Rubicon difference with and without trailer tow package

[ZTMAN]

Looks great. By the way, you better go back to the dealer and get another one. You are not getting that one back.

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[macgyvr]

Looks great. By the way, you better go back to the dealer and get another one. You are not getting that one back.

LOL

She has 18 months left on her F150 lease and she can decide then...

mac 'this one is mine' gyvr

 

[Mark Doiron]

Well I decided the right deal didn't matter and I bought it on Black Friday...

Then my wife who can barely be pulled from her F150 wanted to drive it home...

mac 'so I let her' gyvr

Nice Jeep! Too late to bring this up for your (possible) benefit, but do you have Trailer Hitch Zoom? That is not a part of all Gladiator models. Also, do you have the seven pin wiring connector? And is your hitch a Class IV? Finally, aftermarket hitches built into bumpers are typically are not rated for towing. That is, they may have a hitch, but have rarely been officially tested and assigned a rating. You're at risk if you assume the vehicle rating applies to an aftermarket hitch, and then you have a trailer incident.

 

[macgyvr]

Yes it has trailer hitch zoom, 7 pin/4pin wiring.
It has the class 2 bumper hitch. I have a mopar class IV ordered that will be here later this week. Not doing aftermarket bumper.

mac 'will be rated for 7k' gyvr

 

[dstephns]

Finally buried in that 3rd video we get some good info. Thanks for finding and posting that @WXman

SO, given that it's a bigger fan, bigger alternator, and a hitch, it would be worth it to check the box when ordering. But if you find the right deal that doesn't have it, it's not necessarily a deal breaker...

I may tow a mildly built 5.9 ZJ with it from time to time and would be under the 7k tow rating.

I do like the idea of having a hitch that is higher than the stock hitch, due to that departure angle. He even wacked his hitch in that last video. I just was concerned about loosing towing performance w/o the trailer tow package.

mac 'decisions, decisions' gyvr

I believe with Rubicon and Max Tow you also get a wider axle than the standard without.

 

[WXman]

Rubicon gets the 12,450 GCWR and 7,000 towing capacity regardless of whether it's ordered with towing package or not. This is not true of the other trims. So you're in good shape.

Gator with soft top? That's so militant. I like.

 

[macgyvr]

Gator with soft top? That's so militant. I like.

Sting Gray

mac ‘the color spoke to me’ gyvr

 

[xpcdoojk]

Well I decided the right deal didn't matter and I bought it on Black Friday...

Then my wife who can barely be pulled from her F150 wanted to drive it home...

mac 'so I let her' gyvr

Is that a Gobi?

JC

 

[DarkAardvark]

Wait, all gladiators come with a second battery? Nice. I was planning on adding one, but if it already has one...

What does it have in terms of battery management? Are they just stuck together in parallel or is there some smart switching to have one for the starter and one for accessories and such?

 

[WXman]

Wait, all gladiators come with a second battery? Nice. I was planning on adding one, but if it already has one...

What does it have in terms of battery management? Are they just stuck together in parallel or is there some smart switching to have one for the starter and one for accessories and such?

Yes, all the JL and JT models have dual batteries. Unfortunately, the aux battery is sort of like a small motorcycle battery and it's prone to failure. It's also a PITA to access. So when you have to replace it, I'd suggest upgrading. There is also a Hall Effect sensor on the negative battery cable and a lot of fancy relays and wiring to control battery management. If you need to disconnect power to work on the Jeep, it's important to read the manual and do it by the book.

 

[smlobx]

Yes, all the JL and JT models have dual batteries. Unfortunately, the aux battery is sort of like a small motorcycle battery and it's prone to failure. It's also a PITA to access. So when you have to replace it, I'd suggest upgrading. There is also a Hall Effect sensor on the negative battery cable and a lot of fancy relays and wiring to control battery management. If you need to disconnect power to work on the Jeep, it's important to read the manual and do it by the book.

like WXman said above the second battery is not a normal battery. It is used to power electronics when the engine shuts off at a stop light etc..

If you want to really install a true dual battery set up Genesis Off-road sells a very well thought out kit. It’s not cheap but it is the best out there..

 

[hjdca]

like WXman said above the second battery is not a normal battery. It is used to power electronics when the engine shuts off at a stop light etc..

If you want to really install a true dual battery set up Genesis Off-road sells a very well thought out kit. It’s not cheap but it is the best out there..

That is so cool ! I love it ! What a great setup ! Definitely on my long term list.

 

[Nolan]

That is so cool ! I love it ! What a great setup ! Definitely on my long term list.

I sent them an email and they will sell the bracket only for $200 if you want to use your own electronics. I'm installing a BCDC from Redarc for the ability to integrate solar into the equation, so I really didn't want the electronics in their package (although it looks like it will do the job if you don't need solar.)
f

 

[smlobx]

I sent them an email and they will sell the bracket only for $200 if you want to use your own electronics. I'm installing a BCDC from Redarc for the ability to integrate solar into the equation, so I really didn't want the electronics in their package (although it looks like it will do the job if you don't need solar.)
f

please explain the integration of solar into your system.
I want to do that as well as I already have a foldable solar panel ...

 

[Nolan]

please explain the integration of solar into your system.
I want to do that as well as I already have a foldable solar panel ...

Sure. I don't have it installed yet, so this is all theoretical until the parts get here. But the plan is to use the Redarc BCDC 1240 system for power management. It is an Australian outfit that has been making power solutions for the 4x4 market there for years.

Their description of the product is:
The REDARC BCDC1240D is a 12V, 40A In-vehicle DC to DC Battery Charger designed to keep your auxiliary battery charged when driving or with portable solar panels when parked. It uses multi-stage DC-DC charging, a system that allows optimum charging levels for your auxiliary battery.

It includes MPPT for managing solar arrays, and smartly uses power first from solar, then the batteries, switching the cranking battery off when it reaches a preset voltage level.

This YT video does a good job explaining it all.



I've not used it yet, so this is definitely not an endorsement. But based on everything I've read and researched, it is the best way to do this out there right now. I'm totally willing to be proven wrong on the, particularly if it happens before I buy it!

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