Long Term Towing Experience - Wear

[bentroia]

What is your experience associated with any resulting Ranger wear n tear from towing?

Curious how our trucks hold up to that.. My 2021 tremor with tow package tows a 4k lb, 400 lb tongue, 20 ft travel trailer very well (power, stopping, control). Have towed about 5k miles.

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[Grumpaw]

Been towing our 7000 lb Jayco for 2 years now...over 8000 miles now. Aside from regular fluid changes/filters, have not noticed any wear at all.
Only approaching 17,000 miles on it total...only additional non-required fluid change was the rear end at around 14,000 miles. Will be doing a trans fluid change over the winter with the addition of a PPE deep trans pan...almost an xtra 2 quarts capacity.

 

[dtech]

1st time rv owner, towed some 2800 k miles last week so unsure of wear n tear on the Ranger but it did plenty of damage to my wallet, avg ~ 11 mpg, ironically best mpg were towing it on I-70 thru the CO mtns where I took it slow going up the 2 passes . On flatland driving was going around 65 mph and that sucked gas. Trailer weighs in at 4,200 towed nicely but found myself wishing at times ( at the pump) I had gone with something lighter.

 

[Frenchy]

As long as you stay on up on the maintenance and tow smart you will be fine. The load you plan to tow is well within the Rangers limits.

 

[Grumpaw]

1st time rv owner, towed some 2800 k miles last week so unsure of wear n tear on the Ranger but it did plenty of damage to my wallet, avg ~ 11 mpg, ironically best mpg were towing it on I-70 thru the CO mtns where I took it slow going up the 2 passes . On flatland driving was going around 65 mph and that sucked gas. Trailer weighs in at 4,200 towed nicely but found myself wishing at times ( at the pump) I had gone with something lighter.

Unless you go real small, it won't make that much difference.
Our rig is 3000 lbs heavier than yours, and I get the same 10-12 mpg at 60-65 mph.

 

[dtech]

Unless you go real small, it won't make that much difference.
Our rig is 3000 lbs heavier than yours, and I get the same 10-12 mpg at 60-65 mph.

yeah it's that 10' height in the frontal area , was hoping for a bit better mpg and also looked at smaller trailers but in the end went with something that I felt would have sufficient space that being a 2024 NOBO 19.5, 23' , 4175 UVW. It is nicely equipped.

 

[raytwntrvlr]

We are in North Idaho again this year. After leaving KC a week ago have put about 1700 miles more towing on our Ranger. Up hill, down hill, in and out of the mountains, we average right at 11 mpg. Our TT is about 4000 lbs loaded. Agree w. Grumpaw... weight is not the biggest issue. Once you go with a higher profile load, meaning a TT, the mileage will be around the 10-12 mpg, regardless of weight. Unless you want to get where you are going in a hurry at 70mph or more, then expect below 10 MPG for sure. Just rolled over 21K on the Ranger with over 15K of those towing. No complaints and no towing related issues so far. Here's a pic of some Canadians floating the Clearwater taken from our campsite.

 

[dtech]

makes me want to get the scatter gun out and shoot some filthy stinkin geese, totally worthless bird and still protected in some areas. In some 30+ yrs of hunting shot hundreds if not thousands of those things and every time I see them I pantomime lining them up and dispatching. Former hunting site had an aerator in a 25 acre pond so when nearby lakes and ponds froze ours didn't and they like open water and we liked making them pay.

 

[emesel]

I have a 2019 Lariat crew cab. I have about 29k miles towing a 22 ft, 4500 pound Airstream and consistently get a bit over 14 mpg towing at 60-65 mph. When it was new, I did a 300 mile trip and got 17 mpg going 50 mph (speed designated in manual for first 500 miles towing). Maybe the shape of the Airstream helps mpg. Never had any tech mention anything out of the ordinary when having service done ... of course, those guys are usually pretty useless.
The only trouble I ever had towing was out west in the Rockies; had it overheat a few times. Had it checked out - no exhaust gases in cooling system, t-stat changed, sensor changed - made no difference. Never had overheating before on 14% grade (Cape Breton Island) or in long 7% in VA (I think it's VA on rte 77???). This was with 87 octane; maybe I should be running higher octane???

 

[brroberts]

‘21 XLT SCAB: I hope and think the truck will have a long life. I bought it for towing 4650lbs with 560lbs tongue weight travel trailer. We have 28K miles on the truck. I do 5K oil changes and did the rear diff at 2K. The tranny fluid still looks and smells good. 15,000K of those miles are actual towing. It mostly is only driven when we travel. All my Blackstone reports are good. I have Sumo Blue bump stops and Bilstein 4600’s on the rear. I have the Redarc brake controller. My engine and drive train are stock.

