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What have YOU done to increase the tow capacity of your Ranger?


MADMODDER

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I will be buying a Ranger very soon because I need a small truck. Im not looking to haul often with it but I do want the capabilities to carry a good bit of weight. I do have landscaping plans that include a short, single tier terrance. Ive already been looking into minor upgrades. Intake, exhaust, rear disc brakes, bigger diff cover, high quality trans and diff oil will be done. The truck I am going to look at tomorrow (4L, manual, sport super cab, 4x4) does have a tow hitch. If its not atleast a class III, I'll be swapping it. On the far end of the spectrum, MAYBE a tune, better clutch and air springs in the rear.

So what have YOU done?
What do you recommend as far as oils, clutches, brakes and diff covers go?

Thanks in advance.
 


Doofy

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I leave my wife at home. No, seriously. I installed a pair of 1500# add-a-leafs to the rear springs. They helped but I thought they put added stress on the springs. I then added a pair of air shocks. Great addition and it keeps the ass from dragging.
 

MADMODDER

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I leave my wife at home. No, seriously. I installed a pair of 1500# add-a-leafs to the rear springs. They helped but I thought they put added stress on the springs. I then added a pair of air shocks. Great addition and it keeps the ass from dragging.
Which air spring kit did you go with? Mind posting a link?
 

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MADMODDER

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Those air spring do increase the tow capacity, right?
 

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Well, you should never exceed what your vehicle is actually rated to tow. Air shocks will keep the ass end from drooping or bottoming out. Your springs, over time will lose some of their arch and will become weaker and less supportive. A lot of the tow rating has to do with engine and transmission combinations as well as the weight of the truck.
 

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Technically it won't increase the capacity at all. By the time you're getting about 6-7,000lb+ trailer load it will really start pushing that little Ranger around. It just doesn't have the weight or the footprint to handle it.

Off the top of my head, that Ranger combo should be somewhere in the 5,000-5,500 Range. Probably a little closer to 5,000.

I hate to talk someone out of a Ranger, but add up how much weight you're going to need to be carrying and if warranted, consider something larger. Be sure to include the trailer weight.

All those mods WILL help the capacity to a certain extent. But be warned, when things finally go wrong, they will go REALLY wrong, and you'll be even less able to do anything about it.
 

MADMODDER

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I see how it would appear that im trying to increase the tow capacity, I am not. I wasasking out of curiousity and because thats how i thought worked. Put air spring on a vehicle, increase the tow/load cap. I know the dangers of over loading.

I thought the cap was closer 2000 or 3000 lbs. 5000 lbs is awesome.

Where can i find all the oil specs for this truck? Wha oils do you like run? Do peopler run full synthetic? This will be more for longevity.
 

MADMODDER

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PS, I bought the truck.
 

MADMODDER

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Where can I find service intervals? Truck didnt come with owners manual.
 

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Ignore the book.

Oil every 5K miles

Trans and coolant ever 30K

Diffs and t-case at 75K or if they become submerged in water.

Brake fluid every 2-3 years or when servicing brakes.
 

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Legal tow capacity can't be changed, it is tied to the VIN and set by the vehicle's manufacturer.
Automatics have a higher tow capacity than manual transmissions, and no it is not driver related, lol.
An automatic is simply better for towing heavier loads, mechanically.

You can get your gross combined weight rating(GCWR) by looking up year of the Ranger, engine size, and transmission, 2WD or 4x4 can be different also regular or extra cab.
Find your model and options then get GCWR
Say GCWR is 6,000lbs
Ranger weights 3,200lbs
6,000 - 3,200 = 2,800lbs
So empty this would leave 2,800lbs for driver, passenger, cargo in bed and weight of trailer and load on the trailer

2 people weight 400lbs
cargo in bed is 200lbs
That leaves 2,200lbs for trailer and it's cargo

So the weight you can tow is not related to maximum trailer hitch capacity or leaf springs or any other bolt on part
It is a pre-set, by Ford, legal limit

GCWR is the legal limit, period
You can put in a V8 or 4BT diesel, 10" rear axle and 10,000lbs trailer hitch
You still "May Not" operate the vehicle over GCWR

Owners manuals are available on the net, just google your year
GCWR can be harder to find for specfic models, but can usually be found
 
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MADMODDER

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Adsm08- thanks. Im coming up on 85kmiles. I doubt the trans, tcase and diff have been serviced. So I'll adress it all at once.

RinD- Thanks alot for all the info, I'll check into it.

Since i get to do all of this service relatively soon, what are the vest oils to use on the engine, Trans, Tcase, Diff and brakes?
 

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Since i get to do all of this service relatively soon, what are the vest oils to use on the engine, Trans, Tcase, Diff and brakes?
These trucks are fairly old school and surprisingly have a lot left over from the 80's when they were first designed (no really, a lot more than one might think).

Engine: if it's not leaking anywhere, synthetic is good. But they'll run just fine for ages on good conventional 5W30.

Trans and (I believe) T-case are both ATF (yes, even the manual trans), Mercon something or other, or just basic DEX/MERC. Really as long as it's ATF I doubt it matters in this case for anything besides an actual auto trans.

Differentials: 75W90, conventional. Full synthetic is generally considered a bit of a economic waste and usually leaks out the axle seals.

Brakes: It should say on the cap what kind of fluid it takes.
 

adsm08

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Engine I would go with a synthetic blend. Using a conventional will shorten your oil change interval. Honestly, on my 4.0s I just use Motorcraft everything anyway. It's almost always on sale 5qt and a filter for $25 or $26 at the local Advance.

Trans should get Merc V, especially an auto of your vintage. A manual will take either.

Diffs should get 75-90, or 80-90. I agree that generally a synthetic gear oil is a bit uneconomical.

T-case should get T-case fluid if it is e-shift. It has some extra additives to lengthen the life of the magnetic clutch inside the case.

Brake fluid is DOT3. The Focus was the only thing Ford ever made spec'd for DOT4.
 

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