Saw a Gladiator with bigger tires and a lift

I occasionally stop by the dealership here in town just to hang out with the Gladiators. 😊

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They sure look great, but I still don't get it. For the price of one of those you could get two small used trucks like a Tacoma AND a TJ with money left over. Both would do their own jobs better than a Gladiator.

That is exactly what I'm doing. (y)
 
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Got my oil changed in my work car (Cherokee Trailhawk) and spent some time on the lot. I really liked this Gladiator, and I cannot believe how much my opinion has changed on them.

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Give it another 6 months and these will be substantially cheaper. Sales have died off big time. I like the look when lifted and on 37s, but the length of it just doesn’t appeal to me. Extended cab would be the perfect size for me. The power plant (3.6) isn’t big enough for the size of this truck either.
 
I'll say it again. Two door or king cab and I will be at the dealer. The four door is just not me. Just like the soccer mom 4 door JKs. I like the two door versions (I know, I know it's not a TJ).
 
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A few weeks ago I saw a stock Gladiator next to a stock F-150 at a stop light. It kind of reminded me of a stock S10 from the 2000's, looked small and somewhat useless. Literally the next day saw a lifted Gladiator next to an F-150 at a stop light and it looked so much better. The owner of the local off-road shop finally got one and did some basics to it right away and it looks so much better.

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I wonder why they didn’t put the bike in the back of the truck? It doesn’t appear anything is in the bed.
Because just like the Tacoma and Frontier 5' beds, you can't get a MTB in the bed standing up without taking off the front wheel and using a fork mount, which is a huge PITA.
 
Because just like the Tacoma and Frontier 5' beds, you can't get a MTB in the bed standing up without taking off the front wheel and using a fork mount, which is a huge PITA.
Interesting.

I used to have a truck and we were watching some MTB show where they drive dune trucks to destinations with their bikes in the back. I caught a glimpse of a floor rack built out of 2x6’s with slots for the tires to slide into. I made one to fit my truck with leftover 2x6’s. In an hour we were ready to roll. No more removing front tire. If you make the slits slightly narrower than your tire, they fit nice and tight. Go jump sand dunes and all will be fine. Did that for years. Got lots of comments. You could do that in. Short bed with the tailgate down. Really just the rear wheel is sufficient if the rack is wedged in the bed nicely.

The other option is to hang the front tire over the tailgate covered by the protective mat.
 
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