Rubicon or Sahara

[mobydick 11]

O I did not know you could disable it .Do you need to go to a dealer to get it done ? I know there are some comments about driving at higher speeds in low range . and i don't think they were talking about a Rubi , but i was doing some simple math and a 4 to 1 transfer case going 60 mph means your main transmission is spinning at 240 miles an hr . that is the winning you hear followed by the big bang, Ha ha. How big a trailer are you building ? do you think a 4x6 is big enough ? Please understand when i talk about thing's that i am in Ontario Canada . So if i spend 10,000 in the US it is 15000 of my dollars by the time i get it home .That is why some of my thinking seems a bit odd .

 

[Justincredible]

I've run this setup around 20,000 miles. (2012 Sport, Auto, 3.73 gears)
Keep the trailer a reasonable weight and make sure the weight distribution is towards the front and your 2door will pull just fine.

 

[mobydick 11]

Wow that's a nice set up . Hope you have some heat in there !!! I was looking at a all aluminum 4x6 utility trailer with a rack and RTT . but I like your tear drop. Does it have the kitchen in the back ? I was thinking of camp kitchen in the jeep ,that way i could just grab a small tent and a sleeping bag and leave the trailer home if i wanted .

 

[MOguy]

Thanks for all the comments .vtsoundman you have helpful suggestions . I do have a bit of experience ,my first job at 15 years old was plowing snow with a international Scout . that was 50 years ago though . we only used low range to work never to drive around . now death wobble that's another story . So here is were i am at . i have found a very nice low mileage 2015 willys with 372 gears . it is an automatic . also a 2 door ,thinking camp kitchen in the rig and a roof top tent on an off road trailer . I had a 2012 sport with a standard and two things i did not like about the standard were .the hill lock thing were you are trying to start off up a hill from a light and the brakes are still locked on for a few seconds . very hard on the clutch . also i felt that reverse was way to high a gear ,hard to back a trailer . that's probably when i used low range the most . That and traffic jams ,i would put it in low and just let it creep along at an idle. I guess the answer to my own question is .How are you going to use it . I have read that the 372 bumps the two door up to the 3500 lb tow rating .thanks for every ones help

I will probably get flamed but I recommend considering another vehicle.

I am a Jeep guy, I love my Wrangler. I am a weekend warrior and pack light. It is very capable off road, the top and doors come off, the ride is just fine too me BUT it just can't carry allot of weight and you want to add a trailer. The Jeep you are talking about will have a payload capacity up to about 1,000 or less (depending on model). If you go the wrangler route keep that in mind.

I know there are allot of people here that will overload their vehicle and haven't had a problem.

If you can keep within the weight (keep it low and between the axles) the wrangler is be the best option there is. I may be a little bias here. BUT if you load it up and don't need the off-road capability there may be better choices than a Wrangler.

As far as the Rubicon? It's payload is less but the capabilities are far greater. The 4:1 is far lower than the other Wranglers as discussed by other here but having lockers is like having 4wd vs 2wd. The added gains in traction are incredible. You may not think that is a big deal now but when the trail keeps going further and further you may want to follow it. Not having a capable vehicle can really limit you. Having a capable vehicle may help you get down the trail AND back home, or it may just get you more stuck and deeper in. A winch is nice but that bumper and winch could exceed more than 10% of the payload all buy its self.

A winch, RTT and a kitchen could easily eat up 1/3 of the payload of your Wrangler.

 

[Justincredible]

Wow that's a nice set up . Hope you have some heat in there !!! I was looking at a all aluminum 4x6 utility trailer with a rack and RTT . but I like your tear drop. Does it have the kitchen in the back ? I was thinking of camp kitchen in the jeep ,that way i could just grab a small tent and a sleeping bag and leave the trailer home if i wanted .

I use a buddy heater and layers of comforter/blankets. Run the heater for 15-20 minutes before bed to get things toasty, and again when I wake up to get that morning nip out of the air.
The plan when I built it was simplicity, so instead of a galley kitchen in the back I opted for interior storage space and space at my feet for the dog.
I do have a table that folds off the back so I can prep/cook, but I just have a small single burner butane stove that I use there or on the fold down table on the Jeep tailgate.

