclines in the mountains. Does it rev up? Definitely. Does it get 9 mpg towing? Yep. Is it fine for pulling my heavy ass TT 6 times a year? Definitely. Would a f-350 pull it better? Of course.

Towing ability with the motor is mostly about perception and comparison. My wagoneer had a 360 in it, but the JT has more HP and is a stronger more efficient motor.
You misunderstand, since I didn't expand on the subject. I was referring to "stopping" in the global sense, not the JTs capability. All vehicles can tow more than what they're rated - they just can't stop in a quick (relative) distance.

Towing capacity is determined by engine power, stopping power, and cooling capacity. The Gladiator can tow 9-10,000lbs or something like that. I remember watching some videos of the Jeep folks talking about the difficulties of increasing towing capacity when the JT shares a lot of components of the less-towing-capable Unlimiteds. Because of the cooling restrictions (and why the JT has a slightly different grille mesh), and the braking system limits, Jeep couldn't rate the JT's towing higher.

The corporate mandate was a Jeep Truck - don't re-engineer it. For example, the engineers wanted to add a bigger radiator, but that would have meant different mounts, and then things would have to be relocated, a different height grille and hood, etc. The domino effect. The grille mesh was one area they were able to improve cooling.

If it weren't for stopping and cooling, the JT could tow a lot more than what it's currently rated.
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