New 2021 Gladiator owner

[Tdanger]

Just picked up a 2021 gladiator sport willys Automatic with Tow package. I am planning on towing a travel trailer weighing 4800lbs dry. I plan on towing this dry and empty at least on my first run. It’s an 80 mile fairly flat trip. Gladiator is rated for 6000lbs I will be installing a brake controller beforehand. Any advice or concerns would be greatly appreciated to this gladiator newbie.

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[Jobofly]

Good brake controller and weight distribution hitch and take it slow. You will be fine towing that much.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

THIS trailer was almost exactly 4800 lbs loaded with a house full of furniture. Towed it last June from Seattle, WA to Atascadero, CA so well over 1000m miles. Not a single problem. My truck is A 2020 JT Rubicon. It's

totally stock.

I bought a Curt blue tooth brake controller and it worked flawlessly. Pricey for as small a unit as it is and I no long have a use for it but I didn't have time to install a hardwired brake controller before I left.

PS: I bought airbags for the rear of my truck but ran out of time to install them. They're still under my bench in the garage. I'll probably end up installing them at some time in the future before I sell it, ha ha.

 

[Hootbro]

Keep in mind the frontal area specs of what you are towing also. That data is in the owners manual and is often overlooked.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Just picked up a 2021 gladiator sport willys Automatic with Tow package. I am planning on towing a travel trailer weighing 4800lbs dry. I plan on towing this dry and empty at least on my first run. It’s an 80 mile fairly flat trip. Gladiator is rated for 6000lbs I will be installing a brake controller beforehand. Any advice or concerns would be greatly appreciated to this gladiator newbie.

4800 should be ok but like already said - watch the frontal area. It will tow like a heavier trailer. Weight is just part of it.
My worries are - that's 4800 pounds, empty, dry, with NO options. If you put any options in it - if you add a battery, LP tanks, any accessories that are not part of the basic trailer, that 4800 quickly becomes 5200 and more.
I tow 5,000 pounds and am ok - but I'd not tow a camper weighing over 5,000.
You say "at least on my first run" - so what about subsequent runs?
You need to think about those. IMO, by the time you put anything in it at all, and calculate the frontage area, you'll be wishing for a bigger truck.
I'd bet on it actually weighing over 4800 pounds already. Unless it's a stripped down model. Those weights are normally for the base model.

You'll be at 500 pound tongue weight (likely a bit more).

My thinking - pushing it. You are only talking dry weight.
Do you not have plans of ever actually using it?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

THIS trailer was almost exactly 4800 lbs loaded with a house full of furniture. Towed it last June from Seattle, WA to Atascadero, CA so well over 1000m miles. Not a single problem. My truck is A 2020 JT Rubicon. It's

totally stock.

I bought a Curt blue tooth brake controller and it worked flawlessly. Pricey for as small a unit as it is and I no long have a use for it but I didn't have time to install a hardwired brake controller before I left.

PS: I bought airbags for the rear of my truck but ran out of time to install them. They're still under my bench in the garage. I'll probably end up installing them at some time in the future before I sell it, ha ha.

Yeah, but he's talking "at least for his first trip" and the dry weight of a camper is for the basic model in most cases. At least any I've owned - add a TV, any accessories that aren't counted in that and suddenly you are over 5,000 pounds. And if he even plans on using it, he's going to be mid-5s. The tongue weight will be close to or at max.
If he's just hauling them back and forth for a dealer and only deals with dry weight, fine - but at some point that dry weight is no longer the issue - it's "I'm using it, have my food, clothes, pots and pans and coffee maker and...................... etc. etc. and now that 4800 seems so long ago.

 

[Jaxmax]

I've had a few campers, the early ones I was happy and dumb, but still did things like have twin 11 pound tanks for propane, when towing behind my scrambler. My two campers I own now and the one before clearly stated on the weight sticker that dry weight does included two full propane tanks, you should see that on your sticker on your camper, there is usually a second one in kitchen cabinet. Having propane figured into dry weight is huge because it is all right on the tongue usually, and in tongue weight calculation.
A camper of dry weight of 4800 lbs. will be 5800 lbs. real quick , and you should have some water in your figure as towing a camper where you can stop and use the toilet almost any where is nice, I tow often with a full water tank when going to places without hookups along with a second battery. You should never have to assume all three tanks are full, if your fresh water is say 25 gallons use that in your number it will still be in your camper as you use just in the other two tanks. That will be a lot to tow go slow get a good WD hitch, with sway and I like my Mopar trailer controller....Jack

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