Can I Do It With No Problems

[Will]

You're just an American who is used to having everything in excess. With a 4-cylinder Ranger he doesn't need a car transporter trailer.

Try this on for size--little car, little trailer:

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You're just an American who is used to having everything in excess. With a 4-cylinder Ranger he doesn't need a car transporter trailer.

Try this on for size--little car, little trailer:

That isn't a little Ranger on the front of that thing, a travel home probably a little more forgiving on the weight balance than a 4 cylinder Ranger. At least without the side rails shown on your first trailer he could actually get out of the car. A properly balanced car trailer will pull better than a unbalanced lawn mower trailer that is tetering back and forth on the axle loading and unloading the rear of the truck. My dad's single bale hay cart does that, it ain't fun getting the crap shaken out of your truck over 20mph every time the stupid thing hits a bump.

Really for what the OP is doing I would rent a trailer, I used to rent trailers from a hardware store, for less than $100 you could have your pick of trailers for a day to haul what you want with what you want.

And for what I pull would really need a bigger rig to go farther than the 50-60 miles I go each way at a time.

 

[SCRAPINRANGER302]

Not sure that it really matters but the truick is a 6 cylinder not a 4. I would feel much safer with the car trailer.

 

[Will]

There nothing magic about it just because it's a car. It's a tiny car and car haulers are designed to fit full-size pickups. In fact, I used a 16' utility trailer up until the time I needed to put a full-size pickup on it. The utility trailer I use to borrow was made out of 3x4 3/16" angle and was mostly used for an old Allis Chalmers.

There's no concern with the weight balance. The car is already heavier in the front. You would have no problem getting 300# on the tongue. The single axle doesn't matter--a tandem axle has an equalizer bar that pivots in one spot--unless you have torflex axles. This isn't a 5x8 lawn mower trailer with a 2,000# axle.

The sides are 12" high on some of those. My Honda door is 11" off the ground. I would cut a piece of railing down to 10" (or whatever) in that spot--or have it done at a welding shop. If it's really low, car haulers have fenders too.

The benefits of a single axle is that it's easier to make sharp turns and back up into tight spots because the tires don't scrub. You don't need 7,000# worth of axles or 16-18' worth of trailer. You don't need an extra 800# of trailer. Big Tex has a 12' tandem axle car hauler that can be gotten 12' long. It weight 1,680#. That wouldn't be a bad choice.

Renting one is an option, of course. U-Haul trailers weigh 2,200# and you need a 3,500# car to pull it with--minumum. They also require the towing vehicle to be 80% of the weight of the combined load. I don't think a 2wd Ranger fits either category. Make sure your low clearance car doesn't hit something while loading it too. That makes the drop gate of the 6x12 inviting. My trailer has a dove-tailed rear which makes loading low things easier so look for that in a car hauler.

Cheapest bet is to search the fields for something to make one out of.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You don't need 7,000# worth of axles or 16-18' worth of trailer. You don't need an extra 800# of trailer. Big Tex has a 12' tandem axle car hauler that can be gotten 12' long. It weight 1,680#. That wouldn't be a bad choice

Dad's 18' H&H weighs about 1800lbs, how is that the devil but a 12' trailer 120 lbs lighter and 6' shorter is ok? Packing that much weight I doubt there will be too much of a price difference either.

The full trailer will work better for me in the long run. I have other vehicles and projects I would like to be able to tow.

What else do you plan on doing with this thing while we decide what trailer you need to get? That is why I am advocating for a bigger trailer, aside from hauling your VW, brush and lawn mowers a 12' trailer is kind of small for much else.

 

[Will]

I'm advocating the 6x12 utility trailer. I did not mean to imply that I was changing my allegiance to it (the 12' tandem) though it's still the right length for what he is doing. He's using a Ranger to tow with, not an F150. What would he need to put on a trailer longer than 12' that should be pulled with a Ranger?

Most of my stuff, and I have probably an above avaerage collection, can be hauled on a 6x12 with a 3,500# axle. My little 2,000# skidloader would easily ride on that, as would my 900# garden tractor and 2,000# Honda Civic when I pull it behind my skoolie on trips. And anything I buy from the lumberyard would fit on that trailer. The heavier trailer, if not needed, hogs an extra 6' of yard space, costs an extra $30 to keep a plate on it, sucks 800# of hauling capacity out of the Ranger and, with the tandem axle, is harder to manuever and leaves black skid marks on the pavement when you have to make a tight turn. It also wears out twice as many tires.

 

[carchameleon]

i agree, you need to decide what else you will use the trailer for and that should help decide what kind of trailer you should get.
a friend of mine has a 5x10' trailer (3500#axle) that he pulls his samurai off road rig on. he's not pulling it with a ranger but it still works. if it had brakes, i would pull it behind either of my rangers with a small car on.
like i said, what your going to use it for should determine your best option for a trailer.
good luck with it.

 

[TomB1269]

2 cents on towing with the 3.0L v6 and 3.73 as well as the general area you will be in. I do not know if you are headed down 95 or 81 or cutting across 64 or 66. You are better off traveling where stop and go is at a minimum, ie late night on 95 around DC and Richmond, 29 from Culpeper to NC line is not bad. The 3.0 will do the job but she'll bitch. 1st do not tow in OVERDRIVE. 2nd with that much load forget about the use of crusie control, it slam gears going up hill (ie 4th to 2nd due to the drag on the engine). 3rd when you get in to the rolling hills IE 81 pickup some "easy" speed on the bottom and hold it until it drains off on the up, the same on the flats headed toward a hill pickup speed easy on the flat and hit the hill with the extra momentum. The last part, and some will say it is to fast but that is what I found the truck likes, you will be pulling an aero dynamic trailer with the car(not like mounting a shed on a quad trailer or a popup that has an additional 12 inches on each side to catch the wind). Let that engine run! On the down hill let it rest just under 3000-2800rpms about 67 -70 mph (wind loading) as you approach a hill easy up the revs to 3500 - 3800 befor you get to the base, (I like 3500-3600) and hold it. She'll tend to carry the bottom half of a descent grade and have enough to pull the top without jumping gears, let your speed drop as it needs just keep that pedal/Revs still. With these techniques you should be fine, the trans builds heat when it slips and shifts, this should minimize both...........
PS: A good trans service would help if it has been a while.
FYI; the tow package - trans cooler, 10inch rear drum, receiver hitch!

 

[Captain Ledd]

I finally got pics!

These were with a 2.3L and M5OD. It was a bit much, but it pulled it.