Gladiator vs. Wranglers on Extreme Holy Cross Trail!

[@grannygamerquilter]

Nice! Thanks for sharing this. Our JL Wrangler did really well ... until the French Creek Crossing. That one was a struggle. I enjoyed all the camera angles in this video, especially following the Jeeps up Obstacle #2 (that crevice). Wow! It really shows the steepness and camber. Well done ... the whole video.

[@BigGreenJeep]

Thanks! We had a great time on this trail. Let's hope they don't close it down!

[@Djarvis2]

Did that trail alone. I tore my brake line off on my left rear brake and lost all my brake fluid. I clamped the brake line and then put the brake fluid that I had with me in the reservoir. Then finished the trial

[@BigGreenJeep]

That's how you do it! Gotta come prepared. We started out on our own but ran into this group where we camped. The knowledgable spotter definitely made it a lot easier than it would have been otherwise.

[@Sumdivangelic]

What a great spotter! Wow! It’s hard to find a REALLY good spotter sometimes. Thanks for the video! Love love love it!

[@Sumdivangelic]

Sorry… drivers are good too. I’m always in the driver seat, so was appreciative of the spotter, but you ALL did great! Fantastic trail 😊😊

[@BigGreenJeep]

I know! That guy was the best spotter I have run into. He was a nice guy all around. And it was pure luck as we headed to the trail on our own. Just happened to boondock at the same spot.

[@morningdrums]

This was so cool to watch! I am thinking of getting a gladiator rubricon. By this video alone looks like having a lift with bigger all terrain tires along with a winch in the front is the way to go. I really wish jeep would make the seats with lumbar support and seats with more adjustments moving seat forward and back further. Also, I really wish jeep would make their jeeps have better gas mileage specially for those people using their jeeps a lot and off roading deep into places. Great Video! lets see more. I want a jeep gladiator for off road and for hunting

[@troybilt6752]

Very nicely done my friend. I am just getting started off roading with my JTR. Looking forward to a time when I am confident like you are. Right now I'm chicken farts on every small obstacle.

[@BigGreenJeep]

That's how most everyone starts! I came from a world of fast cars into my first Jeep in 2015. It was mostly new to me at the time. You will learn and progress quickly. It's good to learn from some more experienced guys. I probably should have done more damage to my Jeep early on because I wasn't really worried about it and didn't know what I didn't know. Probably a bit over-confidant. Looking back I would have spent more time hanging with experts like the spotter in the vid rather than going out on my own all the time!

[@christophernuckolls9964]

What a great color on your Gladiator. What is it called?

[@BigGreenJeep]

Thanks! It's called Gator. It was only available on 2020 Gladiators.

[@MidKnight2142]

And here I was thinking that Poughkeepsie Gulch was tough in my JT Rubicon manual, my only bit of solace was "at least it wasn't Holy Cross, I don't think a Gladiator can do that." Then I watch your video and was proven wrong, very well done congrats.

[@BigGreenJeep]

Thanks! Poughkeepsie is a beautiful trail. After you make it up the wall you can stop by the lake for lunch and just soak it all in. One of the JLs in the video was a manual. It definitely seemed to make it more challenging at some parts. The Gladiator did really well on Holy Cross. There were a few places that being on 40s would have made it easier to take the challenging lines, but it still did great on 37s.

[@BigGreenJeep]

Forgot to add that having a good spotter who knows the trail makes a huge difference. He had never seen a Gladiator out there before and was pretty impressed with how it did. I found the same thing on Cliffhanger. Some who had not seen a JT on the harder trails before were surprised.

[@MidKnight2142]

@@BigGreenJeep I am impressed with my JT as well, and I'll probably hit the harder trails once I have more experience and modifications done on the Jeep. Engineer and Poughkeesie were my first real 4x4 trails that I've ever driven on. So there was a bit of a learning curve lol. I drove up to the wall and decided since I have no mods on my Jeep and the fact its my daily driver, that I'd pass on doing the wall and just took the bypass. We are talking about going to Moab in April so hopefully I get more experience there. But I absolutely love my JT, definitely a bit more off road worthy than my 2001 Mustang GT that I had before the Jeep lol.

[@BigGreenJeep]

@@MidKnight2142 When in doubt take the bypass! You'll know when you and the rig are ready for an obstacle. I'm sure the Jeep couldn't keep up with the Mustang on the track... lol

[@getouttherandplay]

Metalcloak Game Changer suspension 💪👊

[@BigGreenJeep]

Love this lift!

