Bone Tactical Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
Mission
Our mission with this Jeep Gladiator build is to refine and showcase the capabilities of a modern American vehicle for daily use, adventures over rough terrain, and the preparedness lifestyle. Utilizing over a decade of experience modifying exploration vehicles and testing them on global expeditions we will share innovative gear and techniques that will help the outdoor enthusiast learn to more effectively utilize their own resources as a means to experience increased success in vehicle based endeavors.
We chose Jeep because this iconic American brand is still technically making their vehicles in the United States. Rubicon because it’s the most capable off-road vehicle package available off-the-lot. Gladiator (the pickup or JT version) because we want the many advantages a truck bed offers in the way of storage, cargo transport, and gear storage. Although true reliability in American vehicles is a thing of the past, Jeep leads the industry in the simple yet rugged engineering of many components such as suspension and driveline.
The Rubicon models of Jeep are set apart in their offroad capabilities due to true 4x4 capacity, heavy-duty solid axles front and rear, strong chassis, a relatively short wheelbase for maneuverability, electronic locking differentials for superior traction, high ground clearance, a low-range transfer case with a high crawl ratio, and suspension design allowing for significant articulation which even includes an electronic sway bar disconnect. Another great feature of this modern Jeep is the Offroad pages in the computer system that allows for monitoring system feedback in real time as well as vehicle position on the touch screen display.
We hadn’t seriously considered Jeep for any of our previous builds because until now the wheelbase was too short to allow for any legitimate load carrying capabilities without excessive modification. As we’re equipping this gladiator for maximum success in offroad adventures, we consider storage a necessity for items like: Camping gear, recovery equipment, and personal effects. Living a lifestyle of preparedness with consideration of being able to help others along the way as a top priority justifies having a working truck bed being high on our list of vehicle functions.
Powertrain & Drivetrain:
Our 2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon 4x4 features a 3.6L V6 that produces 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. This is more than enough power for our needs and is at a very good range for prevention of the excessive or premature wear and tear that can plague high HP vehicles, especially with larger tires. The versatile 8-Speed Automatic 850RE Transmission and 4:10 gears really help make this truck a breeze to ride around town, on the highway, and on the trail. There aren’t many vehicles that can handle 37” tires without a re-gear, but this is one of those few that can do it well. Dana 44 axles as set up from factory on Rubicon models are just strong enough to turn these giant tires and handle the rigors of offroad use. Responsibly driven by an experienced 4x4 operator the drivetrain offers good reliability even in extreme conditions. Towing and payload capabilities are impressive, especially considering this is a mid-size truck that can still fit in parking garages and be parked in standard lots.
Wheels, Tires, & Suspension:
17-inch x 8-inch Mopar Granite Crystal Beadlock Wheel. The advantages of beadlock wheels for keeping beads seated at low tire pressures are well-documented. Lowering tire pressures increases traction for improved offroad capability. The great thing about these Mopar beadlock wheels is that they can be run in either configuration! This is ideal for the possibility of needing a tire while on a trip at a random tire shop where it may not be recommended to trust them mounting a true beadlock correctly.
You can tell a lot about a vehicle and the owner by the tires… Not running M/T’s on a truck you want to take offroad is like going through life with your shoes untied. These 37x12.50 Firestone destination m/t2 tires are new for us, but we’ve heard great things. What I can say so far is that they have good offroad capability with minimal road noise for being so aggressive. I’m very impressed with handling on road and at high speeds. For my first foray into the world of Firestone mud tires I can honestly say I’m pleasantly surprised.
A custom approximately 4” lift featuring front and rear 2.5 piggyback reservoir shocks and a steering stabilizer from RSO suspension is what makes clearing such big tires possible. Metalcloak Duroflex control arms, True Dual Rate coils, Durotrak track bars, and sway bar end links are all great bolt-on upgrades that we’re very happy with at the 30,000 mile mark and going strong.
Batteries, Electronics, & Off-Road Lighting:
Auxiliary lighting is very important when driving at night. It can’t be overstated that you can’t hope for successful trail riding when you can’t see the trail. Most people probably will have a spotter and be driving during daylight hours when Jeeping. However, my experience exploring some of the worlds most dangerous off-road tracks has taught me to be a fanatic of offroad vehicle lighting systems… and not the mall crawler type of flashy light bars and color-changing rock lights so popular currently, but real hardcore use lighting systems. I may want to again drive onto a homemade barge, crossing a great expanse of virgin swamp like on some of my expeditions with the Land Cruiser build through much of Central America. For that, I need good lighting. The VOswitch grab handle integrated switches makes install neat and quick access a breeze. Mopar off-road hood mounted LED light pods are quality and offer a big increase in forward facing light. Combined with the Oracle Halo headlights and Mopar fog lights is enough light out the front for tackling any challenges.
Road noise with big mud tires at highway speeds will always be an issue. A great sound system can drown that out. For a guy like me with extensive hearing damage from my former work in high-risk environments the fact that this system gets loud enough to hurt my ears is impressive. The MB Quart 400-watt dual subwoofer system is a very nice detail. It fits perfectly tucked away under the back seat, has plenty of bass, and doesn’t take away from any of the OEM features. The amp is under the passenger seat and is also a very clean, effective design. Their overhead sound bar speakers are nuts, way more than what I need, but add quite a bit of cool factor to the jeep and are also neatly tucked out of the way to make great use of an otherwise dead space. The stock touchscreen head unit display with carplay is a really top-notch system. Adding the Tackform cell phone mount system really squared away the usability of the extensive tech features on this Jeep.
I’m not a fan at all of the stock Jeep auxiliary battery set-up. It’s a great idea poorly designed and implemented. There have been a host of reported problems and there’s even an ongoing lawsuit related to fires. I personally watched a modified JK catch up and blaze in a ball of fire in front of me on the road one day in south Florida… I knew all this going into it and still think the rewards outweigh the risks. What I will say is that I’m going to be very careful with any mods I may choose to do to the electrical system in the future. Thankfully I have extensive experience with vehicle electrical systems. Ideally, when the warranty expires on this particular vehicle, we will install a legitimate two battery system like that in our Toyota build.