The older I get the more I start to think about buying a really nice offroad trailer, but this has served me well, helped me carry stuff that just doesn't fit in a 2 door wrangler when you have a kid and dog, and I still feel like I'm roughing it when I go camping.

 

[Bobzdar]

Obviously you use your Wrangler differently than I do and obviously you are not following the conversation.

Fact is 4LO in any gear in the Rubi is like driving a tractor. But 4LO in any other Wrangler is like, well it is like driving ANY other 4x4 built over the past 50 years. The Rubi is a one off with a very narrow, focused, specific use. My point is, if you love driving you will likely hate 4LO in the Rubi. But you'll likely LOVE 4LO in any other 4x4. The only guys who ever argue that point are the fanatics who swear the Rubi is the best 4x4 ever. Needing to justify their purchase and wanting to vault their ego into Rubi heaven.

Drive a Rubi before you buy it cuz the Rubi 4LO is incredibly limiting.... as you say you never use it. If you had a Sport you would love the performance in 4LO. YOU, should drive a Sport in 4LO.

But I agree, the ONLY time to use 4LO in a Rubi is if you want to crawl. .... Mostly because that is all it can do.

I put 25K miles a year on my Rubi. I like it because I tow a trailer almost every day.... and 4LO lets me crawl over rough terrain with a trailer full of tools.

I still love 4LO on a forestry road at 60mph in a Sport. Try it.

I've had 6 Jeeps (and a few other 4x4's), only 2 have been Rubicons (and only had them for a combined total of a little over a year vs. a combined 20 in other 4x4's). My comments were not specific or even tailored to the Rubicon. Using 4 low at 60mph, or really anything over 10mph, makes zero sense. Once you are into speeds that are over 1st gear at redline in 4 hi, 4 low gains you nothing, especially with an 8 speed transmission (which is not limited to the Rubicon). Actually, the only vehicle it makes sense to stay in 4 low in at higher speeds IS the Rubicon, because you can't engage the lockers in 4 hi. But for any other vehicle, it makes zero sense. My use has always been the same, when crawling (ie sub 10mph) I use 4 low. Anything faster and I use 4 hi as there's zero reason to use low. Even in the Rubicon, if something looks nasty, I'll stop and shift to 4 low and engage the lockers. If I want to go over 10mph for any length of time, I stop and shift to 4 hi.

 

[mobydick 11]

Thanks Bobzdar ,I agree completely with your thinking . What i have taken away from this thread and watching a bunch of videos . Is building a weekend worrier or rock crawler and a over-lander are two different things . there is a guy from south Africa that has very good advice . keep it simple keep weight low and centered . common sense stuff

 

[GetOutThere]

Only skimmed, but there are a lot of opinions here, and few that take your intended use to heart.

Plain and simple, the Sahara is better for your needs, and you'd likely be even better served by a different vehicle all together.

Coming from a Rubi owner and heavy user of Rubi features. Just another 2c in the pot.

 

[GB_Willys_2014]

I've had 6 Jeeps (and a few other 4x4's), only 2 have been Rubicons (and only had them for a combined total of a little over a year vs. a combined 20 in other 4x4's). My comments were not specific or even tailored to the Rubicon. Using 4 low at 60mph, or really anything over 10mph, makes zero sense. Once you are into speeds that are over 1st gear at redline in 4 hi, 4 low gains you nothing, especially with an 8 speed transmission (which is not limited to the Rubicon). Actually, the only vehicle it makes sense to stay in 4 low in at higher speeds IS the Rubicon, because you can't engage the lockers in 4 hi. But for any other vehicle, it makes zero sense. My use has always been the same, when crawling (ie sub 10mph) I use 4 low. Anything faster and I use 4 hi as there's zero reason to use low. Even in the Rubicon, if something looks nasty, I'll stop and shift to 4 low and engage the lockers. If I want to go over 10mph for any length of time, I stop and shift to 4 hi.

Yup, exactly.

I probably go up to 15, but exact same principal.