Is my Jeep too heavy?

[calicamper]

Well it is based on insurance data from across North America so ..... I think maybe more than one 370Z has been crashed over the 14 years of production. My take is if you are alone in a 370Z... you are likely taking chances, pushing the envelope. Same with pickups which are often company vehicles driven by employees in a rush to get home. But not so much with Wranglers which are seldom seen racing down Mulholland Drive or in a hurry to get to the bar.

The inference that a top heavy vehicle creates an unsafe vehicle is an old qives tale when one looks at the actual fatality or claims rate for any one vehicle. If you drive in a safe controlled defensive manner you can be safe in anything.

Except around here we went through its the “cool” kid car thing for a few yrs. We had three teen driver flop their Wranglers on their lids on our flat, 4 lane 35mph with landscaped center strip in a 8 day stretch. One was right infront of me, kissed the curb doing 35 and ass over end, I helped get him out of his inverted seat.

The dads ie good friends with them all use them as 3rd vehicles ie their local fun car. They all laugh when asked if they do trips with them.

 

[G0to60]

Well it is based on insurance data from across North America so ..... I think maybe more than one 370Z has been crashed over the 14 years of production. My take is if you are alone in a 370Z... you are likely taking chances, pushing the envelope. Same with pickups which are often company vehicles driven by employees in a rush to get home. But not so much with Wranglers which are seldom seen racing down Mulholland Drive or in a hurry to get to the bar.

The inference that a top heavy vehicle creates an unsafe vehicle is an old qives tale when one looks at the actual fatality or claims rate for any one vehicle. If you drive in a safe controlled defensive manner you can be safe in anything.

It was a joke based on not a whole lot of 370Zs being bought. Oh well.

 

[MattJ]

Latest weight checks:
Jeep is empty of people and cargo, with a full tank of gas. Trailer is loaded with 30 gallons of water and all cargo for a trek, excluding food and a few duffle bags of clothes (kids always pack at the last minute). Overall, I'm happy. Nice to have a bit of cushion on the 5,700lb GVWR and 3,500lb towing capacity. Although the tongue weight counts against the GVWR too, doesn't it? I use a hitch with a weight gauge in it, and it seems to read around 400lb.

 

[Etoimos]

It looks like your diet worked pretty good Matt. I'd really like to have a set of those scales, but I just can't bring my self to drop the coin on them for an occasional use each year.

 

[billiebob]

One difference we all missed. Compare the Power Wagon, a 2500 Series Dodge to every other 2500 Series Dodge and it has less than half the payload capacity. The Power Wagon like the Wrangler are built ro articulate over rough ground. Most other vehicles are built and rated for travel over smooth roads. It is that flexibility and exposure to off camber situations which handicaps the payload capacity. If we kept our Wranglers and Power wagons on forestry roads we could carry much more without stressing the frame, driveline, steering, suspension. But when we overload and go off road we risk carnage.

Good choice Matt, nice unit, I'm envious of the set of scales.

 

[MattJ]

It looks like your diet worked pretty good Matt. I'd really like to have a set of those scales, but I just can't bring my self to drop the coin on them for an occasional use each year.

Yeah, it's stupid money for the ability to weigh a vehicle. But I've decided a lot of this hobby is stupid money, and I really am curious about the "weight factor" that affects just about everything. There is a local shop near me that does off-road and overland builds that has asked me about my scales. Made me realize the best bet would be to arrange a group purchase for sharing a scale system like this so that several people could gather data on various configurations for different situations.

But I will say (again) that this is one of the most user-friendly and well-built products I have added to my garage. Really impressive kit.

 

[MattJ]

One difference we all missed. Compare the Power Wagon, a 2500 Series Dodge to every other 2500 Series Dodge and it has less than half the payload capacity. The Power Wagon like the Wrangler are built ro articulate over rough ground. Most other vehicles are built and rated for travel over smooth roads. It is that flexibility and exposure to off camber situations which handicaps the payload capacity. If we kept our Wranglers and Power wagons of forestry roads we could carry much more without stressing the frame, driveline, steering, suspension. But when we overload and go off road we risk carnage.

Good choice Matt, nice unit, I'm envious of the set of scales.

