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Now this don't seem right??


Captain Ledd

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My credo
If you're not making mistakes, you're not learning.
4 banger or 4.0L, if you've got the same brakes... My 2wd has the 9" rear brakes (instead of the 10" ones), but since it's 2wd, alot smaller tires. All Rangers run the same front brakes per given year.

I realize you may tow for a living where as I do not, but you're still going to have to post one very convincing argument about how engine size makes towing much more safer than brakes.

If it involves anything about driving slower with a load it's automatically discredited. Everyone has brakes, e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e. Plenty of things end up in front of you where you have to slow down, even excluding other vehicles. It's part of driving. No police officer is going to give you a ticket for being too slow except on the interstate, and I guarantee they'll give you some leeway (as they have lots of various campaigns out there to get people to slow down, and their slogan "slower speeds save lives"). Brakes, suspension, and tires dwarf engine size in terms of towing ability. Because we're not driving fast enough is not our problem, the're public roads, not racetracks. It's not you're responsibility to get out of the way of those in a hurry. [/rant]
 
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vavet

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Once upon a time I had a 91 Ranger with the 2.3L 4 cyl and 5 speed manual. I towed a small (4x8) H-haul enclosed cargo trailer from Atlanta, GA to Maryland. It did fine. The truck had a little over 100k on it then with the original clutch. I sold the truck 3 years later with 148k miles on it and still the original clutch.

My normal gas mileage on the interstate was 25-27. That trip was a solid 20 mpg. I felt comfortable at 70 mph, but she just couldn't hold that speed going uphill. To be fair though, that truck wouldn't hold 70 mph on going uphill without the trailer.
 

Wicked_Sludge

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+1 to everything captain ledd said. as i said before, towing isnt about how much weight your vehicle will tow, its about how much weight your vehicle will stop (with or without trailer brakes). all rangers over a given generation have essentially the same brakes. obviously a 4.0 will get the job done faster than a 2.3...but the 2.3 is no less safe (if anything, its more safe as the lack of power will prevent excessive speed build up).

thats not to say you should go hook a 6,000# trailer to your 2.3 and try to tow it....that wouldnt exactly be good for the engine....but the truck would have the same stopping power as would a 4.0.
 

p38fln

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Those times i did it I used one of the 6x12' U-Haul van trailers with the surge brakes - I would never recommend pulling that much weight with such a light vehicle without having trailer brakes of some sort.
 

Roadkill

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^ +1

Mind you I have found out that my 350 was registered commercially and had been modified to handle extra towing weight. I will never be towing as much as the gross weight was rated at one time. I don't have anything that uses a 5th or gooseneck. Heck, right now the heaviest thing I have is our 32' travel trailer at 10,000#. It has electric brakes on both axles and it will stop everything dead straight and fast if I pull the spike on the controller. I also got the best digital electronic controller I could find.

I would tow that trailer around cross country for weeks without a worry.

Surge brakes work, they aren't the best for "dry" trailers. They are on just about every boat trailer since they don't care if the system gets wet.

Adding a controller and brakes to a trailer will help with the 2200# 'ish limit on the 2.3. It won't come close to tripling the amount you can tow safely though.

Oh, and BTW, the engine plays as large a roll in safe towing capacity as does the entire rest of the drivetrain and suspension/frame.

But then, what could I know about heavy hauling. :icon_rofl:
 

Frank The Tank

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I saw a guy pulling a combine on a gooseneck with a 3500 Dodge dually bone stock 5spd a while back, it was awesome.

We hooked 3 round bales of hay to my bosses ranger on a brakeless dual axle trailer (the wheels are in the center of the 16ft trailer).
After doing this for 7 years straight.... it finally bent the frame where the hitch mounts.
Now when I tow equipment I have to use a drop hitch and flip it upside down so the tongue doesn't drag the road.

it has a towing package too.

Frank
 

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