Towing with B2

[rusty ol ranger]

Probably stupid but id be ok stability wise towing my 6x10 utility trailer (pry 600lbs, single axle) with my 800lbs ish quad on it wouldnt i?

I used to tow it with my ranger but it is a 2wd longbox...it didnt even notice.

Im not worried about anything besides stability...it would all be 55mph 2lanes pry at most 30-40mi.

 

[bobbywalter]

in the winter..high ice and hill and dale.....a normal b2 is a pos deathtrap.


in fair weather, its pretty decent.

i wouldnt think twice about towing that type of load.

 

[franklin2]

I tow a 12ft long trailer with mine. It does fine.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

in the winter..high ice and hill and dale.....a normal b2 is a pos deathtrap.


in fair weather, its pretty decent.

i wouldnt think twice about towing that type of load.

Lmao. I wouldnt be towing it in those conditions. I mainly want to use it to tow it when i go to the off road park because people drive like idiots in the parking lot and 9\10 times i come back covered in mud.

Id rather get it muddy and filthy inside then my superduty. Or have some idiot sling stones and punch a hole in the aluminum body on the truck lol.

I was curious how it would handle empty in nasty winter shit though. So thanks for that tidbit. If it gets that bad ill pry take the truck then...if for nothing else better protection against the lady in a kia flying 60mph through a blizzard cause she has AWD

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I used my b2 to tow an enclosed 6x10 trailer with my construction equipment inside, no problems. Also drove it in winter with studded winter snow tires, no problems. Took it into the mountains off trails, fun stuff.

 

[bobbywalter]

Lmao. I wouldnt be towing it in those conditions. I mainly want to use it to tow it when i go to the off road park because people drive like idiots in the parking lot and 9\10 times i come back covered in mud.

Id rather get it muddy and filthy inside then my superduty. Or have some idiot sling stones and punch a hole in the aluminum body on the truck lol.

I was curious how it would handle empty in nasty winter shit though. So thanks for that tidbit. If it gets that bad ill pry take the truck then...if for nothing else better protection against the lady in a kia flying 60mph through a blizzard cause she has AWD

i dont think you will have a problem, you often drive a 2wd down ranger here and get by ok...

you have to know wtf you are doing with a b2. most competent people will be fine, they will drive slow in shit conditions as common sense dictates...or like floored said have the correct tires....which goes a looooooong ways.

even the modern control systems would have a hard time keeping a b2 wheels down with an oblivious idiot driving it.

i have had a few bone stock units, and they will spin like a top in northern michigan out of the blue....so there is no convincing me.

they had to stop making them because they are in fact dangerous.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

i dont think you will have a problem, you often drive a 2wd down ranger here and get by ok...

you have to know wtf you are doing with a b2. most competent people will be fine, they will drive slow in shit conditions as common sense dictates...or like floored said have the correct tires....which goes a looooooong ways.

even the modern control systems would have a hard time keeping a b2 wheels down with an oblivious idiot driving it.

i have had a few bone stock units, and they will spin like a top in northern michigan out of the blue....so there is no convincing me.

they had to stop making them because they are in fact dangerous.

I always thought the rangers felt pretty good in the nasty shit for what they were. Alot better planted then my 2wd colorado was.

And no, i dont doubt my abilty in the stuff but its other people that worry me.

I dont notice any real stability difference in regular driving between the bronco and ranger. It rides like shit compared to the ranger...but thats it lol.

Pry says more about my driving style then anything.

 

[franklin2]

they had to stop making them because they are in fact dangerous.

But they never stopped making the Jeep. And now they are making the Bronco again. I like to consider the old Bronco II a pioneer and the first before all the little crossover SUV's came out. Just look around, the old BII fits right in with the Nissan Rogue's and all the other little short wheelbase SUV's. But I paid a lot less for mine.

 

[RobbieD]

even the modern control systems would have a hard time keeping a b2 wheels down with an oblivious idiot driving it.

B2 drivers are a different breed.

We don't need no stinkin' modern control systems- we prefer rolling and crashing the old-fashioned way.


And there are correct accessories, which can help inspire some confidence (if not skill) into oblivious idiots:

 

[rusty ol ranger]

But they never stopped making the Jeep. And now they are making the Bronco again. I like to consider the old Bronco II a pioneer and the first before all the little crossover SUV's came out. Just look around, the old BII fits right in with the Nissan Rogue's and all the other little short wheelbase SUV's. But I paid a lot less for mine.