[@plumber802]

Some areas are painful to watch. I prefer more finesse over the "full send " approach. Great video though. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[@tacodrewww]

Nothing beats having a good spotter 🤝

[@BigGreenJeep]

Absolutely! We just got lucky and found this group starting the trail the same time we did. I would have had a hard time finding the lines on our own.

[@jgd2701]

Great video. What is the lift on your Gladiator? I have a 3.5 inch EVO on 37s. Wondering how it will do on Holy Cross?

[@BigGreenJeep]

3.5 inch Metalcloak with Nitto 37s. The long wheelbase helped in some areas. It hurt when I tried the harder line shown in the vid as well as just after French Creek on the way up. Overall it did great though!

[@jgd2701]

Great thanks!

[@troutbum81]

I have so many questions about your set up! I just got my 2020 gladiator. Great rigs!

[@BigGreenJeep]

These Gladiators can do everything well! Just need some lift, bigger tires, and belly armor.

[@kayaduss]

@@BigGreenJeep I am just about to pull in the trigger on a 2023 gladiator Rubicon. I was thinking 3 1/2 inch TeraFlex lift with 37 inch Cooper STT pro tires what are you running for lift and tires? I have to wait about four months for it and I’m trying to get prepared. I was told it has skid plates do I need extra? I really appreciate your time and your videos are fantastic. It’s nice to see somebody that drives it like it should be driven.

[@BigGreenJeep]

@@kayaduss 3 1/2 Metalcloak Gamechanger on 37 x 17 Nitto Trailgrapplers. I have a 3" Teraflex on my JKU. Both are great lifts. The Metalcloak articulation is tough to beat. It also has full Artec aluminum skids and lca skids. Factory skids aren't bad. Just depends on what you are going to do with it. It also is trussed and gusseted. Not necessary for most use cases but we are often off road far from other people and I want it as reliable as can be. Running 5.13 gears. I did put on stronger springs in the rear due to all the weight we carry these days. We just did a 10,000 mile trip on and off road. I find it comfortable on the highway and capable on the trails. I didn't get much video on this last trip unfortunately. Next up is upgrading the steering. My factory stabilizer is a bit smashed at the moment. A relocation is in order as well as upgraded ball joints and track bar. Congrats on your order! You will love it!

[@kayaduss]

@@BigGreenJeep wow you definitely go full throttle. Where I live in BC Canada, I do lots of rock crawling as well. I probably wouldn’t purchase a Gladiator but we pull a mission overland summit trailer and a standard JK is not rated to tow more than 3500 pounds, so the best alternative to me is a Gladiator if I still want to have my cake and eat it to. So you feel that the Artec skids are superior to stock ? LCA skids are probably a good idea ? Someone else mentioned Asfir skids . I really appreciate your input as I’m new to the jeep world. I come from a Toyota background that being said, I’m sick of IFS and breaking CV axles.

[@BigGreenJeep]

@@kayaduss I've seen some vids of wheeling in BC. It looks amazing and not crowded at all. We ended up in a Gladiator for similar reasons to what you mention. We have a small camper we pull on occasion and a roof top tent on others. The extra towing capacity and bed space makes it possible to do what we like to do. Toyotas are great vehicles as well. The IFS is not my first choice though and the cabin is smaller than I like. But they are good looking and very well built. I am not familiar with the Asfir skids. There are some threads on Jeep Gladiator forum with some good info on skids (if you haven't found that forum already). This one has a nice comparison chart: www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/full-belly-aluminum-skid-plate-comparison.51588/

[@Ezekio3160]

Thanks for posting!

[@BigGreenJeep]

You're welcome! It's amateur video but gives a good idea what the trail is like.

[@stevegogo]

Love the style of wheel which gladiator have, may I ask the what brand is it? Thanks!

[@BigGreenJeep]

Wheel Vintiques Smoothies. 17 x 9.

[@joelrogers5972]

Awesome vid! That is a legit trail for sure! What rack and bed cover combo is that?

[@sheerwillsurvival2064]

Great video what lift do you have on gladiator and did y’all air down tires any

[@BigGreenJeep]

Thanks. It's on a 3.5" Metalcloak Gamechanger riding on Nitto 37 Trail Grapplers aired down to around 13.

[@sheerwillsurvival2064]

@@BigGreenJeep wow very nice

[@kolbergone]

One day I'll give it a try

[@BigGreenJeep]

It was a lot of fun! Give it a try if you get a chance.

