no clue about towing please help

zaquanh · Feb 5, 2009

hi i have a problem pretty much eventually i will get a bigger truck but untill then i do with what i have

i have a 98 for ranger its manual tranny and v6 i think 3.0

the car im towing a cars curb weight is 2753

it also hase the bumper ball i think its 2 tons , i have to look

I can get a full tandem trailor of a 2 wheel dolly

im trying to figure out if i can tow this car

i dont know how to factor in the weight of a trailor to see if i can tow it ,

and i dont know towing capacity of that ranger ,

uhaul wont rent me the trailor either ,

what do you guys advise

97ranger4x4 · Feb 5, 2009

First off, Welcome to TRS!!!

Now, the ball on the bumper is not to be used for towing a car, whether its on a dolly or a flat bed. You should get a class III hitch that bolts to the frame. The hitch will be able to properly distribute the load of the trailer.

Now if you look in the owners manual of your truck, you should be able to see the towing capacity of your truck. First off you will need to find what motor you have. Open up your hood, it should say 3.0 or 4.0 on the top of the motor.

Next you need to make sure the truck is running well enough to tow something that heavy. Make sure that your breaks are up to the job. How far do you plan on towing? Will you have any grades that you will need to go? How often do you need to tow?

Also because you have a 5spd, it will downrate your towing capacity because of the extra wear on the clutch. you need to keep that in mind when driving. 3000 lbs isnt a lot, but its enough that it will certainly be noticeable. Good luck and keep us updated!

Capt Jay · Feb 5, 2009

Also be very gentle in the turns. Your Ranger is not that heavy and your load will have a tendency to push in the turns. PLAN YOUR BRAKING!

zaquanh · Feb 5, 2009

thanks for the welcome too
to give a quick history

with this ranger i have travled 200+ miles pulling the 240 , with a tow strap , i was on the 240 braking and turning and the driver of the truck pulling

also did tha same for 300+ miles from dallas when the car broke at an event , so its cable of pulling the 240 fine and ive done it twice but not sure about that with a trailor

btw the truck is RWD v6 i think 3.0 too

ok cool well i sure its not the 4 liter so it should be the 3.0 i think i remember seeing that on the side

its a 5 hour trip 5 going 5 coming back , im towin my car to a drift event , i took the truck last time and drove my car last time the truck is in great condition , brakes and all that is good

towing once a month it is 311 miles each way , go up sat come back sunday
san antonio to dallas area

there isnt any crazy hills or turns either mainly juss a long boring striaght drive

i will look into that hitch , are there certain stores to find them ? i think wall mart had them and im aware of how to inspect faulty welding as well , any store you recommend or brand

also if the towing capacity is say 3000 lbs does that mean that im fine? or would my car at 2700 + a 1000 lbs(possible exageration of weight , because i dont know) trailor be to much

97ranger4x4 · Feb 5, 2009

You can get a hitch at any place. UHAUL usually sells them for around 120 and that might include an install. You will also need to make sure that you have wireing for the trailer. You can get a plug-n-go setup that takes less than 30 seconds and is better than splicing wires.

Like I said earlier, you are most likely to have a down rated tow rating because of the manual tranny. So look to see what the auto is capable of towing. If you have a 3k lb car and a 1k lb trailer then thats a 4k lb load. but if an auto is capable of towing 4500 lbs then you will be okay, just take your time with the starts and like Capt. Jay said, prepare to stop, but with a straight freeway you should be okay.

Capt Jay · Feb 5, 2009

Throw on a class III and you should be fine. Just don't be in a hurry and don't check your gas mileage. It will make you cry. Do check your tow capacity. My old truck was a 4.0 so I'm not sure on the capacity of the 3.0.

zaquanh · Feb 5, 2009

cool will do , and i already have the wiring stuff for the lights too i will look for the towing capacity and the hitch

do you know if its on the side of the door?

Will · Feb 5, 2009

First step is to read through the Ford Towing Guide. This is the 2009, but nothing is meaningfully different--except that the 3.0 is gone. But since a 4.0 with a manual isn't rated to pull that car trailer and car--about 4,500#--you are already down to the dolly.

I like the dolly if it has surge brakes on it. You need trailer brakes. It looks like Texas state law doesn't require them on trailers under 4,500#. But you still need them. I think your truck is suitable for a dolly with surge brakes.

For the trailer, you could be alright as well. With brakes. And you would need the class 3 frame hitch which I don't think you need for the dolly. A dolly is about 500# so you will be under 3,000# and the Ranger bumper is 3,500# I think. But the trailer is going to seem big on a Ranger. It could feel big too.

