So, what is everybody towing?

[mdbrock7]

Just landed in Colorado from Asheville, NC. About 1,400 miles. Jeep was loaded with my two small kids, dog, generator and tools. Trailer dry is 5,300# with added accessories and had about another 600-700# loaded. Max tow with Curt Spectrum. Just turned 6k miles on the Jeep. Took it slow and steady. Stability is definitely not like a full size, but the motor and tranny are awesome. Traded my super duty to get back into a Jeep, no regrets. If I towed more often, I would definitely downsize the trailer. We will be camping in the same spot for a few months, so the extra space is worth it though.

I have a trailer that is roughly the same weight. Would I have any problems pulling it through the Asheville mountains with a max tow Gladiator? There are some sites there we are looking to visit

Sponsored

 

[Phljeeper]

valley trailer 3500 lbs 1200lbs Tennessee walker and 900lbs American paint saddles , harnesses , ect 100lbs of sweetfeed . 6.5k total

Can you share more about the 5th whee setup in the truck?

 

[jdwhichard]

Can you share more about the 5th whee setup in the truck?

ok since curt stated they dont make a fifth wheel set up for the gladiator i contacted reese which was 40 less that the curt univeral underbed frame, its the same frame form curt .
https://www.reesehitches.com/products/Universal_Gooseneck_Mounting_Kit,RHI-1
curt 61100 from autozone with 20% off must be used because off rhe crossmember and the axle reinforce under the bed to axle will not bottom out on the bed .
Curt Over-Bed Fixed Ball Gooseneck Hitch - 30,000 lbs C61100

since the mopar brake controller is unavailable till feb 2021 from the dealer or online, i purchased the curt 51170 from Camping world with the gladiator plug.
https://www.campingworld.com/curt-spectrum-brake-control--117226.html
i will post photos of the install the trailer is just setting in the spot for the ball . you must have a underbed frame bolted not welded as im sure welding will void all electronic warranties and the bed is too weak to mount it just in the bed . First time you hit the brake hard its going to go threw the back glass . Fifth wheel setup is the same must have the underbed frame mounted on the frame . Im going to try also to tie it in the the crossmember right in front of the rear axle with this setup the hitch setup is rated for 30k lbs with is far above the the 8126 lbs my gladiator is rated for per build sheet with 4.10 max tow package and the 7600 lbs jeep advertises and perfect for my 6k full loaded horse trailer . if i ever tow a fifth wheel setup i would purchase the following with can be mount to the same fame .
https://www.autozone.com/fifth-whee...o-17in-q24-hitch-fifth-wheel-hitch/340601_0_0

 

[Phljeeper]

ok since curt stated they dont make a fifth wheel set up for the gladiator i contacted reese which was 40 less that the curt univeral underbed frame, its the same frame form curt .
https://www.reesehitches.com/products/Universal_Gooseneck_Mounting_Kit,RHI-1
i wanted a folding ball so cheapest i could find that i liked was the curt 61052 from autozone with 20% off
https://www.autozone.com/towing/goo...gooseneck-trailer-hitch-61052/993566_872044_0
since the mopar brake controller is unavailable till feb 2021 form the dealer or online, i purchased the curt 51170 from Camping world with the gladiator plug.
https://www.campingworld.com/curt-spectrum-brake-control--117226.html
i will post photos of the install the trailer is just setting in the spot for the ball . you must have a underbed frame bolted not welded as im sure welding will void all electronic warranties and the bed is too weak to mount it just in the bed . First time you hit the brake hard its going to go threw the back glass . Fifth wheel setup is the same must have the underbed frame mounted on the frame . Im going to try also to tie it in the the crossmember right in front of the rear axle with this setup the hitch setup is rated for 30k lbs with is far above the the 8126 lbs my gladiator is rated for per build sheet with 4.10 max tow package and the 7600 lbs jeep advertises and perfect for my 6k full loaded horse trailer .

Very cool setup! Thank you for the added details.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Would love to see the 8126 on a build sheet - the sticker on the door frame is the legal limit as far as weights.
You are talking 500 pounds heavier than a base Sport S no options at all other than max tow.

 

[FLUndertaker]

valley trailer 3500 lbs 1200lbs Tennessee walker and 900lbs American paint saddles , harnesses , ect 100lbs of sweetfeed . 6.5k total

Nice. Who makes a gooseneck hitch for a JT? Does the gooseneck provide a greater tow rating than off the rear hitch?

