What did you do to your Ranger today? (Part Deux!)

[Rick W]

I wouldn't be going to any trouble. Period. I'm 90% certain that the caps that were on my Ranger recently were the same ones you are running and I know exactly where they are. They'll be going back on the truck temporarily, but I haope to have new wheels and tireson it before you reach completion on that trailer.

I'm also pretty certain that I'll stumble across a few more of them when I'm cleaning up around the house and shop over the next few weeks. So the offer is standing, no trouble involved. Period.

Okie dokie. I thought you meant you’d be going to scrap yards and all looking for them.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

green Ranger got put to work, lol. That monster towed it like nothing. Transmission cooler was at 136* after about 20 miles of windy up and downhill at 35-50 mph

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

View attachment 117376
green Ranger got put to work, lol. That monster towed it like nothing. Transmission cooler was at 136* after about 20 miles of windy up and downhill at 35-50 mph

What trans do you have in that thing?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

What trans do you have in that thing?

4R70 I believe… needs a shift kit.

It was around 100* at the cooler after running the highway loaded down with the camping gear for 8.5 hours.

Thing is an animal… I love it. 07 F-150 transmission cooler on it.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

4R70 I believe… needs a shift kit.

It was around 100* at the cooler after running the highway loaded down with the camping gear for 8.5 hours.

Thing is an animal… I love it. 07 F-150 transmission cooler on it.

Ah. I figured it wasn’t a stock ranger auto since you were towing…. Well basically moving your weight twice.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ah. I figured it wasn’t a stock ranger auto since you were towing…. Well basically moving your weight twice.

Well, about that….

My 00 blue Ranger (lil Blue) towed my 88 home from New York, my Choptop from Philly (plus a bunch of places on tow bars/dollys), and a YJ Jeep on 34” tires. My green 00 towed the Choptop on a tow dolly to the 20th anniversary, plus other trips plus hauling around my little trailer (6.5’x11’) with my lawn tractors. Those were all in stock form. This was the first I’ve towed with the green one since the 5.0 swap…

Well, really towed with the 5.0. I did make it to Lisa’s last year with the Choptop behind the green Ranger and I did haul a tractor for dad, but this was with things working right.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

Well, about that….

My 00 blue Ranger (lil Blue) towed my 88 home from New York, my Choptop from Philly (plus a bunch of places on tow bars/dollys), and a YJ Jeep on 34” tires. My green 00 towed the Choptop on a tow dolly to the 20th anniversary, plus other trips plus hauling around my little trailer (6.5’x11’) with my lawn tractors. Those were all in stock form. This was the first I’ve towed with the green one since the 5.0 swap…

Well, really towed with the 5.0. I did make it to Lisa’s last year with the Choptop behind the green Ranger and I did haul a tractor for dad, but this was with things working right.

Huh. So they are more capable towing other vehicles than some people say.

The hard part is convincing the dude at the u-haul that yes, your 21 year old vehicle is more than mechanically sound enough to be towing anything at all, not even up to its full capacity. Ask me how I know.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Huh. So they are more capable towing other vehicles than some people say.

The hard part is convincing the dude at the u-haul that yes, your 21 year old vehicle is more than mechanically sound enough to be towing anything at all, not even up to its full capacity. Ask me how I know.

I always told U-Haul I was going to tow a 96 Geo Metro…

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

I always told U-Haul I was going to tow a 96 Geo Metro…

I was renting a utility trailer to move some building supplies (and also a buddies lawn mower he roped me into helping him move). I wish I could get away with that, but I was probably moving not even 800 pounds of stuff on that trailer, mostly just bulky wood. A geo metro weighs more than that… right?

When you are the only one in your family with a truck, your dad gives you gas money and asks nicely if you will do all the truck stuff.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I was renting a utility trailer to move some building supplies (and also a buddies lawn mower he roped me into helping him move). I wish I could get away with that, but I was probably moving not even 800 pounds of stuff on that trailer, mostly just bulky wood. A geo metro weighs more than that… right?

When you are the only one in your family with a truck, your dad gives you gas money and asks nicely if you will do all the truck stuff.

800# is nothing. I had a literal ton in the bed of my blue Ranger more than 3 times. 2k lbs. it was on the bump stops pretty much and it was only like 2 miles, but yeah. That truck got a workout. It had half a ton in the bed more times than I can count. It got sort of replaced (I still have the blue Ranger) with my 95 F-150 that has crossed the scales at over 10k with a load. My toys earn their keep. Heck, my Choptop even hauled concrete tools including a wheelbarrow and forms more than once.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

800# is nothing. I had a literal ton in the bed of my blue Ranger more than 3 times. 2k lbs. it was on the bump stops pretty much and it was only like 2 miles, but yeah. That truck got a workout. It had half a ton in the bed more times than I can count. It got sort of replaced (I still have the blue Ranger) with my 95 F-150 that has crossed the scales at over 10k with a load. My toys earn their keep. Heck, my Choptop even hauled concrete tools including a wheelbarrow and forms more than once.

