How much boat can my Ranger pull?

[jayhanig]

I've recently moved to the NC coast and am surrounded by boaters. I'd like to join them and am interested in a boat that would be suitable for hauling passengers around and also for some fishing... most likely in the intracoastal waterway. But I'm a little at a loss as to how much boat my 2007 Ranger XLT can handle.

The truck has 2 wheel drive, automatic transmission, 3.0 liter engine and I added a transmission cooler to it shortly after I bought it to accommodate an utility trailer that I own. The truck is rated to tow up to 2400 lbs.

The marina that I'll be using is only about a mile from my house and the roads down here are all flat with speed limits running 25-45 mph between here and the marina.

So how much boat can my truck handle? I'm not so concerned with my ability to pull it down the road so much as pulling it out of the water. Remember, it's a two wheel drive truck.

It seems like everybody down here likes F-150s for pulling boats but I'd really prefer not to change trucks. Ideas?

 

[chargerboy]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

My buddy pulls his 2000 pound bowrider out of the water with a ranger. Has a little wheelspin on gravel, but maybe some weight in the back would help with that.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

What kind of ramps will you be using? You can pull a lot more up an uncontaminated hard surface ramp with a shallow grade than a steep, slippery or loose surfaced ramp.
You might test your traction with your utility trailer. Find a time when the ramp isn't very busy and try backing it down and pulling it up. Incrementally load the trailer down until retrieval becomes difficult and you have your answer.

 

[freeisforme]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

I just got back from a 1300 mile trip to FL, I towed a loaded 6x12' enclosed trailer down and back with no issues at all, hardly knew the thing was behind me. I was driving a 2000 3.0L 5 speed Ranger with 100K on it, it ran great and towed the trailer fine. I wasn't thrilled about it being hitched only to the bumper but it did fine. The truck belonged to a buddy that moved there, I was taking it and the trailer down to him. I towed a 1,500lb aluminum bass rig back with a 1995 4 cylinder Ranger for the return trip, it knew it was towing but did fine and that was only a 2.3L 5 speed truck.
I had no issues doing highway speeds with either truck. Both trucks had fiberglass caps and a decent amount of weight in the bed as well. The 2.3L obviously did far better on gas, getting on average over 18mpg for the whole trip. The 3.0L got about 15mpg on the way down but I wasn't driving for maximum gas mileage either.

 

[marcortez]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

Keep that auto trans out of overdrive.

On a older Ranger (2.9 I believe) the OD gear took a dump.
It was under warranty and the dealer interrogated me fully about what I was towing (16' fiberglass skiff) when he saw the frame mounted trailer hitch.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

My buddy pulls his 2000 pound bowrider out of the water with a ranger. Has a little wheelspin on gravel, but maybe some weight in the back would help with that.

So then the question becomes: how big is that 2000 lb bowrider with what size engine? I'm trying to get a feel for what's reasonable to expect.

 

[chargerboy]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

It was 18 feet long, and had a mercruiser 3.0

 

[reelfishin]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

I have a 2.3L 4x2, it tows just about anything up to about 2000 lbs fine on the road, but I'd recommend 4x4 on dirt or slick ramps.
I had a 3.0L stick that I really liked but sold it after it hit 310,000 miles. I'd love to find another one, in 2 or 4 wheel drive. I pulled a Wellcraft V20 home with that truck, about a 320 mile trip and it did just fine. It launched my old trihull, about 2200 lbs on the trailer every weekend with no issues on a rather steep concrete ramp.

Probably the best all around truck I've ever had. It was good on gas and towed what I needed to tow.

 

[phoenixisrizen]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

My 2000 Ranger Supercab is a 4x4, but it's also a 3.0 liter auto. I tow my Wellcraft 170 Classic with it. It's not bad on the level or a slight hill, but on longer hills it lugs down pretty good, but I have 3.73 gears with 265/70/15 tires so that's part of the problem. If you have the 4.11's and stock tires, you'll do better. Boat and trailer together go about 3000 lbs or so. I use 4 wheel low to pull out of the ramp.

I did add electric brakes to the trailer because I didn't like how it stopped without them, the brakes are a weak point on the ranger (mine are 10"). It stops great now.

Oh and as previously said, lock out the overdrive! As a former Ford dealership transmission tech, believe me, its a good idea!

 

[jayhanig]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

Thank you to everybody who took the trouble to answer. It's greatly appreciated.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

Not quite apples-to-apples, but maybe this helps. I have a 2007 Ranger XLT with the 4.0L engine and 4x4. I tow a newer Alumacraft Navigator with a 90hp Suzuki. I don't know the weight but you could look it up. Like phoenixisrizen said, it tows fine in general but I have a long (250 mile) trip each way to my cabin so the truck struggles on the longer hills and I definitely run without overdrive. On a flat route like you described, the truck will be fine. Your biggest issue will be not having four wheel drive. Yes you can pull boats out but the heavier they are, and the worse the ramp is, the more you'll wish that you had the extra traction. If you get a smaller boat then it won't be an issue.

 

[cshyde]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

Tongue weight is also a restriction on towing capacity. It should state tongue weight capacity in the owners manual. The biggest impact is the braking capacity of the truck. You can retrofit electric brakes to the trailer very reasonably. You already have a transmission cooler and you can keep the truck out of overdrive while towing.

 

[chargerboy]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

Guys you aren't reading what he wrote. He knows how much he can safely pull down the highway. He want's to know what is practical to pull out of the lake. My truck can tow 9000 pounds safely, doesn't mean that it's going to haul that much boat out of the water on a ramp without the back wheels just spinning.

