6464 miles towing 7200lb TT

[Deleted User 61245811]

Just got back from a 6464 mile camping trip towing our TT. Thought I would share my experience.
First, background. I have - '19 Ranger with Eibach 3-1/2" front and 1" rear lift. 285/70/17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Clear view tow mirrors. No other mods.
TT weighs about 7200 lbs fully loaded with slide out. I use a weight distribution hitch.
8.5'x11' frontal area because the wife insisted on a king bed.
Started in AZ, worked our way up through CO, into WY, over to ID, down through UT, and back to AZ. 6464 total miles and 169.53 running hours on the truck.
Crossed the continental divide multiple times and many mountain passes including Wolf Creek Pass made famous by CW McCall
Averaged about 10mpg for the trip.
I've been towing with the Ranger for about a year and half now, but this is our longest trip towing with the Ranger. I would consider myself very experienced at towing, not to the level of someone whose does/did it for a job, but I have been towing for over 40 years.

My thoughts -
Pros

• The Ranger is incredible for a midsize tow rig. The Ranger is a beast.
  
• It is as good as some full size 1/2tons with V8s that I've owned.
• The 2.3L with 10 speed never struggled to pull the load except on an occasional very strong head wind.
• Stability was very good with only strong cross winds bother it.
• Will tow at any speed you force it to as long as you are willing to pay for the gas.
• Is very happy towing at 2500 rpm in 7th and 8th gear (depending if you're going 60 or 70)
• 10 speed trans was usually in the right gear.
• Automatic down shifts were good (not perfect).
• Really glad that manual downshifts can be made.
• Cooling system was flawless even up very long, very steep grades.
• Biggest pro of all, the Ranger fits in my garage.

Cons

• fuel economy. I think a 3/4 ton would get better or at least as good fuel economy while towing
• Tank size. The small tank coupled with the poor fuel mileage made me feel like I was road tripping an EV. Planning out where gas stations were. Topping off at every town I came to.
• Engine braking going down hill. 2.3L isn't enough displacement to hold back alot of weight. I never had an issue, but I had to use the brakes way more than I like. Did you click the youtube link and listen to CW?
• Automatic downshifts down hill. While the trans was good about downshifting and holding going down hill, it wasn't as aggressive as it needs to be for the small displacement. I manually downshifted frequently on down hill slides.
• Automatic upshifts. After descending the hill the trans didn't want to upshift and would often wrap up to 5000 rpm while stepping on the gas and accelerating before it would upshift. I wish there were a way to manually force an upshift like you can force a downshift.

Summation
Having towed with 1/2tons, 3/4tons, and 1 ton duallies, I don't think my towing experience would have been significantly different with a full size 1/2 ton. The option for a larger gas tank in the full size would be the biggest advantage in my opinion. That said, if I were buying a truck with no other purpose other than to tow this trailer (and money wasn't a consideration) I would go 3/4ton first, a 1/2ton second, and the Ranger last. When I throw in that I can't fit a full size in my garage though, Ranger moves to first place. Other than gas tank, I have zero concerns about towing this size trailer with the Ranger. The Ranger is far, far better at towing than I ever thought it would be. How Ford left off the trailer brake controller from such a wildly capable tow vehicle, I will never understand.

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[Nomadjohn]

I've had similar experiences with my ranger towing our travel trailer which is a out 4500 lbs fully loaded. I even just got back from doing Wolf Creek pass both ways. I've towed it once with an F-150 and while I got the same mileage (11-12 mpg) the bigger tank was awesome. If I towed more regularly for life and was less concerned about commuting to work and going to the grocery store one a bigger truck might be in the cards but then I might also get the bigger fuel tank being offered by LRA, even though it's expensive it's less that I think I'd loose selling and buying a different truck.

FWIW my father in law has a similar trailer and a F-150 and did not enjoy the Wolf Creek Pass on the same trip.

 

[Grumpaw]

Great review Eric.....pretty much a duplicate of our experiences towing with the Ranger. Did a very similar trip several years ago in a V-10 Ford based class c towing a Subaru, so I know the terrain you were driving. Having been there before, I also would not hesitate to do it with the Ranger.
This years trips are planned, but we are looking forward to next spring for a 4-5 week run out to Teton for a second visit.
And, yeah, settled on the Ranger cause it fits in our garage.

 

[dtech]

Wolf Creek recorded >500" snow past winter , record is >750" . I've driven Wolf Creek and other passes like Berthoud going back to the 80s before they were improved with more passing lanes , last fall on the west (steeper) side of Wolf came across a newly overturned semi in one of the runaway truck ramps, had a friend nearly killed by a runaway semi on Vail pass, his car was destroyed and he walks with a limp as his femur was shattered. It's not infrequent to smell semis with overheated brakes on these passes. The ranch land on the west side of Wolf Creek pass is stunning, several billionaires have spreads there.

