Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The "Glendora Garage"

[xtremek]

Wait, you're thinking of getting rid of a manual transmission? No cruise and no air would kill it for me, but even then I'd struggle to let go of a stick shift.

 

[DeeDubz]

Nooooo not the diesel. Im not surprised he got a good deal on it. I've had a bunch of offers for my truck (2011 F250 turbo diesel) but its not for sale. I too got rid of my 5thwheel but ill still keep my truck.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Wait, you're thinking of getting rid of a manual transmission? No cruise and no air would kill it for me, but even then I'd struggle to let go of a stick shift.

It's got cruise control and AC but I need a truck that can tow my wakeboard boat and still be a toad behind my RV. It'll likely be the Gladiator or possibly a GMC Canyon.

 

[xtremek]

The boss got to drive a new '20 Canyon with the diesel in it a couple of years ago. He was getting the same mileage as my little Saturn, about 35 mpg highway and about 28 around town

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

The boss got to drive a new '20 Canyon with the diesel in it a couple of years ago. He was getting the same mileage as my little Saturn, about 35 mpg highway and about 28 around town

Yeah, I've heard the little diesel is very impressive on MPG, but GM is going to stop using them. I suppose if I lease (I've never leased before but I'm not all that certain about my vehicle needs still) I shouldn't care but...

http://www.trucktrend.com/news/2-8l-duramax-diesel-discontinued

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Ok, so I was looking at leasing a Gladiator Rubicon and dealers were wanting thousands down and pretty big payments. Kept looking and found a used 2020 in the exact color & with exact equipment I wanted, less than 15,000 miles so I pulled the trigger.

Yeah yeah, a Gladiator isn't going to make me forget my Denali 2500HD I know that. Could have gotten the GMC Canyon Denali but frankly they didn't excite me much and I just had a GMC Denali, albeit a much bigger one. I'll post pics when it gets here. Feel free to tell me it's not really a truck, etc. I kinda know it and don't care....,.for now!

 

[xtremek]

I didn't know much about the Gladiator, so I Googled it. I'd say it's a truck, just like the old Ranger and S-dimes were. It's got a full frame. Will it do what you want it to do? If so, you're all good. The reviews were pretty bad though.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I read all the reviews online. The Jeep guys love it, the truck guys don’t. It’s mentioned several places that it’s a beast off road but the ride isn’t great on highway. I think I can live with that. I don’t do any heavy work anymore; Home Depot runs mostly and the truth is I hardly ever did heavy work while I had the GMC either.
It’ll work fine for my needs for awhile. If/when it doesn’t I’ll consider getting a full size truck again - more than likely a lightly used Silverado if it happens.

 

[xtremek]

At least it's not a Ridgeline. Most truck buyers today don't want a truck, they want a status symbol. If it works for you, then the rest of us can take a long walk off a short pier. But I was referring to the steering and trans issues.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

At least it's not a Ridgeline. Most truck buyers today don't want a truck, they want a status symbol. If it works for you, then the rest of us can take a long walk off a short pier. But I was referring to the steering and trans issues.

I actually kinda like the looks of the Ridgeline. I didn't bother to look for them seriously as I assumed it isn't much of a tow vehicle - not that the Gladiator is all THAt great either but it will suffice.

I've read about "death wobble" in the Wranglers but have not heard of it being an issue on the Gladiator - is that what you're referring to? I've had no steering issues whatsoever in my 2017 Wrangler 2 door. It is a manual trans and they're known for popping out of gear in 1st and reverse. I HAVE had that issue - but I've just gotten used to having my hand on the shifter in 1st. It only happens occasionally. Won't be an issue with the Gladiator being automatic.

If I were concerned about my truck being a status symbol I'd have kept the Denali. It seems like most of those are driven by the foreman or boss.

 

[xtremek]

And please don't get me wrong, every car manufacturer has their problems. It's whether they stand behind those problems. But the big issue with me is that I use the box. I have an '03 F-150 Supercrew (5 1/2' box) and the floor of the box is rippled pretty good from throwing stuff in it, so how is Honda's little trunk in the box floor going to stand up. I have the same issue with Dodge's tool box in the side of the box, Ford's aluminum box, or GM's stupid folding tailgate. When I carry an 10"x +10" log over to the truck on my shoulder, it hits the box pretty hard when I drop it.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

And please don't get me wrong, every car manufacturer has their problems. It's whether they stand behind those problems. But the big issue with me is that I use the box. I have an '03 F-150 Supercrew (5 1/2' box) and the floor of the box is rippled pretty good from throwing stuff in it, so how is Honda's little trunk in the box floor going to stand up. I have the same issue with Dodge's tool box in the side of the box, Ford's aluminum box, or GM's stupid folding tailgate. When I carry an 10"x +10" log over to the truck on my shoulder, it hits the box pretty hard when I drop it.

