09 Ranger towing questions.

[Daleford]

I have towed before but not with a Ranger. My truck is a used 09 Ranger XLT, 4 litre V-6, automatic, extended cab 4X4. It had a class 3 trailer hitch on it, and when I checked with Ford they said it is a factory installed hitch. On the hitch is says a weight distributing hitch setup will haul 6000 max gross trailer weight. Without the weight distributing setup the max gross trailer weight is only 3500. It says to check in the owners manual to be sure the vehicle complies. Since the truck didn't come with an owners
manual I was wondering what you guys thought.
I will be towing a 1500 lb open car trailer with a 65 Falcon aboard. Falcon is complete except no interior, so I am guessing it would weigh 2500 lbs.
I was hoping the 3500 rating on the hitch, with no weight distributing, could be stretched to 4000 allowing for my trailer and Falcon.
Again, would appreciate your opinions.

 

[02RangerXLT]

You could do it... but you would have one hell of an unhappy truck... how far are you pulling it?

 

[Daleford]

You could do it... but you would have one hell of an unhappy truck... how far are you pulling it?

About 150 miles.
Do you mean unhappy truck due to poor handling or lack of power?

 

[02RangerXLT]

About 150 miles.
Do you mean unhappy truck due to poor handling or lack of power?

You should be fine in the power department... but the handling is where I would be worried, specifically in the area of braking. Does the trailer have brakes? If so, it wouldn't be as bad, and it would be a much more pleasant trip... you should have a brake controller too if possible.

 

[Daleford]

Oh yes, the car trailer has 4 wheel electric brakes as required here by law. Also I just picked up a brake controller this evening. So am I good to go without a weight distibution system?

 

[02RangerXLT]

I honestly think you should be... with trailer brakes you oughta be good. Just anticipate your stops and such, and be sure to load the trailer properly... 60% of weight in the front, 40& in the back...

It would probably be best not to make a habit of it, but I think for a couple trips you should be good to go.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

It will squat your truck quite a bit so the steering might be a little twitchy.

As for the brake controller, there is no factory wiring in the truck. It will need to be completely hardwired from the front of the truck to the back.

 

[Daleford]

It will squat your truck quite a bit so the steering might be a little twitchy.

As for the brake controller, there is no factory wiring in the truck. It will need to be completely hardwired from the front of the truck to the back.

You have anticipated my next question. I see light wiring at the rear bumper but no wires for the electric brakes. Also under the dash I see no wires to run the controller like I found on my last F-150. So I will hard wire from front to rear. I've done this before so shouldn't be a problem.
Thanks all for the help.

 

[Tractorman]

It'll handle just fine if you use a WD hitch. I hauled my 99 Cobra I owned on a car hauler from Texas to Wisconsin. Power was enough to hold speed on most parts of the highway. With the hitch it drove just fine. It's not a sports car, but its safe if you're smart.

 

[Daleford]

Thanks I got the job done safely without the WD hitch. However any longer hauls I would use the WD setup.
My biggest problem was gas guzzling. That 4. litre was terrible!!

 

[02RangerXLT]

Thanks I got the job done safely without the WD hitch. However any longer hauls I would use the WD setup.
My biggest problem was gas guzzling. That 4. litre was terrible!!

Yeah they aren't that great on gas are they?