Loretta (Rubicon Diesel)

[MSFTMatt]

I'd be stoked to see/hear more about your bed set-up with fridge, etc.

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[Batlou]

I'd be stoked to see/hear more about your bed set-up with fridge, etc.

It's a Alu-Cab Canopy. I just added the shelf in the back, also made by Alu-Cab. It holds up to 4 Frontrunner Wolf Pack storage boxes. The shelf is actually a rail system for the wolf packs but I had a piece of aluminum cut so that I could throw anything on it. It has just enough room for the Ecoflow River battery with a backup underneath. I also just installed the Alu-Cab side cabinet and I haven't really figured out what to use it for yet but for now it holds my recovery gear.

The fridge slide is an oversized one that leaves about 6" behind it in the rear. That is made by American Adventure Lab. A little pricey but super high quality and very happy with the build. The empty space behind the slide is just enough room to hold up to 2 Dometic water jugs. The jugs use a quick connect but there was not enough room for the hose to bend so I found some online that are right angle that allow me to run the lines to the rear of the bed of the truck and use a Dometic faucet.

The last part of this is the Iceco 75 dual zone fridge. It fits perfectly in the space between the rack and the tailgate with about 1" to spare. The last part I added for now was the carpeted piece of plywood that sits between the fridge slide and the opposite wall. Nice surface to slide in chairs, camping gear, or whatever.

Next will be another carpeted piece to drop in the rails where the fridge sits when I don't have it in there so I can use it as a slide out for carrying normal daily stuff like groceries or whatever. This is still my daily driver so I have to keep it somewhat normal 80% of the time. I also think I am going to add the ceiling mount table from Alu-Cab but it is super expensive so I am having a hard time justifying it.

I also have some other accessories that I have not figured out where to mount yet like a hot water heater from Joolca so I can take showers when we are out wheeling and camping off grid.

 

[MSFTMatt]

It's a Alu-Cab Canopy. I just added the shelf in the back, also made by Alu-Cab. It holds up to 4 Frontrunner Wolf Pack storage boxes. The shelf is actually a rail system for the wolf packs but I had a piece of aluminum cut so that I could throw anything on it. It has just enough room for the Ecoflow River battery with a backup underneath. I also just installed the Alu-Cab side cabinet and I haven't really figured out what to use it for yet but for now it holds my recovery gear.

The fridge slide is an oversized one that leaves about 6" behind it in the rear. That is made by American Adventure Lab. A little pricey but super high quality and very happy with the build. The empty space behind the slide is just enough room to hold up to 2 Dometic water jugs. The jugs use a quick connect but there was not enough room for the hose to bend so I found some online that are right angle that allow me to run the lines to the rear of the bed of the truck and use a Dometic faucet.

The last part of this is the Iceco 75 dual zone fridge. It fits perfectly in the space between the rack and the tailgate with about 1" to spare. The last part I added for now was the carpeted piece of plywood that sits between the fridge slide and the opposite wall. Nice surface to slide in chairs, camping gear, or whatever.

Next will be another carpeted piece to drop in the rails where the fridge sits when I don't have it in there so I can use it as a slide out for carrying normal daily stuff like groceries or whatever. This is still my daily driver so I have to keep it somewhat normal 80% of the time. I also think I am going to add the ceiling mount table from Alu-Cab but it is super expensive so I am having a hard time justifying it.

I also have some other accessories that I have not figured out where to mount yet like a hot water heater from Joolca so I can take showers when we are out wheeling and camping off grid.

Awesome! Killer set up, I really appreciate the info.

 

[Batlou]

This is the rail system from Ali-Cab for the Wolfpack storage containers. You can see the piece of aluminum that I dropped in. Also a shot of the cabinet that I added a couple of months ago. Need to add shelves or maybe just some

 

[Batlou]

Here is the Wolfpack rail from the opposite side. I was really worried about whether it would all fit but got lucky I guess. You can see the fridge has about 1” of space left at most.