 

[Grumpaw]

I have a 2019 Lariat crew cab. I have about 29k miles towing a 22 ft, 4500 pound Airstream and consistently get a bit over 14 mpg towing at 60-65 mph. When it was new, I did a 300 mile trip and got 17 mpg going 50 mph (speed designated in manual for first 500 miles towing). Maybe the shape of the Airstream helps mpg. Never had any tech mention anything out of the ordinary when having service done ... of course, those guys are usually pretty useless.
The only trouble I ever had towing was out west in the Rockies; had it overheat a few times. Had it checked out - no exhaust gases in cooling system, t-stat changed, sensor changed - made no difference. Never had overheating before on 14% grade (Cape Breton Island) or in long 7% in VA (I think it's VA on rte 77???). This was with 87 octane; maybe I should be running higher octane???

Yes, the shape of the Airsteam has a lot to do with your better gas mileage...my trailer and most others here tow shoebox shaped rigs, thus 10-12 mpg.
Next run try premium gas and definitely stay away from 87 stuff when towing...doing more harm than saving a few $$$. When I tow, I always use premium, and mid grade for everyday use.
And you don't indicate what gear your in when towing up a grade, but tow with tow mode and drop gears down to 4-6 and see if that helps.
Have done the I-77 run out of No Carolina into Va up the grade several times towing our 7000 lb rig, and in 6-7 gear, rpm's are up, but 55 mph is easily maintained, with no overheating.

 

[notsolinear]

I have a 2019 Lariat crew cab. I have about 29k miles towing a 22 ft, 4500 pound Airstream and consistently get a bit over 14 mpg towing at 60-65 mph. When it was new, I did a 300 mile trip and got 17 mpg going 50 mph (speed designated in manual for first 500 miles towing). Maybe the shape of the Airstream helps mpg. Never had any tech mention anything out of the ordinary when having service done ... of course, those guys are usually pretty useless.
The only trouble I ever had towing was out west in the Rockies; had it overheat a few times. Had it checked out - no exhaust gases in cooling system, t-stat changed, sensor changed - made no difference. Never had overheating before on 14% grade (Cape Breton Island) or in long 7% in VA (I think it's VA on rte 77???). This was with 87 octane; maybe I should be running higher octane???

The manual does recommend 91 when towing. Doesn’t clearly say if it helps avoid overheating just that you’ll get “best performance”.

For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer. See Towing.

I also noticed this when I re-read the manual today: Has anyone done this before?

• If you are towing a trailer frequently in hot weather, hilly conditions, at the gross combined weight rating, or any combination of these factors, consider refilling your rear axle with synthetic gear lubricant if the axle is not already filled with it. See Capacities and Specifications.

 

[emesel]

Yes, the shape of the Airsteam has a lot to do with your better gas mileage...my trailer and most others here tow shoebox shaped rigs, thus 10-12 mpg.
Next run try premium gas and definitely stay away from 87 stuff when towing...doing more harm than saving a few $$$. When I tow, I always use premium, and mid grade for everyday use.
And you don't indicate what gear your in when towing up a grade, but tow with tow mode and drop gears down to 4-6 and see if that helps.
Have done the I-77 run out of No Carolina into Va up the grade several times towing our 7000 lb rig, and in 6-7 gear, rpm's are up, but 55 mph is easily maintained, with no overheating.

Yes, I will try premium next time.
Although it overheated, it never felt sluggish. I did go a little slower (50-55) over the Rockies when it was very steep. I always use "Tow Mode" when towing. It has always downshifted what I felt was appropriately. It was definitely in the 4th to 6th range. I'll keep an eye on that as well. Thanks

 

[emesel]

The manual does recommend 91 when towing. Doesn’t clearly say if it helps avoid overheating just that you’ll get “best performance”.



I also noticed this when I re-read the manual today: Has anyone done this before?

Yes, I saw that note after I re-read the manual after my trip ... a little late, but better than never. Thanks

 

[yamahaSHO]

The manual does recommend 91 when towing. Doesn’t clearly say if it helps avoid overheating just that you’ll get “best performance”.



I also noticed this when I re-read the manual today: Has anyone done this before?

That's a pretty easy one to understand. You're putting a very large load on the engine and knock is more likely to occur, especially with a small turbo motor. Higher octane will help with this, but not in the cooling department.

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