[@cardboardcrawlersrc8805]

Awesome looking trail.

[@burnbetnard3853]

Nice helpful video just bought a new jeep gladiator 2021.

[@BigGreenJeep]

Thanks Burn. It was a fun trail. It would have been difficult in the shape the trails were in with the Gladiator on less than 37s (and with good skids). You could probably make it on 35s but it would be more difficult. Congrats on your new Gladiator!

[@yepthatskyle]

How do you think this would be with a JT Rubicon on 35s and no lift?

[@Scrambler85]

Excellent adventure, great trail👍

[@BigGreenJeep]

It was a great time! Challenging but do-able for my Gladiator. And the "city" is a perfect place to have lunch and hang out for a while.

[@C8sorbs]

Taking my JTR/37s/Mopar lift this weekend. Any gotchas not in the video to be wary of?

[@BigGreenJeep]

I think the video captured all of the hard parts. The Tippy Tree obstacle could take a tail light on a Gladiator pretty easily if you slide at all. Another thing to consider is starting a bit early. From what I hear a lot you will often find people arriving about 9:00 am. We got started just before that and were first there. Have fun!!

[@simounjacobe]

Excellent content! You have a new subscriber.

[@BigGreenJeep]

Thanks Simoun!

[@Doublebit-pk1el]

Awesome love this content, keep up the great work!

[@BigGreenJeep]

Thanks! We don't always film but I wanted to show others what this trail is like in a Gladiator. I'm sure we'll capture some others.

[@Doublebit-pk1el]

Just purchased the gladiator, can’t wait to get off road.

[@BigGreenJeep]

@@Doublebit-pk1el Congrats! You'll love it. You can do just about anything with these Jeeps.

[@overlandingfamily]

What lift? Do you have skid plates?

[@BigGreenJeep]

3.5" Metalcloak Gamechanger with 1 3/8 Icon coil spacers in the rear. Artec aluminum skids and lca skids. Some other things as well like trussed/gusseted axles, chromoly shafts, RCVs, diff covers, etc.

[@overlandingfamily]

@@BigGreenJeep sounds awesome. I'm wanting to upgrade to 4.5 vs 3inch pro x rk. Why the truss? Do you really need that for 37s

[@BigGreenJeep]

@@overlandingfamily I went with a 3.5" lift because I don't like the tippy feeling on many obstacles. lol A lower center of gravity is nice when off camber. The axles probably don't need to be trussed. I did it because we tend to be wheeling on our own and want to be as bullet proof as possible. I also tend to use the gas pedal freely.

[@alanwood5857]

I find it interesting that the original WW2 era Jeep had a wheelbase of 80 inches and designed to go over virtually anything. The Gladiator is stretched out to 137 inch wheelbase. To me ridiculous, (but you get a little sand box on the back).You are bound to beat the bottom off of it! Just saying.

[@oswal1853]

WRANGLERS ARE THE KINGS FOREVER

[@mickanonim3860]

Amazing truck. The plate says SKRUM, are you a SCRUM master?

[@BigGreenJeep]

No, it stands for Siesta Key Rum.

[@mickanonim3860]

@@BigGreenJeep ah, thank you for clarifying. Cheers!

[@woofy548]

This is a rich guy's hobby. 60k toys getting beat up on rocks..

[@davidbunch3293]

How much lift on the gladiator?

[@BigGreenJeep]

3 1/2" Metalcloak Gamechanger. Rocksport shocks. Nitto 37" Trailgrapplers. 5.13 gears. Trussed & gusseted axles. Chromoly shafts and RCVs. Artec aluminum skids. Artec diff covers. etc...

[@lifeoutdoors3953]

Is that gladiator on stock axles?

[@BigGreenJeep]

They are Dana 44s but they are trussed and gusseted. There are chromoly shafts in the rear and RCVs up front.

[@chrisash7948]

The guy in the green shirt has some questionable approach-calling skills.

[@tazmangray8471]

Is that the sarge green?

[@BigGreenJeep]

No, that is Gator. Only available on 2020 models.

[@tazmangray8471]

@@BigGreenJeep thanks I love that color looking to buy a 2022 I will have to settle on the sarge

[@BigGreenJeep]

@@tazmangray8471 The Sarge looks great as well.

[@maxkammerer7231]

So what state is this from-? very little info--

[@florintudic5093]

29

[@walterhason269]

That gladiator is getting destroyed.