I totally get what you're saying but none of that applies to my use of a truck. Even when I had my '08 Chevy 3500HD Crew Dually 4x4; though I carried an 11-1/2 ft Lance 1181 slide-in camper (biggest they sold then) and later a 36 ft 5th wheel monster trailer, I never used it hard. I only carried/towed either one of those a few times per year and in between times I pretty much never used it as a truck! Though I used it as one for awhile the dually just wasn't a truck you'd want to use as a daily driver; too damn big to park most places. The Denali I just sold carried a couple of pallets of retaining wall block twice and even then it was set down pretty carefully by the material yard fork lift. I never threw anything in either one's bed. Never carried gravel, etc and both had Linex in the bed. The one time I carried something substantial in the hall was a ginormous roll of used Astroturf type material and it bent the sh!t out of the tailgate. I had to buy a replacement! This little Jeep truck will almost be like a toy for me after the Chevy & GMC trucks. I hope it is a fun truck to own and it'll certainly handle the boat; though I may have to consider a weight distributing hitch.

 

[xtremek]

Yep, I totally get it. How big is the boat? Does Airlift make a kit for it? You pulled a few things. We bought a travel trailer (30' I think) that I'm going to pull with the Girlfriend ('82 c30). Do you think a weight equalizing hitch is something I should do?

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Yep, I totally get it. How big is the boat? Does Airlift make a kit for it? You pulled a few things. We bought a travel trailer (30' I think) that I'm going to pull with the Girlfriend ('82 c30). Do you think a weight equalizing hitch is something I should do?

My boat is a 22 ft Centurion Elite wakeboard boat on a Trailrite dual axle trailer (pic on my old dually - R.I.P.)
I doubt it goes more than 4,000 lbs fully loaded but I'll assume 5,000 lbs just to be on the safe side.

I know very little about weight distributing hitches but my nephew uses one towing his toy hauler behind his Tundra. I'll be talking with him about this. What I DO know is that getting the tongue weight right is critical to avoid dangerous sway issues. The Rubicon comes with a sway control feature but I have no idea what that is or how it works? On YouTube there's a DIY method of determining trailer tongue weight. I'll be trying that. But I am also going to look for a public scale nearby, gas up the boat and see what it weighs for sure. I was never too concerned about it before with the 2500HD but with this little truck it's potentially an issue.

 

[xtremek]

My experience is that if there's not enough tongue weight, you get the sway issue. Tongue heavy, who cares. My home built 5'x10' is so tongue heavy I can barely pick it up. I've trailered it both empty and loaded at speeds up to 85mph with no issues.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Good to know. I was under the impression that it was the other way around. That if the tongue is too heavy and squats the rear of the vehicle/raises the front the towing vehicle get sketchy steering and losing control can become an issue.

 

[quickfarms]

The tongue weight needs to be at least 10-15% of the trailer weight. Heavier is better if the towing vehicle and hitch can support it. I run auxiliary air bags in my Jeep LJ for this.

On some is my trailers the tongue weight is in the thousands of pounds

Burtech on Gladstone between lark Ellen and Vincent in Azusa has a public scale

 

[xtremek]

If the back of your vehicle is too heavy, yes the steering gets a little funny, but it's really only an issue if you're trying to maneuver quickly. If there's not enough tongue weight, the trailer will start swaying at the least little deformity in the road. Had to load a truck on a trailer backwards once, couldn't do more than 25mph on the way home. Even then, it was a handful.

 

[Bob Heine]

I loaded my 4'x6' trailer with a big pile of 16'-2"x10"s and bags of cement and like Kirk, 25mph was the speed limit. At 30mph the trailer was almost sideways (so I couldn't hit the brakes). Even when I lost one of the four wheels on the 23' boat trailer it didn't do anything crazy. Only clue was the wheel passing me on the I95 merge lane.

 

[Git]

Good to know. I was under the impression that it was the other way around. That if the tongue is too heavy and squats the rear of the vehicle/raises the front the towing vehicle get sketchy steering and losing control can become an issue.