He's only asking what is a practical size boat for launching with his truck.

I'm not so concerned with my ability to pull it down the road so much as pulling it out of the water

 

[OldNBold51]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

I just got back from a 1300 mile trip to FL, I towed a loaded 6x12' enclosed trailer down and back with no issues at all, hardly knew the thing was behind me. I was driving a 2000 3.0L 5 speed Ranger with 100K on it, it ran great and towed the trailer fine. I wasn't thrilled about it being hitched only to the bumper but it did fine. The truck belonged to a buddy that moved there, I was taking it and the trailer down to him. I towed a 1,500lb aluminum bass rig back with a 1995 4 cylinder Ranger for the return trip, it knew it was towing but did fine and that was only a 2.3L 5 speed truck.
I had no issues doing highway speeds with either truck. Both trucks had fiberglass caps and a decent amount of weight in the bed as well. The 2.3L obviously did far better on gas, getting on average over 18mpg for the whole trip. The 3.0L got about 15mpg on the way down but I wasn't driving for maximum gas mileage either.

I know this doesn't pertain to the OP's question about the short distance and the ramp....the ranger will do fine.

But....my son's 01 Ranger 3.0L auto trans has to be one of the weakest tow vehicles I've ever towed with. Towing my 6x12 enclosed trailer with grand total of maybe 2200#'s , the ranger struggled mightily. The gear ratio had to be way too tall to handle this load. I don't know the gear ratio on this one, but anything short of a 3:73 with this engine will struggle.

As far as the frame/suspension/brakes handling the load, it did fine.

 

[jayhanig]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

Guys you aren't reading what he wrote. He knows how much he can safely pull down the highway. He want's to know what is practical to pull out of the lake. My truck can tow 9000 pounds safely, doesn't mean that it's going to haul that much boat out of the water on a ramp without the back wheels just spinning.

He's only asking what is a practical size boat for launching with his truck.

Exactomundo!

 

[PS94]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

I'd be leery pulling anything approaching the weight of the truck. I had a 4.0L suerpcab 4x4 Ranger, I pulled my sea ray with it. The Sea Ray, weighed almost as much as the truck...Going down a hill, I had the trailer start to push the truck, resulting in a speed wobble...no big, it has surge brakes, so I applied the rangers brakes. the surge brakes didn't do much, the trailer pushed the ranger, and, with the speed wobble, turned into a full fishtail, and the ranger didn't have the weight to control it. The entire deal ended up in the ditch, I now have an F-350 6.0L. The ranger hauled the boat around fine, launched fine, but when things got out of hand, the light ranger, at 3680lbs, couldn't stick to the road to control the situation...

 

[Titanium48]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

^ Speed wobble, AKA sway, won't be an issue for the OP's short, flat, low speed trip to the local boat launch.

Sway can be a problem when hauling heavy loads at higher speeds in hilly terrain, and as PS94 found out the hard way, hitting the tow vehicle brakes will make things worse. Surge brakes are ineffective at stopping sway because they don't stop the trailer from pushing on the tow vehicle - the trailer needs to push on the tow vehicle for them to work. Electric brakes will work because they can be applied independently at the brake controller without touching the tow vehicle brakes. This causes the trailer to pull against the tow vehicle instead of trying to push it, which gets things back in line.

 

[PS94]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

LOL! Nailed it Titanium. Trailer now has electric brakes, and I don't care if they need replaced and/or rewired yearly, they're a sound investment. (I see you're from Alberta) I've hauled the boat down Highway 40, and haven't had an issue since...

 

[MontrealSeaMonster]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

I've got a 2wd '98 Ranger with the 2.5L 4 banger. 5 speed manual. I pull a 16ft aluminum Sylvan Seamonster (who would have guessed) with a 60 HP 2 stroke Merc.

I'd estimate the whole rig to be ~1500 lbs but have never weighed it. That's what it's rated to pull. It tows fine for the most part, but you know it's there. My local boat launch is really steep but at least it's concrete. I really have to give it to pull it out and I really smell the clutch. Always makes me a bit nervous. If the boat was bigger, I'd be in trouble.

 

[Jason280]

Re: How much boat can my Ranger pull?

I have an '02 Mazda B3000 extended cab with the 3.0L V6 and 5-speed transmission, and I have not been impressed with its towing ability. The two boats I pull occasionally are a 16' Weldcraft aluminum w/ 50hp mercury and a Stratos 268 16'8" w/ 90hp Johnson, and it has a difficult time with both. The biggest issue is the initial start, specifically on any kind of grade. The gearing is simply all wrong, and you have to really feather the clutch to keep the motor from dying out. I know the Stratos weighs around 1100lbs without the motor and trailer, so I would guess 2K lbs once everything is together. The Weldcraft is lighter, and the truck struggles less as expected. However, it won't jerk anything out of the water. I even tried pulling my 21' Fishin' Barge pontoon, but its simply too much tongue weight.

I don't think its the HP or engine, but the gearing. My '91 Mazda B2600i pulls either boat just as well, and its only a 2.6L 4cyl. I may have to check into replacing the rear end with different gearing, assuming this would help my situation. But, as it sits now, it simply doesn't tow much of anything with any authority. In fact, i have a couple of utility trailers, a 5x8' and 5x13', both single axles, and you know they are back there (even when empty).

eta: Looks like I have 4.10 gears, so a lower gear ratio would probably help the truck a lot. I am not sure what other gears are available, but an impromptu search shows similar axles with 3.72, 3.55, 3.27, and 3.08 gears. I am not sure which would would help the most and not significantly change fuel efficiency.