My towing experience

[just_jeff]

Hey all,

I read dozens and dozens of posts on here about towing trying to figure out what I should do. So, I thought I'd throw one in as well for the next person.

Anyhow, I've got a 2020 Rubicon with a 2.5 spacer lift and some 37's on stock gears. I wanted to tow my 73 CJ out to Moab from Denver for a few days to play around and wasn't sure how the Gladiator would do. I ended up getting a Curt Echo. Not perfect for the brakes, but good enough.

The drive wasn't too bad. I averaged about 9.5 mpg. On the climbs up the passes I had a lot of troubling keeping speed. I'd bounce back and forth between second and third gear at between 45-50 mph. Other than those 10-12 miles each way though, I held speed just fine.

Anyhow, that was my experience - thanks a ton for all the others that had offered suggestions on here!

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[Elff]

I tow a TJ on an 18' trailer at least once a month and average 13mpg.
I am still on stock gears and tires.

What you are getting with 37s seems about on par.

FYI The Curt Echo is fine and just as good as any other brake controller. There is no Dash integration on the JT with a Brake Controller.

 

[BearFootSam]

I averaged low 14 across country from MD to WA with a full bed and trailer. Never had an issue holding speed but steep grades really hit my MPG.

 

[just_jeff]

I tow a TJ on an 18' trailer at least once a month and average 13mpg.
I am still on stock gears and tires.

What you are getting with 37s seems about on par.

FYI The Curt Echo is fine and just as good as any other brake controller. There is no Dash integration on the JT with a Brake Controller.

The Curt Echo seemed great on the highway, but as soon as I got into town it seemed a little harsh. I turned the gain down a bit in town and in stop and go traffic. That's probably just preference though, it seemed to work great otherwise!

 

[just_jeff]

I averaged low 14 across country from MD to WA with a full bed and trailer. Never had an issue holding speed but steep grades really hit my MPG.

I'm sure there's not too many places that have 7% grades and as little air as we do up at 10,000 feet. I was pretty impressed that was the only place I had holding speed.

My previous jeep was an 08 2dr Rubicon and it couldn't hold speed there either. No trailer, just 35's.

 

[bleda2002]

I moved from the echo to the Mopar brake controller and much prefer it. The echo felt very herky jerky and out of sync in town. It especially bothered me when I'd stab lightly at the brakes where the out of syncness was really apparent.

 

[just_jeff]

I moved from the echo to the Mopar brake controller and much prefer it. The echo felt very herky jerky and out of sync in town. It especially bothered me when I'd stab lightly at the brakes where the out of syncness was really apparent.

If I was going to be towing a lot I would probably do the same thing. But for a few times a year with a heavy load - this worked great!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

A brake controller needs to be mounted solidly to the tow vehicle - not able to move or wiggle or vibrate even a little bit. These sense motion, inertia. If it can vibrate or bounce it's not going to be very effective.
They require a perfect solid electrical connection as well - no loose connection causing voltage to fluctuate. They need to sense when you are applying the truck brakes. Any resistance in connections can interfere with this. It's one reason I prefer an internally mounted, solidly mounted, permanently connected to the electrical system type controller.
I've never noticed any difference in braking in town or out on the highway with my MOPAR controller. It seems to function exactly the same no matter what. I do have to adjust for the weight on the trailer but that's totally normal and expected. You are supposed to compensate for more or less trailer weight.

I tow only 2 or 3 times a year - most of the time it's going to be no more than that, some years only twice a year, but I view trailer braking as a critical function so will spend money there. While a lot of people spend to make things go fast, I start by making sure it can stop no matter how fast it's going. I guess it's like making sure I can land an airplane before getting concerned at all about being able to take off.
I tow 5,000 pounds. I'm not in the mountains, but our crazy hills sometimes feel worse than the times I've been through the mountains.

 

[Labswine]

I'm with Shadowspapa.

I only tow a few times a year to go to the shore(s) so my wife can enjoy the beaches.

I have the Tenkonsha Primus brake controller and in ANY situation it does an admirable job of keeping everything under control. Just normal traffic or, even when the vehicle in front of me (and I cannot see the few in front of them) has to brake quickly because they're not paying very close attention, I have had no issues braking hard to get stopped in time.

Of course, I AM driving with more caution than normal but still, one cannot control everything...

 

[Elff]

The other issue with Braking and trailer brakes is the way the JT itself brakes
I swear it continues to break for 1/4 to a full second after I have completely lifted my foot off the brake pedal. That's occurs even when I am not towing

That's what bothers me, other than that. with a heavy load, the way the echo controls the trailer brakes does not bother me. Maybe because I tow on a regular basis, I am seasoned to how everything works together.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Of course, I AM driving with more caution than normal but still, one cannot control everything...

Amen to that.

The other issue with Braking and trailer brakes is the way the JT itself brakes
I swear it continues to break for 1/4 to a full second after I have completely lifted my foot off the brake pedal. That's occurs even when I am not towing

Wow, yours is a lot different than either of mine, then.
If I let up on the brakes, it creeps, doesn't hang on or keep the brakes applied at all. I let up, it does - with one exception -
The only time I note such a thing is when going down a hill and I'm gaining speed and tap the brakes more than just a light touch, and let up, it's like it knows what I'm doing and will sometimes downshift and apply engine braking. Love it! I let it know - hey, buddy, it's a hill, slow it down a bit........ and it obeys me. Like firmly saying "heel!" And that's when not towing.
It's nice on hills, too, when towing - I don't feel like the trailer is pushing me along.
Otherwise, when I let it - it lets up. These actually sense the pressure you apply to the brake pedal. It's not an on or off, I or O, in or out thing. It's not binary.
I had to adjust myself to the JT a bit - it's smarter than my Chevy or Ford trucks ever were and to me, it's easier to make myself "one with the machine", an extension of myself.
My F250 heavy 3/4 ton 4x4 could stop a freight train, the brakes had crazy power, but weren't sticky brakes at all. You needed to apply pressure, and as you let up you could feel things retract.
I actually really love the way this thing tows and brakes with a trailer on it.

 

[Elff]

Definitely not in my case. Now I am comparing it to my other 2 vehicles which are both 100% manual. An Alfa Romeo 4C and a Buell Firebolt.
So if there is any lag on the JT I feel it in comparison.

I totally agree on the Towing. I am very pleased with the stability, gas mileage and braking.

 

[BearFootSam]

I'm sure there's not too many places that have 7% grades and as little air as we do up at 10,000 feet. I was pretty impressed that was the only place I had holding speed.

My previous jeep was an 08 2dr Rubicon and it couldn't hold speed there either. No trailer, just 35's.

I recall taking my forester up 70 heading west out of Denver, fully loaded with an RTT, I had to shift into 3rd to keep going at a reasonable speed. The JT, though 1800lbs heavier, has another 100hp/ft-lbs and a better transmission.

 

[Elff]

PA has a lot of hills. I am not sure of the grades, but the trip to and from where I go Rock Crawling involves going up and down some steep roads.
Thats the area that brings down my gas mileage because I let it hit the higher RPMS.
What I do like, is that the temps for the important parts, do not climb that much during those climbs. So the Gladiator does do a good job on them.

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