Im planning on towing 5000-5500 lbs maybe 2 times a year. Ford told me with the proper stuff 6000lbs is max

 

that shouldnt be a problem. just remember to try to keep your truck as light as possible, keep cargo to a minimum and go easy on the gas. easy on the brakes, dont drive too fast. remember, its a trailer, its on wheels, any vehical will pull it, as long as u are gentle with it, you shouldnt have a problem.

this brings me back to the guiness world records, of the guy that pulled an empty 747 jumbo jet like 20ft. if 1 man can do that, our lil rangers can move anything heh.

the thing with towing heavy loads, or overloading a vehical, is not so much the fact that it CAN move it, but can it stop it? this is why it is good to drive more slowly, be alert, and to give yourself ALOT more room for braking. and remember, after u come to a stop let your truck roll forward like 2ft so that the pad on the front discs isnt resting in the same spot - this will help avoid warping the disc. and, your trailer brakes will also help.

you will know if you overloaded your ranger cause i will go from somewhat peppy still to a total dog. this limit of being overloaded could be as little as 100lbs.

 

5500lbs towed atleast 3-4 times a year. i cant do it anymore, too much of a drop hitch and the lift springs and all but i used too.

 

if your bob cat wieghs that much, its time to put it on a diet.

 

^^ that isn't bad for a Bobcat......my brother just got a new bobcat and it weights about 8500#.....

if you are towing around 5000# with your Ranger i would recommend making sure the trailer you are pulling has trailer brakes and you have a trailer brake controller......also if you have an auto, turn the overdrive off before you tow....and get an aux tranny cooler...

 

its over 4000lbs and the trailer weights 1300... I'm coming up with 5300 if i did that math right and that is being conservative... bobby is a solid chunk of steel made in the late 60s - 70s she isnt like the new ones...

 

most new rangers that have a hitch and an auto have the tranny cooler.

my setup has trailer brakes and i figure if someone plans on towing they would know to turn the OD off, I mean read the manual right?? lol

 

you would think, but not too many people have good common sense! lol....

 

Ya i pulled my mustang back from KY and i realized the OD was on about 3/4 of the way back thats probably why my truck skips in 2nd

 

2nd has nothing to do with overdrive. Overdrive is 5th gear, so to speak.....

 

i have towed a 17" maycraft with mine and i didnt have any problems

 

i tow my 21' deck boat often, around 3500 pounds, and no problems.

 

The overdrive gearset is used in 2nd and 5th. However, I seriously doubt that towing in O/D had anything to to do with the problems in 2nd.

BTW, I've read my owner's manual and it does NOT tell you to cancel O/D for all towing. It says to cancel it if there is excessive shift hunting between 4th and 5th or in situations where engine braking is desired. I cancel O/D for heavy trailers and/or for engine braking but I often leave O/D active for lighter trailers on flat terrain.

According to Ford, all trailers over 2000 pounds behind a Ranger should use a load distributing (equalizer) hitch. Trailer brakes are also a big help, especially with heavier trailers.

 

i tow my 19 foot lund adventure series fishing boat. weighs in at 3,500# no prob.

 

I once towed a 6000# 1975 Cadillac on a 1000+# car trailer, without a brake controller. Wouldn't reccommend it to my worse enemy.

Thank God I have the Expedition now.

~HJ

 

Ya ill be pulling my 97 gt race/street car to a few events this year I have a tranny cooler in fornt of the radeator. Im haveing a Digital break controler and a 7 pin connector put on. Its a 2006 FX4 Auto. My car is around 3288lbs and the trailer is heaverier its a bobcat trailer around 1500-2000lbs max will be 5500lbs

 

i had pulled a whopping 5,000 lbs in my little 87

 

I tow my sea-doo... Around 450 lbs... Im doing fine!! PFAHHA =P

 

I towed another ranger

it was out of a mud hole though...



shake and bake baby, shake and bake...

 

for that.

-turn od off
-suggest an tranny cooler
-get a controler and have brakes on the trailer
-(are you lifted???) make sure the hitch is at the right level........drop hitch if needed

 

then again im spouting things that were already said..........oops

 

WHat do i need? I need to trailer my 3300lb Race/street car 12hrs to get tuned. It should be under 5000lbs

So far what i have done

-Class111 Hitch
-electronic break controler
-Truck has a exterior tranny cooler as well.

 

I've tow 8,000lbs about once a year... BUT I have a) A Mazda b) beefed up springs and shocks c) tranny problems

 

Will my Ranger beable to tow 4500 lbs 514 miles? Yes i got trailer breaks Yes its and auto its an fx4

 

I use my '94 to pull several trailers, I guess I've had at least 5000 lbs or more on it at least a few times. The most important thing is not to drive beyond your brakes and take it easy when taking off. I use a set of torsion bars to distribute the load on anything that's heavier than about 1500 lbs, it makes the ride a lot smoother, and takes a lot of the shock off the hitch on rough roads. Keep your speed down, nothing crazy, but you should be able to do the limit so long as you plan your stops.
Electric brakes are a must for anything over about 1500 pounds too, they keep the trailer under control in a panic stop and save wear on your trucks brakes.
Mine being a 2.3L with a stick it's sluggish on take off, but once it gets going its fine. I haven't traveled any really long distances, I would say the farthest was about 200 miles or so. I don't worry much about the truck handling the weight at all, it's the lack of power that more concerns me on mine, especially with the tall gears.