Towing limit for 2023 Jeep Gladiator (Rubicon) Diesel

[Sandman 4x4]

Trying to find out my towing capacity on my Jeep Gladiator. Towing package was not selected.

I know it’s been talked about before but it seems nobody has given a concrete answer. From the manual I see it’s 6000lb talking to parts counter at Jeep they told me it’s 6,500lb. Having the rubicon I have all the upgrades the Max Tow already has less the receiver which I’ll be upgrading anyway.

I looked under my hood I have a 940W fan and 220amp alternator. So much information and before I buy a camper I want to verify capacity.

It’s not just the tow limit, but payload capacity and what’s known as CGVWR combined gross vehicle weigh rating.

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[orangeAEVLJ]

I run Timber Grove on my 2015 Ram EcoDiesel and really like them. Here are the ones for the Gladiator: 19'-UP JEEP Gladiator Rear ASAM 2nd Gen Air Spring Kit (SQ6466100) — Timber Grove Enterprises, LLC

To expand on this recommendation I have ran their spring replacement kit for a few years now and it’s amazing. Ride quality is significantly better than those in-spring bags, and you have the capability of dropping the back down onto the bump stops for loading the bed or hooking up a trailer.

https://timbergroveenterprises.com/...p-to-2-lift-rear-crm-air-spring-kit-sq4331054

 

[Mr Miami]

Also, keep in mind, towing capacities have to take into consideration the most important, IMO, consideration: stopping. A 100hp engine when geared properly could tow thousands of pounds but if the vehicle itself can't stop in reasonable distance, then there will be huge problems when the lawsuits hit the manufacturer. And then you have all the warranty stuff if the brakes are stressed beyond their design or fail.

Remember, the vehicle may "easily" handle it, but if there is a problem, the legal teams will swoop in.

 

[rubicon4wheeler]

Also, keep in mind, towing capacities have to take into consideration the most important, IMO, consideration: stopping. A 100hp engine when geared properly could tow thousands of pounds but if the vehicle itself can't stop in reasonable distance, then there will be huge problems when the lawsuits hit the manufacturer. And then you have all the warranty stuff if the brakes are stressed beyond their design or fail.

Remember, the vehicle may "easily" handle it, but if there is a problem, the legal teams will swoop in.

That's why a trailer of any substantial weight should have its own trailer brakes. My travel trailer can easily pull my Jeep down from speed.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

It’s not just the tow limit, but payload capacity and what’s known as CGVWR combined gross vehicle weigh rating.

Also, keep in mind, towing capacities have to take into consideration the most important, IMO, consideration: stopping. A 100hp engine when geared properly could tow thousands of pounds but if the vehicle itself can't stop in reasonable distance, then there will be huge problems when the lawsuits hit the manufacturer. And then you have all the warranty stuff if the brakes are stressed beyond their design or fail.

Remember, the vehicle may "easily" handle it, but if there is a problem, the legal teams will swoop in.

That's why a trailer of any substantial weight should have its own trailer brakes. My travel trailer can easily pull my Jeep down from speed.

Lets not start this again... https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/is-the-payload-under-rated.103698/

 

[Mr Miami]

Lets not start this again... https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/is-the-payload-under-rated.103698/

Come on. Everyone is just reminiscing about the past.
It will be time soon to start a new thread on the best oil to use and how often to change it.

 

[biodiesel]

Also, keep in mind, towing capacities have to take into consideration the most important, IMO, consideration: stopping. A 100hp engine when geared properly could tow thousands of pounds but if the vehicle itself can't stop in reasonable distance, then there will be huge problems when the lawsuits hit the manufacturer.

Manufacturers already undergo the SAE J2807 Towing Test, which in part is centered around safety. The published capacities are safe for towing as long as the driver is doing their part to manage speed, have proper adjusted trailer brakes, correct tire PSI for the load capacity, etc.

And then you have all the warranty stuff if the brakes are stressed beyond their design or fail.

Brakes are not an issue as long as you stay within the towing parameters/capacities.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

Here's the thing and I'm gonna tell ya...

- 6,000lbs for Rubicon, 6,500 for all other diesel trims. I don't recommend towing close to these ratings and I'll explain why below.
- Diesels don't list the max tow option, because they already have all the same (or better) max tow upgrades.
- This same engine and transmission combo in Rams can tow up to 12,560lbs, so as far as power delivery theres zero issues at the Gladiators 6,000lb rating.
- When compared to Rams, Rams have slightly larger brakes, 13in front and rear discs with 54mm pistons, vs 12in front/13in rear discs and 50mm pistons on the Gladi. Larger, bot a huge difference, so the difference in towing capacity largely comes down to suspension, tires, and heat generation.
- Build sheets are generic and the verbiage should be taken with a grain of salt. You can have 10 identical trucks and each build sheet will have different verbiage.


Heat is problem with Gladiators and why the tow rating is lower than the gassers. Too large of an engine that produces too much heat for the compact and limited airflow engine bay of the Gladiator (and Wrangler). This is why I don't recommend towing anything close to the tow rating limits (depending on location). IMO this is the biggest negative towards the eco in the Gladiator, all the other negatives can be easily remedied or mitigated.

Towing in flatlands you likely wont see much as far as heat issues.
Tow in 80+deg heat in hilly landscapes and you might see some heat issues at highway+ speeds.
Tow in 70+deg heat in mountains and you're likely to see heat issues, and chances increase with increase in ambient air temps.

The two main problems:
1) High oil temps causing derate. This typically happens from running higher rpms trying to maintain power and speed when climbing longer, steep grades. Slowing down and keeping rpms low can mitigate this, but that often times means 30-40mph on the freeway with traffic doing +70mph all around you.

2) High turbo temps causing P00AF codes and derate. This happens when the wastegate control module gets heat soaked by high EGTs. Most reports of this are when spending a long stretch on the highway and then climbing a long hill. Doesn't have to be a steep grade. Turbo temps are higher at highways speeds, so the turbo is already heat soaking the module, then torque request and boost increase during the hill increases EGTs and increases the already heat soaked wastegate module. Towing at highway speeds increases those temps as well. P00AF codes result in a turbo replacement, which is covered under the 5/yr, 100k mile warranty.


IMO, the diesel Gladiator is not a great towing truck. If the heat issues could be resolved then it'd be great for towing, but folks have been trying for years to figure it out and theres no solid solution yet. As stated above, flatlanders will have much better luck towing and may never see any issues, and thats typically who the praises and where the "I have no issues" comments come from.

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