I take an in-depth look at the soft top option on my 2021 Jeep Gladiator Willys Sport. Should you buy the soft top or the hard top? Only you can decide but I give you a look at my soft top.
@@justin________7477 it is the dead of winter and I’m still very pleased with it. Not ideal for a pass thru, was -18F the other morning. I will put it back to use when it warms up 😎
@@TheLawnEngineer Cool, thanks for that info. Now I just need to watch for a soft to come up for sale or break down and buy from Jeep once spring comes.
Watching this video helped me decide that I would rather get a hard top than the soft top. I can see all those pieces weathering over time and causing trouble. What I would really like is roof rack that would allow me to secure the two front roof panels for storage when removing just the two front roof panels. Perhaps there is an aftermarket rack that allows that.
I’m glad I could provide the information you were looking for. My goal is to provide information and my experience and stay away from telling people what to do. I have not come across a rack for the roof panels but it seems like that should exist.
The Mojave is a very capable mid size pick up truck. It doesn't compare to a full size truck, and it shouldn't. I use mine to tow my 5000lb travel trailer and have zero issues. If you need full size truck capabilities then yes, the Gladiator is not for you. But its just as good if not better than every other mid size truck on the market.
I see this video is about two years old and if you still have a gladiator you should do like I did and get one of those bed extenders that go into your hitch. I use mine all the time for longer pieces of 2 x 4, 4x4, 4x6 etc..
Great to hear you are enjoying your bed extender. I don’t have the Gladiator anymore but I would open up the soft top and rest long items on the cross bar, works very well too.
You don’t have to cut the soft top to get into it as you just demonstrated. Hopefully people know that so they don’t ruin your soft top unnecessary. I have an ‘05 Wrangler with a soft top, I keep the driver side door unlocked for that reason.
At 4:00 that looks like the same way Chrysler holds the leather on items like the side of the seat and the bottom of the headrest in our Town & Country. Which is not encouraging. The leather keeps coming off our seat. Hope it does better on the Gladiator. I'm really curious how the dual-top group modifies this, because, doesn't the hard top get rid of the lower channel that is used for the soft top?
So far, all of the attachment points are holding up well on the top. Our Pacifica has problems with one head rest like you are referring too, it drives me crazy….just when I think I have it secured, sproing it pops apart 🤪
I’m thinking about ordering the exact same Gladiator you have .. I love black on white! Do you happen to have the led headlights and fogs? That’s a must for me.
I have 2020 Sport S with soft top ,I actually love the soft top ,I don't like the looks of hard tops at all,Why buy a Jeep if you get a hard top,And if anyone is wanting to know I have this thing is seven different states with absolutely no problems at all ,I just ordered a new Rubicon exactly looking like my Sport S the only difference is it will be a Rebuicon and I ordered it with a soft top,I only hope I love the Rubicon as much as the sport s. I don't want mine lifted and I don't want big tires,I don't like that look but that's my opinion.
Nice video, I would have enjoyed if you have folded the rear seat to show the ''extended bed'' without the head support on the rear seat. How a plywood or drywall 4x8 will look if you close the tail gate. The bed is 5ft and the rear seat room is supposed to be 38 in, so you should be able to fit 8ft plywood by only by removing the rear window without opening the rooftop. Did the rear crossmember of the cab are the same spacing than the box wide. I am curious about it because on the ''plywood test'' for the gladiator they just go with the open tail gate. I don't want to change truck but mine is falling apart and I will miss my 8ft bed so it's nice to see other alternatives.
Awesome rig, I had the eco diesel in a Ram. I had a tune from green diesel engineering and loved it but I couldn’t resist the manual trans for the gladiator.
@@zeroorez5022 it held up really well but I parked in a heated garage. I did end up selling Why I Sold My Jeep Gladiator ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eYivQgoFY7A.html
Have you made a follow up video after having it for a year? I'm doing research into soft tops to replace my hard top and am curious as to how this soft top held up.
Not at all, I was driving around in -19F this winter and I was toasty. The hard top may make a slight difference on warm up but I doubt it’s even measurable. I believe there is a Best Top(aftermarket soft top maker) video that busts the myth of interior temperature difference.
Wanted to know if you wash it by hand or take it through a car wash? And if you have taken it through the wash was there any damage or problems? Thank you
@@TheLawnEngineer Thanks a lot for the information. I just bought a 22 Willy’s with a soft top and was wondering about that. I Live in upstate New York and it snows a lot so I have to keep it clean somehow and hand washing in the winter is not an option
@@kjc63b you’re welcome. Yes, winter is a battle to keep vehicles clean. I’m thinking about adding a hose in my heated garage we will see how that goes.
I measured and it looks like it could squeak in there. However, there is a setup in the bed to allow for carrying 4x8 sheets. There are slots to put a couple boards to get above the wheel wells and the tailgate has an intermediate position to support on that end. I’ll see if I can get a video of that.
@@TheLawnEngineer oh you have the base base. That's so cool. I want one of those. Everybody has Rubicons and Mojave and I want a base model for a true blank canvas. I'll just buy the used takeoffs from Rubicon owners because they inevitably upgrade.
@@Konformation07 Yes, it's the Willys Sport. Base model plus wheels/tires, rock rails, limited slip, floor mats. I paid $36k for mine out the door, that was before all the supply issues but I still had to order it.
I run a soft top on my Jeep Jl It’s awesome. How are those tires? I was thinking of getting a set. Are the sensitive to road crown or imperfections in road? Are they smooth riding? How’s the steering in that JT?
I only have 5,500 miles on the truck but so far the tires have been great. They track well and highway no matter the crown or grooving. They are LT rated so the sidewall is a little stiff but I wouldn't say the ride is harsh. The steering has been great so far, but again low miles. I know others have complained about it being loose but I am not experiencing that.
It’s the original top from Jeep. Only Gladiator’s with hard tops were available at local dealerships so I ordered I ordered my Gladiator. It took about 1.5 months to get it but The process went well.
I’m the same. Plus I have a very fast method of getting the hard top off anyways with a pulley system in my garage. The night before I’m going out to the beach the next day, I strip mine naked in about 15 minutes so all I have to do the next day around 10am is pull out of the garage and go.
What’s up my friend. I have the same truck as you but with two small issues and wanted to see if you had similar problems. Number 1. Just like clock work at 65 mph or higher, I get this somewhat loud ringing sound from the front end. As soon as the speed lowers, the ringing goes away. Number 2. In the morning, after the truck has been sitting over night, when coming to a stop and taking off from a stop, I hear and feel this weird clinch or rubbing noise. Almost if the springs were clunking when they compress and decompress. Thank you brother.
Thanks for checking in! Number 1, I have not experienced anything like this but since its vehicle speed dependent is sound like something with the front axle. Number 2, I have experienced a groan twice and it seems to come from front drivers side, I though it was something in steering. The feeling/noise was very slight, but I'm leaning towards steering as that is the most common complaint with the Gladiator...loose steering.
It’s not available on a crew cab half ton, which is 90% of the trucks on the road and on dealer lots. Anyway, not one truck is right for everyone, get what you like and what works for you.
