All of my towing and hauling has been done with full sized pickups up until a few years ago when I bought a Ranger and since then I picked up a larger Ranger with the 4.0 liter and 5 speed.

I've found the Ranger to be quite capable as a tow vehicle and have been quite impressed with the capabilities of towing larger trailers. The biggest difference is that the tolerance for "stupid" is much narrower than with a larger truck. I normally only run 60 mph / 4th gear when towing with trailer brakes etc.

For instance:
Truck = 4260 - gross = 12800
250 mile tow. 14 mpg avg.



Truck = 4260 - gross = 10580
525 mile tow. 14.45 mpg avg.

 

it looks like there is a lot of gap between your bed and cab?
just look out for the trans to leak, there bad about that. my brothers did leak and last month i had to rebuild it for him.
just my 0.02 i would not fill good about towing 12800 with his ranger.

 

I've had good luck with mine as well. This will be my 13th season towing my 24' 5er with it. Mine's an auto though. Be gentle on that transmission. When it is time for a new clutch, spend the extra few bucks on a good name brand kit. I had replaced one on an M50D I had before this and just used the Tredex Repkit from the Parts warehouse I worked at then. It was fine for regular driving, but with a heavy load on a trailer like a car on a hauler, it would slip a bit under harder acceleration and hill climbs.

 

Yeah, be careful, but glad you are taking it easy.

 

I share you concern. My tendency would be to say "yes, but -". It's seldom the guy taking it easy. More often it is all the folks who don't who affect the guy taking it easy. There's so much that can happen even when you do everything by the book, I never feel it is worth the risk to take chances.

As always a proud member of the "weight police",

Steve

 

Have to agree Steve. I had a Ranger, and when I look at those pictures I see a burnt clutch, twisted u joints, and worn out pinion gears. Even taking it easy, the brakes have to be well above the design limits.

 

I personally think you are a little over the safe ratings of the Ranger, but I've Rangers tow quite a bit of heavy items and it certainly can be done as you prove. I've even seen a Ranger towing another Ranger on a car trailer.

My suggestion though is you may want to consider adding a stiffer spring or a product like air bags to help lift the rear of the truck. With that much sag there isn't enough load on the front suspension. Your steering probably seems easier to move when you are towing, this is because there isn't much resistance from the tires. This can lead to unsafe maneuvering.

Judging by what I can see of the dash I'm assuming your truck is a 95 - 97 Ranger, correct? Is it 2wd or 4wd? Assuming it is a 2WD we offer a kit for your application, kit 59516. This would allow you to add air when you are towing to at least bring the truck back to or closer to level and help distribute the weight to all 4 wheels. It may also help with the gap between the cab and bed.

If you would like to consider going this route, I would be happy to help you with any questions you may have.

 

Thanks for the responses guys. Towing the big trailer, I didn't expect it to weigh in as much as it did. I expected around 6500. Is this something that I do all the time; no. Just so happened that I just got this Ranger (1996 4x4, 3.27, 4.0) back on the road after having it pulled down for a bit over a year. New front end (axles & all), new front springs, new rears with coil over-shocks. The yahoo that had it before I got it really beat the snot out of it, so it has a new heavy duty clutch (put in before I got the truck) I've had it on the road since mid-November and ends up my daughter's family had to move from St Louis to Iowa to Lexington. This is what I have and I use it.

That's the angle of the pic. No unusual gap there, just that there is a bright white background along with the side angle. I know the Ranger/BII trannys fairly well and check the fluid (even tho it's a manual) every time I change oil. While I didn't like the prospect of towing that load on the Ranger, It's what I had at the time (and still do). I underestimated the load.

@ Steve and msgtord - I usually adhere to the weight limits on trucks, tractors and the like. I've only ever run sticks and won't even drive an auto. You are correct in that even when you plan things out and do everything by the book **** happens. You have to plan on driving slower, accelerating slower, leaving a greater distance for stopping and general BS that you find on the road. I even research the route for grades and such. Sure, you can hotrod it, but you end up breaking things and on the road is no place to break down. Having the proper equipment is also part of being prepared both mentally and equipment-wise for towing. Growing up on the farm, you learn certain methods to ensure you don't break stuff stupidly. It can cost you both in money and lives.

Burnt clutches, twisted u-joints are signs of inexperience. There's never a reason to burn a clutch; that's what gears are for. If you have to shift into 4Lo to move out of a tight situation, that's what the gears are for. You have an ego? Leave it at home.

As stated previously; it's over it's weight limits. I will say that the big trailer was the first real tow with the truck. I do not intend to do that again. It DID wonderfully well with the car and trailer. That I'll do again. That Cougar weighs in at 4100.

AirLiftCompany - I looked at your product when I was considering the use of the truck as I was putting it back together. I like the product but do not see myself running trailers of this weight often. That's why I opted for the coil-overs.

The front end of the truck while on the big trailer was 400# lighter than it is unloaded. It was at 1740 (rear was 4420!). Normal front axle weight is 2180.
The weight with the car/trailer was normal at 2180. Rear axle weight was within limits at 3100. Normal unweighted is 2080. It only dropped the rear of the truck maybe 4".