towing a race car

[dirtdigr27]

i have a 89 ford ranger w a 2.9 and a4ld, the trany was rebuild w a heavy duty rebuild kit, i want to use it to haul my my 91 ranger that i built into a drag truck. i would be towing with it 2 to 3 weekends w/ distances of a 100 miles or so round trip...what i want to know is can the frame take the stress and can the truck in general take the stress:


icon_welder:

 

[Sevensecondsuv]

Frame: OK
Engine: OK if your cooling system is oversized and in good shape. But it might not go that fast.
Rear springs: Will be near the bump stops
Rear tires: Marginal if it's got 4wd spec tires. Overloaded if it's got 2wd spec tires.
Brakes: Will definately require trailer brakes. Attempting this without trailer brakes is a death wish.
A4LD: Bad idea. If you must do it, get a huge trans cooler and put a temp gauge on it and stop if it gets past 200 degrees F.
Truck in general: Not really big enough, but with enough driver skill, trailer brakes, heavy enough tires, and deep enough gears, doable.

 

[FordMan016]

this is doable but modification would be needed like Sevensecondsuv stated... i personally would go the extra mile and do a straight 4.9L swap with the F250 trans, renforce the frame, stronger rear leafs and higher load rated tires but thats me

 

[07rangersport]

this is doable but modification would be needed like Sevensecondsuv stated... i personally would go the extra mile and do a straight 4.9L swap with the F250 trans, renforce the frame, stronger rear leafs and higher load rated tires but thats me

Or just find a cheap tow pig

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Depending on the weight of the drag truck, I'd say marginal at best. And if you have it on a trailer, there may be some police that dissagree with it being safe.

You might be better off picking up an F-150 with a 4.9L, I used my Ranger for towing a number of times (only flat towed or tow dolly'd BIIs or a heep wrangler). Now I have an F-150 with a 4.9 and I'd rather tow with that, does a better job and I can pull a 2-axle trailer loaded with trailer brakes and hardly know it's back there.

 

[zukirider21]

i say go for it...

just make sure you have GOOD WORKING trailer brakes, and definatley a big trans cooler and gauge for that a4ld.

beefier tires wouldnt hurt either.

 

[pastor bubba]

A friend has a mazda xr7 that is a street/strip car and so he tows it to the track when he goes. He started pulling it with a ranger 4X4 and it would get the job done, but he did not feel totally safe because of other drivers and how they were driving. He ended up trading the ranger for a f150 which gave him a lot more control in emergencies.