Sanity Check: Four-Wheeling/Towing Setup

[Hasemano]

Towing Gurus -

Over the past year of JTR ownership, I researched quite a bit with my Gladiator. My base vehicle is a JTR with 6-speed manual, towing capacity 4,500 lbs. per Jeep in stock format. Last year, due to the excellent guidance on this forum, I decided on a 3.5" lift (Metalcloak), a ton of skid plates (everything Metalcloak offers plus Rock Hard 4x4 for front LCAs or shocks - can't recall), and also now run 17" RC steel wheels with 37x12.5 A/T (AT3W). The truck was primarily to see light towing and mostly used for wheeling in CO and on UT trips. Because of the towing potential, I re-geared to 5.38 rather than the more highly recommended 5.10 or 4.88. No regrets whatsoever on the 5.38 by the way. Add in an RSI Smart Cap and an iKamper Skycamp 3.0 Mini rooftop tent for occasional camping use. There's also a heavier steel front bumper and 12K winch involved.

I'm also a race car guy and separately have a Featherlite trailer (3110) weighing in at 1,350 lbs. I recently went to a more lightweight car for track duty and a new race car build that will ultimately weigh in at 2,800 lbs. or less, which is a significant reduction from my prior vehicles (500 lbs. or more).

Now I'm thinking -with the lighter race car - why maintain a second truck for towing and not just tow with the Gladiator, when I could also potentially sleep in it and have a portable kitchen (with the RSI Smart Cap kitchen drawer accessory) to go along with it for overnights at tracks to which I travel?

In summary, we have:

JTR 6-speed stock towing = 4,500 lbs.
RSI Smart Cap Sport = 200 lbs. (approx.)
iKamper Skycamp Mini 3.0 = 125 lbs. (approx.)
Extra wheels/tires/race day and truck tools/kitchen drawer/side drawer/fridge = 500 lbs. (approx.)
Figure 1-2 occupants = 350 lbs. (approx.)
Extra skid plates = 350 lbs. (approx.)

Trailer = 1,350 lbs.
Car = 2,800 lbs. maximum.

The math is pretty easy to figure out. Temporarily ignoring the figures purely on paper, and also turning a blind eye to conventional advice regarding deductions for altitude (I'm in CO), is this sane or is it beyond reason, considering towing and payload capacity, and any miscellaneous towing considerations (e.g., regarding springs, difference in towing due to suspension modification etc.)?

Thanks in advance.

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[O-Face]

I'd start by loading the truck down with everything that you would be taking (or as much of the unknown weight items you mentioned) sans the trailer/car and run it across a local CAT Scale to get your steer & drive axle weights. This will give you a much better idea of what you are starting out with and make the math a little less fuzzy. Looking at the numbers you already provided, you most likely will be over your GVWR and possibly, depending on tongue weight of the loaded trailer, way over your drive axle weight due to your camping setup. As someone who also lives in the mountains, you need to think about brakes too. That's a lot of mass to stop and it'll work the OEM setup over in a heartbeat.

I'm with you on wanting to have the capability to take what you want where you want but it's not worth risking a wreck to me... Especially if I have another option.

 

[antwon412]

The camper and trailer together is way over what a gladiator can handle safely.

 

[bd100]

Our 3.6L 6-speed 3.73 gears 32" tires with a load of camping gear, food, water, recovery stuff, cap, plus a 2,000lb trailer in tow, going up the Glenwood Canyon pass, could wind out 2nd gear just fine out to 45MPH or so, but 3rd could barely accel, so I was stuck at 40-45MPH in 2nd much of the time.

With steeper gearing it would finish 2nd at a lower speed, but then 3rd would have a better chance of pulling faster.

Rough math comparing our vehicles:

5.38 / 3.73 for gears = 1.44 times more torque advantage for you due to gearing
32 / 37 = .86 times the torque due to tire diameter
(Combined they make a 1.44*.86 = 1.24 advantage for you.)

(5000lb + 2000lb) / (5000lb + 1300 + 2800) = 7000 / 9100 = .76 times disadvantage due to weight, not counting cargo

So around 1.44 * .86 * .76 = .94, so I expect your current combination to be a little worse than mine at climbing those mountain passes once you get into third gear.

And you could be stuck in 2nd gear at around 45MPH * 3.73/5.38 * 37/32 = 36.1 MPH, which is the approximate shift point with all that steep gearing despite the taller tires.

By the way, a concern I always have with trailering in the mountains is the downhill. Engine braking only goes so far, then you have to hit the brake pedal. The trailer should have its own brakes, but how much before do they overheat? In our case they're 10" drums.

 

[ALT2870]

What in the world is Glenwood Canyon pass? You talking about Vail Pass or the grade up to the tunnels? Surely not the canyon since it's flat. Back to the OP agree with the second comment that you are way over weight with all your mods.

 

[Hasemano]

Cool - thanks for the replies. My expectation was that it was not a “solvable equation” but wanted to confirm.

 

[bd100]

Yea, I was going off memory. Glenwood Canyon is in the west end of the fun and games of the I70 corridor out of Denver. It's an awesome drive, but a pain when you are stuck in the slow lane with the flashers running.

It was even more fun in the "old days" before the I70 update. You used to be down really close to the river.

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