Im going to have to take aarons side. A 3.0 isnt that bad for towing I tow everyday.

heres what i tow every day 5x10 dont the exact wieght but the 2 lawnmowers i put in weight a total of 1000 pounds. the most i have put in there was 3200 pounds of dirt and it the bottom of my ball would bottom out with i hit a hard enough bump and it worn a way part of the tubing for the wires on the trailer I get pics of that tomorrow.





Yeah it wears thing out a lot fasert and could be why things break faster but i have never had a probleming towing anything

 

that looks like my old trailer but i had about 2k of musical equiptment in it

 

Now THAT'S a Ranger put to some good use!

 

will i used my truck to tow my friends mach 1 it was a full size trailor....it helps that i have the tranny cooler and i pulled it with some what a ease... i also used a dolly to tow my honda CRX and that was simple...so it all depends on ur trucks specs

 

4.10s would prob help a lot i have 3.55 and its a b#%@h

 

i towed a nissan 300zx from Brooklyn to Philadelphia on one of those tow dolly things, and didn't have a single problem.. just remember to watch your speed, lol... there were a few times i was heading south on 95 and caught myself wanting to speed up. if i remember correctly, there was a warning sticker on the dolly itself saying not to exceed a certain speed limit, but i don't remember what it was.

 

I still dont think that its a good idea for him to do it. In theory yeah giver' hell, but no one knows if hes ever pulled a trailer or a trailer with substantial weight at that...but Jason its your vehicle you make the call. Dont let anyone push you either way.

 

Andrew I know what you are saying, but everybody has to start sometime. I had pulled a jet ski with my old Ranger (read I had never acutally pulled anything), the first real experience I ever had pulling was in a truck I ad never driven with a fairly large trailer behind it. I would still be scared to pull anything if it hadn't ben for that, as is I'm getting pretty good, stil got a little work to do on backing. Considering that he drives the truck and knows the roads, I think he has a better idea of what it's capable of than we do. IMO I don't think he would have a problem as long as he dosen't get in a rush. And espacially not if he can get a flatbed trailer with brakes, and a controller temp mounted in his truck. Like you said though, Jason don't let anyone push you into going either way, only do what you feel comfortable doing. Worst case senario you get there and decide you can't do it then go to a rental company and get a bigger truck, or borrow one from a friend.

 

i pulled my friends ranger when it died with a tow strap threw some back roads. 1st and 2nd grear was great but 3rd you could feel it start doggin

 

I towed an Accord from lower SC to NO. VA. 3.slo and 5 speed manual using a U-haul tow dolly with my factory Class III hitch. Acceleration is slow; I didn't spend much time in 5th gear and it was MOSTLY flat terrain.

Hazards are: GREATLY increased stopping distances. It can get scary.
Hard (nearly impossible) to back up any distance with the 2 wheel dolly. A full trailer would cure this "problem", but so does prudent driving. Always plan for your "exit" from wherever you stop so there is no backing up ever required.

I would NOT do this from the bumper hitch AT ALL.

Other than that, it'll pull it and for just a one-time tow job, I wouldn't install an auto-trans. cooler. It wouldn't hurt, but I doubt one tow job is going to fry the automatic transmission.

 

No I agree, but to start learning how to tow with a Ranger pulling a sizable car dolly is viscious...but like you said get a flatbed with brakes. Plan on taking your time. Also plan on taking a few breaks cause pulling a trailer over a long time, especially your first time, is stressfull and takes alot out of ya.

Last I checked Ford isnt exactly known for their super tuff tranny's....look at the a4ld....even thought the 5r55e is a solid tranny, never over estimate them....murphy and his law will bite you in butt!