Interesting - I never thought about the fact that flexibility and off-camber capability were handicaps for payload capacity. But it makes sense. I've certainly learned the hard way that off-roading and overlanding don't mix too well. Once I decided that exploring was more fun than rock-crawling, my AEV bumpers, Metalcloak skid plating and White Knuckle rock sliders became something I worried about rather than glad I had. Heavy, heavy, heavy.

 

[pkripper]

Interesting - I never thought about the fact that flexibility and off-camber capability were handicaps for payload capacity. But it makes sense. I've certainly learned the hard way that off-roading and overlanding don't mix too well. Once I decided that exploring was more fun than rock-crawling, my AEV bumpers, Metalcloak skid plating and White Knuckle rock sliders became something I worried about rather than glad I had. Heavy, heavy, heavy.

Did your Jeep come with the AEV bumpers? Mine came stock with front and rear and I wonder if Jeep took that into consideration?

 

[MattJ]

I will say that the AEV bumpers are a great product. First of all, they look great with the OEM plastic fenders, as they are designed to do. Second, they are bombproof. I’ve smashed mine with rocks and trees, and they provide significant protection. Third, they are easy to clean up with a rattle can of AEV flat black paint that blends perfectly into the powder coating. Finally, it’s nice that the rear bumper holds 10 gallons of water.

On the downside, they’re heavy. But we’ve covered that. The other negative is that the rear bumper water compartments are separate, and require a self-install plumbing session to connect. And the hand-pump squirty system for actually using the water is a bit silly. I’ve got a thread on a gravity faucet that I installed after deciding I wasn’t talented enough to pressurize the bumper tanks, as others have done.

But overall, a GREAT product. I’ve been very happy with every piece of AEV gear on my rig. Which is good, since they ain’t cheap, for sure.

 

[pkripper]

I will say that the AEV bumpers are a great product. First of all, they look great with the OEM plastic fenders, as they are designed to do. Second, they are bombproof. I’ve smashed mine with rocks and trees, and they provide significant protection. Third, they are easy to clean up with a rattle can of AEV flat black paint that blends perfectly into the powder coating. Finally, it’s nice that the rear bumper holds 10 gallons of water.

On the downside, they’re heavy. But we’ve covered that. The other negative is that the rear bumper water compartments are separate, and require a self-install plumbing session to connect. And the hand-pump squirty system for actually using the water is a bit silly. I’ve got a thread on a gravity faucet that I installed after deciding I wasn’t talented enough to pressurize the bumper tanks, as others have done.

But overall, a GREAT product. I’ve been very happy with every piece of AEV gear on my rig. Which is good, since they ain’t cheap, for sure.

I guess to clarify my question, did jeep take into consideration the additional weight from front and rear AEV bumpers? I have them on my Rubicon as well but they came stock with the edition I bought.

 

[jadmt]

I guess to clarify my question, did jeep take into consideration the additional weight from front and rear AEV bumpers? I have them on my Rubicon as well but they came stock with the edition I bought.

no look on your door jam you will see the GVWR it is the same as what is on my rubicon recon ie 5700 lb whic was the same as my 2014 rubicon. the gvwr does not change so the heavier your rig was from the factory the less payload you will have. The 5700 lb GVWR does not change.

 

[Etoimos]

And the sticker showing the payload will not incorparate the added AVE weight as that stuff is added after the Jeep leaves the factory.

 

[Thinman]

Getting ready to decide on a rack and RTT so I went and checked the weight today...

The highlights of the specs...

20' JLUR
Metal Cloak 2.5 GC lift
37" Pats + Fifteen52 Wheels (~96#)
Metal Cloak front bumper
Warn Xeon 10s
LOD rear bumper w/tire carrier
RSE Step Sliders (no extra armor)
Metal Cloak front & rear diff covers + skids
All my recovery gear
1/2 my camping gear
Wife & I
3/4 tank gas




Looking at a Front Runner (100#), iKamper (160#), CFX45 fridge and the rest of my camping gear and I'll be pushing 6100...

Ugggg, but not the worst I suppose

oh, forgot, going to do a 60% delete on the back seat also, so that will help too

 

[MattJ]

Sounds like an awesome build. Post some trek pictures when you can! Definitely a nice go-anywhere-and-stay-a-while configuration. And 10mpg . . .

 

[Thinman]

Thanks. Yeah, it has been working it's way down the depth chart...Seems to hang around 14 (for now) if I'm nice to it