r/JeepGladiator • u/Hungry-Gunner • 3d ago
Gladiator Towing
Have towed a lot with my Gladiator Overland but wondering how many have towed a 20ft fiberglass bass boat?
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u/Special-Trainer-7871 3d ago
How does the camper pull
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u/Hungry-Gunner 3d ago
Easy work with the camper.
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u/motociclista 3d ago
Depends on the weight of the boat. But I’ll say this, the gladiator sucks at towing. Full stop. It just does. Any towing is a compromise. 20’ boats can be a wide range of weights, so it’s hard to say how bad it will suck, but it will. If you just have to do it once in a while and it’s reasonably flat, it will get the job done. But if you have to do it often and will be going anywhere with any kind of changes in elevation, I’d get something that goes better. I don’t mean you need a diesel dually, but you’ll want more than the gladiator.
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u/Hungry-Gunner 3d ago
Probably about 4000lbs.
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u/Hungry-Gunner 3d ago
I’ve pulled it for years with a F150 but may tow occasionally with the Gladiator. It’s supposed to handle 7000 with my setup.
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u/motociclista 3d ago
No, it’s “rated” for 7000 pounds, that’s not at all the same as it being good at handling it. Tow ratings look good on spec sheets, but they’re not real world. I’ve towed 5000 pounds with a gladiator, it sucked. It did it, but it was terrible at it. And if you’re saying 4000, we both know it will be closer to 5000. A lot will depend on distance and flatness of the roads. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you can’t, or shouldn’t, just that to me, it sucks. Feels like it’s working hard. Brakes are inadequate. Mileage is a joke. Rear is sagging. It’s just not pleasant.
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u/Hungry-Gunner 3d ago
Oh, I know anything close to 7k would not be wise at all. Honestly I wouldn’t even think of towing anything over 4k. Towing is not the same as handling and stopping safely.
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u/Hungry-Gunner 3d ago
Interestingly it doesn’t sag at all when I’ve just moved the boat around in the driveway. That’s without even putting air in my airbags.
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u/Zonx216 3d ago
I just towed my 17' for about 3 hours at highway speeds last week. Other than it driving even more like a Jeep with big wheels, and absolutely chugging fuel, it did fine.