Townig Capacity

[Axl Rose]

Towing Capacity

Hi,
I have a 2001 Ford Ranger with a 3.0 V6 and I want to tow a '92 Mazda Protege from Greensboro, NC to Phoenix AZ. First, can it be done with my truck? THe owners manual states a max trailer weight of 3800 pounds and a gross combined weight of 7500. How accurate are these numbers and are they setup conservatively for morons like me who want to tow more than I should? The car weighs 2400 pounds and I was going to use a tow bar or tow dolly.
Anybody ever towed that much weight with the Explorer/Ranger platform? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Axl

 

[Jason_25]

If the 3.0 V6 is anything like the 2.9 V6, then I would not even think about it. I would not even do it in my 4.0 explorer.

That's too long of a trip IMO to pull anything with the explorer/ranger platform. I think you will be much better off going with a U-haul solution.

 

[Majisto]

He has the Vulcan V-6 in his truck that I also have in my Taurus, which can't even pull my Taurus around very well when I have it loaded down 185 lbs/ft of torque ain't going to be that much to tow a car with. Maybe it could be done, but it would be risky.

 

[Axl Rose]

Why would Ford have in the owners manual that we can tow up to 3800 pounds?

 

[Robert]

Because that is the absolute maximum that you can safely tow with your Ranger on flat ground, at sea level. You are still quite a bit below the 3800 lb. tow limit if your car does only weigh 2400 lbs. and the doly doesn't weigh that much. If it were mine, I would do it. Use lower gears (even on flat ground). In other words keep it out of overdrive and don't beat your truck up when going up the mountains once you get to New Mexico. Also, be sure and fill your gas tank often. It will go down much quicker with the load and New Mexico isn't gas station freindly. That was the one and only time I ever ran out in my 20 years of driving. I was pulling a 4000 lb. trailer with my Explorer and didn't like my choice of stations when my Check Gage light came on. I thought I could surely make it to the next large town. I did, riding shotgun with a tucker

 

[Axl Rose]

According to UHaul the tow dolly weighs 900 pounds...I was condsdering a tow bar (5000 pound limit) and a Class III or 4 hitch. I've towed 8x10 trailers with an old B2000 Mazda across country twice and I also towed the next size up trailer with an old four cylinder '97 Ranger. With the weight of the tow dolly and the car it leaves me about 500 pounds. I told my friend he needs to go on a diet if he plans on riding with me! My biggest concern is the wear and tear on the motor. Is it made to do that sort of thing if I take it easy and don't try to lead foot it?

 

[Axl Rose]

Hey Robert,
I see you are in Mesa. I am towing to Tempe! I actually use to live in Gilbert right on the Mesa border near that Waffle House on Country Club...it was kinda across from a Home Depot.

 

[Robert]

Your Ranger should have low enough miles that you won't be beating it up as long as you don't spend a lot of time in the upper RPMS (above 3500 RPM). When I towed the trailer from Ohio to Mesa, I had about 15K on my less than one year old '97 Explorer. Towing went pretty easily, even throught he 7000 foot passes. With 100K on mine now though I can feel the weight a little more but still don't have any trouble exceeding the speed limit while towing up the mountain grades.

I've eaten at the Waffle House you mentioned. I used to live a couple of miles north of there (Southern & Country Club). I now live about 8-10 miles east of there. Are you moving here or just bringing the car? There are a lot of good people out here from the site to socialize & wheel with.

 

[Axl Rose]

My Ranger only has 14k on it right now. Others have posted that I shouldn't do it but, I don't understand why when the owners maunal states that it should be ok to tow up to 3800 pounds. You were able to exceed the speed limit in the mountains with a V6 and towing a load? Wow! How heavy was the load you were towing? How did you handle the downhill grades? I also noticed that the manual transmissions have less of a towing capacity then the vehicles with automatics...The autos must be more robust?

I am coming out just to drop off the car. I lived in Gilbert back in '97. The Carolinas are home for right now. We have discussed moving to Mesa area but, it probably wouldn't be until closer to retirement age.

 

[Webster3]

I have a stock 1994 Explorer, and my V6 had no problem pulling me from NJ to CT with a large lawn tractor and accessories in a U-Haul trailer.

You are talking about a good deal more weight, and I do have a towing package too which beefs up the transmission cooling system.

It's a tough call... I'd do it with my Explorer.

Ed

 

[SC'92Explorer]

I wouldn't chance it man better off pay a lil more and still have your truck i would not even try it with mine lol.

but it is your truck so it is your call gl man


Chase

 

[Robert]

My SOHC has 55 more horsepower than your 3.0L has, however my Explorer also weighs about 500 lbs. more than your Ranger. The trailer I pulled was a new 5'x8' enclosed Haulmark trailer. The trailer weighed 1200 lbs. empty and I had about 2500 lbs. in cargo in it. My engine redlines at 6000 RPM. I kept OD off and only once did I have to move my shifter into 2. That was when I was going up the grades south of Flagstaff. From Missouri to my final destination where the speed limit was 70-75 MPH I kept my speed right at 75 MPH. I did hit 85 MPH a couple of times when passing a long string of trucks when I had traffic behind me wanting to go even faster. My Explorer has a tow package and is rated to tow 4800 lbs.

The manuals are rated lower mainly due to the clutch and no granny low gear like was common in the 70s. To get a 5000 lb. load moving with a manual transmisison Ranger, you would have to seriously slip the clutch to get going. An automatic will alone add about 1500 lbs. to your tow rating. With the exception of the transmission, the rest of your truck is the same as the one with the 5000 lb. tow rating (brakes, frame, etc.) Since your trip will be mostly highway, wearing out your clutch won't be an issue. I wouldn't frequently tow a 3500 lb. load in stop and go traffic with a manual, but one cross-country trip on the highway shouldn't do any harm. The Ford rating is the maximum rating before accelerated wear would occur. As long as you don't exeed their maximum rating and don't drive for miles on end at high RPMs, you are not going to harm your truck.

 

[jjue]

I've pulled a '67 Mustang on a dual-axle dove-tail trailer with my '97 Mountaineer V8, probably a total weight of 4500 lbs with tools and stuff. I personally don't pull more than 3000 lbs without a V8 anymore, so my Mountaineer always ends up being the tow vehicle unless someone else has a 1/2-, 3/4-, or 1-ton truck to do the pulling and hauling.