Towing capabilities.

[jetfish]

Hi Guys this looks like the place I might get some correct answers from so here it goes.
I have a 2007 Ranger LevelII supercab with an Automatic transmission, I just purchased a Grey Wolf 19' travel trailer, the dry weight is 3700lbs do you think I will have problems towing this puppy?
Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[Kevin Barry]

You don't mention which engine you have or if you have a 4 X 2 or 4 X 4, refer to this link for the tow capacities based on your engine, drive system, transmission and rear end set up. You may or may not be able to depending on your configuration. http://www.fordf150.net/2007/2007-ford-ranger-specifications.php

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread into the towing section.

 

[jetfish]

thanks - it's 4x4

 

[jetfish]

the following post is from jetfish's wife:


I looked into the specifications and it saidfor our Ranger)


base curb weight 3672 lb
payload weight 1260 lb
GVWR 5000 lb
maximum towing capacity 5300 lb
maximum GCWR 9500 lb

the trailer we bought (and now starting to regret it) has following specifications:

hitch weight is 522 lb, axle weight is 3178 lb, ship weight is 3700 lb (is ship weight combination of hitch and axle weight??? so is it basicaly the dry weight? that's how it was explained in the dealership we bought the trailer)

full capacity for fresh water is 50 gal (should be 417 lb)

so as we calculated (please correct me or verify if I am wrong here):

GCW = GVW + GTW
9500 = 5000 + the highest we can go with fully loaded trailer seems like 4500 lb?

so...gross trailer weight is combo of dry weight 3700 lb + water 417 lb + remaining 1123 lb for our camping stuff such as food, tools, etc..of course we would not go to maximum and try to leave some extra weight free...

but GCW includes 1260 payload (passangers, dog, tools.... so we could use some of this weight for our camping load too, lets say we all weight together 460 lb so if I understand this correctly then 1200 - 460 = 740 lb that can be used in our Ranger for load of whatever we need for camping...and then we would not need to put too much weight in the trailer?)

We are panicking and not sure what to do, the trailer is beautiful but we feel like we made a mistake out of being too eager to believe what the salesman told us.

PLEASE advise!!! my hubby is working long shifts now and that's why he asked me to check this forum for him

thanks for any advise..............

celia

 

[Kevin Barry]

Ranger

Yes, your calculation is correct, GCVW is the total weight of vehicle, payload, passengers, trailer weight (with whatever may be in the trailer) 9,500 is where you are maxed out completely.

The only area I am confused with is the hitch weight, this possibly could be interpreted as tongue weight which is the weight applied to the hitch on the vehicle. Typically the rule of thumb is to use the 15% rule, i.e. the loaded trailer weight multiplied by 15% (up to 25%) in some applications. If I take your base trailer weight of 3,700 lbs. and multiply by 15% I am coming up with 555 lbs. which is close to your 522 number. I am purely assuming this is an actual tongue weight rating which your hitch needs to be rated for. This # goes up as weight is added to the trailer.

Therefore, take the 3,627 weight of your vehicle, plus the 3,700 trailer weight and you have 7,327 and are within spec. If your GCVW is 9,500, you have 2,173 lbs. left to play with. Now, bearing in mind that the total combination cannot exceed 2,173 lbs. :

1) A total of 1,600 lbs in trailer tow capacity left, leaving 573 lbs for payload (or)
2) Your max of 1,260 in payload in the truck (people, dog, tools, etc.), leaving 913 lbs of trailer weight left.

By my estimation using 180 lbs as average weight for people, you need 360 for the people, +/- 50 lbs for the dog, you are at 410 lbs. (Now add for tools, gear and etc.)

Now you need to decide how to distribute your gear and your tools between the trailer and the truck.

As a general rule of thumb, I recommend against towing water around as hookups are readily available at campgrounds. 1) It adds to fuel use 2) it sloshes around causing the trailer to sway, unless it is absolutely necessary to carry it, I wouldn't. It's just unneccesary added weight

In my estimation, you will be fine. Just distribute the weight evenly. Understand that a trucks max rating is exactly that, max rating so as to not cause damage to the truck. This number is always lower than what the truck is truly capable of for the reason they know people will overload them.

So, stop worrying and enjoy your trip.

