Towing question

[PuddleJumper]

Nice, I will need to run spacers under them since I'm on a big boy lift now

2 ways to do that. You can get a 1500 rebel 1000HD kit thats good for 2in of lift. You can call order PN# 09111 and space as needed. I believe they are 1.5" thick. the JT 1000 kit comes with 2 already. so 4 more pucks should get you 3in of lift compensation. for any lift greater than that i would call them and get a bag set for a specific length to substitute the JT kit standard bags. measure your coil length unsprung and subtract and inch. That will be the bag length you need. Airlift probably has better instruction on how to decide bag size tho. So i'd just call em first

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[Sandman 4x4]

I just bought a 2025 Gladiator Nighthawk. Went way out of my way and paid more for the tow package. 6,000 pounds. I would love to purchase this camper.

https://www.couchsrvnation.com/coachmen/travel-trailer/apex-nano/208bhs

Its 4300 dry. Is this doable with my rig. I'm figuring 1k in gear. 5300. Even if its 1500 in gear . 5800 pounds.

What is everyone's' thought on this ?

Thanks

I would stay away from any travel trailer with a slide! But if you have Max Tow Package from the factory you will be fine, just expect to run at 4,000 rpm’s a lot in lower gears. Keep in mind the tongue weight that reduces your payload in half to start with. Get a good weight distribution hitch with bars and not chains. Be sure to replace the tires that come on the trailer as they are chinese junk! Good luck!

 

[bd100]

I was also about to recommend looking for a similar trailer without the slide, to save weight and complexity.

 

[Labswine]

On a somewhat similar note , I just put a pallet of hardwood flooring weighing 900 pounds into the bed. Sticker on door says my payload is 925. Maxed out and didn't really feel it. I had my f150 at max before and felt every bit of it. The jeep at max (925) didn't feel sluggish, didn't squat that bad , turned fine , etc. I think jeep was a little conservative with their payload numbers .

I brought home, the first time, ~900 sq.ft. of 3/4" Oak hardwood flooring. Filled the bed, completely plus around 5-6" over the top, well strapped in with gate down. I guestimated it was around 1,200 lbs. My Gladiator (Overland, ordered 5/19, delivered 7/19) didn't even know it was there. Later on, I bought more of the same to finish the house (2,600 sq.ft. home). Two trips with the bed full PLUS, a 5' x 10' utility trailer full of the same. Zero issues handing all that.

There was another time I brought home some stockade fencing, 6' tall, and I needed 6 panels. Laid it over the bed rails and strapped it down. Got it home, no muss, no fuss. Had to drive about an hour and 15 (each way) because that was where the closest Lowes to me had it.

 

[Labswine]

I was also about to recommend looking for a similar trailer without the slide, to save weight and complexity.

Mine has a slide and factory weight was like 4,740 lbs. and a 430 lb tongue weight. My slide is bigger than some. It's the dining area that can convert to a bed. I'm 5'10" and can stretch out completely without hitting either end. So, having a slide out might not be a bad thing when one considers the overall weight of the trailer. Plus it does give more living space. My trailer feels a lot bigger inside than it looks.

 

[Crinch]

I just bought a 2025 Gladiator Nighthawk. Went way out of my way and paid more for the tow package. 6,000 pounds. I would love to purchase this camper.

https://www.couchsrvnation.com/coachmen/travel-trailer/apex-nano/208bhs

Its 4300 dry. Is this doable with my rig. I'm figuring 1k in gear. 5300. Even if its 1500 in gear . 5800 pounds.

What is everyone's' thought on this ?

Thanks

Can your truck handle it? Sure. Will you be disappointed? Yes! The first time you hit a tiny hill, you’re in 3rd gear going 35mph, your engine revving so high you think it’s either going catch fire or shoot though the hood, you’re getting 2 gallons to the mile, every semi-truck is flipping you off and laying on the horn as they pass you, yeah you’ll be disappointed. Eventually you’ll get where you’re going, unhook and have your Gladiator, and somehow you forget everything you just went through to get there and are happy you bought it. It happens to me every time I take my trailer out.

 

[bleda2002]

Can your truck handle it? Sure. Will you be disappointed? Yes! The first time you hit a tiny hill, you’re in 3rd gear going 35mph, your engine revving so high you think it’s either going catch fire or shoot though the hood, you’re getting 2 gallons to the mile, every semi-truck is flipping you off and laying on the horn as they pass you, yeah you’ll be disappointed. Eventually you’ll get where you’re going, unhook and have your Gladiator, and somehow you forget everything you just went through to get there and are happy you bought it. It happens to me every time I take my trailer out.

Oh come on, that's a huge exaggeration. I was able to do 40 on an 8% grade on 38s with beadlocks and a giant lift albeit the pedal was floored but 8% is pretty steep. I also averaged 10.2 mpg from Florida to TN doing 63-65 the whole way there.

I will say the second part is right though. Only truck I know that can tow to TN, do all the wind rock BOH trails and then some, then hook back up and drive home all with no drama.

 

[Crinch]

Oh come on, that's a huge exaggeration. I was able to do 40 on an 8% grade on 38s with beadlocks and a giant lift albeit the pedal was floored but 8% is pretty steep. I also averaged 10.2 mpg from Florida to TN doing 63-65 the whole way there.

I will say the second part is right though. Only truck I know that can tow to TN, do all the wind rock BOH trails and then some, then hook back up and drive home all with no drama.