That’s exactly why I was ticked at the U-Haul guy. I’ve probably had close to a ton in the bed before, for sure well more than 1000 lbs. I posted the pic here before, it was the bed and the entire cab full of soda and Gatorade to restock the canteen here at camp. I was riding at about 1/2 inch off the bump stops.

It rode the smoothest and most planted I have ever felt it that day. All I did was turn overdrive off when I was climbing a grade (simply to put the engine back in the power band) and other than that it had plenty of power.

 

[scotts90ranger]

4R70 I believe… needs a shift kit.

It was around 100* at the cooler after running the highway loaded down with the camping gear for 8.5 hours.

Thing is an animal… I love it. 07 F-150 transmission cooler on it.

I put two random universal coolers on my '00 Explorer in series, don't have a gauge on it so don't know how well it works but it moves that 5k pound pig around fine and the fluid has been fine...

I don't remember what shift kit my buddy put in mine but it shifts great, tows my 3500 pound boat fine... more breaks would be good though

 

[MaicoDoug]

My yellow sub hauled in 6 days, 8 to 12 loads a day 12 bags/load of 80# sakrete thrown on my new driveway.
(I opened the bag). The pallet would not go into the bed due to the wheel wells, so it had to be hand loaded. The kids got their workout, including this old one. The broken bag deals were half price & I took advantage of those. Now the driveway is a real driveway with 3x5" recycled "RipRap" concrete for a base. Got tired of all the recycled asphalt dust. The ranger earned it's keep that month. The contractors wanted $8000 for doing it themselves, (no riprap)- I hired some guy with a little skid steer and his friend to dump 40 yards of 75% riprap/25% top cover, and then I spread the bagged concrete. 4 months after a laminectomy. Now that's what I call physical therapy. No more driveway problems, makes that new 18" culvert work!

My valve covers are leaking onto my cats and it smokes at stop lights, that's where the leak is coming from. Not as bad as the kids in there diesels however. I'll wait till it gets cooler.

Tire clowns.....200 psi on the impact and then there is the torq wrench, make sure it's set to the type of wheel & stud correctly. "click", oh it's perfect~speaking of sorry sacks.

 

[CamTheHedgehog]

My yellow sub hauled in 6 days, 8 to 12 loads a day 12 bags/load of 80# sakrete thrown on my new driveway.
(I opened the bag). The pallet would not go into the bed due to the wheel wells, so it had to be hand loaded. The kids got their workout, including this old one. The broken bag deals were half price & I took advantage of those. Now the driveway is a real driveway with 3x5" recycled "RipRap" concrete for a base. Got tired of all the recycled asphalt dust. The ranger earned it's keep that month. The contractors wanted $8000 for doing it themselves, (no riprap)- I hired some guy with a little skid steer and his friend to dump 40 yards of 75% riprap/25% top cover, and then the bagged concrete. 4 months after a laminectomy. Now that's what I call physical therapy. No more driveway problems, makes that new 18" culvert work!

My valve covers are leaking onto my cats and it smokes at stop lights, that's where the leak is coming from. Not as bad as the kids in there diesels however. I'll wait till it gets cooler.

Tire clowns.....200 psi on the impact and then there is the torq wrench, make sure it's set to the type of wheel & stud correctly. "click", oh it's perfect~speaking of sorry sacks.

As someone who worked at a tire shop…. Not all are like this. Some are but not all. Our mandated SOP was hand thread 5 threads, snug with a specially limited impact that (I later trial and error tested to find) tightens to about 30-40 foot pounds, then drop until the tire just touches the ground, and tighten fully with a properly set torque wrench.
I also have the torque specs for most vehicles burned into my head from that job.

you had some wiggle room on that payload too, my rated payload is 1260# from what I remember.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I put two random universal coolers on my '00 Explorer in series, don't have a gauge on it so don't know how well it works but it moves that 5k pound pig around fine and the fluid has been fine...

I don't remember what shift kit my buddy put in mine but it shifts great, tows my 3500 pound boat fine... more breaks would be good though

I was going to do two coolers until I spotted the F-150 in the junkyard. It’s over twice the size of the stock cooler for a Ranger and has threaded fittings. I had to modify the center grill support, make my own brackets (@sgtsandman helped there) and drill holes in the core support for the lines, but it’s perfect. I don’t have a gauge either, just been checking temps of stuff with my IR temp gun.