Trailer Towing with FX4 suspension.

[JCMAC]

I purchased a 2019 Ranger expressly to tow a travel trailer. The fact that my vehicle was purchased off the lot meant that it came with the FX4 off road optioned shocks and springs.
I have noticed that the trailer tends to sway more than I expected. Could the off road tuned suspension be the culprit. I noticed that there is very little to no rebound control from the shocks. Is that part if the off road suspension tuning? Would a shock absorber change be in order? If so what works best for towing?

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[Big Blue]

I purchased a 2019 Ranger expressly to tow a travel trailer. The fact that my vehicle was purchased off the lot meant that it came with the FX4 off road optioned shocks and springs.
I have noticed that the trailer tends to sway more than I expected. Could the off road tuned suspension be the culprit. I noticed that there is very little to no rebound control from the shocks. Is that part if the off road suspension tuning? Would a shock absorber change be in order? If so what works best for towing?

I tow my TT with my FX4. Definitely change the rear shocks. I put Billsteins on mine and it was a night and day difference both towing and not. The Billsteins were my choice, but any of the main choices will be an improvement. The FX4 shocks are terrible for street and towing. Not sure how big your trailer is but a good WDH with sway control is also a big help.

 

[LoneRNGR]

Could the off road tuned suspension be the culprit.

What Big Blue said…

Change out the rear shock absorbers, to anything else. I have the Bilsteins also, but any brand name mono-tube shock will be an improvement.

As for the sway, I don’t know if the shocks would improve that. They are not load bearing and whatever you choose to use isn’t going to change the towing capability. It certainly will not make it worse.

Sway can be mitigated by adjusting the load. The Ranger does have electronic systems to help with sway, but if they are active, then you probably want to double check the setup. I tow a small boat and the trailer wheels are pretty far back and the tongue is pretty long and I never had sway issues.

 

[SilverSlugger]

X3 change out the rears, they’re junk.

 

[Big Blue]

I agree with @LoneRNGR the shock are needed and will help sway a little. I mentioned a WDH in my first post, but proper setup is more important. Hitch setup, tongue weight, trailer level. Not enough Tongue weight and nose high are sway waiting to happen.

 

[LoneRNGR]

I purchased a 2019 Ranger expressly to tow a travel trailer.

I guess that another part of this equation is the specifications of the trailer you are towing. The Ranger is a narrow vehicle and most travel trailers are pretty wide. I think Ford recommends not towing a trailer with more than 55 square feet of frontal area (I’d have to double check that number). So multiply the width and height of your trailer. If it exceeds 55, then this might be contributing to your problem with sway.

 

[JCMAC]

I guess that another part of this equation is the specifications of the trailer you are towing. The Ranger is a narrow vehicle and most travel trailers are pretty wide. I think Ford recommends not towing a trailer with more than 55 square feet of frontal area (I’d have to double check that number). So multiply the width and height of your trailer. If it exceeds 55, then this might be contributing to your problem with sway.

I guess that another part of this equation is the specifications of the trailer you are towing. The Ranger is a narrow vehicle and most travel trailers are pretty wide. I think Ford recommends not towing a trailer with more than 55 square feet of frontal area (I’d have to double check that number). So multiply the width and height of your trailer. If it exceeds 55, then this might be contributing to your problem with sway.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions.
The 55 sq feet of frontal area is only relating to wind resistance. I have concluded that my goal of reducing sway is best achieved through a new set of rear gas pressure shocks. Am currently leaning towards the Fox 0 to 1” lift rear shocks. If that does not go far enough then I will consider doing the fronts as well.

 

[Big Blue]

I guess that another part of this equation is the specifications of the trailer you are towing. The Ranger is a narrow vehicle and most travel trailers are pretty wide. I think Ford recommends not towing a trailer with more than 55 square feet of frontal area (I’d have to double check that number). So multiply the width and height of your trailer. If it exceeds 55, then this might be contributing to your problem with sway.

The frontal area number is pretty ridiculous when your talking travel trailers. There not many out there that low except for tear drops. Frontal area is not so much a contributor to sway is it is a mileage killer. Side area (read length here) is a bigger contributor to sway. Along with bad hitch setup and trailer weight distribution.

