1997 Ranger XLT question
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1997 Ranger XLT question
I just bought a 1997 Ranger XLT with a camper shell. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the towing capacity on that thing is. I was told the weight of the truck would be about 2800 - 3000 lbs with the shell. What kinda weight can I pull in that thing now? Thanks for the help!
~DaLoKgAwD
DRFerreira@ucdavis.edu
~DaLoKgAwD
DRFerreira@ucdavis.edu
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Joined: Feb 2000
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1997 Ranger XLT question
what kind of engine do you have? if you have a
4-banger like i do they highly recommend NOT towing anything. check the owners manual and they'll tell you the load capacities. if you don't have a manual, write to ford.
hope this helps,
lc
4-banger like i do they highly recommend NOT towing anything. check the owners manual and they'll tell you the load capacities. if you don't have a manual, write to ford.
hope this helps,
lc
New User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 6
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From: Long Beach, California
1997 Ranger XLT question
I've got a '97 Mazda B2300, regular cab, short bed - it's a rebadged Ranger so the numbers should be the same. I have been contemplating renting a trailer to help me with a local move, so I've been working the numbers extensively recently. I'm not familiar with the Ford nomenclature - is and XLT and extended cab?
Mine has a curb weight of something like 3,000 lbs, as best I can tell. According to the California DMV, the official empty weight is 2988 lbs, and subtracting the Maximum Load number given in the owner's manual from the GVWR gives 3010 lbs, so it's gotta be somewhere in there.
The GCWR listed in my owner's manual is 4800 lbs - that's the combined weight of truck, trailer, passengers, and cargo. That leaves a maximum towing capacity of about 1800 lbs, less the weight of the driver, passengers, and anything in the truck bed.
My step bumper is rated Class I (2000 lbs trailer, 200 lbs tongue load), and since the truck itself isn't rated to tow something that big I don't think that using that would be a problem.
Interestingly, since the GVWR is 4260 lbs, I'd lose useful weight-carrying capacity when I added a trailer unless the empty weight of the trailer is less than 540 lbs, which would be a damn light trailer (the itty-bitty U-Haul 4'x6' ones weigh 670 lbs empty): with no trailer I can carry 1260 lbs in the truck; with at 640-pound trailer, I can carry a total of 1130 lbs between truck and trailer combined (subtract driver weight from both of those numbers for useful load values).
With me driving, I think I'm rated to tow a trailer weighing about 1600 lbs if I carried no cargo in the bed.
It should be noted that I have not actually tried this, so I don't really know how well it would perform. The manual does also say that the maximum total trailer weight should be 1500 lbs unless the trailer has its own brakes.
Mine has a curb weight of something like 3,000 lbs, as best I can tell. According to the California DMV, the official empty weight is 2988 lbs, and subtracting the Maximum Load number given in the owner's manual from the GVWR gives 3010 lbs, so it's gotta be somewhere in there.
The GCWR listed in my owner's manual is 4800 lbs - that's the combined weight of truck, trailer, passengers, and cargo. That leaves a maximum towing capacity of about 1800 lbs, less the weight of the driver, passengers, and anything in the truck bed.
My step bumper is rated Class I (2000 lbs trailer, 200 lbs tongue load), and since the truck itself isn't rated to tow something that big I don't think that using that would be a problem.
Interestingly, since the GVWR is 4260 lbs, I'd lose useful weight-carrying capacity when I added a trailer unless the empty weight of the trailer is less than 540 lbs, which would be a damn light trailer (the itty-bitty U-Haul 4'x6' ones weigh 670 lbs empty): with no trailer I can carry 1260 lbs in the truck; with at 640-pound trailer, I can carry a total of 1130 lbs between truck and trailer combined (subtract driver weight from both of those numbers for useful load values).
With me driving, I think I'm rated to tow a trailer weighing about 1600 lbs if I carried no cargo in the bed.
It should be noted that I have not actually tried this, so I don't really know how well it would perform. The manual does also say that the maximum total trailer weight should be 1500 lbs unless the trailer has its own brakes.
