towing ability...

[HighTrim]

Hey all.,

I have a 1993 Ford Ranger V6 and was wondering if it could tow my boat if i put a ball in the hole on the bumper or if id need some type of special hitch. Ty for all your help in advance, i appreciate it.

 

[jtexas]

Re: towing ability...

the 23' chaparral?

doubtful. the owners manual will list your towing capacities - with a bumper-mounted hitch ball its probably round about 3500 lbs, it'll likely be higher with a frame-mounted hitch. 23' boat is likely to be much higher than 3500.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: towing ability...

It also depends on how much rust there is on the Rangers bumper. You definitely need a frame mounted receiver hitch. Don't just dash out and buy a receiver that bolts to the bottom of the bumper as that is no better than using the ball on the bumper. Frame mounted receivers are totally separate from the bumber. The next question is whether the Ranger has the 3.0 or 4.0 V6. The 3.0 will be taxed to its limit towing a boat that large. Then there is the stopping issue. Brakes on the trailer?? If not, you need to add them or think about a bigger vehicle.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: towing ability...

Ty both for you reply. I started checking into it and found that i doubt my boat is in fact a 23', im not even sure now on the year. The previous owner told me that it was a 78 23', but when searching for the weight of the boat, i couldnt find that size in that year, so i went outside with my tape measure and the boat only measures 19' from the transom to the tip along the bottom, another 2' for the swim deck, im not sure if you add that. So do i in fact have a 19' boat? Its about 7'8" across too. ANy ideas?How would i check the year for sure? ty again

ps it is the 4.0 v6

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: towing ability...

on the top right of the tramson should be hull id number. post number.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: towing ability...

Ty for your reply TD, the id number is FGBL0783M81B, its hard to tell if the second last number is a 1 or an I, its a bit faded. ty

 

[rndn]

Re: towing ability...

You should still use a frame mounted hitch.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: towing ability...

ty, Tashas Daddy, what do i do with this number now that i have it, ty again.

 

[KM2]

Re: towing ability...

Get the frame mounted hitch. You should be able to get one plus draw bar and ball for ~$150.

The advantages are:

1 Stronger!
2 You buy the appropriate draw bar to tow the trailer level.
3 Allows for shaper turns, those bumper mounts often will not let you turn very sharp.

4 Your old bumper may not be up to the job due to rust.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: towing ability...

it's a 1981. contact Chapparrel they can give you details

 

[jlinder]

Re: towing ability...

In case you want to reach them,
http://www.chaparralboats.com/containers/chaparral.html

300 Industrial Park Blvd.
Nashville, GA
229-686-7481

 

[HighTrim]

Re: towing ability...

ty all for ur help.

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: towing ability...

a friend of mine used his '95 explorer 4.0 to pull a 19' Celebrity V8. Those are BIG, DEEP, HEAVY boats. It gave that Explorer all it could handle, and was almost too much for it on the ramp. Being a cheapskate he chose not to add the proper hitch, and using the bumper caused a lot of extra sway on the highway. It just wasn't pretty.
And I'm guessing the ranger is quite a bit lighter. Is it 4wd?
Anything outside of low speed local tows I'd be very skeptical of it being capable. With or without the better hitch.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: towing ability...

93' ranger with the 4.0L should have 1/2ton truck running gear and brakes on it (8.8" rear end) you should have no issues towing up to a 4000# load WITH a frame mount 2" hitch. If the boat trailer has no brakes then don't even attempt towing with it.

 

[Double J 300]

Re: towing ability...

I used a '94 4x4 Ranger supercab,4.0 with tow package for years working at a marina. The bumper twisted the first time I used the 1 7/8 hitch ball to pull a 20 ' I/O over a bumpy ramp. I installed a class 3 receiver and still the truck labored to tow. It's rating was 3500...but it stunk on 2500# up. Bought a 2004 F-150 5.4L with tow package rated for 9600lbs and get close to same mileage. Towed boats from Fla to NY and back...a dream.

 

[Wide Open]

Re: towing ability...

I am not sure how the truck manufacturers come up with their tow ratings but they are very optimistic. My truck is “rated” to tow about 9000 lbs. Yeah right, I pulled 8000 lbs from town to home one day (about 10 miles) and it about killed my truck. The rear was crushed, the front pointed to the sky, and pretty much pulled in second gear to stay at highway speeds. It definitely wasn’t pretty. No way I would take it any distance. I wouldn’t go beyond ? of the tow rating just to be safe.

 

[jtexas]

Re: towing ability...

I am not sure how the truck manufacturers come up with their tow ratings but they are very optimistic. My truck is ?rated? to tow about 9000 lbs. Yeah right, I pulled 8000 lbs from town to home one day (about 10 miles) and it about killed my truck. The rear was crushed, the front pointed to the sky, and pretty much pulled in second gear to stay at highway speeds. It definitely wasn?t pretty. No way I would take it any distance. I wouldn?t go beyond ? of the tow rating just to be safe.

You might have done this, but I'll just point out that one thing you want to do when towing is distribute the load so that the tongue weight is around 7% to 10% of the total weight. Note also that your owners manual has a "max tongue weight".