That is where an 'weight equalization' hitch comes into play, although your suppose to setup the correct tongue weight first. When I setup my equalizer hitch, you actually measure the distance to the ground from the lip of the front fender wells. Then again, once the trailer is hooked up and adjust the spring arms as needed

Take a look at their manual, starting on page 16

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/documents/manuals/EQ-Owners-Manual_2016-06.pdf

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

The tongue weight needs to be at least 10-15% of the trailer weight. Heavier is better if the towing vehicle and hitch can support it. I run auxiliary air bags in my Jeep LJ for this.

On some is my trailers the tongue weight is in the thousands of pounds

Burtech on Gladstone between Lark Ellen and Vincent in Azusa has a public scale

Yes I'm going to look into rear bags for the Gladiator. I'd rather "have them and not need them" than "need them and not have them"! Thanks for the public scale info. I hadn't researched it yet and as you (may) know I'm new to the Glendora area. Been house-bound for a year!

....Only clue was the wheel passing me on the I95 merge lane.

Ha! Yeah, Bob that MIGHT be an indicator of a problem!!

That is where an 'weight equalization' hitch comes into play, although you're suppose to setup the correct tongue weight first. When I setup my equalizer hitch, you actually measure the distance to the ground from the lip of the front fender wells. Then again, once the trailer is hooked up and adjust the spring arms as needed

Take a look at their manual, starting on page 16

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/documents/manuals/EQ-Owners-Manual_2016-06.pdf

Hmmm, I'm not sure I understand. I've never used a weight distributing hitch before - always had big *** trucks! And I'm not sure I actually need one - my boat weighs either 2,750 or 3,000 lbs depending which site I believe (it's NOT a V-drive which I think adds weight). I don't know what its dual axle Trail Rite trailer weighs but I feel sure it's less than the boat so just guessing 1,500-2,000 lbs? I suppose the real answer is don't guess, load it up as we'll use it and go weigh it.

What do you mean by "set up" the correct tongue weight? The boat with full tanks weighs what it weighs. I guess I add a little by putting a rolled up "lily pad" in the back and maybe a cooler of drinks. So it's not really change-able. As for the "distance to the ground" the trailer fenders hang slightly (2"?) below the main trailer rails. Is that the important dimension or the main frame rails distance to ground when as close to level as possible?

I appreciate any/all advice, guys.

 

[quickfarms]

On most boat trailers you can adjust the tongue weight by moving the boat forward or aft and sliding the axle front or back. The winch mount and axles are usually attached to the frame with u bolts and all of the rollers and bunks are adjustable most of the time.

If it tows well I would not change anything

You can use a bathroom scale and a 4x4 and some blocks to check the tongue weight

Personally I feel most light truck trailer ratings are based on being on flat ground and fail with all the mountain passes that we have surrounding the Los Angeles basin

 

[Swanny1953]

Dan, I've towed ski boats for 40+ years and have NEVER had a sway issue with one on the highway. That includes long haul trips from Portland, OR to Lake Shasta with the boat loaded with supplies for the week! Current boat is a 2005 Malibu Sunsetter. My experience includes towing with Suburbans, Ram pickups, a 1974 Plymouth Road Runner and a early '90's Explorer. Only issue I ever had was not enough power in the Explorer to pull a hill! You should be fine with the Gladiator. My last several tow vehicles have had automatic air leveling suspension to compensate for the additional tongue weight. I'd give your new setup a few tows before adding the air bags - you should be able to pretty quickly tell if you need them to level out the tow rig.
Now, my open car hauler is a different story. If it isn't loaded correctly, it will want to walk the tow vehicle all over the road. When I brought my new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited home from S. TX, that was the case until I unstrapped everything and moved the Jeep forward just a couple of inches. Issue solved.
I do have a weight distributing hitch, but don't use it for either the boat or the open car hauler (car hauler frame design will not accommodate it). I have used it with the motorhome and an enclosed 28' car hauler. Weight distributing means just what it says - it helps reduce the "effective" tongue weight on the tow vehicle. IMO, one of these is not needed with a ski boat in tow.
As to the previous post on moving the boat forward or aft on the trailer to change tongue weight, obviously that is true and possible. However, my experience is the trailer manufacturers design the trailer to have the proper tongue weight with the boat positioned in the forward most lock down position as that's the only way to ensure the weight of the boat is positioned properly (each trailer is designed specifically for the boat it is carrying).
Happy to share any additional experience with you. . .

