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My towing review. UPDATE! Now with 37s!

Partysub

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While I was shopping for my gladiator one of the things I researched the most was towing reviews and noticed they were all over the place with opinions and not many really fit my scenario so after my first tow with my truck I figured I'd do my own review. My gladiator is a 22 mojave with auto trans and my only mods at the moment are ace rails, rugged ridge stubby bumper and uptop overland rack. My previous vehicle was an 18 tacoma trd offroad with the manual transmission. I live in utah and drove from SLC to capitol reef on back roads, the freeway and mountain passes, so a pretty good mix of everything. I'm aware that the gladiator isn't the ideal towing vehicle, but where I go we are boondocking with no services and take my vehicle on trails while down there, so I didn't want a bigger truck.
When I had my tacoma I pulled campers ranging from about 3k pounds (rpod) up to somewhere in the 5k pound area (sunset trail super lite) down to maob multiple times. This time with the gladiator was a Rockwood geopro that was fully stocked with water tanks full. The owner of the camper said it was probably close to 5k with how he had it loaded and filled. There were 2 adults and 2 kids in the jeep with all of our stuff and some extras. I have no airbags installed and no weight distribution hitch and use a teknosha p3 brake controller. There was a decent amount of squat, but nothing too crazy.
Towing on "city" streets was significantly easier than my tacoma mostly due to the auto trans. Neither vehicle felt like it couldn't get up and go and navigating utahs terrible drivers was easy, but the gladiator just felt more "solid" and able to maneuver easier. The freeway was also easier with the gladiator, although 65-70 was about all I was comfortable driving which made me a slow poke, but im used to that towing here. The gladiator stayed in 6th or 7th on the freeway almost the whole time and I was getting about 15mpg during that chunk. The tacoma was very similar except for when I'd get passed by another camper or semi where it would get pushed around a little more.
Once off the freeway we were on back roads and had a 3k elevation gain going over a 8k elevation pass. The gladiator handled this ok and dropped down to 2nd gear towards the top and I was struggling to maintain over 45 which was very similar to the tacoma. Again, the big difference was the transmission that made this easier in the gladiator. Down hills were easy for both with the brake controller and never felt uncomfortable. Down in capitol reef the spot we chose was down a relatively rough dirt road and the gladiator handled it no problem. When I had the tacoma on similar dirt roads I'd have to throw it in 4lo to handle the inclines without burning the clutch. The whole trip down I averaged 12mpg which was pretty much identical to the tacoma.
On the ride home we had an almost constant 20+ mph head and cross wind the whole ride with gusts that were higher which made it significantly more difficult for the gladiator and it had to work much harder. It did ok and only have a few white knuckle moments where the camper was tipping hard from the gusts. I averaged 8mpg on the way home due to the wind.
Overall I am happy with how it towed and am anxious to use a weight distribution hitch next time we head out since that made a pretty big difference in the tacoma. Hope this review helps someone else in the same situation as me.

Jeep Gladiator My towing review. UPDATE! Now with 37s! 20220409_134524


Jeep Gladiator My towing review. UPDATE! Now with 37s! Resized_20220406_182426


UPDATE! Recently I installed a lift and 37s and towed a camper down to Bryce canyon, so I figured this would add to my review for anyone looking to run 37s on stock 4.10 gears. The lift is the AEV 2 inch spacer lift with the rancho control arm drop brackets and the rims are method 305s with 37x12.5x17 patagonias. The wheels weighed roughly 90lbs each and measured 36.25 inches once mounted. I used a tazer mini to get everything calibrated and accurate. I kept my stock wheels to use for towing until I got around to a re-gear, but this trip was 75% on the freeway so I figured I'd see how good or bad it's like to tow with 37s and the 4.10s. Without towing the trailer I was averaging low to mid 16 mpg with the 37s.
The camper I pulled this time is a forester river mini lite model 1909s. The owner said its around 3300lbs dry and we had it filled with 40 gallons or fresh water and all our gear. He was confident it weighed in the low 4000s as it was setup. This time I used a weight distribution hitch and the trailer had a Bluetooth brake controller. The weather on the trip down to Bryce was about 102 and there was the normal 10 to 20 mph winds that are always in utah. The first half of the trip was very easy with the truck staying in either 5th 6th or 7th depending on the grade and speed and honestly didn't feel much different than stock...until I hit the first long incline. With the AC on hi and some constant headwind the truck struggled and dropped all the way to 2nd gear and about 45 mph going up the hill. Coolant temp shot up past the half mark and the trans temp got up to 210 and oil temp up to 240 before they all leveled off and the climb ended. These inclines continued for the last hour of the trip on the freeway and had me watching the gauges each time. Once off the freeway it was similar, but with slower speed limits it wasnt as tough on the truck. Once we got to Bryce we camped in the woods and the gladiator had no problem pulling the camper off road. The trip down I averaged 8mpg. On the way home I emptied the fresh, gray and black tanks before we hit the road to try to shed some weight. On the ride back to SLC the weather was mid 80s with spotty rain and on and off 20 mph winds that were mostly cross winds. Now I'm not sure if the inclines on the way back home were less steep or if the loss of the water weight helped or of the lower temps helped or all of the above, but the pull home was a much better experience and honestly felt very similar to stock. Coolant and trans and oil temp never got anywhere near what they did on the ride down and I was able to maintain a much more respectable speed on the freeway. I averaged just below 11 mpg on the way home. Overall it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm still leaning towards a regear, but this trip is making me question if I really need to. Hope this helps anyone in a similar situation.

