Towing Speed

[Jas504]

I have always felt comfortable towing around 65mph.
I towed my boat today with my Gladiator and 60-65 feels safe while moving along pretty good.

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[Mac]

65-70 towing my boats, they are around 3500lbs handles it pretty well, last trip of about 120 miles I got 13.5mpg, had a tire lose it’s tread and had to change it, caught it before it blew, crazy vibration, was able to slow down and make it to the next exit.
I have had a blowout on a trailer tire on a single axle trailer wasn’t too bad just pulled over and changed it, didn’t get out of control or anything.

 

[Jas504]

65-70 towing my boats, they are around 3500lbs handles it pretty well, last trip of about 120 miles I got 13.5mpg, had a tire lose it’s tread and had to change it, caught it before it blew, crazy vibration, was able to slow down and make it to the next exit.
I have had a blowout on a trailer tire on a single axle trailer wasn’t too bad just pulled over and changed it, didn’t get out of control or anything.

That sucks. I used to have a boat and every time I towed it I seemed to have some sort of tie issue. What a pain in the ass that used to be.

 

[Josh00333]

Even with my 3/4 Ton Diesel I would not tow over 70. Trailers are not built for it, there tires are not speed racers.

Speed limit of 80 in your area (same as me in ID), generally trucks are limited to 70. Just go 70 with the trucks.

 

[Darkamek]

Just got back from northern Wisconsin with our 17ft trailer. The drive home was better because I was just manually shifting the whole way. Keeping it between 6th and 7th gear at 65mph seemed to be a much better ride.

Driving to Branson, MO on Tuesday with it next. My wife and I have decided to trade it in after that trip and with trade in values high we’ll make money on the trade. I’ll get her a Ram 1500 like she wants and it will fit the kids and dogs better. I’ll still have my Gladiator so everything will be alright.

 

[Darkamek]

Well if you want to see what your max tow can do, pulling a travel trailer to Branson will do it. The inclines out here are very steep and for the most part it did very well. Most of the time it dropped to 5th gear and did 50mph on the climb. There were some inclines that it dropped to 4th and even 3rd. I was laughing during those climbs as we were barely doing 40mph, it did not have the power to give it any more. I’m really curious if this thing was geared 4.56 if it would do much better. The swaying was barely noticeable at times from passing semis and wind gusts.

 

[marcwithac]

I tow a 3600lb wet TT with my max tow with rubi take offs. 60-65mph are max for me. It tows really well. Forget its back there. I manual shift. Life is good.

 

[Labswine]

I tow a 3600lb wet TT with my max tow with rubi take offs. 60-65mph are max for me. It tows really well. Forget its back there. I manual shift. Life is good.

I tow at 5,400 lb trailer (loaded for camping) with my Overland. Ditto for the speed and manual shifting.

 

[WXman]

This maybe goes beyond the scope of this forum but how does that compare to a 1/2 ton? Obviously the 1/2 ton towing the same trailer will sway less and pull up hills a lot better but from a speed standpoint, would I still need to max at 65 just because of typical trailer tire ratings and maybe safety factor? Sorry for all the questions. I've towed small utility trailers with little trucks a lot but TT's are a whole new world to me.

This is where we really start to get into semantics. The Jeep Gladiator IS a 1/2 ton truck. It's even printed right there on the certificate of origin that FCA ships out with the truck.

I'm assuming you mean a full size vs. a mid size. I can tell you this much, and I'm being honest here, I've towed with every brand of truck on sale in the U.S. Full size and mid size. For many years. When I hook my 24' enclosed trailer onto my Jeep Gladiator, it feels just like my Ram 1500 did. It feels just like my F-150 did. It feels just like my Silverado did. The payload ratings are identical and it shows. ALL of them will feel bouncy with lots of weight behind them, and that's why a good weight distributing hitch setup is important on a 1/2 ton truck regardless of size.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I tow at 5,400 lb trailer (loaded for camping) with my Overland. Ditto for the speed and manual shifting.

Tires?
Gearing (stock or not?)

 

[Labswine]

Tires?
Gearing (stock or not?)

Just as it came from the factory.

 

[Jas504]

65-70 towing my boats, they are around 3500lbs handles it pretty well, last trip of about 120 miles I got 13.5mpg, had a tire lose it’s tread and had to change it, caught it before it blew, crazy vibration, was able to slow down and make it to the next exit.
I have had a blowout on a trailer tire on a single axle trailer wasn’t too bad just pulled over and changed it, didn’t get out of control or anything.

I must have jinxed myself when I replied to your post the other day.
I should have looked at your pic and kept scrolling. This afternoon towing my boat back from Florida the same thing happened to me. Definitely isn't fun changing trailer tires on the side of I-10.
As far as the rest of the trip, the gladiator did fine.

 

[Mac]

I replaced the tire that blew and the other tire which were 215/70/14s 6 ply rated for 1750lbs with new wheels and tires in 205/70/15s rated for 2150lbs, they are 65psi where the originals are 50psi. Hoping they are more durable.

 

[MrJeep]

I wouldn't exceed 75 on flat straight highway this setup just for safety sake with my son in the car. Curvy hilly downhills in the Catskills kept it below 50-55.

 

[Ferg]

I top out at 65 mph. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

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