TOWING a Ranger as opposed to towing WITH a Ranger

[wildbill23c]

I've never heard of such nonsense about towing a 4WD manual transmission vehicle. Go check your rear drive shaft, it comes out of the transfer case not the transmission same goes for the front drive shaft. Placing the transfer case in neutral completely disconnects the front and rear drive shafts from the transmission, so the transmission will not be turning at all, this is why the vehicle will roll away if left with transfer case in neutral you can leave the transmission in gear and the vehicle will still roll away unless of course the parking brake is set and works LOL.

Shift the transmission to neutral, shift the transfer case into neutral, be sure the front hubs are disengaged of course. You are all set to tow. If you have a 2WD with manual transmission its even easier just shift to neutral.

Also, never, never, never lock the steering wheel if you are flat towing on 4 wheels. leave a key in the ignition with the ignition unlocked, locking the steering wheel can damage the internal locking mechanism. Just leave it unlocked, and the vehicle will actually track behind the tow rig better and won't wear out the front tires on your rbv as fast either.

Jeep is the only vehicle I know of that allows flat towing with simply placing the transfer case in neutral and the automatic transmission in park.

You aren't going to damage anything if you simply shift the transercase to neutral, transmission to neutral and be sure the front hubs are in free mode.

 

[kryptonitecb]

Some transfer cases don't have an internal oil pump. If it doesn't you have to disconnect the driveshafts to flat tow or you risk damaging the bearings. What you recommend is not an end all for every vehicle.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[black_demon69]

just leave truck in 2H and in gear put rear wheels on tow dolly and lock steering wheel with wheels straight ahead.. will look weird when towing truck backwards

 

[AllanD]

just leave truck in 2H and in gear put rear wheels on tow dolly and lock steering wheel with wheels straight ahead.. will look weird when towing truck backwards

Towing the vehicle "ass up" is not stable.

And the steering column lock is NOT "secure"

there is a small amount of play in the steering even with the column locked
AND additionally the way the column lock functions inside the steering column the parts can get broken from being subjected to the suspension bumps and
jolts.

This can result in you getting where you are going and discovering that the column is hopelessly jammed and requiring disassembly and repair by someone who really knows what they are doing.. AND has the necessary parts on-hand to effect repairs.

Presuming the column simply didn't un lock itself steering the front of your towed vehicle off to never-never land and resulting in you rolling the towed load, your tow dolly and your tow vehicle (with yourself inside it) into a big
ball of bent metal on some forlorn piece of highway somewhere.

I take towing rather seriously because if you do it wrong you can DIE

But worse you can easily take some innocent bystander with you.

 

[thewskrs]

I have one of these that I modified to have a neutral, It don't come with one.
http://theshiftster.com/shiftster-story

 

[grandpa5x]

My parents had a S-10 with a 5 spd manual they towed on 4 wheels for 3 yrs with no damage until they towed from Tucson to southern IL only stopping for gas and switching drivers for my aunt's funeral, most of the bearings burned up. Prior to that they normally only towed 200 miles per day, every time they stopped for a break they would start the truck and let it idle while they took their restroom break. Then shut it off and be on their way. It must've been 2000 miles without lubrication that burned up the brgs.

 

[grandpa5x]

My parents had a S-10 with a 5 spd manual they towed on 4 wheels for 3 yrs with no damage until they towed from Tucson to southern IL only stopping for gas and switching drivers for my aunt's funeral, most of the bearings burned up. Prior to that they normally only towed 200 miles per day, every time they stopped for a break they would start the truck and let it idle while they took their restroom break. Then shut it off and be on their way. It must've been 2000 miles without lubrication that burned up the brgs.lol

 

[Lost Bushman]

Just so I'm clear on this, because I'm planning on towing my B2 on all wheels from SC back home to AZ...

shift the case to N with the 5spd transmission in N?

Or should I just pull the shaft?

Sent from my Casio G'zOne Commando 4G, it's the John Connor of Smartphones. You cannot kill it...

Using Tapatalk.

 

[XLTsplash]

I've been doing a lot of reading on this subject because my Dad is looking for a vehicle to tow behind a RV. A 2WD manual trans Ranger can be towed without trans damage. They have no limit on distance or speed. The best place to find the correct information about flat towing your Ranger is in the owner's manual. It's in my 1997 owner's manual.

 

[AllanD]

I've been doing a lot of reading on this subject because my Dad is looking for a vehicle to tow behind a RV. A 2WD manual trans Ranger can be towed without trans damage. They have no limit on distance or speed. The best place to find the correct information about flat towing your Ranger is in the owner's manual. It's in my 1997 owner's manual.

according to the owners manual maybe

But the way oil circulates in the manual transmission when it is towed in neutral the rear of the transmission is well lubricated, but the input shaft, cluster gear and main-shaft gears remain stationary while the main-shaft rotates with the driveshaft.

This spins all the oil out of the pocket-bearing that locates the main-shaft
pilot inside the input gear, literally the most fragile part of the manual transmission is starved of oil the entire time you are towing.

This is why above I have stated that flat towing a manual trans 2wd ranger
for any difference is a bad idea.

a manual trans 4x4 with a manual transfer case the proper procedure is
to tow with the T-case in neutral but the transmission in gear to prevent it from rotating.

the T-case has a positive displacement oil pump inside it driven by the output shaft.

