The wife and I had been looking at tow behind campers for a while now and we finally decided to pick one up. The towing vehicle is my ranger (4 door 4x4). Thought I'd share my towing experience in case anyone else was looking to do the same, there seems to be a lot of back and forth online about what it can actually tow.

For starters the camper is a Coleman Lantern. Approx 3200lbs dry and unloaded. The front is 8ft x 8.5ft, so it definitely creates some good drag. It's also 22 ft long. My drive home was with it at it's dry weight.



As for my Ranger I installed the Redarc trailer brake controller. It had great reviews and allegedly this is what Ford of Australia puts in their Rangers. It was a super easy install, works well, and is very simple to use. I used the write up here https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threa...-install.1924/, and installed mine in place of one of the 12v outlets. I also opted for a weight distribution hitch.


Onto the ride home. It was 200 miles of all highway. Mostly 65. The truck does not lack any power and in tow mode it pulled the camper very well. I could punch it and pass cars if I needed to, I never felt like there was a lack of power needed. The trailer brake controller worked great and I could make easy adjustments without taking my eyes off the road. Wind wasn't too bad. Passing semi's or getting passed by them didn't push me around as much as I was expecting. It wasn't particularly windy out that day so I think that helped. I'm also sure once the camper is weighted down it will be different.

Drawbacks I noticed. Towing mirrors. I NEED towing mirrors. I could see enough with stock mirrors to see if something was at the corner of the camper, but I couldn't see anything behind that. I don't know how I didn't think of that before...
The biggest drawback I think is that my gas mileage PLUMMETTED. I made 10.5 mpg on my way home I knew the mileage would drop a lot, but more than half was unexpected. I don't mind paying for the extra gas, my biggest issue with this mileage drop is my striking distance is severely limited before I have to refuel. I'd like to be able to drive more than 2.5 hours before having to stop lol. I run 87 in my truck, maybe bumping up the octane could help?

Anyway there you have it. No white knuckle moments and a pretty easy drive. Hope this helps anyone on the fence.

 

I don’t think changing the octane will do anything other than cost you more at the pump

best way to gain mpg is reduce speed, but if you go slower than 65 nowadays, you’re going to cause traffic jams.

just hope for tail winds.......

 

I would try higher octane when towing. If the engine can take advantage of the octane (and I believe the Ecoboost can) your mileage may well go up. I've had modern vehicles where it makes no difference to use premium and others where I get a 5-10% gas mileage boost...this is actually calculating mileage, not the dashboard reading.

It's certainly not worth the cost difference to buy the premium, but if I was escaping a hurricane or Zombie apocalypse and needed max range, I would put in the premium.

 

The dirty little secret with turbo motors is that gas mileage sucks when under load. The ECU over fuels to help keep the cylinder cool under heavy load conditions.

Car and Drive found that gas mileage goes up with the 6 cylinder Ecoboost motors when using premium. But that was the only engine that it helped. Probably worth a try.

You may also want the Ford Performance engine boost upgrade.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a3...ore-hp-torque/

 

On rural highways, I usually tow at 55-60, and only at 60 on the main highways. People can get around you no problem. Actually, people can pass you a lot easier if you are driving 55 than 65.....

 

If I were towing and having that kind of fuel mileage I'd look into the possibility of a second fuel tank mebbe in the bed of the truck.

Also instead of towing mirrors perhaps a towing camera? Not sure if the Ranger has that as an option but there are aftermarket units I know.

D

 

I would love it it if they came out with the V6 eco in the ranger. With these gas prices I might as well try out premium and see what happens.
I was actually reading about that upgrade today. Very interesting. Maybe I'll put my Trump bucks into that lol.

I'll definitely try to keep my speed lower. Problem was most of my drive was through Jersey. I had to keep up or die.

​​​​​​​A larger fuel tank would be great but I don't think its feasible at this time. Although I haven't really looked into it. A towing camera is a good idea. My in-laws have one on their motorhome. I might look into how to rig one of those up as well.

 

The problem is the parachute behind you. While you can slow down a touch to help that frontal area is wind drag and you can't delete that.

 

Would a cap on the bed of your truck help “streamline” your rig?

 

You'd think so, but the difference is negligible.

 

totally right. I have a gator roll up bed cover...and at 22-23 mpg if it makes a difference I don't really care...it gives me a cover for stuff I might not want others to see or grab.

 

Well you are right about the parachute I think, can’t really do much about that.
I would eventually like to get a truck cap, but I don’t know if I’ll ever pony up the cash. Maybe it would help with towing the camper?
I do have a gator tonneau cover as well. Just to cover the bed and keep my stuff dry and concealed. The tonneaus don’t really offer any mpg gains vs wind unless you’re going about 75 plus, and at that point your mpg’s are dropping anyway...

 

Just take it out of your mind that ANY addition to your truck will change your towing mileage. Really, none will make as much of a difference as driving 1 MPH slower. If you want a tonneau or cap for functional or aesthetic reasons, go ahead, but don't fool yourself.

 

The difference in MPGs between 55 MPH and 75 MPH can be 20%-40%.

You can plug your numbers into this calculator, just for fun, if you want.

https://www.mpgforspeed.com/

 

The last time I got 10 mpg towing a camper was with a 2006 Cummins Dodge. I don't think I ever hit 9mpg with a gas engine and I used to get 8-9 with a 6.4 diesel. 10.5 makes me think you were going 55 mph or had a tail wind/drafting a semi.