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So, what is everybody towing?

XJADDICTION

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I don’t have the MaxTow pkg, and I tow my Retro 135 without any problems at all. My mileage is terrible — I average about 11 mpg or so — but the truck itself handles just fine. What is it about yours that you consider to be “really bad” ref towing?

6884ABD9-A0CF-4EC1-B929-06BC898641AB.jpeg
My wife wants this trailer and is one reason I switched from a red JKUHR to the Max Tow in red. We love that tt. How do you like yours?
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Ferg

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My wife wants this trailer and is one reason I switched from a red JKUHR to the Max Tow in red. We love that tt. How do you like yours?
I love it! It's easy to tow, VERY easy to park, and it's a breeze to maneuver in traffic. Of particular importance to me here in Texas, the A/C will turn the cabin into a deep freeze in about five minutes ... and keep it that way. :)

If it's just you and the wife, it's fine. If you have more than just two of you, though, I would go bigger!
 

Bagwell

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20 foot trailer and 2 UTVs to northern Wisconsin. Gas mileage wasn’t pretty but she did a nice job. About 5000lbs trailer/machines.

257759A1-F93C-4B91-9BF0-2A700A71C469.jpeg
 

mtpokets

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Forest River: Rockwood Mini Lite 2109s.
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Forest River: Rockwood Mini Lite 2109s.
Jeep Gladiator So, what is everybody towing? 20201010_130108
Jeep Gladiator So, what is everybody towing? 20201010_130108
Jeep Gladiator So, what is everybody towing? 20201010_130108
Hey Landoz, the Wife and I are waiting for the call to pick ours up. I am curious if you have the offroad package on your 2109s or if this is the stock height? How does it pull and do you have any tips or suggestions for pulling behind the Jeep? Nice setup BTW..
 

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LandoZ

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Hey Landoz, the Wife and I are waiting for the call to pick ours up. I am curious if you have the offroad package on your 2109s or if this is the stock height? How does it pull and do you have any tips or suggestions for pulling behind the Jeep? Nice setup BTW..
Hey Jeff(mtpokets), the trailer is stock height. As far as impressions towing, we have only taken it out once on a 140 mile round trip. The Gladiator is equipped with a 6spd manual transmission. First and foremost, we will be looking into getting another Ram 1500 to tow this TT. Back to the first impressions. The Gladiator handles the travel trailer fine. We used a weight distribution hitch and a sway control kit. Wind gusts were not too bad, topped out about 15-20mph. There was never any sway. On the express way several semis passed us with no drama. For breaking we used a Curt Spectrum break controller. Breaking was excellent, I did have to get on them hard at one point and the truck/trailer came to a stop quickly with no issues. As far as the engine/drivetrain combination. Much is left to be desired especially with the manual transmission. Power was adequate, not great. For the transmission I was limited to 4th gear at around 65mph. 5th gear was in accessible, it would not maintain speed. If your Gladiator is equipped with an automatic transmission; you will be fine. As far as tips/recommendations. I would agree with everyone else. Use a weight distribution hitch, sway control kit and a break controller. I would also highly recommend Air Lift bags or Summo Springs to tighten up the rear suspension. It feels way too soft when towing. With that said, I will still be towing the trailer with the Gladiator on a few more short distanced trips we have planned. We won’t go on any long distance trips until we trade our Discovery Sport for a larger truck.

PS... We were slightly under GCVWR at 9912lbs.
 
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DobaMark

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I towed a 6x12 enclosed U-Haul trailer when I moved from Pittsburgh to North Georgia two weeks ago. I didn't weigh it, but I'm sure I was well under my tow rating. What I considered mild steering issues were really tiring with the trailer out back (full or empty, didn't matter). Yes, my gas mileage sucked and I went from 70% oil life to 55% oil life in those 700 miles.

I really wish I'd gotten the steering box replaced before the trip. It would have been an easier drive.
 

mtpokets

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Hey Jeff(mtpokets), the trailer is stock height. As far as impressions towing, we have only taken it out once on a 140 mile round trip. The Gladiator is equipped with a 6spd manual transmission. First and foremost, we will be looking into getting another Ram 1500 to tow this TT. Back to the first impressions. The Gladiator handles the travel trailer fine. We used a weight distribution hitch and a sway control kit. Wind gusts were not too bad, topped out about 15-20mph. There was never any sway. On the express way several semis passed us with no drama. For breaking we used a Curt Spectrum break controller. Breaking was excellent, I did have to get on them hard at one point and the truck/trailer came to a stop quickly with no issues. As far as the engine/drivetrain combination. Much is left to be desired especially with the manual transmission. Power was adequate, not great. For the transmission I was limited to 4th gear at around 65mph. 5th gear was in accessible, it would not maintain speed. If your Gladiator is equipped with an automatic transmission; you will be fine. As far as tips/recommendations. I would agree with everyone else. Use a weight distribution hitch, sway control kit and a break controller. I would also highly recommend Air Lift bags or Summo Springs to tighten up the rear suspension. It feels way too soft when towing. With that said, I will still be towing the trailer with the Gladiator on a few more short distanced trips we have planned. We won’t go on any long distance trips until we trade our Discovery Sport for a larger truck.
Thank you, Orlando for the detailed info. We expect our TT to be ready for pick up in November and wanted to get your perspective since you are pulling the same model and with a like truck. Although we do have the 8-speed transmission, we are currently stock, and experience a bit of gear hunting between 7th and 8th when loaded with camping gear. I am thinking of re-gearing to help with this issue, which I think could help the engine out a bit. I opted for the off-road package when we ordered the TT, which adds 2" of height with offroad tires as we expect to boon-dock a lot when we go on our trips off the beaten path. I was also concerned about the rear "Bouncy" feel we have when loaded, which you have also confirmed. I was planning on adding either stiffer springs, Falcon adjustable ride shocks, or airbags. I think I may start with the shocks since they are a quick install, but time and feel for this will tow setup will determine what I wind up with. I agree with the WDH and brake controller for sure. Which WDH did you decide on and is it pretty simple to set up and use?
For braking, I was waiting for the Mopar brake controller to ship, but it seems like it will be sometime before they are actually shipped and delivered to those who already attempted purchasing them. I will be going with some other brand since I and currently getting everything ready for the call to pick it up.
 