 

[Jason B]

YoU cAn'T tOw ThAt MuCh!! iT's A FoUr CyLiNdEr! YoU'Ll BlOw tHe DeFeCtIvE tRaNsMiSsIoN!!!!!!?

Sorry. The above sarcasm is aimed at those who what to trade in their Ranger because a VERY small percentage of owners had trans failures (what make/model doesn't).

Nice write up. I've have seen others post something similar. Rangers are very capable, despite some of the skeptics. Sound like you had a good trip.
I remember the days of songs like that, about truckers and cruising the highways.

 

[Frenchy]

You have no idea how.mich that Semi trailer in the background messed with me there

 

[Jason B]

You have no idea how.mich that Semi trailer in the background messed with me there

I didn't even notice that! I was thinking, that TT is a lot larger than he said!

 

[gryder]

ArizonaRangers, curious what grade gas you ran?

 

[TJC]

Wolf Creek recorded >500" snow past winter , record is >750" . I've driven Wolf Creek and other passes like Berthoud going back to the 80s before they were improved with more passing lanes , last fall on the west (steeper) side of Wolf came across a newly overturned semi in one of the runaway truck ramps, had a friend nearly killed by a runaway semi on Vail pass, his car was destroyed and he walks with a limp as his femur was shattered. It's not infrequent to smell semis with overheated brakes on these passes. The ranch land on the west side of Wolf Creek pass is stunning, several billionaires have spreads there.

It has been years since I was in the area, but the views from Wolf Creek pass are magnificent. Back then it was only a 2 lane road from the Walsenburg to Cortez. No truck lanes.

I really need to get back out that way at least one more time. I imagine traffic has increased significantly since the mid-late 70's.

I wonder whose Ranger this is at or near Lobo Overlook at the summit of Wolf Creek Pass. Posted on Google Maps! It's a nice looking Ranger!

 

[Grumpaw]

ArizonaRangers, curious what grade gas you ran?

Premium is the only fuel to run when towing a heavy load....

 

[Deleted User 61245811]

Great review Eric.....pretty much a duplicate of our experiences towing with the Ranger. Did a very similar trip several years ago in a V-10 Ford based class c towing a Subaru, so I know the terrain you were driving. Having been there before, I also would not hesitate to do it with the Ranger.
This years trips are planned, but we are looking forward to next spring for a 4-5 week run out to Teton for a second visit.
And, yeah, settled on the Ranger cause it fits in our garage.

Grumpaw, May I suggest on your trip to the Tetons, stopping by Thermopolis, WY and staying at the fountain of youth RV Park, which has its own mineral hot spring at the park that is free to use.

On top of that we found Thermopolis to be great fun as we explored several hot springs, played golf for $15/round, road on mountain biking trails, hiked, saw the wild buffalo, and even rented paddle boards for Boyson reservoir. Thermopolis turned out to be our favorite stop of the trip.

 

[Deleted User 61245811]

ArizonaRangers, curious what grade gas you ran?

I run 91 when I tow. 87 when I'm empty. If I plan it out right, I try to run a tank of 91 through while empty prior to hitching up to the trailer. I don't know if it matters, but in my mind it lets the computer acclimate to the 91 before loading it up.

 

[Deleted User 61245811]

I didn't even notice that! I was thinking, that TT is a lot larger than he said!

I was walking back from a bathroom break and noticed the "big rig" was lined up with my "mid-size rig". I thought it gave nice perspective to our size going down the highway.

 

[dtech]

It has been years since I was in the area, but the views from Wolf Creek pass are magnificent. Back then it was only a 2 lane road from the Walsenburg to Cortez. No truck lanes.

I really need to get back out that way at least one more time. I imagine traffic has increased significantly since the mid-late 70's.

I wonder whose Ranger this is at or near Lobo Overlook at the summit of Wolf Creek Pass. Posted on Google Maps! It's a nice looking Ranger!

One thing that likely has changed greatly since you passed through is the amount of beetle kill timber on the pass and surrounding areas, durango has grown the most , lots of big money has moved in there and it's often too busy for my taste, but all along 160 there is growth and its driven up prices in cities from alamosa to Cortez, lots of folks from Texas and arizona .

 

[JimG_AZ]

Nice write up. I too was quite impressed with the way my Ranger pulled by 24' travel trailer. My Ranger pulled that trailer from Phoenix to Williams, AZ with no trouble at all. It definitely pulled better than the 2000 Expedition with the 5.4L v8 that I used to own. I used to pull a slightly lighter 24' travel trailer with the Expedition. The main difference was the 24' travel trailer I owned then didn't have a slide and the one I towed with the Ranger last year did.

I have not driven a current gen half ton full-size half-ton truck to compare it to a Ranger. I would have to assume though that the twin-turbo 3.5L v6 in the F-150 or the 6.2L v8 in the GM twins would have a significant gain in pulling power.

The HD trucks are a different class. Their towing machines. The main advantage that they would offer is you would be able to get a 5th wheel.

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