I've found stuff that says it can only pull 3100# but I have a 4000# boat. Do you think I could get away with the extra 900?

 

Rangers can tow up go 6000 lbs

 

Thanks!

 

I towed a u-haul car dolley with an 89 Honda Accord, with the bed loaded, and the car had a bunch of crap in it.. about 2400 miles.. No idea the total weight, but it did fine. Hills will give you grief and make sure you give yourself extra stopping distance/time.

 

I tow my race car in an enclosed trailer totaling about 3500 lbs, plus I usually have about 800 lbs of gear on the bed. It tows just fine and it takes a pretty good, long hill to require a downshift. I tow in 4th gear with my manual transmission.

 

If its equipped right yes.

 

"Can" means to have the ability to do something.

"May" means to have the permission to do something.

To tow on public roads requires a "permission", manufacturer's towing and gross vehicle weights are part of that "permission" as are general vehicle condition, i.e. tires and brakes.

Can the Ranger tow 6,000lbs, yes
May the Ranger tow 6,000lbs, no

The "may" part usually only comes into play if there is an accident or a vehicle inspection, they do random checks in some places.

The accident side of things doesn't have to involve weights, might not even be "your fault", an insurance company's job is to disallow invalid claims, that keeps the rates down for law abiding clients, lol, operating an overweight vehicle on a public road can disallow a claim.
So you may have to eat the repair costs.

 

My ranger CAN tow a lot more than 6000 lbs.

But legally, it MAY only tow 6000. As that's what it is rated for.

If it can do it safely is another aspect to consider.

However this dudes trailer isn't that heavy and he will be fine if his truck is equipped to tow it.

 

2008 Ranger 4.0l super cab 4x4 with Automatic is rated at 5,600lbs as max towing weight
2008 Ranger 4.0l super cab 4x4 with Manual is rated at 3,140lbs as max towing weight

So if OP has a Manual trans then the 4,000lbs boat/trailer is out of the "May" range, but well within the Ford "can" range of 5,600lbs for that model and year

The can weight of any vehicle will, of course, be specific to the vehicle's condition at that time, and the can range just goes up until something important breaks, then the can weight limit was found, it is that weight less 10 pounds, lol

The can and may is just a heads up about the legal aspect of towing not the mechanical aspect

 

Here's the real question: Are you going to do it anyway?

 

Yes, I towed the boat with a volvo wagon which we sold so I need something to put it in.

 

A ranger 4.0 can safely tow 4000 pounds according to most ratings. Usually according to the hitch capacity, but it'll still have some power to spare yet. But doing so often sags the rear springs. It has the power without a doubt, but make sure if you're going to haul heavy loads or tow alot to get an add-a-leaf, air shocks, or helper springs to prevent rear end sag.