RV Towing with heavy load question

[brsnow2585]

Just got back from a 2 week 2,500 mile trip flat towing my Mojave X with bike in the bed, including 4 days in Sturgis. First trip with new ramp. And first trip with new 2025 Mojave X.. Had the same tow setup on my previous Rubicon X.

Pictures attached.

A lot below, short story is worked well. No issues with wind, went over mountain passes in several states. It’s about making sure the tow capacity of the RV is heavy enough for weight of gladiator/bike, having the proper spec‘d tow bar for wieght of jeep/bike, and keeping as much weight as possible off the back of the truck bed.

it squatted the back shocks more than I wanted, but never rubbed. Took it slow over bumps and gas station driveways. Expect much better with 33” or 35” tires.

Initially wanted a bike lift on back of RV but 5 of 6 local weld shops do not install anymore for liability reasons saying hard bump, etc lift may break off RV, too much potential of catastrophic results for vehicle behind you. Likely voids chassis warranty on RV. My insurance is outstanding with Chubb and they couldn’t guarantee coverage from a lift failure. Too bad, I really wanted a lift. The last weld shop does the lift but at least for me it wasn’t worth the stress.

Many months of research ended with Loadall brand ramp system. They have a model specific to the gladiator’s 44” width between wheel wells. https://loadall.com/products/jeep-gladiator-1

pros:
1/3 the price of hydraulic lift (I’m including $3.5K-$4K install quote)
1,300 lb capacity. My bike is 925 lbs
No weight on tailgate
Bike weight is distributed evenly on ramp platform, touch points on the loadall to truck bed is very front of truck bed, over the top of the axels, and near the back of the truck bed.
Drive bike up a wide 44” ramp
Good ramp traction even when wet
When bike is out of truck, the ramp slides forward so you can close the tailgate.

cons
Heavier at 240 lbs
I’m 5’ 8” and at apex of ramp, my feet don’t touch the ground. On my flat driveway and with 37” tires and 2 1/2” stock Mojave X lift… ramp is steep. Scared the crap out of me and my wife first time. 2nd-10th time easy to find a slight slope or hill somewhere that made it very easy and not scary. Probably ok if over 6’ tall person.
Drilling 4 holes for bolts in the truck bed
Took about 4 hours to assemble and install, putting nuts on bolts while laying on the ground was tight but doable.
Don’t want ramp in bed when not doing a bike trip, so have to disassemble everything (30 minutes). Reassemble is also only 30 minutes.
My tonneau cover was an inch too fat, had to remove for the trip but only 2 bolts, 10 minute job.

Stopped at Rapid City Harley and Loadall had a booth during the rally. I talked to the main guy, super nice and helpful with the initial shipping and install. I highly recommend their tie-down straps.

For tow package, Roadmaster Nighthawk. They have base plates for Rubicon and Mojave, both X and non X. I like because the base plate wraps around both sides of each frame, where blue ox is one side of each frame (I think). Had to get a 4” hitch raiser to keep tow bar flat to my higher jeep bumper. No issues.

My former Rubicon was totaled while I was towing it at highway speed. I strongly believe the tow bar assembly kept the jeep connected to my RV at side impact because of the Roadmaster baseplate being wrapped around each frame. Cannot say blue ox wouldn’t do the same, but crash made me a Roadmaster fan for life.

I have Mojave X with stock steel bumper, winch ready. Previously Roadmaster did not have a base plate for Mojave X because the shock reservoir was in the way. And if a winch, that was in the way.

I live near the Roadmaster factory and donated my gladiator for a month. They designed a new baseplate using my gladiator, so they now have base plates for Mojave and Mojave X, with and without a winch. I have a winch. They have always had the Rubicon base plate. Cannot say enough nice things about their people including the R&D team.

https://fitmaster.roadmasterinc.com...rs=2025&make=JEEP&model=GLADIATOR&type=direct

Your gladdy looks a little grumpy with the bike on the back, squatting in the back

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