For those who are in the middle of leaf-raking season like me, the 2025 Jeep Gladiator Sport 4×4 has a hidden talent that beats a full-size truck. After testing one for a week, I found it is great at hauling the pesky leaves that are falling all over my yard.
One reason has to do with the smaller size of the Gladiator overall. I found I could easily load up a tarp in the truck bed and fill it with leaves, then head over to the compost facility.
A full-size truck is harder to maneuver at the compost pile, but more importantly it’s harder to maneuver around all of the other trucks. I found I could pull in, off-load, and zip away before anyone else had even opened their tailgate and started unloading their leaves.
I also managed to position the Gladiator in my yard to help add the leaves, something that is harder to do once again with a full-size truck. Plus, it just looks way cooler.
The specs on the Gladiator are important to note here. The entire vehicle is 18.2 feet long. A Ford F-150 is a full foot longer (if it’s the one with the 8-foot bed). The Gladiator is 6.2 feet wide and the F-150 is 6.7 feet wide. That width on an F-150 means it’s harder to move around next to trees and bushes. But that measurement does not include the extended mirrors. The F-150 widens to a full 8 feet when you use the extended mirrors, say for pulling a camper or a boat.
I also prefer to have a smaller box for leaves and still be able to haul people to help with leaf projects. It’s only 5 feet long, which is a full foot less than the F-150. What you gain is more room for people in the cab to stretch out their legs or carry along a few rakes.
The bed is protected from the elements, and I had no trouble adding leaves and a few light branches without any concerns about scratches. Like most trucks, you can use a cover for the bed that protects the lining even further. With my mound of leaves, I had to keep the cover rolled up snug against the cab using some clamps that are part of the assembly.
For traction control, I used the 4×4 mode on the Gladiator a couple of times. One was when I drove down to the lower part of my yard. Without scuffing up my lawn, I used 4×4 mode because I wanted to make sure there wasn’t any tire slip. At the compost site, I also used 4×4 since there was quite a bit of mud around. I watched as a few trucks — obviously not using 4×4 mode — spun their tires a little trying to vacate the premises.
My Gladiator was bright orange, and I was testing it around Halloween, so it felt a bit like driving a pumpkin around. Yet, this pumpkin also had beefy tires and great ground clearance.
I’ve always liked the Gladiator for what it is — a Jeep Wrangler combined with a pickup. The only downside I could see is if you really want to add a few longer tree branches, although it’s possible to extend the tailgate and use some tie-downs.
There’s a ton of flexibility, not only for moving those leaves, but also for moving everyone in your family.