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Tow capacity will keep me from switching...

Thehime

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I was also really hoping the Bronco would have a slightly higher towing capacity. I took my boat to the CAT scales just to be sure and it came in at 3600 fully loaded. That was a big bummer. Guess I will just have to be patient and hold out hope that the theories about a higher towing package come true.

I do find it very odd that the 2 and 4 door come in at the same listed capacity (as many have pointed out, probably suspension limited). But even stranger is the fact that pictures and videos keep surfacing of broncos equipped with a class III hitch when they only show a Class II as an option on the website. Example in this link at 2:34. I can't think of a good reason they would fit broncos with a Class III if their max listed capacity is only rated to 3500.



Here's hoping there is an option for a Class III. I used to tow this same boat with an old 99 jeep Cherokee (Somehow rated to 5000 lbs.......standards have obviously changed a lot). It was awful but managed to get the job done for years with no issues. I am confident this would be a significant improvement over the jeep.
That’s a good point. Since the video is of test Broncos it could mean that the tow capacity is still being tested. The class II on the ford website with a 3500 lb max tow are most likely place holders until they can give an official tow rating with the class III tow hitch.
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FLTrojan21

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Mchong75

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If you get a standard Ranger model, it has a towing capacity of 3,500 but if you add the tow package for $500, it can deliver up to 7,500 lb. So, if the bodies are on same chassis, I would assume you can get the same on the Bronco? And, the Tanger is based off of 2.3 liter.
 

BroncoFanBoy

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To follow-up to all the naysayers saying you can’t have an off-road vehicle that can have a meaningful towing capacity....I see you and raise you the upcoming 2022 GMC Hummer which will reportedly have an electric option and be able to tow up to 11500 lbs.

https://www.greencarreports.com/new...mer-ev-sut-suv-price-specs-review-photos-info
Is the next hummer even an off-road focused vehicle? I thought I saw it’s just an electric suv and they just took the hummer name.. not trying to keep the lineage. But idk
 

rjkmoto

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The kind of suspension you see on a Bronco or Wrangler is quite soft and doesn't allow for much payload or towing. The JL Wranglers are rated at 2000 pounds for the two doors, and 3500 pounds for the four door so the Bronco is right on point for what it is.

Same reason why a regular F-150 with the 3.5L Ecoboost HO can handle 11,000 pound but the Raptor is down to 8000 even if they have the same chassis and powetrain.
The JT Gladiator with the Rubicon package tows 7,000lbs. A sport JT with the max tow package tows 7,650lbs.

Point is not to claim the jeeps are better than a Bronco, but just that you CAN have a legitimate off-road package AND tow more than a riding mower.

JK
 
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Monster79

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TheDo114

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The JT Gladiator with the Rubicon package tows 7,000lbs.

JK
It's also a truck with a much longer wheelbase.

I really hope the bronco can pull 5000lbs when they finalize the specs but I will make 3500lbs work.

This is an extreme off-roader not an extreme towing rig.
 

RubyRuin

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To follow-up to all the naysayers saying you can’t have an off-road vehicle that can have a meaningful towing capacity....I see you and raise you the upcoming 2022 GMC Hummer which will reportedly have an electric option and be able to tow up to 11500 lbs.

https://www.greencarreports.com/new...mer-ev-sut-suv-price-specs-review-photos-info
And the towing range will also suffer tremendously compared to an equivalent ICE, speaking from personal experience. I towed a 5X8 U-Haul cargo trailer with an Audi E-tron on a ~300 mile trip between Dallas and San Antonio; the vehicle would get 180-190 miles with a fully charged battery. I ended up having to make three stops to fully charge the battery at Electrify America stations, paid about $150 total to charge and lost nearly two and a half hours sitting around waiting for the charge to complete. With trailer, that vehicle barely got 80-90 miles, so it basically lost 50% of its normal range by having to pull a 3500-4000 pound trailer.

We took the same trip again right afterwards, same cargo trailer and this time, with a Colorado with the little Duramax and made it to the destination on one tank and costed us just under $35 to fill it back up to full at the destination.

It's also a truck with a much longer wheelbase.

I really hope the bronco can pull 5000lbs when they finalize the specs but I will make 3500lbs work.

This is an extreme off-roader not an extreme towing rig.
Yep, longer wheelbase allows better load distribution on suspension and doesn't cause the front end of the vehicle to float or lift up. The Gladiator's wheelbase is just six inches short of a F-150 crew cab with the 6.5 feet bed.

