Considering switch to JT

[GATORB8]

Hmm JT over 137" wheelbase compared to my 119" and over 44' turning diameter compared to my 40' is better on the trails?

Let's roll into Big Bear and navigate up to Holcomb Creek Trail East to Yellow Post 34 and see who has to back up first to make the turns!!

Wait, you have a RCSB? I was thinking you at least had an 8' bed all along.

No way would I go back to a regular cab anything over a Gladiator.

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[OllieChristopher]

Wait, you have a RCSB? I was thinking you at least had an 8' bed all along.

No way would I go back to a regular cab anything over a Gladiator.

Yes Reg cab 6.5 bed. It's just my wife and I. I don't care for crew or double cabs. I'm all about less is more. I admit the extended cab would be nicer. But the price was right. I traded my 300,000 mile extended cab Silverado straight across for this one to my parents. They used my old truck as a trade for drywall work.

For what it is the Gladiator is a really nice rig. Just not as a truck for my purpose.

 

[AcesandEights]

As long as you are enjoying yours then all is good. Nothing will ever convince me that anything less than a 6 foot is a standard truck bed. I don't get caught up in the marketing that may have some consumers thinking otherwise.

If it doesn't have at least an 8' bed, it isn't a truck, it's a marketing gimmick to sell people on how manly they are and how much of a DIY'er they are.

 

[OllieChristopher]

If it doesn't have at least an 8' bed, it isn't a truck, it's a marketing gimmick to sell people on how manly they are and how much of a DIY'er they are.

Says the guy with a lowly 2 door!!

 

[gerlbaum]

What’s amazing to me is the 3.0 diesel has more torque - or close to it - than the 24v cummins (98.5-02) did from the factory. One of the 3.0 tuning companies is getting like 510ft/lbs at 1900 rpm out of those little engines.

 

[OllieChristopher]

What’s amazing to me is the 3.0 diesel has more torque - or close to it - than the 24v cummins (98.5-02) did from the factory. One of the 3.0 tuning companies is getting like 510ft/lbs at 1900 rpm out of those little engines.

It is quite amazing how much power the manufacturers are squeezing out of these small power plants.

 

[John VonJeep]

Sounds like you've got a pretty good use case for the JT.

One side note: You'll love the 8AT. I've been a manual driver my whole life and still have one in my DD. But the JL/JT manual is just not a good transmission. Meanwhile, the 8AT is brilliant. I'd rather have a good manual than anything else. But I'd rather have a great AT over a crummy manual.

Enjoy your new rig.

 

[Capricorn]

Sounds like you've got a pretty good use case for the JT.

One side note: You'll love the 8AT. I've been a manual driver my whole life and still have one in my DD. But the JL/JT manual is just not a good transmission. Meanwhile, the 8AT is brilliant. I'd rather have a good manual than anything else. But I'd rather have a great AT over a crummy manual.

Enjoy your new rig.

Agree on the 8AT, it is the best auto transmission I have driven.
But the manual is not bad. It has a learning curve but once I got the hang of it, I have no issues with my m/t JT Mohave being my daily driver. But one needs to get past that couple of weeks of learning the sweet spots in shifting.

 

[OllieChristopher]

OK I have to eat some crow here for breakfast. While I still don't consider the Gladiator a truck, What a hell of a piece of gear the Mojave trim is!!

The specs have me drooling!! OEM Fox 2.5 shocks and hydraulic jounces, iron knuckles, beefy rear axle, and more. It's a pretty sweet rig for the desert. Too bad there are not many engine choices for it.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I've had all kinds of trucks in my years of driving. Stepsides, fleetsides, 5.5', 6.5' and 8' beds. Diesel, gas, manual and automatic. My current truck is an F150 4x4 crew cab, 6.5' bed with a 3.5 EcoBoost. Best all around truck I've had.

5.5' bed trucks can pull a trailer just fine for those heavy and bulky loads. Even with a 6.5' bed I use a trailer for heavy and bulky stuff.