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Hootbro

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Nice setup. Sounds like you had realistic expectations and allowed yourself decent margins for the capacity.
 

metalry101

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Awesome review.

I too have been very impressed with my Gladiator's towing performance. It definitely isn't a fullsize or a V8 powered rig, but I thought the stability was very good. I think towing is one place where the long wheelbase really helps.

How rough where the roads you were towing it down? Did it need the locker and/or low range? I'm looking at getting a trailer in that general size for similar use, but I'm worried that with 4-6K of dead weight behind me, the LSD and traction control aren't going to be enough.
 

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Partysub

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Awesome review.

I too have been very impressed with my Gladiator's towing performance. It definitely isn't a fullsize or a V8 powered rig, but I thought the stability was very good. I think towing is one place where the long wheelbase really helps.

How rough where the roads you were towing it down? Did it need the locker and/or low range? I'm looking at getting a trailer in that general size for similar use, but I'm worried that with 4-6K of dead weight behind me, the LSD and traction control aren't going to be enough.
The road wasn't terrible. It was a little rocky with some slight off camber. Nothing any truck couldn't handle. We wanted to get down to a lower spot but as I was trying to get down there it started to drag one of the stabilization jacks and I didn't want to rip one off. Unfortunately that ment I had to back up up-hill on a rutted dirt road and it did it fine in 2wd with a little wheel spin, 4wd would have been effortless.
 

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WDH will improve your experience with that rig. MPG is respectable for the terrain you were navigating and the type of driving.
With the automatic, in steep grades down, move the lever left and manually shift - you'll get engine braking if needed. I used engine braking a lot on Pike's Peak and never got the brakes even close to hot.

When properly driven and equipped, and not trying to set record times (following the Iowa towing speed limit of 65) these do quite well.

You'll be fine with your reasonable expectations and attention to detail like that.
 

metalry101

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The road wasn't terrible. It was a little rocky with some slight off camber. Nothing any truck couldn't handle. We wanted to get down to a lower spot but as I was trying to get down there it started to drag one of the stabilization jacks and I didn't want to rip one off. Unfortunately that ment I had to back up up-hill on a rutted dirt road and it did it fine in 2wd with a little wheel spin, 4wd would have been effortless.
That makes sense. I'm looking at some of the super hardcore Aussie import trailers too. The truck would be the limiting factor on those well before the camper would be. Sounds like the situation would be reversed most of the time with a GeoPro or similar.

With the automatic, in steep grades down, move the lever left and manually shift - you'll get engine braking if needed. I used engine braking a lot on Pike's Peak and never got the brakes even close to hot.
I second this. I do miss the Tow/Haul mode of my Titan where it would do this automatically, but doing it manually isn't hard and it does control speeds very well down the grades.
 

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While I was shopping for my gladiator one of the things I researched the most was towing reviews and noticed they were all over the place with opinions and not many really fit my scenario so after my first tow with my truck I figured I'd do my own review. My gladiator is a 22 mojave with auto trans and my only mods at the moment are ace rails, rugged ridge stubby bumper and uptop overland rack. My previous vehicle was an 18 tacoma trd offroad with the manual transmission. I live in utah and drove from SLC to capitol reef on back roads, the freeway and mountain passes, so a pretty good mix of everything. I'm aware that the gladiator isn't the ideal towing vehicle, but where I go we are boondocking with no services and take my vehicle on trails while down there, so I didn't want a bigger truck.
When I had my tacoma I pulled campers ranging from about 3k pounds (rpod) up to somewhere in the 5k pound area (sunset trail super lite) down to maob multiple times. This time with the gladiator was a Rockwood geopro that was fully stocked with water tanks full. The owner of the camper said it was probably close to 5k with how he had it loaded and filled. There were 2 adults and 2 kids in the jeep with all of our stuff and some extras. I have no airbags installed and no weight distribution hitch and use a teknosha p3 brake controller. There was a decent amount of squat, but nothing too crazy.
Towing on "city" streets was significantly easier than my tacoma mostly due to the auto trans. Neither vehicle felt like it couldn't get up and go and navigating utahs terrible drivers was easy, but the gladiator just felt more "solid" and able to maneuver easier. The freeway was also easier with the gladiator, although 65-70 was about all I was comfortable driving which made me a slow poke, but im used to that towing here. The gladiator stayed in 6th or 7th on the freeway almost the whole time and I was getting about 15mpg during that chunk. The tacoma was very similar except for when I'd get passed by another camper or semi where it would get pushed around a little more.
Once off the freeway we were on back roads and had a 3k elevation gain going over a 8k elevation pass. The gladiator handled this ok and dropped down to 2nd gear towards the top and I was struggling to maintain over 45 which was very similar to the tacoma. Again, the big difference was the transmission that made this easier in the gladiator. Down hills were easy for both with the brake controller and never felt uncomfortable. Down in capitol reef the spot we chose was down a relatively rough dirt road and the gladiator handled it no problem. When I had the tacoma on similar dirt roads I'd have to throw it in 4lo to handle the inclines without burning the clutch. The whole trip down I averaged 12mpg which was pretty much identical to the tacoma.
On the ride home we had an almost constant 20+ mph head and cross wind the whole ride with gusts that were higher which made it significantly more difficult for the gladiator and it had to work much harder. It did ok and only have a few white knuckle moments where the camper was tipping hard from the gusts. I averaged 8mpg on the way home due to the wind.
Overall I am happy with how it towed and am anxious to use a weight distribution hitch next time we head out since that made a pretty big difference in the tacoma. Hope this review helps someone else in the same situation as me.