I think the reason jeeps never got the hate for being unsafe, despite being just as likely to roll as a B2, was the fact that most people buying CJs were people who were already accustomed to jeeps or other top heavy 4wds.

The BIIs main customers were john q public who walked into a ford dealer in 1985 to trade in their 78 pinto wagon for something better in the snow and they could take camping, tow a boat, whatever. Then when mr public decided to take that sharp 25mph turn at 40 like he done in his pinto 1000times before he ended up on his lid.

The B2 also sold better then say samuaris, raiders, or other flip prone SUVs of the time so it caught the hate.

Personally i dont feel there is anything unsafe about them as long as you respect the laws of physics and actually pay attention to other jackasses on the road.

 

[RobbieD]

I think the reason jeeps never got the hate for being unsafe, despite being just as likely to roll as a B2, was the fact that most people buying CJs were people who were already accustomed to jeeps or other top heavy 4wds.

The BIIs main customers were john q public who walked into a ford dealer in 1985 to trade in their 78 pinto wagon for something better in the snow and they could take camping, tow a boat, whatever. Then when mr public decided to take that sharp 25mph turn at 40 like he done in his pinto 1000times before he ended up on his lid.

The B2 also sold better then say samuaris, raiders, or other flip prone SUVs of the time so it caught the hate.

Personally i dont feel there is anything unsafe about them as long as you respect the laws of physics and actually pay attention to other jackasses on the road.

Agree completely with all of that.

To carry it further . . .

If you look at the ads and brochures from back then, Ford actually was marketing the B2 towards those kinds of people.

And don't forget about Jane Q Public. Increasing numbers of soccer moms were tiring of mini-vans and station wagons. Young single women bought 'em, too. I think that that, and wanting to have even more competitive pricing, went a long way toward Ford spawning the 2WD model B2s starting in '86.

I honestly think that Ford knew that "something", as in a new buying trend, was out there but they just didn't get it right the first time around, with the B2.

Look at the replacement, Explorer. Wildly successful, huge sales numbers, and arguably the real start of the "SUV craze".

 

[scotts90ranger]

In ice near square width/length wheelbase vehicles really like to swap ends... my RCSB ranger when I had the T case not adjusted right really liked to do that, my Tracker REALLY liked swapping ends, 4x4 was nearly necessary when slick... ended up in a ditch once not even trying to do anything just a narrow dumb road with a tree shading one section...

I towed my Harbor Freight 4x8 trailer with my 3 wheeler and the Tracker several times... a BII will be better

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Agree completely with all of that.

To carry it further . . .

If you look at the ads and brochures from back then, Ford actually was marketing the B2 towards those kinds of people.

And don't forget about Jane Q Public. Increasing numbers of soccer moms were tiring of mini-vans and station wagons. Young single women bought 'em, too. I think that that, and wanting to have even more competitive pricing, went a long way toward Ford spawning the 2WD model B2s starting in '86.

I honestly think that Ford knew that "something", as in a new buying trend, was out there but they just didn't get it right the first time around, with the B2.

Look at the replacement, Explorer. Wildly successful, huge sales numbers, and arguably the real start of the "SUV craze".

When in reality theres very little difference underneath (that would affect driving dynamics) between the (early) exploder and the B2.

It was a bit longer, and rode a bit lower, but it was still Ranger underneath.

I think 4doors is what really made it a hit over the B2

 

[RobbieD]

I think 4doors is what really made it a hit over the B2

Well, maybe that too, but I think it was mainly the nifty ink pen that came with the Explorer's owner's manual, that the B2 lacked.

 

[bobbywalter]

When in reality theres very little difference underneath (that would affect driving dynamics) between the (early) exploder and the B2.

It was a bit longer, and rode a bit lower, but it was still Ranger underneath.

I think 4doors is what really made it a hit over the B2

thats not accurate. they did model and prototype the d35 and a wider rear axle in the b2...even the 4.0. it didnt stop the jacking propensity due to wheel base and sprung cog....the d35 DID help a bit but not enough to stop it. going to the wider rear was still going to require major body changes...

the cog of the b2 and chassis offset makes them handle totally different...b2 was also born in the 55mph era and just fine for that.....i am talking 2 door to 2 door.

the 4 door explorer is in the zone that got them too comfortable at 80 mph...which is the reason we had the firestone debacle. that and...ugh...the target consumer

wheel base and cog, the explorer and b2 handle nothing alike. they feel totally different at 70 mph.