 

[jdwhichard]

Nice. Who makes a gooseneck hitch for a JT? Does the gooseneck provide a greater tow rating than off the rear hitch?

well jeep only rates the gladiator for towing off the rear hitch but they should also include fifth wheel towing as a option , just like the f250 that it replaced . Ford rates both something like 8k at the hitch and like up to 25k fifth wheel , since the weight of the towed trailer is in front of the rear axle and places the weight on both axles . I know the gladiator will never tow as much as my old F250 with 5.4 4.10 gearing and 4 speed trans. It could tow really close to the same amount which ill never do but you must have good brakes on your trailer with a good brake controller . I hope since its is tied in the computers antilock brake system i will have antilock brake on my trailer but we will see in the test after i have everything correct . i will not have my horses in the trailer at the time as i will not place my babies in danger ill substitute their weight with 50lbs bags of sweet feed and check the stopping distance at 50 mph. the f250 weighs 1500 lbs more than the gladiator so it should have the advantage of braking power but we will see .

 

[ShadowsPapa]

...............with a good brake controller . I hope since its is tied in the computers antilock brake system i will have antilock brake on my trailer but we will see in the test after i have everything correct . .................

What brake controller could possibly tie into your antilock brakes? To do that there MUST BE A SENSOR on the wheel detecting wheel speed.
Antilock brakes have a sensor on EVERY wheel. If that one wheel is a certain percentage slower than the other wheels, the brakes let up on that wheel to let it roll again. It basically ensures all wheels are turning within a percentage of the speed of the other wheels.
NO brake controller can possibly tie into a vehicles anti-lock brakes. It's impossible. It's a whole system of solenoid valves and sensors on the wheels.

You would have to have sensors on the trailer wheels to detect their rotation and a distinct wire to each trailer wheel (they are electric unless you have electric over hydraulic)

In short - you can't connect a vehicle anti-lock brakes to a trailer. And no controller actually ties into the vehicle's brake system.

 

[jdwhichard]

well jeep only rates the gladiator for towing off the rear hitch but they should also include fifth wheel towing as a option , just like the f250 that it replaced . Ford rates both something like 8k at the hitch and like up to 25k fifth wheel , since the weight of the towed trailer is in front of the rear axle and places the weight on both axles . I know the gladiator will never tow as much as my old F250 with 5.4 4.10 gearing and 4 speed trans. It could tow really close to the same amount which ill never do but you must have good brakes on your trailer with a good brake controller . I hope since its is tied in the computers antilock brake system i will have antilock brake on my trailer but we will see in the test after i have everything correct . i will not have my horses in the trailer at the time as i will not place my babies in danger ill substitute their weight with 50lbs bags of sweet feed and check the stopping distance at 50 mph. the f250 weighs 1500 lbs more than the gladiator so it should have the advantage of braking power but we will see .

 

[ShadowsPapa]

if the trailer locks up it should put more force on the front brakes on the gladiator causing them to surge . that is probably why mopar keeps delaying their release of the brake controller but im no engineer

No, anti-lock brakes have no connection to the delay of the brake controller.

If the trailer brakes lock, the trailer tires slide. Period. It pulls on the tow vehicle, slowing it, and all 4 tow vehicle wheels will slow at the same rate. There will be nothing, zero, zip, to unlock the trailer brakes. You handle that by turning the knob on the controller, reducing electric power to the trailer brakes reducing trailer brake force. There is no surge as you say. What surge? In what or of what?
No, more force will NOT be put on the front of the truck - in fact, the opposite as the trailer will drag the truck back, pulling on it.
There will not be any anti-lock trailer brake control - it's just not possible and not going to happen.
I have done brakes of all sorts for 40 years. I know how all sorts of brakes work and the principals on existing anti-lock brake systems and how trailer brakes work (electric solenoid types, or electric over hydraulic)
Anti-lock vehicle brakes again, use sensors. If a wheel stops rotating faster than the others, the braking force is reduced by those chattering valves in the box under the hood that has all the brake lines going to it.
There's nothing in the tow vehicle system to sense trailer brake application.
I don't know where you got the word "surge" from but no, the tow vehicle brakes will not surge!
In fact, nothing at all will happen to the tow vehicle (in this case the Gladiator) brakes. Not a thing.
Trailer brake controllers do not connect to the truck brakes in any fashion at all - there is zero link, not a single thing connecting them together - nothing at all.
The tow vehicle has no clue if the trailer brakes have locked - there's nothing there to say they have locked. And if they had, so what? The tow vehicle brakes are not connected.
I'm not sure where you got the idea the brake systems were connected in any way.
A trailer brake controller senses SPEED and DIRECTION. It's sort of like the seat belt reels that have the hanging weights. As the vehicle slows, the weights move and lock the seat belts.
In the trailer brake controllers, there are accelerometers that sense vehicle speed, acceleration and deceleration. As the vehicle slows, the trailer brake controller you OR JEEP installs senses that slow down and applies the trailer brakes by sending power to them.
That's it.
No trailer brake controller will tap into your truck's brake system.
The only way OTHER than the accelerometers inside the controller box that they know if brakes are applied is they sense the BRAKE LIGHT wire signal. When you touch the brake pedal and the brake lights come on, the trailer brake controller knows this.
But that is NOT a connection to the tow vehicle's brake system.
There will be no surge, no connection, no way.

