Supposedly, a set of mis-matched shocks without bump stops is to blame for this catastrophic frame failure.
The Jeep Gladiator went through a trail by fire when it was engineered, tested, and vetted by FCA’s best engineers and the toughest of journalists, so it was surprising to come across a photo of this Trail rated Jeep Gladiator with a bent frame towing a dinky little trailer.
According to off-road enthusiasts on Instagram, @OffRoadElements, and the Real Truck Facebook page, a modified Jeep Gladiator bent its frame right at the bed line after going over some moderately difficult Mojave Road trails.
Check out the Facebook post making the rounds below including some armchair analysis from @OffRoadElements directly under.
In the photos we can see a Jeep Gladiator parked in the middle of the sunny Mojave Road in Nevada. The side profile view shows an angle between the bed and chassis that shouldn’t be there, presumably the chassis is bent at that position.
The Jeep Gladiator is towing a 2,000 pound tear drop trailer, well within the towing capabilities of the Gladiator, rated up to 4,500 pounds.
The modified wheels and tires gives a quick passerby a hint that this is no ordinary Jeep Gladiator. According to @OffRoadElements, the OEM stock shocks were swapped for longer aftermarket off-road shocks. Without pairing his shocks correctly, allegedly the owner decided not to use bump stops.
Bump stops are a last defense for your car’s suspension after your shock and spring combo have fully compressed, ensuring that your shocks do not slam into your shock mount and ultimately into your frame. A bump stop absorbs and spreads out the energy over a wider area, energy that would’ve gone straight into a frame.
In this Gladiator’s case, the undulations of the trail at high-speed combined with an additional load of the trailer and with no bump stops meant lots of energy was going through the frame.
At some point, the frame bent. Ironically, this Gladiator might’ve been better off with stock suspension, wheels, and tires.
While we can put all the blame on this Gladiator owner, perhaps Jeep is aware that there are some limitations to these Gladiators compared to their Wrangler counterparts. Consider that for the upcoming 2020 Jeep Gladiator Desert Rated editions, improvements and reinforcements on the frame were added in key locations, several near the rear suspension area.
Whatever the case, consulting experts and forums before serious vehicle modifications is always a good idea before taking your vehicle beyond what normal people would do.
Bump stops, they don’t seem like all that big of a deal but they serve an important purpose.