 

[Git]

Tongue weight should be 10 to 15 % of the total trailer weight. A class 3 hitch is *usually* rated to carry up to 600 lbs of tongue weight. (I am in the group that believes a heavier tongue weight is better for towing). So lets say if you have 500 lbs of tongue weight and the back of your vehicle sags noticeably, a weight distribution hitch can help by lifting the back of the vehicle, usually with some sort of spring loaded lever. Another great feature of these hitches are the anti-sway bars which really help, especially if you have a short wheelbase vehicle

Like quickfarms wrote, they are movable components on your boat trailer that can help you adjust the tongue weight if needed. First step in any case would be to try to find out your actual tongue weight and go from there

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Dan,
However, my experience is the trailer manufacturers design the trailer to have the proper tongue weight with the boat positioned in the forward most lock down position as that's the only way to ensure the weight of the boat is positioned properly (each trailer is designed specifically for the boat it is carrying).
Happy to share any additional experience with you. . .

Thanks so much Swanny. Your experience helps ease my concern. My feeling is that Trail Rite is a well respected trailer manufacturer and of course Centurion is a very good manufacturer too. I'm certain they set up the boat on the trailer to optimize the tow experience so I had no intention off messing with that. And of course with my '08 Silverado 3500 dually nor my '14 GMC 2500HD weight was never an issue. Remembering I had boat back there was more of an issue! Lol. I do intend to hook up the boat and take a test run on surface streets and freeways and see how it feels. It'd be great if the Weight Distributing Hitch isn't necessary.

Git, thanks for the detailed message. I found a similar setup on a YouTube video. I definitely plan to measure the tongue weight just out of curiosity. I guess the only way to know if it's 10-15% of the trailer weight is to take the thing to a scale.

 

[Git]

I would agree your trailer was setup pretty well from the factory but you just need to keep in mind the things like - do you tow with equipment in the boat, (coolers full of beer, skis, etc) do you fill the boat with gas when you leave or do you wait and fill up near your destination, like Lake Havasu or near 'the river' for example, where gas is cheaper. Things like that may make a difference, it's just nice to know to be sure

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I'm going to fill the gas tanks and fill an ice chest with water to "max out" the weight I carry in it while driving hen head to the scale. I usually don't have the ice chest full until we get to our destination but I want to know the likely max weight I'll be carrying.

 

[quickfarms]

Being a wakeboard boat does it have ballast tanks?

Boats are really not that difficult

Most of the time the fuel tank is biased forward of the axle

The heaviest part of the boat is fixed by design

The real variable is what stuff and ice chests do you carry in the boat? If they are secured so there center of weight is just forward of the axle or trunion, center between the axles, by about a foot you will should be fine

 

[don long]

This may be a good time to share a little towing experience.
20 years ago I had a 24' inclosed trailer that I used for taking my dirt toys out to Glamis to ride in the sand.
I purchased 2 more Honda pilots (like the newer side by sides available now days) The trailer was now too short to haul all the toys.
I went to work on the trailer. I took the skin off of it so I could add 6' to the rear of the trailer. Then I stiffened up 4 of the uprights to support an over head beam and chain fall to assist in loading the trailer from the side. I was ready to reskin the trailer but had a trip to glamis planned first. We loaded up 6 honda pilots 4 quads and a generator and 50 gallons of fuel. After tying everything down we called it a night and at 4AM left for glamis. I was pulling this rig with a Chevy Suburban. It pulled the slight hill outside of Diamond bar just fine at around 80 mph BUT on the way down the other side of that hill on the 60 freeway before the 57 freeway the trailer took over and threw that chevy all over the freeway before breaking the 2" ball and slamming into the side of the suburban and jackknifing us in the middle of the road. Traffic was very light but one car slammed into the back of the trailer while I was between the chevy and the trailer. I wasn't hurt just A LITTLE DIRTY IN THE SHORTS
What boiled down to was not enough tongue weight due to the extension and loading 4 of the pilots standing up on their tails in the back of the trailer. The moral of the story MORE tongue weight.

 

[xtremek]

And remember, it doesn't matter what the total weight of the trailer is. If the total weight of the trailer is 150lbs, and it's loaded wrong, it won't matter how big your truck is, you're going to have a wild ride. But like others have said, boat trailers are USUALLY set up correctly.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

This may be a good time to share a little towing experience
....BUT on the way down the other side of that hill....the trailer took over and threw that chevy all over the freeway before breaking the 2" ball and slamming into the side of the suburban and jackknifing us in the middle of the road. ....The moral of the story MORE tongue weight.

