Why not Jeep???

[RudeJeepin]

Side-tracking my own thread!

When you get there, you will be flabbergasted at the power of the Cummins Ram. My 3500 dually feels as light as a feather. I barely touch the throttle, and it blasts away. Mine is the HO with 1075 ft/lb and 4.10 gears pushing 35" tires. It will spin the four rear tires if I'm not careful. These trucks are the definition of power!

I've had 2, been around tons. Started with an 02 2500 that I chipped. Went to a 2015 2500, never bothered chipping it. Then I had a 2020 Chev 3500 duramax. The newer stuff definitely has plenty of power stock.
The Gladiator has similar numbers to the 02 5.9 Cummins, before chipping. The Gladiator will do everything I want it to. It easily handles our current setup. But getting it up closer to 500ft/lbs would be nice.
If/when we go to a bigger camping setup, it will more than likely be a motorhome. Then I can pull the Gladiator behind it.

Sponsored

 

[Sandman 4x4]

While it's neither here nor there, as far as this thread, but...
I haven't been around the Colorado diesel, but have the Chev 1500 Duramax. I've got the Gladiator EcoDiesel and my father in law had the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.
I'd take the EcoDiesel every time, if it was still available, kinda.
The Colorado doesn't offer enough over the Gladiator to switch. So I'd step up to the 1500s and I prefer the Ram. But then I'd probably just go up to a 1 ton and get the Cummins.
Currently the Colorado would do everything in I need. Eventually I plan on going 37s and doing more extreme trails. That's when the Gladiator will be the better choice for sure.

I’ll tell you this, no matter what they put on paper, the diesel comparison goes to the Colorado for heavy towing, that also goes for the current gen gas engine.

 

[Hootbro]

They went with the low bidder…….. and Stellantis wasn’t interested enough to go lower.

More nuanced than that. Low bidder does not always win the contract. Points are given for ability to execute and meet delivery schedule plus having prior contracts and how they were executed also weigh in.

All that though can be thrown out depending how much hookers and blow were sprinkled around.

 

[Flyin6]

I’ll tell you this, no matter what they put on paper, the diesel comparison goes to the Colorado for heavy towing, that also goes for the current gen gas engine.

Could not agree more!
We purchased a Canyon truck for our boys in 2019. I was shocked at how much power that 3.6 had, and I want to say it had an 8-speed. That truck was totaled. The oldest purchased a Colorado and hasn't looked back. I then purchased a Cadillac XT6 (we like Cadillac). It has the same 3.6 engine, and it flat-out puts the Pentastar to shame. If I had that engine in the JT, I might never have opted to swap a 6.4 in it.

 

[RudeJeepin]

I’ll tell you this, no matter what they put on paper, the diesel comparison goes to the Colorado for heavy towing, that also goes for the current gen gas engine.

I thought the Colorado got the little 2.8 I-4 diesel, while the 1500 got the 3.0 I-6 diesel.
I don't see how that 2.8 could out tow the 3.0 EcoDiesel. Maybe the chassis, but not the motor.
I could be wrong.

As far as gassers go, I don't really care either way. I'd never own a 3.6 pentastar, so no sense comparing to it.

 

[Janster]

More nuanced than that. Low bidder does not always win the contract. Points are given for ability to execute and meet delivery schedule plus having prior contracts and how they were executed also weigh in.

All that though can be thrown out depending how much hookers and blow were sprinkled around.

I totally get it…….There are way too many variables Involved. Ultimately, it’s still the lesser of the bids regardless of how you slice it.

 

[smlobx]

Didn’t read all the posts but the two reasons that pop up to me is that Jeep doesn’t offer a diesel anymore and the interior space of the Jeep is smaller than the Chevy. Trying to put 4 guys “inside” where our interior is in full battle gear is a no go.

 

[Flyin6]

Didn’t read all the posts but the two reasons that pop up to me is that Jeep doesn’t offer a diesel anymore and the interior space of the Jeep is smaller than the Chevy. Trying to put 4 guys “inside” where our interior is in full battle gear is a no go.