So in short, you will not now nor will you ever have antilock trailer brakes when you tow with any truck now or in the near future. No one has, no one will, and no trailer brake controller can do such a thing - not even what FCA is waiting for.
It simply is IMPOSSIBLE.

 

[jdwhichard]

so there is no difference in the any brake controller they are all Proportional with manual lockup .
Man someone could make a mint if they could design such a device i dont know about rear tow but i know fifth wheels place more pressure on the front brakes than the rear brakes . since i tow both a fifth wheel and a flatbed and you can fell the difference when stopping. there is ABS brakes system for trailers with hydraulic .
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/Tuson-RV-Brakes/335ABS-DLNE-1000.html

 

[eaglerugby04]

Would love to see the 8126 on a build sheet - the sticker on the door frame is the legal limit as far as weights.
You are talking 500 pounds heavier than a base Sport S no options at all other than max tow.

Its on the mopar website tied to the vin number. Im guessing you would have pretty decent legal grounds based on that.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Its on the mopar website tied to the vin number. Im guessing you would have pretty decent legal grounds based on that.

And the poor folks who have a -1 or less on theirs? Some clever insurance company lawyer will for sure pull those numbers up and point those out...

How can anyone possibly trust those numbers when they are all over the map, incluidng NEGATIVE numbers?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

so there is no difference in the any brake controller they are all Proportional with manual lockup .
Man someone could make a mint if they could design such a device i dont know about rear tow but i know fifth wheels place more pressure on the front brakes than the rear brakes . since i tow both a fifth wheel and a flatbed and you can fell the difference when stopping. there is ABS brakes system for trailers with hydraulic .
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/Tuson-RV-Brakes/335ABS-DLNE-1000.html

Yes, but they do not tie into the tow vehicle. You can't tie into the tow vehicle. All those do is monitor the trailer wheel speed via sensors on the trailer and modulate the brakes accordingly. They operate independently, not in conjunction with the tow vehicle brakes.
Those systems add ABS to the trailer - ASSUMING the trailer has hydraulic brakes. Nothing to do with the truck pulling it. They operate fully on their own and monitor only the trailer wheels.

No trailer puts pressure on the brakes, they put weight on the axle. That's it, the brakes still have to stop the weight of the entire vehicle. If the tow vehicle has antilock brakes, it doesn't matter where the weight is as far as wheels sliding or not - the brakes will modulate accordling.
The pressure isn't on the brakes, it's on the axle, and thus on the tire, meaning the tire will grip better. The brakes won't work any harder or less hard as they still must stop the entire train - tow vehicle and trailer, with the trailer brakes. The better the trailer brakes, the less work all 4 tow vehicle brakes have to do.
The advantage of the 5th wheel or goose neck is weight distribution - it's not hanging on the back, it's in the box, where the payload would be and where the vehicle is designed to carry it.

If we were talking a legacy vehicle without antilock brakes, then the proportioning valve and metering valve would handle pressure distrubution to the appropriate brakes. Some even had valves that varied rear braking pressure based on the load on the rear of the vehicle - there was a link to the frame. More weight in the back, more pressure to the rear brakes.

 

[eaglerugby04]

And the poor folks who have a -1 or less on theirs? Some clever insurance company lawyer will for sure pull those numbers up and point those out...

How can anyone possibly trust those numbers when they are all over the map, incluidng NEGATIVE numbers?

Did not know people were getting numbers like that. Mine seems logical, not something I would want to push to but nothing outlandish.

Sponsored