Ford Ranger Tow Vehicle

[EvinFla]

Bought a boat after truck purchase. I Keep my boat at a yard, so I have to only tow it a couple of hundred yards before putting it in the water. Boat weighs 2200, dry, with engine. Rarely have any heavey equipment in until its in the water. Tow vehicle is a Ford Ranger, extended cab, manual, 2.3 liter 4 cyl. Have'nt had any problems pulling it out. Do I need to upgrade tow vehicle. Any thoughts?<br /><br />Thanks

 

[JB]

Re: Ford Ranger Tow Vehicle

What is the tow rating of the truck?<br /><br />What diff ratio?<br /><br />Oil cooler?<br /><br />My experience with stick shift 2.3 liter trucks was very bad, and my boat was a lot lighter than yours.

 

[JasonB]

Re: Ford Ranger Tow Vehicle

What year and as JB asked, what axle does it have (you can get it from the drivers door tag).<br />As a comparison, I have a '92 regular cab. It is one of the 2nd generation body styles and only weighs 2800lbs. It has the 3.0 V6, 5spd, and 3:45 gears (axle 86 if I remember right). I use it to tow a 15' tri-hull bowrider with a v4 outboard. Complete towed weight is ~1800-2000 lbs. Tow rating on the truck is 2000lbs (3.73 gears would have been 3000lbs in my model). I have no problems pulling the boat, launching, or loading. The only problem I have had is when I needed to pull the boat down the interstate. The truck got rocked hard every time a vehicle passed and was not confident in its ability to stop in a short distance. I only had to go 20 miles each way so I kept it a 55-60 and made sure I kept a comfortable distance. The truck did fine, but I would have loved to have had a bigegr truck. <br /><br />The game changed a bit somewhere between 93-95. The Ranger gained some weight. <br /><br />If you are inside your tow rating, I would absolutely add brakes to the trailer. The engine has enough power as long as you are towing locally, but baby that clutch and tranny. Some of those Mitsubishi trannies have a tendancy to split the top caps and blow the fluid out. Net result-dead tranny, otherwise they're not that bad. I have abused mine behind the V6 and it is still going. The only repairs to the driveline off my truck was a clutch at 110k. It has almost 150k now and still drags that boat to the river even though I have an F150 with a V8 parked beside it in the driveway. It's easier to launch/load by myself with the small truck.<br /><br />Just for grins one day, I did hook my 4000lb bow rider to the Ranger for the purpose of moving the boat so I could mow under it (NEVER out of my yard!). The truck pulled it across the yard just fine, but I lost traction in the rear when I was stopping it. The boat tried to pick the rear end up. Took 1 or two truck lengths to stop without skidding at "yard" speed

 

[speed29668]

Re: Ford Ranger Tow Vehicle

Pulls your boat without a problem, but you are asking others whether you need a different vehicle? Sounds like you are looking for an excuse to buy a bigger truck. Many people use the boat for that reason anyway. Some will try to say your rig is not a good idea to justify the money they spent on their own. Some expect to pull their rig as if it wasn't back there, and that is fine, but it comes at a very large price. Towing almost any 18 ft or larger boat is going to reduce the performance and handling of most trucks, that's just how it is. You have to adjust your driving accordingly, but that in no way means a particular tow vehicle is not up to the job. Your Ranger will pull 2,200 lbs. with no problem, especially for only a few hundred yards. If, as you say, you have no problems, then why ask in the first place?

 

[JasonB]

Re: Ford Ranger Tow Vehicle

Sorry, I completely overlooked the distance Evin was towing. If not on the road, you would likely be just fine, but if you get on the road, highly advise trailer brakes and checking your tow rating.