Eddie,
There are no body panels, nada! They build a tactical creation from the chassis

 

[Sweetums]

I see that the US Armee is buying a crap ton of modified Colorados to use as light infantry vehicles. The modified Colorado features almost no body panels, all the ZR2 gear, stock axles, and a hefty roll cage.
Where was Jeep during this testing? In my view, a beefed-up Gladiator with a diesel would have been a better troop transport. I watched a video of the Colorado negotiating terrain with many instances of a wheel hanging precariously in the air, as you would expect with independent suspension. The Jeep platform would behave much better with its live axle.
It's a big miss in my opinion especially when you consider who will be driving those things...Grunts! For some reason, when young men join the military, they revert to the "Completely stupid" mode. You see things you never would expect to happen with them regularly.
A couple of examples: Flying Chinooks in the 101st, once, I delivered a sling-loaded HMMWV to a flat field, set it down, then landed nearby and let the grunts out. The driver gets into the vehicle and drives it right off a cliff! Another time, a buddy of mine is flying at 500 feet with another HMMV hanging below. The crew chief lying on the floor looking out the "Hell-hole" at the dangling vehicle decides to start fiddling with the emergency cargo hook release lever...Guess what happened.
And the stupid new-guy thing seems to be universally true. Talking to a frustrated Marine sergeant once in Kandahar, I asked him what was bothering him. He answered, "My two new privates." (At least I think he called them privates) He continued, "I swear if you lock those two idiots in a room with two steel balls, and come back in an hour, one steel ball will be missing, and the other one will be broken, and neither Marine will have any idea what happened!"

Maybe they are still sore about the last time they tried this project of using off-the-shelf parts and vehicles, resulting in the M715. That was a horribly unreliable vehicle and I think it was slated to be retired from service before all the contracted examples were even delivered.

 

[Flyin6]

Maybe they are still sore about the last time they tried this project of using off-the-shelf parts and vehicles, resulting in the M715. That was a horribly unreliable vehicle and I think it was slated to be retired from service before all the contracted examples were even delivered.

Heck, no one alive today in procurement had even been born when the M715 was thought of!
I actually drove one of those things in Germany. Was in my earliest days when I was a Tanker (Before my flying days). It had 5.38 gears and this weird overhead cam in line 6-cyl. I think it had a top speed around 50mph!!!

 

[KevinC]

Hendrick Jeep in Fayetteville NC did in fact build a JK for the military to test, with the possibility of a contract. Some of them actually made it overseas. Some of them are still to this day being driven by the Taliban. Who knows.
I found one in Jordan in 2017, at a Army base called Tower 22. It was in pretty good condition and not on anyone's property book. Rumor were flying on who it once belonged to. It looked almost like the above photo. Different wheels and BFG KO2 tires.

 

[smlobx]

Eddie,
There are no body panels, nada! They build a tactical creation from the chassis

I’ve seen them as I live near some of Bragg’s training areas. The chassis is noticeably wider than the Gladiator and again Jeep doesn’t offer a diesel so how could they compete?

 

[Flyin6]

Hendrick Jeep in Fayetteville NC did in fact build a JK for the military to test, with the possibility of a contract. Some of them actually made it overseas. Some of them are still to this day being driven by the Taliban. Who knows.
I found one in Jordan in 2017, at a Army base called Tower 22. It was in pretty good condition and not on anyone's property book. Rumor were flying on who it once belonged to. It looked almost like the above photo. Different wheels and BFG KO2 tires.

I wonder where that was? I spent years in Afghanistan and was in and out of many FOBs, but never saw that. No doubt it was there, but I missed it.
Note the two jammer antennas on the rear. I'm guessing it did convoy escort duty.
If the T-ban got their hands on it, it's very likely totaled by now. Hopefully, it took a few of those goat herders with it in a rollover!

 

[Flyin6]

I’ve seen them as I live near some of Bragg’s training areas. The chassis is noticeably wider than the Gladiator and again Jeep doesn’t offer a diesel so how could they compete?

Getting the diesel back wouldn't be all that difficult (For a government $$$$ contract) The mil-spec diesel would likely be very different without DPF, DEF, and a cat. It may well have mechanical fuel injection since the fragile common rail electronics wouldn't play well with EMP.

 

[smlobx]

I would love to get my hands on a .gov diesel engine without all the DPF, EGR etc. crap on it. I bet it would run great!

There is a company near me that up-armor’s vehicles for .gov and various NGO’s around the world. They are mostly Toyota Land Cruisers 70 and 80 Series. I went in and asked them if they would sell me one before they applied armor and they just laughed… They sounded great though! I’m sure they would loose their contract if they sold one to me.

Sponsored