Tow question

[Superman]

Will a 1985 Ford Ranger 4x4 with 2.3(fuel injected) and 5 spd manual transmission tow a dolly with a fullsize Bronco on it? What about a 1979 Ford F150 4x4?

I'm thinking it will struggle and won't pull at all.

 

[strvger]

what makes it the most scary is that you'll have no brakes on the tow dolly. at least my tow dolly doesn't have brakes. otherwise, yeah, you'll be overloaded... imho

 

[dennis461]

depends

Tow it around the corner on flat roads at 30mph or less, OK.

Out on the highway any distance, and your clutch will need replacing the next day.

Not to mention the already mentioned braking problem.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

another nay-sayer here. it will pull it, but it won't stop it. don't do it

imagine you are driving along and you suddenly NEED to slam on the brakes, what will happen is the heavy truck will push your little ranger and make it spin around and you'll do serious damage. oh well

 

[Superman]

Lol. That's what I was thinking..

Don't want to let the little Ranger be in danger..

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

Lol. That's what I was thinking..

Don't want to let the little Ranger be in danger..

i'll sound like a raisin saying this, but "rangers can be replaced, you can't"

 

[Superman]

i'll sound like a raisin saying this, but "rangers can be replaced, you can't"

Yep. Lol.

 

[Captain Ledd]

Tow it around the corner on flat roads at 30mph or less, OK.

Out on the highway any distance, and your clutch will need replacing the next day.

Not to mention the already mentioned braking problem.

I call shenanigans on the clutch. Starting out is going to kill it, once it's up to speed and cruising, there's no need for any clutch. The 2.3L shouldn't make enough power to break it loose unless it was already slipping when you let it all the way out.

another nay-sayer here. it will pull it, but it won't stop it. don't do it

imagine you are driving along and you suddenly NEED to slam on the brakes, what will happen is the heavy truck will push your little ranger and make it spin around and you'll do serious damage. oh well

Yes, this is a definite possibility.

I have towed a number of larger vehicles with my 2.3L Ranger. Including most recently a 1979 Jeep J10. Drove it roughly 180 Miles (took about 5 hours), even some stints on the highway, rarely exceeding 60mph. we also did this in the middle of the night as well.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture handy of that setup. But I do of this one:

And yes, this is dropping off at the house.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

lol what did you tell uhaul you were towing that with?

 

[Captain Ledd]

lol what did you tell uhaul you were towing that with?

The Saturn I told them it was with the Ranger, albeit with a larger engine. The people said they had a dolly but when we showed up they couldn't find it! I convinced the guy on the trailer because we only had to go 2 towns over and it was only 45 mph roads, and the trailer did have brakes on it. Also got him on that pretty much all Rangers ran the roughly the same brakes anyways, regardless of engine size or transmission, which was the important thing.

I have since purchased a very heavy duty tow dolly (which is what I used for the J-10). But I really mean it's a heavy duty tow dolly. All galvanized, nice thick steel, sucker even has suspension. It's like it was meant for behind a motor home on super long trips. I wanted a nice one because I found myself always hauling vehicles everywhere lol.

I towed:
1984 Subaru GL wagon - 50 miles
1994 Honda Accord - 80 miles
1998 Marcury Sable - 30 minutes to the garage
2005 Saturn Ion - about 20 miles
1994 Blazer - 15 miles (several times)
1979 Jeep J10 - 180 miles from just south of Flint Mi, to Big Rapids, Mi.
Several more that I can't remember what year it was, I'm sure I've forgotten a few trips on top of that.

I've towed things all over the state with that little 4 banger. The 6,000lb 42' boom lift put quite the strain on it.

Now I just need to decide weather to get a fancy welding helmet now, or wait a bit and finish getting my explorer 8.8 ready with 4.88 gears spinning 235/75R15 meats LOL.

Patience plays a huge part in things. As well as ACTUALLY KNOWING HOW TO CONTROL THE LOAD. Not panicking and jerking the wheel will go a long way in keeping you (and others) safe. Keep your distance, go slow if necessary, if someone else is in a hurry too freaking bad, then they'll cause the accident, not you.

 

[4.0B2]

we used a dolly to pull a g20 diesel van about 130 miles with a b2, 2.9 3.73's auto..
just took it slow and went for it. had no issues what so ever.. now, probably wasn't my smartest idea ever and probably won't do it again. but i didn't have a choice that day

 

[adsm08]

Keep your distance, go slow if necessary, if someone else is in a hurry too freaking bad, then they'll cause the accident, not you.

That depends greatly on the aerodynamic properties of your load and the idiotic behavior of the idiots tailgating you.

When I towed my tool box I put it on a 5x12 trailer. My box is roughly 5x5x2. It was standing upright at the back of the trailer. I was going about 45 and the load was under control for a good 20 miles by this point. Guy comes up in his Colorado and gets less than 5" off my trailer. All the sudden that thing was all over the place because the air wasn't flowing around it properly anymore. His bubble was coming back and causing enough turbulence that I not only lost control of the trailer for a few moments but the trailer actually picked up and scooted the rear axle of the truck.

Now, if I had to tow that again I'd put more weight at the front of the trailer and in the bed of the truck, but if the trailer had hit someone because of Captain Dumbass there it would still have been MY fault.