Jeep Gladiator My towing review. UPDATE! Now with 37s! 20220723_074857


Jeep Gladiator My towing review. UPDATE! Now with 37s! 20220723_074857
those taco transmissions are long overdue for an upgrade...
 

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Nice review!!!
A piece of information I think others would like to have is payload for a FULLY FULLY loaded Sport S Max tow when they are looking at trailering since your tongue weight goes against payload.

I built a Sport S Max tow with every single package except smokers. Also got the spray in bedliner and Freedom top and side steps which adds weight. In the end as delivered it still has 1343 pounds of payload capacity which is not bad. I thought it would be worse due to all the options. The two of us are only 300 pounds of people so that leaves 1043 for tongue weight and cargo if maxed which of course is not a great idea. We are planning to stay under that :)

Hope that helps someone out there since many wonder what their payload might be on delivery of a massively loaded Sport S Max Tow and want to tow and have not ordered yet but are thinking of campers
 

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metalry101

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those taco transmissions are long overdue for an upgrade...
He had the manual trans. It's better than the manual in the Gladiator I'd guess. It's not limited to 4500 lbs towing. The 6 speed auto on the other hand...I'm glad they keep it around. It helps all the other awesome mid size trucks sell better because it's far and away the weakest link in that truck IMO.
 

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Thanks for your review. Its great info.
One thing to consider nexts time is to use the manual function of the transmission when on the highway.

It allows you to hold a lower gear on the flats. I recently towed about a 3000 lb box trailer. It was a pretty easy tow, I barely felt it around town. , but. because. of its frontal area it was decent work for the truck on the highway.

I found that leaving the transmission in 7th was more comfortable for the passengers and less annoying for me since it just stayed in one gear. Also, I find it more comfortable to pre-select the gear I'm going to use to climb a hill before I start going up the hill.

So in my case I was tooling along at 65ish in 7th and when I approached a hill I'd drop it into 6th and hold that until I crested.

Give it a try. you may like it. You may not. Ha. Either way, its not necessary. The truck does just fine in D.
 
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Partysub

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WDH will improve your experience with that rig. MPG is respectable for the terrain you were navigating and the type of driving.
With the automatic, in steep grades down, move the lever left and manually shift - you'll get engine braking if needed. I used engine braking a lot on Pike's Peak and never got the brakes even close to hot.

When properly driven and equipped, and not trying to set record times (following the Iowa towing speed limit of 65) these do quite well.

You'll be fine with your reasonable expectations and attention to detail like that.
Good tip, I'll try that next time
 
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Partysub

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Thanks for your review. Its great info.
One thing to consider nexts time is to use the manual function of the transmission when on the highway.

It allows you to hold a lower gear on the flats. I recently towed about a 3000 lb box trailer. It was a pretty easy tow, I barely felt it around town. , but. because. of its frontal area it was decent work for the truck on the highway.

I found that leaving the transmission in 7th was more comfortable for the passengers and less annoying for me since it just stayed in one gear. Also, I find it more comfortable to pre-select the gear I'm going to use to climb a hill before I start going up the hill.

So in my case I was tooling along at 65ish in 7th and when I approached a hill I'd drop it into 6th and hold that until I crested.

Give it a try. you may like it. You may not. Ha. Either way, its not necessary. The truck does just fine in D.
I had read that before and gave it a try on my ride home, but the wind was brutal so it wasn't helping much. I'll give it another try next time
 
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Partysub

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One thing I'll add to the review is the kids said the back seat was much better in the jeep because they had more room and could charge their switches while driving. The wife also preferred the jeep while we were on the trail. She said is was significantly more comfortable when offroading.
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