1989 ford ranger towing

[diddy]

hi i have a 1989 2wd ford ranger. i cut a couple lawns and am looking to get a small trailer (4X6) to tow my walk behind mower (approx 500lbs). is my truck able to handle towing a trailer? thanks

 

[strvger]

rather easily i would think. my '86 tows the 700# tent camper with no problems at all. what engine, transmission, and gears are in your '88?
and i'd go ahead and get a 4x8 trailer as it would handle standard 2x4's, sheets of plywood, etc., better. i use one of the ones from Harbor Freight. not the folding one, but the one with the 1700 pounds capacity. use it for everything too big to fit in my short bed ranger: riding mowers, atv, cement blocks, etc. and the price is only about $400 at their local store. takes about half a day to build it. here is teh link to the one i have:

http://www.harborfreight.com/automo...-12-inch-five-lug-wheels-and-tires-94564.html

 

[--weezl--]

500lbs shouldn't be an issue behind any modern vehicle... (yes an 88 ranger is modern in my eyes)

even the smartcar has a towing capacity of like 600lbs...

 

[gw33gp]

I use to tow my race car in an enclose trailer all over the country with my 2.9L 89 Ranger 4WD. Combined weight towed was around 3500 lbs and I would carry up to 800 lbs on the bed. It towed just fine but had a good work out when it came to long inclines (mountains) on the Interstates. I tried to not stop on inclines to help save the clutch, an automatic would be better for that situation.

 

[strvger]

just remembered... you really want to get a frame mounted hitch receiver. best bang for the buck. the bumpers really aren't the safest bet for towing no matter with the owners manual says about 200# on the ball and 2,000# gross trailer wt. on the bumper.

 

[4.0B2]

i tow a 13.5ft by 4 ft(inside size) trailer w/ 2 500cc 4wheelers on it no problem...

 

[Grey_04]

here's my 6x8 behind my'04 with aprox 12 square of used shingles in it. i often pop 2 atv's in there with no problems so you should be fine..

 

[diddy]

rather easily i would think. my '86 tows the 700# tent camper with no problems at all. what engine, transmission, and gears are in your '88?
and i'd go ahead and get a 4x8 trailer as it would handle standard 2x4's, sheets of plywood, etc., better. i use one of the ones from Harbor Freight. not the folding one, but the one with the 1700 pounds capacity. use it for everything too big to fit in my short bed ranger: riding mowers, atv, cement blocks, etc. and the price is only about $400 at their local store. takes about half a day to build it. here is teh link to the one i have:

http://www.harborfreight.com/automo...-12-inch-five-lug-wheels-and-tires-94564.html

thats funny because thats exactly what im loooking to get. i think the engine is a 4 cylinder automatic. idk about the gears, how do i found that out?

 

[diddy]

just remembered... you really want to get a frame mounted hitch receiver. best bang for the buck. the bumpers really aren't the safest bet for towing no matter with the owners manual says about 200# on the ball and 2,000# gross trailer wt. on the bumper.

can i put on a frame minuted hitch reciever myself? and where do i get it at?

and if i get the trailer how do i go about setting up the lights, safety chains, and registering the trailer

thanks for the help

 

[diddy]

thanks for the replies guys. so you think my little dinky ford ranger can handle the trailer and mower without hurting the engine. the truck only has 26,000 miles on it and its a 1989

 

[--weezl--]

harbor freight should carry frame mount hitches for around 100$, the trailer will probably come with all of the wiring and chains you need, if not, harbor freight should carry them... as for registering it, go on into your local registry and ask them, they will have all the answers for you... it's probably cheapest and easiest if you just tell them it's a home built trailer

 

[diddy]

ok thanks. does the registry have a website or where do i go? like the dmv?

 

[--weezl--]

i can't answer that question, 1) i have no idea where you live and 2) i have no idea what the laws are like in your area

 

[4.0B2]

go to where you get your tags; and ask them.

 

[diddy]

i can't answer that question, 1) i have no idea where you live and 2) i have no idea what the laws are like in your area

ok thanks i live in ptiisburgh pa