 

[Batlou]

Searching for some Front and Rear Diff Skids. On my trip to Windrock last week I left a bit of Gladiator DNA on a rock from both front and rear Diff. Probably a good idea to use some protection. Any suggestions for something well built but not to hard on the budget?

 

[Batlou]

Merry Christmas to me! My new Rockslide Engineering electric steps just arrived. I have destroyed my cheap sliders so this is overdue. Looking forward to this install so I can get my butt up in there easier too. I will update with some pictures and let you know how they work when it's done.

 

[Batlou]

New Sliders installed. They are amazing and make it much easier for me to get in and out being that I am vertically challenged.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

New Sliders installed. They are amazing and make it much easier for me to get in and out being that I am vertically challenged.

Any guess on how heavy these are? I've been eying them for a while, but skeptical with the winter roads here in MN.

 

[Batlou]

Any guess on how heavy these are? I've been eying them for a while, but skeptical with the winter roads here in MN.

I am not sure of the exact weight, I would say they are about the same as my HD sliders I had installed on a Tacoma a few years ago. I don't think there is any real way to save weight on sliders as they are there to protect your rocker panels and doors from crunching. Now that I have had them on for a few weeks, I would highly recommend them. Very well built and love the drop down step for the shorter folks plus the kids can now climb in on their own which they were pretty excited about.

 

[Free2roam]

50-60 lbs per side.
Rock Slide Engineering (RSE) Gen III Step Sliders for the Jeep Gladiator (JT) are heavy-duty, powered retractable steps made from 10/11-gauge steel with a 650 lbs per step weight capacity. They weigh approximately 50-70 lbs per side (100-140 lbs total), with some listings suggesting a total kit shipping weight of 225 lbs

 

[Batlou]

50-60 lbs per side.
Rock Slide Engineering (RSE) Gen III Step Sliders for the Jeep Gladiator (JT) are heavy-duty, powered retractable steps made from 10/11-gauge steel with a 650 lbs per step weight capacity. They weigh approximately 50-70 lbs per side (100-140 lbs total), with some listings suggesting a total kit shipping weight of 225 lbs

Thanks for the clarification. My personal opinion, there are lots of places on the truck to try and save weight. Sliders, in my opinion, are not one of those places and that's probably why they are all on the heavy side.

 

[Free2roam]

Thanks for the clarification. My personal opinion, there are lots of places on the truck to try and save weight. Sliders, in my opinion, are not one of those places and that's probably why they are all on the heavy side.

They also make the extra attachable armor which adds quite a bit of weight. If you do go that route I believe it's easier to put it on before you install the sliders. Plus unless you've had the body mount bolts loose already. Then get a bolt heater to help release the red loctite. Otherwise you risk breaking one of those bolts. Good luck with install. This forum has a plethora of knowledge on this subject.

 

[Batlou]

They also make the extra attachable armor which adds quite a bit of weight. If you do go that route I believe it's easier to put it on before you install the sliders. Plus unless you've had the body mount bolts loose already. Then get a bolt heater to help release the red loctite. Otherwise you risk breaking one of those bolts. Good luck with install. This forum has a plethora of knowledge on this subject.

Installed and work really well for us shorter stature types. Will have to add the extra protection later, the core sliders were a pretty large investment already.

 

[Batlou]

OK, time to talk about upgrading the gearing. I am still on stock 3.73 gears. I pull a small trailer, around 3K lbs, occasionally along with some wheeling but nothing super crazy. Although, hoping to do Rubicon Trail at some point in time. Anyway, I see many suggesting 4.56 or 4.88. 5.13's seems to get pretty mixed opinions so I am thinking 1 of these 2 would be better.
Help me understand the pro's/con's of moving to 4.56 vs 4.88 over the 3.73? I understand that it will help me run through all of the gears with an proper gear ratio after switching to 37's. What about fuel economy, should I expect it to improve and is it like a bell curve based on the gear ratio.
Anyone?

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