 

[Leftcoast]

I guess that another part of this equation is the specifications of the trailer you are towing. The Ranger is a narrow vehicle and most travel trailers are pretty wide. I think Ford recommends not towing a trailer with more than 55 square feet of frontal area (I’d have to double check that number). So multiply the width and height of your trailer. If it exceeds 55, then this might be contributing to your problem with sway.

A F-600 has a 60 sq ft frontal area limit. Those limits are for mpg as far as I’m concerned.

 

[TechnicallyReal]

Like others said, shocks should help a bit. I replaced my non-FX4 rears with Eibach's and it was an improvement in a bunch of areas. Towing was my main motivator for switching them. I think Ford also recommends adding air to your tires when towing (I don't have a reference for this). Probably the biggest factors will be how the load is balanced (too much weight behind the trailer wheels vs towards the tongue) and how much area there is for wind to push the trailer around from the side.

 

[Bob902]

I added the Fox shocks on the rear and they made a world of difference. Completely changed the feel of the truck.

 

[JCMAC]

Like others said, shocks should help a bit. I replaced my non-FX4 rears with Eibach's and it was an improvement in a bunch of areas. Towing was my main motivator for switching them. I think Ford also recommends adding air to your tires when towing (I don't have a reference for this). Probably the biggest factors will be how the load is balanced (too much weight behind the trailer wheels vs towards the tongue) and how much area there is for wind to push the trailer around from the side.

You mention adding air to the tires, would this be to the rears only, if so how much. Several have warned against adding a lot of extra air that it would make it worse.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

You mention adding air to the tires, would this be to the rears only, if so how much. Several have warned against adding a lot of extra air that it would make it worse.

Hi John,

There is a tow mode that might help....Please read the owner's manual for this function...it may be what you need. FX4 takes a beating here on these forums. I believe unjustly, but it is what it is. We, Ford, would not offer a package suspension that was not fully tested, including trailer tow at weights beyond the owners manual...

Is your trailer level when hooked up? What is the tongue weight? If you do not know...you need to use your friendly truck stop scales to determine your weights.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[TechnicallyReal]

You mention adding air to the tires, would this be to the rears only, if so how much. Several have warned against adding a lot of extra air that it would make it worse.

In some of the towing threads on here and on some of the trailer forums there are guys who recommended adding air to both the fronts and rears. If you're not using a weight-distributing hitch, then I guess the fronts won't matter as much.

My memory tells me that I've seen this recommended by Ford themselves either in the owner's manual or a towing pamphlet.. but a quick search isn't resulting in anything to back that up.

Anyway the logic is that adding some air will help keep the tires a bit cooler with the extra load, and it also stiffens the sidewalls which can help with sway.

I hadn't bothered doing this before now. I just recently upgraded to a much bigger trailer I'll be experimenting with tire pressures to see how much of a difference it actually makes. I had extra air in the tires when I picked up the trailer, and haven't towed since, so I can't make a comparison yet.

Anyway to answer your question, I've seen guys say 40-45 psi for the Ranger.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

In some of the towing threads on here and on some of the trailer forums there are guys who recommended adding air to both the fronts and rears. If you're not using a weight-distributing hitch, then I guess the fronts won't matter as much.

My memory tells me that I've seen this recommended by Ford themselves either in the owner's manual or a towing pamphlet.. but a quick search isn't resulting in anything to back that up.

Anyway the logic is that adding some air will help keep the tires a bit cooler with the extra load, and it also stiffens the sidewalls which can help with sway.

I hadn't bothered doing this before now. I just recently upgraded to a much bigger trailer I'll be experimenting with tire pressures to see how much of a difference it actually makes. I had extra air in the tires when I picked up the trailer, and haven't towed since, so I can't make a comparison yet.

Anyway to answer your question, I've seen guys say 40-45 psi for the Ranger.

HI Ryan,

Hope your experiment goes well. Only word of caution from me is to not exceed the Maximum pressure listed on the sidewall of the tire...

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