Yikes! Sounds like you used up one of your nine lives, Don! While I was working the Eastside Extension project for Metro we had a car barrel through a road closure and it hit a truck that had a variable message sign board and generator trailer still hitched to it with a worker standing along side. He was saved from being cut in half because the trailer had structural 4x4 angle iron "fenders" sticking out that slammed into the F450 lowboy flatbed towing it. It trapped him for a few minutes but he only got bruises. If the F450 had a pickup bed or the trailer sheet metal fenders it would have crushed him or at least cut off both legs.

 

[quickfarms]

Yikes! Sounds like you used up one of your nine lives, Don! While I was working the Eastside Extension project for Metro we had a car barrel through a road closure and it hit a truck that had a variable message sign board and generator trailer still hitched to it with a worker standing along side. He was saved from being cut in half because the trailer had structural 4x4 angle iron "fenders" sticking out that slammed into the F450 lowboy flatbed towing it. It trapped him for a few minutes but he only got bruises. If the F450 had a pickup bed or the trailer sheet metal fenders it would have crushed him or at least cut off both legs.

As a surveyor I don’t want to think about all of the close calls

 

[drivesitfar]

Dan i'm sorry i've missed your thread here and now that I've found it i'm here to learn and see what else you want to write about.

also interesting stories (like Don's little quad trailer he just posted about) from other members too that I wouldn't have seen if I hadn't stopped to check in.

I hope you are healthy and ready for another hot summer in So. California.

cheers

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

As a surveyor I don’t want to think about all of the close calls

Standing out in a road with live traffic going by? Yeah, my call is a hard “NO!” I’ve seen too many near misses with our crews who weren’t even in the street for more than a few moments with lane closures too. Glad you’ve survived it!

Dan i'm sorry i've missed your thread here and now that I've found it i'm here to learn and see what else you want to write about.

I hope you are healthy and ready for another hot summer in So. California.

cheers

Hi Drives! Yeah, this thread has wandered far off in-my-garage “doings”.. But I’ll get back to that soon. Been doing a lot of garden trimming, dead heading, no moving **** around to (tightly) fit the RV & boat into our side yard, etc.

The Gladiator arrives tomorrow from Carvana - my first time buying a car from them & also the first time I haven’t had to negotiate. So far it’s gone pretty smoothly. They actually charge MORE ($395) if you go pick it up than if they drop it off at your house($0.00)! Seems weird but I’ll spend the day “fender fondling” it tomorrow, then I’ll be back to garage stuff.

 

[captain14]

Make sure you post up photos of the new ride and your total experience dealing with Carvana. I’m curious what your experience is.

Is you model a high demand vehicle?

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

First pics of the new ride. Man, this thing is SO totally different than the 2017 JK two door Wrangler it's replacing. Sits higher, feels waay more solid. Positively luxurious (A Jeep?1) by comparison. I only drove it around the block before formally accepting it then out to lunch after but I really am enjoying it already.







The experience with Carvanna has been totally positive so far. They text you in the days and hours leading up to delivery, they remind you they need your license and proof of insurance. They ask you to send a selfie of your face and license before show up with your car. Young lady tow truck driver was very capable and knowledgeable about the Jeep. Apologized she didn't think their detailers had done as good a job as they should and said she would send me a check for $100 to have it detailed! It was totally fine, a few water spots on the windshield and some bugs from the drive from Ontario too Glendora.

Tomorrow is the test though. Going through the original factory sticker, the Owner's Manual and their website listing for this vehicle they all say it is equipped with 115v outlet. Manual says it has one in center console facing rear seat (it does) and in passenger side of bed - it does NOT! There's a plastic plate where it should be. I'm calling tomorrow and we'll see how this gets handled.

 

[xtremek]

Looks really nice. Since we've talked about towing so much, when do you think you'll tow with it? Give us a review when you do.

 

[drivesitfar]

nice looking rig!! I think we are holding out for an electric car/suv cause we won't be towing anything, but that looks like a nice option. is that color CEMENT (I think a guy with a new truck said they offered that as a color now) or do tell?

cheers!!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Jeep likes to be cute with their color names. It’s called Sting Gray.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Used the new truck to take 10 wheels/tires to a local shop today.



I'm giving the 265/70 Falken WildPeak AT's that were on my JK to my son-in-law for his new Gladiator California Edition. They're the same height as his factory tires but about an inch wider with way more aggressive tread. Totally changes the look of his truck. Had his new factory tires put on the JK rims. I also had a set of old Torq Thrust knockoffs from the 60's that had takeoffs I bought for my '55 back in 2011. I wanted to discard the tires so I can just store the TT's. Not much of a load and the truck held them fine. 1 tire went inside just to avoid having to strap it down.