What are you guys towing?

Str8sh0otr

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I have been researching and absorbing everything I can about the 2019 Ranger and I am contemplating ordering a 2020 Ranger. We use our boat a lot. It is a SeaRay on a single axle trailer. Fully loaded with gear and gas this boat and trailer weigh exactly 4000 pounds (had it on a scale). I currently tow it with a 2002 GMC Sierra 2500 with a 6.0 V8 and 3.73 rear end.

We tow frequently to a lake that is 12 miles away. Twice a year we tow to lakes about 270 miles away. I'm thinking the Ranger will probably do fine with this boat but would like to hear opinions from any forum members that tow trailers in this weight range. An F-150 would be nice but they have grown very large and no longer fit comfortably in our garage.

I have already learned a lot from this forum. Thanks.
24' Sea Ray. 4,700 lbs dry, 6,600 fully fueled on cat scales. Very spongy in the rear but never felt out of control or nervous at 55mph. It stays in the water, only pull it out to work on it and clean it but if I was going as far and frequently as you I would get something bigger.

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Texasota

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24' Sea Ray. 4,700 lbs dry, 6,600 fully fueled on cat scales. Very spongy in the rear but never felt out of control or nervous at 55mph. It stays in the water, only pull it out to work on it and clean it but if I was going as far and frequently as you I would get something bigger.

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Nice boat. Your SeaRay is 65% heavier than my SeaRay 185BR (4000 pounds fully loaded and fueled). I do tow frequently to the lake that is 12 miles away (maybe twice per week). Can you expand on why you would recommend something bigger (presumably an F-150)?

Thanks.
 

Str8sh0otr

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Can you expand on why you would recommend something bigger (presumably an F-150)?
IMO the ranger feels soft in the rear. A lot of extra movement on the highway. Boat trailers in particular exacerbate this becauses it's very difficult to get enough tongue weight. Since your point of reference is an 18 footer behind a 3/4 ton, I assume you don't feel it much back there. With the Ranger, I think you will to a point that it may not be acceptable given the distance and frequency you will use it as a tow vehicle.
 

Texasota

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IMO the ranger feels soft in the rear. A lot of extra movement on the highway. Boat trailers in particular exacerbate this becauses it's very difficult to get enough tongue weight. Since your point of reference is an 18 footer behind a 3/4 ton, I assume you don't feel it much back there. With the Ranger, I think you will to a point that it may not be acceptable given the distance and frequency you will use it as a tow vehicle.
Very true, there is no tail wagging the dog when towing with my 3/4 ton. I will do a test drive with my boat hooked up to a Ranger. My current truck is 18 years old and I have been looking for a replacement for a long time. If the Ranger does not do well with my SeaRay, then I am not sure what I will do. Current full size 1/2 tons have become too large to fit comfortably in my garage.

We'll see what happens. I appreciate your input. Thanks.
 

t4thfavor

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I agree, tongue weight is important with this truck, the weird bumpstop thingies need to be just about buried before it feels planted. I can always add more crap to a travel trailer, but with a boat, it's tough to add more without moving the axles, or maybe there's adjustment where you can load the boat to?
 


treimche

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Pulled the car and trailer 150 miles each way out to PowerCruise and back this weekend. The Ranger pulls this setup 100% better than my '17 Tacoma did. The Tacoma was tuned (OVTune), had a shift controller (Shift Sense Pro), and even had airbags in the back to help with the extra weight. The Ranger is completely stock but with the RedArc Tow Pro Elite (had it in the Tacoma too), and pulls beautifully with zero drama. The difference towing with this new Ranger powertrain is unbelievable when comparing to the turd gen Tacoma. I got right around 15.5mpg on the way home battling a light wind. The Tacoma got 9-10.

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djrobb

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23’ boat 500 miles over the last few weeks including up and over the blue ridge mountains once. No problem. Trailer has surge brakes. Averaged 13.7mpg according to onboard computer at least. Very very happy with how this truck tows.

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jeffe

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About 2400 miles in the past 3 weeks. No issues! Low to upper 16mpg.

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Texasota

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Seems bizarre that the article is all about towing a 24' boat but they neglect to tell you what that boat weighed. They did tell us that the Ranger weighed 4500 lbs, the occupants and gear was 400 lbs and the combined weight of the Ranger, boat, gear and occupants was 10,355 lbs. Guess that means the boat weight was 5455 lbs (10,355 - 4500 - 400).
 

toddiscdn

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Took the new camper on its maiden voyage

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And?? how,d it go? camper specs etc. We are mainly backcountry, canoe, hike, etc. tent campers, but now in our mid 50s we are considering a rig like this for some longer trips, rpod, humminbird, etc.

Thanks, Todd
 
 



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