Max Tow pushing it too much?

[arminius]

I picked up a Gladiator Sport Max Tow a few months back. Was super excited going form my JK, then JL, to the Gladiator as now I could pull a good size trailer. I went to go rent a dump trailer a few weeks back, and they wouldn't let me as said my truck was too small (5 lugs vs 6 lugs per tire)....6 lugs would be 3/4 or ton truck. So now if I have to pull around that 7k or 8k pounds, I need to buy my own trailer (because they wont rent me a big one), which is about $10k to buy a trailer.

Anyone else had experiences with hauling large loads with Gladiator max tow? FYI i'll be hauling dirt in dump trailers, like 7k pounds. I'd also like to put my 4k pound compact tractor in that dump trailer, which again would put me around the 8k pounds marker.
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[NachoRuby]

No, but rental places have some weird rules. U-Haul wouldn't let me rent a trailer in my TJ because it was a soft top. But the same jeep with a hard top was allowed to, for example. Something bad happened once a long time ago, so now they're CYA.

 

[Panthers65]

Considering a lot of 1/2 tons are pushing 12-13k, I would agree that just counting lugs is a poor way to decide, but the rental company has to make it easy enough for any of their associates to make a quick decision.

That being said, it’d be way too easy to overload a dump trailer of that size and way overload the gladiator. Trailer rating for the gladiator with MT is 7650, and that’s in a perfect scenario. I would agree with the trailer company that the gladiator isn’t the right vehicle to pull that kind of trailer.

 

[Uparms]

Kinda related, local dirt stone company would not dump 2 ton soil in my JT cause it was too short a bed. Kind of a PIA.

 

[Jeep-A-Kneez]

Folks, please think about these things for a moment. Y'all are asking a compact truck to do the job of a 1 ton. Please, play it smart and safe, rent or borrow the right tool for the job. Or maybe ya bought the wrong truck to begin with.

 

[Matts4313]

Folks, please think about these things for a moment. Y'all are asking a compact truck to do the job of a 1 ton. Please, play it smart and safe, rent or borrow the right tool for the job. Or maybe ya bought the wrong truck to begin with.

No, he is asking for a trailer to pull what his truck is rated to pull.....

 

[sharpsicle]

No, he is asking for a trailer to pull what his truck is rated to pull.....

I would disagree. A fully loaded dump trailer would well exceed the Gladiator's rating.

The Gladiator has a fair towing capability, but it is far from a "workhorse". Filling a dump trailer with dirt, which is quite heavy, is something you should get a bigger truck for. The rental company might be using a weird qualification in the number of lugs, but their decision to turn him away ended up being the right one anyway.

 

[KWin]

Kinda related, local dirt stone company would not dump 2 ton soil in my JT cause it was too short a bed. Kind of a PIA.

Dude, that would destroy your springs... the truck is rated for something like 1300lbs in the bed and cab combined so if you are weightless and you put 2 tons of shit in the bed you won't be enjoying driving the truck after you've unloaded it. You could easily snap a spring on any bump with that load...

 

[WXman]

I agree in this case. A dump trailer is HEAVY on its own. Add dirt and you're easily into HD pickup territory.

I tow heavier and larger than almost everybody with a JT, but even I wouldn't hook onto a dump trailer loaded with soil.

Don't be that guy.

 

[Matts4313]

I would disagree. A fully loaded dump trailer would well exceed the Gladiator's rating.

So dont fully load it. It still doesnt mean that he cant pull the trailer with dirt in it, or his trailer/tractor. It does sound like he is pushing it about 5% over its rated max for some of the loads, but lets not pretend he is going *way* overboard (he said 7-8k, Truck rated for 7650).

Put 5% less dirt and he is right at the mark.

 

[sharpsicle]

So dont fully load it. It still doesnt mean that he cant pull the trailer with dirt in it, or his trailer/tractor. It does sound like he is pushing it about 5% over its rated max for some of the loads, but lets not pretend he is going *way* overboard (he said 7-8k, Truck rated for 7650).

Put 5% less dirt and he is right at the mark.

7k-8k payload sure, but dump trailers can easily weigh 2k or more empty making the usable payload on our trucks 6k at best. Soil weights about 2k per cubic yard dry, and stone/gravel 3k. Assuming the trailer holds 5 cubic yards, that's a payload weight of 15k fully loaded or 7.5k half-full PLUS the weight of the trailer itself. More if there's any kind of moisture or water in the soil.

These are also the low end numbers. Empty weight, soil weight, and capacity are likely to be more. Therefore, to stay in the limits of the Gladiator, you probably couldn't fill it more than 1/4 full. No rental company is going to trust that you're going to keep it that empty. I would not rent that trailer to a Gladiator either.

 

[Matts4313]

7k-8k payload sure, but dump trailers can easily weigh 2k or more empty making the usable payload on our trucks 6k at best. Soil weights about 2k per cubic yard dry, and stone/gravel 3k. Assuming the trailer holds 5 cubic yards, that's a payload weight of 15k fully loaded or 7.5k half-full PLUS the weight of the trailer itself. More if there's any kind of moisture or water in the soil.

These are also the low end numbers. Empty weight, soil weight, and capacity are likely to be more. Therefore, to stay in the limits of the Gladiator, you probably couldn't fill it more than 1/4 full. No rental company is going to trust that you're going to keep it that empty. I would not rent that trailer to a Gladiator either.

You might be right - I am just using the other guys numbers and trusting that he knows what the heck he is talking about.

 

[WXman]

You might be right - I am just using the other guys numbers and trusting that he knows what the heck he is talking about.

Yeah, and I was assuming he's not right. I can't picture a dump trailer with even one load of soil weighing only 7,000 lbs. Even a small 14-foot dump trailer typically weighs around 4,500 lbs. empty.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

Kinda related, local dirt stone company would not dump 2 ton soil in my JT cause it was too short a bed. Kind of a PIA.

Damn, would have made for some spectacular fail pics if they did put 4,000lbs in the bed.

 

[gpwrang33]

Have you tried home depot tool rental? I rented the dual axle dump trailer to remove a tree limb that i cut up to bring to the town dump. Combined weight was 10400 lbs with the load and 8400 after dumping it.

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