Can it handle it?

[spiritbear928]

I got an 87 Ranger XLT 4x4 with a 2.9. I want to know if you think it could tow a decent size U haul trailer? Also at some point I wonder if it could tow a small travel trailer
thanks

 

[metalmacguyver]

yes. if its a manual, keep the weight under 3500 lbs and your good. if its an automatic, keep it under 2500. these are just my personal recommendations. my 97 2wd 2.3L towed a 4000lb trailer 150 miles with out to much trouble. it was kindof scary though. trailer brakes were a life saver.

 

[spiritbear928]

Mine is an automatic. Am I SOL?

 

[racsan]

with the right gearing you would be o.k. stopping is the bigger issue to worry about.
________
Dodge Lancer specifications

 

[metalmacguyver]

Mine is an automatic. Am I SOL?

well your towing at your own risk. i have never towed with an automatic and knowing that autos in our RBVs suck, i am very conservative about my recommendations on towing with them.

 

[Culprit]

The guy at the U-Haul counter will type your truck info into the computer and it will tell him if U-Haul will permit him to rent you a certain size trailer or not.

I have always found the U-Haul computer to be too conservative about what my Ranger is able to handle. At least twice I have sweet talked the girl at the counter into renting me a trailer that the computer said was too much for my ranger. But you do so at your own risk.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Two words......tranny cooler.

That 2.9L will pull most trailers in two. You'll overload the brakes, bust every spring, and burn the tranny out before you even think about overtaxing that 2.9L.

I pulled 4500 with my 2.9\2wd\5sp. Stopping it was intresting. Ive pulled 3 gravity wagons (full) with it before.

U hauls CPU rates things low at the "idiot rating" same reason Ford rates there trucks so low. They keep it so far within in its abilties that even an idiot who dont know what there doing cant tear it up\wreck it. Someone who has pulled alot before can safely handle 4000lbs behind a ranger.....someone who has never pulled a trailer in there life coulndnt. The latter is what there ratings are based on.

later,
Dustin

 

[mhughes165]

i agee with everyones statements, i wouldnt even try to tow at all with a automatic though....and trailer brakes are a must, i used my 87 ext cab 2.9 5spd to tow my trailer with my zuki on it to and from places all the time without any issues with a trailer brake

 

[offroadranger]

haha. we used to have to tell the people at uhaul we were gonna tow a '84 yugo on thier trailer instead of my ranger race truck. Cause they thought the ranger was too heavy for thier trailer. IT had like a 2500lb wiegth limit or something rediculous....keep in mind this IS a car hauler trailer thier renting. We'd show up with my buddies '06 crew cab, 4wd, 7.3l diesel F350 to tow this "yugo". And they BARELY let us rent the trailer. lol. They said if it was a F250 they would'nt do it. lol lol.

 

[97RangerXLT]

I rented a uhaul trailer 5'x10' single axle about 2 weeks ago to move about 100 miles. Took two trips. I have a 97 4x4 w/ the 4.0 and auto tranny. No problems whatsoever, and this was the first time I actually hauled a trailer. we loaded up the uhaul pretty heavy, and the truck did labor a bit up one hill from a dead stop, but it pulled it just fine.

The hitch reciever a buddy of mine made it from some scrap iron and square tubing. It takes a standard 2" square hitch. very nicely done, and way more sturdy than a storebought.
Just anticipate your stops. (no trailer brakes) and if you haul empty, watch the wind.

AJ

 

[pillen140]

actually you can tow about twice as much with an automatic, i hate to say it but fords manual trannys arent very strong and the clutches are even weaker, about 2200-2500 for manuals, 3500-5500 for autos, depending on engine size. also depending on the rear end, if it has a 7.5 or an 8.8 rearend.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

actually you can tow about twice as much with an automatic, i hate to say it but fords manual trannys arent very strong and the clutches are even weaker, about 2200-2500 for manuals, 3500-5500 for autos, depending on engine size. also depending on the rear end, if it has a 7.5 or an 8.8 rearend.

Automatics are not particularly their strong point either. I would worry about them more, especially of that vintage.

 

[exbass94]

Just don't tow in overdrive and keep an eye on the tranny temperature and you'll be fine.

 

[mhughes165]

it is impossible to keep a a4ld of that era cool while towing, ive seen it too many times, i would seriously consider not towing with the ford automatic, they may be RATED higher, but in reality they arent just that strong.

 

[Will]

Those A4LDs...I tried to like them. They aren't good. I don't think they fail from load--just from poor design. I am willing to bet that somebody, somewhere knows a tweak that will prevent their failure. When the one failed in my '87 I did a soft rebuild (overhaul is more accurate) and it was fine for another year and then the heads cracked. It did a lot of light towing--a 4x8 trailer with brush in it--no more. It lasted 140,000 on that tranny. Most soft rebuilds die in a year or two so the tranny probably wasn't far behind the heads.

What's failing isn't hard parts--gears and such, or even clutches and plates really. It's a seal or something that wipes out the hydraulic pressure which then fails to engage the clutches ahrd enough so they slip and burn. Ford did a lot to fix this and honestly, a new one is fine--the 5r55 whatever and the 4r44 thingys--those are fixed.

If you are going to keep the truck it's going to fail whether you tow or not unless it has been repaired by the A4LD Jesus. I would ask a lot of questions if you want to keep that truck. It's a fatal flaw in my opinion. No Ranger tranny manual or auto is that good except the old C5, but that's the worst. The M50D manual is decent if you wanted to convert it to a manual. Decent but not wonderful.