I want to flat tow a vehicle behind my truck and camper.
Ive looked at the list of vehicles that are flat towable but....
I would like to tow some thing like a 60's Ranchero and have located a coupe with 3spds trans. My question is can you just stick it in neutral and and off you go. Of course it would have lights, tow bar, and supplemental braking system. Or do you have to have a driveshaft disconnect or some other addition to insure the trans gets lubricated?

I have already checked on the Ranger pickup and a it seems like if its 2 or 4 wheel drive stick just put it in neutral, the autos with 4 wheel drive there is a procedure plus a dealer installed item.

Any body know the facts on the Ranchero 3 spd trans can it be flat towed?

 

It should be able to. If it is three-on-the-tree I'd suggest you isolate the shift lever so it doesn't move down against the synchros if you hit a hard bump. A "normal" stick that points mostly upright you don't have to worry about that.

Also: Make sure whatever you are bolting to on the front of the 60's Ranchero is solid. I've seen some folks (including family a couple of generations ahead of me) put a tow bar on the bumper of 60's stuff and have it rip off a few feet or miles later.

Your best bet for an official answer about the transmission would be to go ask your local transmission shop about doing it with that particular transmission . . . and/or ask here at FTE over in the "Ranchero & 1961 - 1967 Econoline" forum.

 

Oh, and be more careful about what you consider "safe and stable" the longer your cabover's rear overhang is.

 

Safe and Stable
I am thinking (since I have never towed 4 down flat) that there will be minimum weight or force up and down on the tow bar( tongue weight)especially if the height of the tow bar and truck hitch are of the same height, but will have some lateral force applied as in cornering. There is significant overhang on my camper and I am thinking that a hitch extension with tension chains off to each side should work out.
My truck is a 2006 F350 drw and the camper is a 2002 Lance 1130

 

On an older vehicle like the Ranchero you're describing with a Manual Transmission, Yes, just put it in Neutral .. BUT .. I strongly suggest a Dolly or Trailer because they have Brakes. Towing anything over 2000 lbs should have brakes.

 

Excellent suggestion!

Safe travels,
Jim / crewzer

 

I have seen on a few sites where a disc brake upgrade is doable and in my first post I mention the supplemental brake systemf

 

I agree, but I was thinking more about how much the dinghy will push the rear of your truck around. The longer the overhang, the more leverage the dinghy has over your truck. If it is a dinghy that is happy to turn, then not a big deal. If it tends to love going straight, then you might find yourself getting pushed around a lot. This is compounded by a longer overhang. When you steer right, let's say to follow a bend on the highway, the front of your truck goes right while your hitch ball goes left a little, then pulls the dinghy around that wider arc, the whole while with the dinghy pushing outwards with all of that leverage. Be careful until you get used to it (if you get used to it).

 

Somewhere on your truck there should be a sticker which lists it's GROSS COMBINED WEIGHT RATING (GCWR). This is defined as being the weight of your vehicle plus the weight of the passengers and cargo IN the vehicle plus the weight of the trailer you are towing plus the weight of any cargo in your trailer. In your case, that's going to the weight of your truck and camper plus all your food, clothing, bedding, pots and pans, etc. plus the weight of you, and your other passenger PLUS the weight of the Ranchero.

"The GCWR is a function of the torque output of the engine, the capacity and ratios of the transmission, the capacity of the driving axles and tires, the capacity of the radiator, and the ability of the chassis to withstand that powertrain torque."

You can find the Ford Towing Guide for 2006 here: https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources...guideApr08.pdf

 

The only way to know for sure is to contact the manufacture with the model number. I know the Borg/Warner T90 3 speed is NOT flat towable, the rear output shaft bearing doesn't get any lube in neutral while coasting. Which is what flat towing would be, I got around it with mine cause the transfer case was capable to flat tow. I've towed behind this rig with a 42" extension without issues with 4 different vehicles.

 

. . . and brakes.

 

To begin with I have been flat towing various vehicles since the 1980's behind trucks and motorhomes. No matter what you end up with for a dinghy to do it properly you will need a hitch extension, tow bar, tow bar brackets for the dinghy, some type of supplemental braking for the dinghy, and some type of lighting setup for the dinghy. All this costs $$$$$. Most states require braking if the towed vehicle/trailer exceeds a certain weight. Usually 1500-2000 lbs. If you get into an accident and the police determine that your dinghy requires brakes and you didn't have them then your are automatically liable. Hitch extensions longer than two feet or so should have tension chains on them for lateral stability. The only vertical weight on your truck hitch will be the weight of the extension and tow bar. Now if you are going to tow a trailer then the trailer hitch weight and extension length become more of a factor. FWIW I towed a 2010 Ranger 4WD auto behind my motorhome for many years with no problems but you do need to find a ford tech that can reprogram the truck's ecm to allow neutral towing. Dinghy towing guides are available online. A good site is Dinghy Towing Guides .

 

Any body know the facts on the Ranchero 3 spd trans can it be flat towed?