 

[jetfish]

Thank you Kevin! the water advise...well, we are not planning to go to those kinds of campgrounds with hookups much (if ever). We prefere more simple ones - but from now on with convenience of our trailer! But I see what you mean. Do you think it would be a good idea take just half tank (water) and preferably get it somewhere closer to destination for our camping trips? I personally have absolutely no experience with this kind of camping and my hubby only a limited one (his parrents have rv).

once again, I am very grateful you found the time to reply on my hubby's and my posts - to ease our worries!!!!! thanks a bunch


celia

 

[rileyrs]

do not max the payload of the truck and pull the trailer, it will be very hard on it. if you keep the gear in the truck mainly to people/dogs, and stuff you need right with you, and keep your gear in the trailer you should be able to tow this fine.
i would recommend a tranny temp gauge, and if your temps become too high, then a cooler. the tranny is the weak link in our trucks when towing. our trucks actually have a heat sensor in the tranny, so something like a scangauge, what i have, can let you monitor it without installing a new gauge.

Dead Link Removed
this shows recommended tranny and engine temps, i watch mine closely when towing, if pulling up a big hill i go slow (like 45-50) if i push it the temp easily climbs above 200, but generally i stay at about 180, and my truck is the same as yours mechanically.
now this is with my boat which weighs less (around 3000), but ive done it with also about 800 lbs in the bed.

anyway, honestly if you stay our of overdrive, drive easy, dont push it up hills too fast, and of course, just think about everything you do logically before its done your ranger will tow this camper fine.

get used to towing it for a while, see how the truck acts, and from there based on your temps, sway, and general performance, you can decide if additional towing mods might be necessary.

as kevin said, dont worry too much and just get out and enjoy your new trailer! im happy to help if you have any towing questions at all.

 

[jetfish]

thanks Riley, I'll get my hubby to read all this technical advises - he'd understand it better then me and he'll probably have more specific questions too.. the main poit for me (for now anyways) is that we can start enjoying the trailer and stop stress ourselve out!!! you guys are awesome!!!!!!!

Celia

 

[Kevin Barry]

Celia- If you are needing the water and won't be near hookups, then you have no alternative than to take it with you. However, if you have the option to fill it somewhere close to where you are camping, then I would do that.

To answer your question, I wouldn't fill it halfway. A half fill will cause more sloshing than a full tank. I would however recommend emptying the tank on the trip home. Less weight = less wear.

Rileyrs also gave you some good advice, it is best advised not to max out the truck whenever possible. He is absolutely right that it wall add to your comfort. Also, the trans temp guage is a good idea and won't cost too much to install. If you will be camping frequently, it would be a good idea to have this installed.

Just one last thing, do make sure you have the right hitch setup on your Ranger. The max. towing specs are for having the class III or IV hitch installed on the truck which mounts to the frame. Do not try to tow this off of the factory bumper set up. That is rated for far less and at max load you will surely tear the bumper off the truck.

Enjoy your summer and your trips!

 

[F150hybred]

So... by reading through this, I'm huessing that I was waaaaaayyyy out of my league pulling the father in laws 2001 dodge 2500 4X4 extra cab diesel with a 35' trailer hauling 18 round bales of hay 25 miles after he smacked a deer??? :scratch: I just wish I had gotten pictures of it.

 

[Kevin Barry]

You did that with a Ranger?

 

[F150hybred]

No, I didn't. I did it with an Explorer. Oh, on a side note, about a month later, the forward clutch (A4LD) and transfer case litteraly blew up (chain in case jumped and locked up taking with it the forward clutch). The explorer in question is a 94 with a 6" lift, 3.37:1 gears and 33"s. I took it appart and I had little ittie bittie pieces of the planetary EVERYWHERE!!

 

[rileyrs]

wait, your saying you pulled a 35' trailer, with a 3/4 ton diesel and 18 round hay bales on it with an explorer? because thats over twenty thousand pounds i would guess. thats more than most full sized duallies are rated to pull.

and to jetfish: if you have any more question or need more explanation im happy to help.

 

[F150hybred]

The trailer was hooked to the Dodge and the hay on the trailer... I was flat towing it in low range. Suprisingly, it did it rather easily (in low range 2wd).

 

[rileyrs]

ya that is seriously over the safe capacity of any explorer.

 

[F150hybred]

ya that is seriously over the safe capacity of any explorer.

Meh... you do what you gotta do to get the job done.

 

[MrQ]

Geez man, now you blew up the tranny on a 20k pull. You are crazy. That transmission can barely manage a loaded utility trailer. AND the fact you were on 3.27's AND on 33's which makes your gear ratio about 2.73. That is insane...

Also the forward planetary in the A4LD is considered the toughest part of the transmission. If you tore that up then you should seriously consider getting a full size truck.

 

[F150hybred]

um, I made a typo up there... it's actually 3.73 gears... not 3.37. Still not much better nut I figured I would sort that out. As far as getting a full sized truch, it's in the plans... the other half wants one. Oh, and no, I'm not gonna ditch the Explorer and I did make that point known to her.