A dolly with surge brakes is my suggestion. I would remove the driveshaft from the car though unless you know for sure the tranny is getting lubed being turned from the tailshaft..

Rico · Feb 5, 2009

Since I used to work at a boat marina, I have towed literally hundreds of trailers so allow me to lend you some advise about safety from personal experience.

When you go to hook-up your safety chains, cross them so that they form an X under the trailer tongue. So if the trailer were to come of the tongue will be caught by the chains because the chains will create a cradle. If you don't, the trailer tongue will just hit the road and drag, possibly hitting a pothole and then BANG!!!!

Don't buy the kind of ball that is the quick-change type with a push pin through it. My boss had the misfortune of hitting a bad bump in the road due to road construction and the pin sheered right off!! The trailer came off and he was about 1000 miles from home. So I wouldn't use one of those ever.

Always stay calm and drive careful. Avoid at all costs locking up your brakes in an emergency stop. If you do the trailer will keep pushing you and you will be jack-knifed. This almost happened to me going downhill while on a dirt road. I would've end up in the lake at the bottom of the hill after the cliff. :scare:

Scared me for a while afterwards. Just be calm.

Since your driving with a standard shift always keep it in gear and never coast in nuetral. This will help out those lame brakes that all rangers are cursed with.

Will · Feb 5, 2009

Those are good points.

But most boat trails don't have brakes when they should. Functioning trailer brakes do their fair share. Ranger brakes are fine, but Ford says use trailer brakes with an over-1,500# trailer. So definately, as your experience shows, get the dolly with surge brakes on it.

This isn't related to this thread, but talking about X-ing the chains. I've had two trailers come loose on me. Both were the stamped steel couplers. On both--one was in my yard and the other was exiting a service station (gas station now, as they offer no other services) the trailer tongue hit the ground and the ball was plucked out of the socket. These were both hard hits, but it happened. So I don't use stamped couplers. I use a pintle/lunette or a Bulldog steel hinged coupler. Then you don't even need the chains, though they are the law.

Rico · Feb 6, 2009

About those stamped couplers or any couplers for that matter, I've never had a problem with. I ALWAYS check to see if the ball goes all the way down and doesn't sit on top of the lever. So for me that means I ALWAYS get on my knees and check because sometimes the trailer can be very finickey while it is lowered on the ball. Sometimes they can just be a downright pain to hook up! If it is an older trailer the nut that is on that lever underneath needs adjustment. :icon_thumby:

jaymegriffiths · Feb 8, 2009

hmm! this is quite a bit for a 3.0 but it should be fine with no crazy climbs or super hot weather. baby the truck and stop really slow and it should be fine! pulled a 3200lb bumper trailer on the bumper ball cause had no choice, needed to be there that day had no time for hitch install, and clutch survived... ran warm but fine. was +25c that day and only went 250 km's, so a little different. im also runnin an 88 2.9 with 275k. braking was decreased quite a bit, you can really feel it. passing was a difficult task but your 3.0 is quite a bit more torquey and powerful and suspension beefed so good luck hopefully your tow will be just as good as mine! also if you ttwist the chains before x-ing them you can pick up the extra slack but dont twist them too much cause you be pulling them while turning... just so if the trailer does slip off it will stay off the ground... works good, trust me... had a trailer with 2 quads on it fold the coupler and the chains caught it. just stopped, unhooked, bought a new coupler( 15 minutes away) and came back!!!

zaquanh · Feb 9, 2009

wow thanks alot for all the info , im looking into everything , i hope this place out here will still rent me a trailer lol uhaul wont do it but i called another place and they said they will , im looking into the hitch now , and i will probly put new brakes , and some othere lil stuff , like oil change blah blah , i havnt had a chance to get the tow rate on the truck but i did look and its the

XLT edition ranger , and it has a little over 100k

zaquanh · Feb 11, 2009

i juss found out its a 2.5

ugh so far ive read that the tow capacity is 4960 lbs

my car weighs 2770 lbs

trailor or dolly , i dont know how much they weigh

Beanmachine7000 · Feb 12, 2009

zaquanh said:
i juss found out its a 2.5 ugh so far ive read that the tow capacity is 4960 lbs

my car weighs 2770 lbs

trailor or dolly , i dont know how much they weigh

You sure you read that right? Is the 2.5 Ranger really rated at 5k lbs? I don't believe that, lol... I think that's your GCWR, meaning you can tow about 1500 lbs... I think that's a little more realistic...

no clue about towing please help

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