 

[buckshotmudder]

I flat towed my 2wd roughly 50k miles after it already had 150k on it. Its still going with 315k on the trans.

 

[AllanD]

Just so I'm clear on this, because I'm planning on towing my B2 on all wheels from SC back home to AZ...

shift the case to N with the 5spd transmission in N?

Or should I just pull the shaft?

Sent from my Casio G'zOne Commando 4G, it's the John Connor of Smartphones. You cannot kill it...

Using Tapatalk.

Factory instructions say to put the T-case in neutral but to leave the transmission in gear, I'm not saying you must do it that way, I'm just saying FORD engineers probably know better what's bestand that's how they say to do it

 

[socalgirl]

can we tow our 98 ranger 2x2 manual?? very confused

i've read all the threads for this post and i'm still confused. most of what i'm reading suggests we CANNOT tow our 2x2 manual ranger behind our rv with all 4 wheels down. the manual is confusing too, because it reads that 2x2 auto trans and 4x4 auto or manual trans can be towed up to 55 mph, but that 2x2 manual can only go a max of 35? it's not offering the option of removing the drive shaft on the 2x2 manual so that we can go up to 55. am i not reading this correctly? can someone please help us decide if it will work? here's the wording from the manual. thanks!

2WD (automatic transmissions)
• Release the parking brake and place the transmission in N (Neutral).
• Maximum speed is 56 km/h (35 mph).
• Maximum distance is 80 km (50 miles).
If a distance of 80 km (50 miles) or a speed of 56 km/h (35 mph) must
be exceeded, you must disconnect the driveshaft. Mark the driveshaft
and axle flanges to ensure proper position when reconnecting the
driveshaft. Refer to the “Workshop Manual” for proper fastener torque
specifications.
When disconnecting/installing the driveshaft, the parking brake
must be set and the wheels blocked to ensure the vehicle does
not roll.
With the driveshaft disconnected, the maximum speed is 88 km/h
(55 mph) and there are no mileage restrictions.
See your dealer for help with disconnecting the driveshaft.
2WD (manual transmissions)
• Release the parking brake and place the transmission in the neutral
position.
• Maximum speed is 56 km/h (35 mph).
• Maximum distance is limited by towing equipment manufacturer’s
recommendation, unlimited distance.
4WD – Electronic shift transfer case
• Release the parking brake and place transmission in the neutral
position.
• Shift the transfer case to 2H (2WD high).
Both the 4WD HIGH and 4WD LOW indicator lights in the instrument
cluster will be off when the 4WD control is in 2WD.
For automatic transmissions, maximum speed is 56 km/h (35 mph)
and maximum distance is 80 km (50 miles).
• If you must exceed the distance or 80 km (50 miles) and/or speed of
56 km/h (35 mph), you must remove the rear driveshaft. Mark the
Driving
90
driveshaft and axle flanges to ensure proper position when
reconnecting the driveshaft. Refer to the “Workshop Manual” for
proper fastener torque specifications.
When disconnecting/installing the driveshaft, the parking brake
must be set and the wheels blocked to ensure the vehicle does
not roll.
• When the driveshaft is disconnected, the maximum speed is 88 km/h
(55 mph) and the distance is unlimited.
• If you must exceed the distance or 80 km (50 miles) and/or speed of
56 km/h (35 mph), you must remove the rear driveshaft. Mark the
driveshaft and axle flanges to ensure proper position when
reconnecting the driveshaft. Refer to the “Workshop Manual” for
proper fastener torque specifications.
For manual transmissions, maximum speed is 88 km/h (55 mph) and
distance is unlimited.
Limited vehicle operation, such as driving the vehicle at a campsite, can
be accomplished with the rear driveshaft removed by using the front
drive to propel the vehicle. To operate the vehicle in this condition,
, you
must follow these guidelines:
• Place the transfer case in 4WD by rotating the 4WD control to 4WD
HIGH.
• Drive the vehicle only on good surface roads to avoid excessive loads
on the front-wheel drive system.
• Maximum speed is 56 km/h (35 mph).
• Maximum distance is 80 km (50 miles).
• Avoid quick acceleration and steep grades.
To return the vehicle to a towable condition, you must place the transfer
case in 2WD by rotating the 4WD control to 2WD. Both the 4WD HIGH
and 4WD LOW indicator lights in the instrument cluster will be off when
the 4WD control is in 2WD.
In addition, it is recommended that you follow the instruction provided
by the manufacturer of the towing apparatus.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Remove the driveshaft. 55mph tops is probably for liability issues re; ford. Unlimited miles.
Removing the driveshaft removes all possibility of the motor or transmission from being engaged by the wheels for 2 wheel/rear wheel drive vehicles.

 

[racsan]

...you could tow it while having the ranger engine running, (transmission in neutral) then the input shaft and cluster gear in the trans would be turning and giving splash lubrication to everything in the gearbox, towing in nuetral with the engine off would cause the output shaft of the trans to be turning and its above the oil level of the transmission, you could easily burn up a bearing that way, but with the engine idling, youre turning the countershaft in the trans with the input shaft and splashing oil all over the inside of the transmission, just like it would be in normal driving. only other way id know to tow it at 55 would be to put it on a trailer.