The JT with it's 130" wheelbase is a great truck for what it is. In my opinion it will do all of the work that a Tacoma, Ranger, Frontier or Colorardo/Canyon will. It has solid axles and it's still a Jeep. It's far more comfortable and roomy inside than a Tacoma. I like that the bedsides are low and that you can reach over and grab a fuel can or tool box with ease. Anything tall should be strapped down anyway. Anything I would need to pick up that requires a front loader to get, I will use a trailer for.

So, can a Gladiator do the work of an 8 lug or properly equipped half ton, no. Can it do what the majority of people who have those kinds of trucks do, yes. So can a Ridgeline or Maverick. Most people who drive full size trucks just like them and never use them anywhere close to their full potential, that's okay too.

 

[Pig-Pen]

OK I have to eat some crow here for breakfast. While I still don't consider the Gladiator a truck, What a hell of a piece of gear the Mojave trim is!!

The specs have me drooling!! OEM Fox 2.5 shocks and hydraulic jounces, iron knuckles, beefy rear axle, and more. It's a pretty sweet rig for the desert. Too bad there are not many engine choices for it.

i think a mojave JLU would be quite popular.

 

[Pig-Pen]

LMAO!!!! As soon as that overloaded JT takes a corner the tailgate is going to fold and crumble. Nice fake marketing pick you googled though!!

Shamelessly taken from the JT gladiator forum:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/the-most-overloaded-jt-i-have-come-across.48899/

This is what the typical consumer is using these rigs for. you are not going to see this rig on any kind of black diamond trail.

this was our Suburban for camping in lake tahoe last year. wife just had to bring everything. our wrangler can barely handle a costco run, no way its going camping lol.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

That JT image reminds of this

 

[Pig-Pen]

not sure what kind of work OP does which would kind of dictate what kind of truck he needs. my buddy drove a 6.2 Raptor for shop truck for a few years. drove all over LA/Ventura counties delivering pallets while getting abhorrent mpg and the truck was pretty limited on the payload capacity.

OP could always buy a cheap used truck for work. i just bought a cheap silverado for truck duties. i had considered the same thing as op, combining two vehicles into a JT but i just cant get over how long they are. with the moderate offroading i do i already occasionally get high centered and drag over everything. and then thinking of trying to park a JT in tight parking lots reminds me of parking my suburban. its a pita! the JLU feels like a small car comparatively lol. just last night i was at costco filling my JLUS up. i was the 2nd vehicle and when done had to squeeze around the vehicle in front of me between the column of vehicles at the pumps. it was CLOSE. i was even thinking, man if i had a JT right now im not sure this work lol.

ive seen JTs on trails a couple of times. they drag but they manage to power through. if its just light off roading then id say no problem. as long as it can handle the work aspect as well. doing moderate to advanced trails the JT is going to need to be quite modded. a good size lift and big tires at a minimum. does that work on a DD work truck? big lift and 37"+ tires. granted, you could do what i do and use 35s/33s for DD duty and save the big tires for offroad days. if you're already DD a Ram 1500 for work than i dont think a JT will feel too long for you. it might even feel easier to navigate around town lol.

Nope, not even close..LOL

Below is a real Truck, plus it is a Jeep...

i guess he's not too concerned with other drivers seeing up his dress

 

[entropy]

JT's are great on the trails. There are a few I go out with and they kill it.
If it meets all the specs of what you need from a truck then I say go for it. I would get one in a heartbeat if they put a 392 in it.

Ive seen gladiators on "difficult" trails, which most people with new built jeeps would consider on the moderate/slightly difficult side. Theyre built though, not stock. But they get through. Definitely an very capable truck, as much as a Jeep. But they are still not exactly like a "Jeep". So the wheeling isnt gonna be the same experience, if that matters. Also I've seen them do tight trails, and looks like a pita. But they get through.

The Gladiator is a great truck imo, and could be a replacement for a Jeep + pickup for many people. You definitely need a lift and big tires to do Jeep trails.

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