mtpokets

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I towed a 6x12 enclosed U-Haul trailer when I moved from Pittsburgh to North Georgia two weeks ago. I didn't weigh it, but I'm sure I was well under my tow rating. What I considered mild steering issues were really tiring with the trailer out back (full or empty, didn't matter). Yes, my gas mileage sucked and I went from 70% oil life to 55% oil life in those 700 miles.

I really wish I'd gotten the steering box replaced before the trip. It would have been an easier drive.
Hi Mark, Thanks for the reply, yes I agree with the steering gear replacement before attempting to tow anything. I am on the list for the replacement. My steering box is in and waiting to be installed, but they can't get the 4 replacement bolts. I would not attempt to tow anything until this has been replaced, as the wandering is unnerving when empty.
 

LandoZ

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Thank you, Orlando for the detailed info. We expect our TT to be ready for pick up in November and wanted to get your perspective since you are pulling the same model and with a like truck. Although we do have the 8-speed transmission, we are currently stock, and experience a bit of gear hunting between 7th and 8th when loaded with camping gear. I am thinking of re-gearing to help with this issue, which I think could help the engine out a bit. I opted for the off-road package when we ordered the TT, which adds 2" of height with offroad tires as we expect to boon-dock a lot when we go on our trips off the beaten path. I was also concerned about the rear "Bouncy" feel we have when loaded, which you have also confirmed. I was planning on adding either stiffer springs, Falcon adjustable ride shocks, or airbags. I think I may start with the shocks since they are a quick install, but time and feel for this will tow setup will determine what I wind up with. I agree with the WDH and brake controller for sure. Which WDH did you decide on and is it pretty simple to set up and use?
For braking, I was waiting for the Mopar brake controller to ship, but it seems like it will be sometime before they are actually shipped and delivered to those who already attempted purchasing them. I will be going with some other brand since I and currently getting everything ready for the call to pick it up.
No problem, glad I could give some input. We are using a Curt Round Bar Weight Distribution Hitch UPC: 612314170524. It is very easy to setup and use. Also, inexpensive compared to other weight distribution hitches. I was also waiting on the MOPAR controller, but I am happy with the Curt Spectrum. Personally, it looks like a clean install. Not quite as clean as the factory controller will look but still not bad.

20201009_194923.jpg
 

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Hey Jeff(mtpokets), the trailer is stock height. As far as impressions towing, we have only taken it out once on a 140 mile round trip. The Gladiator is equipped with a 6spd manual transmission. First and foremost, we will be looking into getting another Ram 1500 to tow this TT. Back to the first impressions. The Gladiator handles the travel trailer fine. We used a weight distribution hitch and a sway control kit. Wind gusts were not too bad, topped out about 15-20mph. There was never any sway. On the express way several semis passed us with no drama. For breaking we used a Curt Spectrum break controller. Breaking was excellent, I did have to get on them hard at one point and the truck/trailer came to a stop quickly with no issues. As far as the engine/drivetrain combination. Much is left to be desired especially with the manual transmission. Power was adequate, not great. For the transmission I was limited to 4th gear at around 65mph. 5th gear was in accessible, it would not maintain speed. If your Gladiator is equipped with an automatic transmission; you will be fine. As far as tips/recommendations. I would agree with everyone else. Use a weight distribution hitch, sway control kit and a break controller. I would also highly recommend Air Lift bags or Summo Springs to tighten up the rear suspension. It feels way too soft when towing. With that said, I will still be towing the trailer with the Gladiator on a few more short distanced trips we have planned. We won’t go on any long distance trips until we trade our Discovery Sport for a larger truck.

PS... We were slightly under GCVWR at 9912lbs.
What Weight Distribution Hitch did you use? Do you know the "ready to go" weight of your trailer or the empty weight?

Bob
 

LandoZ

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What Weight Distribution Hitch did you use? Do you know the "ready to go" weight of your trailer or the empty weight?

Bob
I am using https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution-Hitch/Curt/C17052.html.
Dry Weight is 4171 lbs
Dry Tongue Weight is 412 lbs
I loaded everything we took with us in the trailer and then setup the weight distribution hitch. We did not fill the freshwater tank. Filling the tank would of set us way above the weight requirements for a manual transmission Gladiator.
 

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