Its not that much of an exaggeration. I live in Utah, nothing but mountains all around. granted I'm on 35's with a 2 1/2" lift without regearing which doesn't help. My trailer only weights about 4500lbs fully loaded and towing it in the mountains sucks. Still wouldn't tow it with any other truck through. As a matter of fact, I'm putting a lift on my trailer so it can keep up with the truck better offroad.

 

[Pliny]

Earlier in this thread I asked the OP if he was planning to head out west and tow through the mountains. He replied that he was not.

Unless you tow at high elevation in the mountains regularly, I think it is tough for someone to truly comprehend the difference in the perfomance of a normally aspirated vehicle at high elevation.

Oh come on, that's a huge exaggeration. I was able to do 40 on an 8% grade on 38s with beadlocks and a giant lift albeit the pedal was floored but 8% is pretty steep.

Do you know what elevation you were at when you were going up that 8% grade?

Our home here in Phoenix is at an elevation of ~1200 ft above sea level. On our drive to our cabin we top out at 7700 ft, and our cabin is at 6600 ft. So I'm pretty familiar with how much power a normally aspirated engine loses as it is operated at progressively higher elevations.

A normally aspirated engine loses ~3% of it's power output for every 1000 ft gain in elevation. So at our cabin, our JTR only has ~80% of its' rated HP, just due to the air being less dense at elevation. For reference, water boils at ~200F at 6600 ft.

Assuming @bleda2002 's profile location is accurate (near sea level in FL), if they want to understand what it would be like to tow their trailer at 6600 ft elevation, they should: 1.) put 25% of the weight of their JTR into the bed of their gladiator 2.) add 25% of the weight of their trailer into their trailer 3.) attach parachutes to the both the JTR and trailer to increase their wind resistance by ~25%. Then go find an 8% grade to go up.

Then try to imagine what having your JTR tow a trailer up onto Grand Mesa in Colorado at an elevation of 10,800 ft would be like, as I did last summer.

 

[bleda2002]

Earlier in this thread I asked the OP if he was planning to head out west and tow through the mountains. He replied that he was not.

Unless you tow at high elevation in the mountains regularly, I think it is tough for someone to truly comprehend the difference in the perfomance of a normally aspirated vehicle at high elevation.



Do you know what elevation you were at when you were going up that 8% grade?

Our home here in Phoenix is at an elevation of ~1200 ft above sea level. On our drive to our cabin we top out at 7700 ft, and our cabin is at 6600 ft. So I'm pretty familiar with how much power a normally aspirated engine loses as it is operated at progressively higher elevations.

A normally aspirated engine loses ~3% of it's power output for every 1000 ft gain in elevation. So at our cabin, our JTR only has ~80% of its' rated HP, just due to the air being less dense at elevation. For reference, water boils at ~200F at 6600 ft.

Assuming @bleda2002 's profile location is accurate (near sea level in FL), if they want to understand what it would be like to tow their trailer at 6600 ft elevation, they should: 1.) put 25% of the weight of their JTR into the bed of their gladiator 2.) add 25% of the weight of their trailer into their trailer 3.) attach parachutes to the both the JTR and trailer to increase their wind resistance by ~25%. Then go find an 8% grade to go up.

Then try to imagine what having your JTR tow a trailer up onto Grand Mesa in Colorado at an elevation of 10,800 ft would be like, as I did last summer.

I was at about 1200 feet of elevation as I was heading to TN and I mentioned 8% grade specifically because anything above 6% is rare. Quick search shows that the Grand Mesa road is about 6% at the steepest section so it would be comparable to what I was doing because of the extra steepness of the hill. Not to mention I also have ~112 pounds a corner compared to stock of 85, bigger tires, and armor etc for a weight of about 6200 lbs before the trailer.

I stand by it being a massive exaggeration because the majority of the trip is not 6% at crazy elevation. The engine doesn't scream on every tiny hill, I did not get 2-3 mpg the entire trip, nor did the semis nonstop honk at me. Are there sections where you will have the engine screaming and 2-3 mpg when driving in the mountains? Sure, but saying that's the average towing experience is greatly dishonest.

 

[bd100]

Going up the Colorado mountains with our JT 3.6 manual trans, 3.73 gears, 32" tires, at near the max combined weight rating for truck and trailer, 2nd gear pulls great but third was too much of a jump and could hardly hold speed, so I was stuck at 40-45 MPH in 2nd. And this was with a folding trailer so better aerodynamics at high speeds.

The 8-speed auto transmission has less of a jump between gears so it would have an advantage.

If we had 4.10 gears then it would run out of 2nd gear 10% sooner, but maybe 3rd with 10% more torque would pull enough that we could get up to the speed limit. But if we had taller tires 2nd would get us to a higher speed but 3rd would be less likely to work. Etc.

Next time we'll carry less cargo.


So if you plan to go through the Rocky Mountains then I'd recommend losing the slide out, and doing whatever else you can to save weight.

 

[Jefe1018]

Only truck I know that can tow to TN, do all the wind rock BOH trails and then some, then hook back up and drive home all with no drama.

My Power Wagon enters the chat…. If it fits on the trail it ships

 

[bleda2002]

My Power Wagon enters the chat…. If it fits on the trail it ships

West coast wheeling i think the PW is a great choice, east coast even the gladiator is a bit chonky. Too many damn trees everywhere :D

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