Hello Everyone,

I am thinking about pulling a 13ft, 1000 pound Scamp camper to Alaska with my 1998 4x4 XLT Ranger. The truck has 130,000 miles on it and I have had no major problems. I would be avoiding most of the mountains along the way. The trip is close to 4000 miles. Are there any major concerns I should have, or things to think about?

Thanks for the help,

Matthew

 

truck should pull it fine but bring some extra parts. and have fun.

 

Man. or Auto? When was the last tranny flush?

 

I highly recommend a tranny cooler if you don't already have one. What state is Bloomington in?

 

Thanks for the responses.

My Ranger is a manual, and it has not had a tranny flush in atleast the last 50,000 miles that I have owned it. Bloomingtion in is southern Indiana. I have to say that I don't know what a tranny cooler is, is it something only for automatics?


Matthew

 

Yeah its only for Automatics, I would get your trans fluid changed. Also change your engine oil, 4000 miles is more than the standard oil change interval. How is your clutch and brakes? Does the trailer have brakes? When was the last time you had your coolant changed? Spare truck and trailer tires as mentioned, and bearing buddies for the trailer.....

Edit: Don't pull in 5th gear, and don't use the AC.....

 

Greygoose,

Thanks for the advice.

My truck's brakes and clutch are relatively new. The trailer does not have brakes. So, no 5th gear? Even on long flat stretches at a constant speed, which describes about 3000 of the 4000 miles?


Matthew

 

Good on the brakes and clutch! Make sure you give yourself allot of time to brake if there are no trailer brakes. You may be ok with just a 1000 pound trailer to use 5th gear if its all flat and the trailer is lower than the truck, remember, wind resistance is killer. I pull my 600 pound boat that sits lower than the truck in 5th with no problem....

 

maybe try the synthetic oil in the trans instead of regular

 

I agree that just be smart when your pulling and change out those fluids, I'd suggest changing trans fluid, engine oil, and then you engine coolant. Nothing could be worse than your engine overheating. If you have the time I'd throw a new thermostat in there, I think its a 180 degree thermostat. Just be better off to keep the engine cooler.

 

Yeah, thats a good idea, I know that my trans temps went down a bit, and the shifting was smoother. Hell, our manual trans. only holds 2 bottles, it not like it costs a whole lot more.

 

Hey guys,

One more question. I believe the trailer has a tounge height of 18 inches, and I have the standard bumper hitch that is 24 inches. Is this a deal breaker? I have not actually seen the camper yet, I am just picking it up and pulling it north for some friends. The trailer is 13 feet long, do you think that the different height will cause a lot of problems?

Thanks

 

do not pull the trailer with just a ball on your bumper type hitch!! get a class III receiver hitch .

 

I have heard from a couple of people that bumper hitches are not very reliable but I haven't really heard why. It is rated to pull 2000 pounds, and the trailer will weigh half of that. So, what are the drawbacks of a bumper hitch?

Thanks

 

your under the weight limit youll be fine, i towed with my 2000 ranger from the bumper. would be nicer to have a hitch but its not a big deal for a 1k trailer

 

it will work towing from the bumper, but it is much safer to tow using a class III hitch.

 

If your going to be towing more stuff like that trailor then you might want a hidden hitch with a ball. That is what i have on my ranger for hauling trailors and what not.