In fact, the breakover and departure angles of Gladiator is significantly worse than the standard 4 door Wranglers.
 

rjkmoto

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And the towing range will also suffer tremendously compared to an equivalent ICE, speaking from personal experience. I towed a 5X8 U-Haul cargo trailer with an Audi E-tron on a ~300 mile trip between Dallas and San Antonio; the vehicle would get 180-190 miles with a fully charged battery. I ended up having to make three stops to fully charge the battery at Electrify America stations, paid about $150 total to charge and lost nearly two and a half hours sitting around waiting for the charge to complete. With trailer, that vehicle barely got 80-90 miles, so it basically lost 50% of its normal range by having to pull a 3500-4000 pound trailer.

We took the same trip again right afterwards, same cargo trailer and this time, with a Colorado with the little Duramax and made it to the destination on one tank and costed us just under $35 to fill it back up to full at the destination.


Yep, longer wheelbase allows better load distribution on suspension and doesn't cause the front end of the vehicle to float or lift up. The Gladiator's wheelbase is just six inches short of a F-150 crew cab with the 6.5 feet bed.

In fact, the breakover and departure angles of Gladiator is significantly worse than the standard 4 door Wranglers.
Yes ... because it has a longer wheel base and a 5’ bed, but it still has off-road capabilities closer to the Wrangler than any other truck AND it can two more than the Wrangler (and any other kid size truck).

There are always trade offs but there CAN be setups that maximize both.

BUT Wrangler and Bronco aren’t towing machines. ?‍♂

JK
 

RubyRuin

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Yes ... because it has a longer wheel base and a 5’ bed, but it still has off-road capabilities closer to the Wrangler than any other truck AND it can two more than the Wrangler (and any other kid size truck).
Think about this statement for a minute....what other midsize truck is comparable to the Gladiator's dimension? It's capable of what it's able to do because it has the wheelbase of a full size truck.
 

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rjkmoto

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Think about this statement for a minute....what other midsize truck is comparable to the Gladiator's dimension? It's capable of what it's able to do because it has the wheelbase of a full size truck.
Chevy Colorado - 140” (Ram 1500 crew ca
Gladiator - 137”
Tacoma - 127”
Ranger - 125”

Colorado tow capability (max) - 7,000lbs
Gladiator (max) - 7,650lbs
Gladiator in Rubicon trim - 7,000lbs

JK
 

RubyRuin

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Chevy Colorado - 140”
Gladiator - 137”
Tacoma - 127”
Ranger - 125”

JK
So you picked a custom order Crew Cab Long Bed Colorado configuration that is an outlier to try to normalize your point. Congratulations, but every other midsize averages at mid-120".

I looked at getting a Gladiator and ultimately walked away from it because I don't find it sensible to have a midsize truck that with the exterior dimensions of a full size but the interior and capability of midsize.
 

TheDo114

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Chevy Colorado - 140” (Ram 1500 crew ca
Gladiator - 137”
Tacoma - 127”
Ranger - 125”

Colorado tow capability (max) - 7,000lbs
Gladiator (max) - 7,650lbs
Gladiator in Rubicon trim - 7,000lbs

JK
They are all trucks and not as capable,(hopefully), as the bronco.

If you really need the towing you need a truck or to skimp on off-roadability and go full size SUV.
 

rjkmoto

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So you picked a custom order Crew Cab Long Bed Colorado configuration to try to normalize your point. Congratulations, but every other model's at mid-120".

I looked at getting a Gladiator and ultimately walked away from it because I don't find it sensible to have a midsize truck that with the exterior dimensions of a full size but the interior and capability of midsize.
LOL it always the guys who don’t own the thing that have the biggest opinion about the thing. The point of all this was that the off-road suspension IN AND OF ITSELF is not the only determinant to towing capability - nor is engine size, brake size, unibody vs body on frame. It’s ALL of it and how it’s all combined.

JK

ps I just grabbed the Colorado specs off the first that came up - that’s my fault - the short bed, crew cab 4x4 is 128”.
 

RubyRuin

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LOL it always the guys who don’t own the thing that have the biggest opinion about the thing. The point of all this was that the off-road suspension IN AND OF ITSELF is not the only determinant to towing capability - nor is engine size, brake size, unibody vs body on frame. It’s ALL of it and how it’s all combined.

JK

ps I just grabbed the specs off the first that came up - the short bed, crew cab 4x4 is 128”.
What point are you trying to make? Of all your examples (Including the Gladiator) compromises to a certain extent to do what they're designed to do. All the best-case towing specs of the other midsizes you gave are basically 2WD configurations with no off-roading suspensions added to it, so ultimately they're not even comparable to the Gladiator.

The closest competitor in regards to towing/offroading midsize trucks to the Gladiator is the Colorado ZR2, and guess what? Its towing capability is downgraded to 5000 pounds for a reason.
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