2019 & current ranger xlt or lariat with tow package transmission issues?

[Rangerup!]

Hi all, curious to know if anyone has towed a travel trailer with these models, and how well the transmissions hold up. looking to tow in 5300 lb dry weight range, any experience, suggestions in hitching in as far as weight distributing hitches if needed. thanks in advance.

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[bentroia]

4000 lb dry,24 total length,5k total people gear etc.. dual axle, travel trailer, have towed about 15k+ miles over 2 years with my 21 lariat tremor w tow.

Power, braking are great, I've got to stay below 65 to feel safe... 55-60 is SOLID 12.5 mpg avg over varying West Coast geology valleys mountains etc.. .

Equalizer 6k wd sway kit and the Ford brake controller were-are a must for me

Works great, no desire to get a bigger truck

Stay smart n safe!!

 

[ctechbob]

Doesn't matter what trim level you have, all have the same equipment as far as trans, trans cooler etc.

I haven't weighed mine lately, but I'm probably close to 6000#. E2 Round bar hitch. Bilstein's on all 4 corners and sumospring blue's. 29 foot tip to tail, 26 foot box. I feel like that is the maximum you should tow with the Ranger in order to leave a little wiggle room. I also wouldn't tow something as big as mine or @Grumpaw without prior experience. We're at 8000 miles towed at the moment.

We travel mostly interstate, so it is 65-75 for us, mostly 70 around here. You pay the piper at those speeds in fuel, but slower and you're nothing more than a rolling roadblock and have to deal with many more people passing and cutting in front of you.

At 5300 dry, you're going to be pushing up against some limits once you get things loaded unless you are very careful about what and where you load.

What model specifically are you looking at towing?

 

[Frenchy]

Many individuals on this forum have towed close to the capacity with no problems. Keep in mind the maximum tow capacity for the Ranger is 7,500 lb

 

[Grumpaw]

Has been posted, your giving very little info on trailer....a 5300 lb empty trailer can easily hit 6500 lb or more once you load it up. Staying below the 7500 lb is important, but even more is the loaded tongue weight, which if the trailer is not loaded right, or has a heavy tongue weight to begin with, can easily go over the 750 lb max rating.
Our Jayco has an empty rating of 5300 lbs and an empty hitch weight of 600 lbs. I can tell you that loaded I'm right at 6800 lbs with a tongue weight right at the max...730 lbs.
So, without more info on what your rig is, it is impossible to give direct info...
And, yes, you will need a weight dist hitch.

 

[Rangerup!]

HI again everyone, thanks for the replies from you all , very helpful indeed ! Always a good
idea to chat with people already in the game of OTR towing with the ranger. Impressed with what a 5th gen can actually do, after 20 yrs behind the wheel of a ten wheeler hauling around 9 ton tag along! As for me, approaching the 70 next month, still a working fool !
Sold the class c over a year ago, my other half wants something she can drive!
thats where the ranger fits the bill.
Have our sites on a very low mileage 2019 4 w/d lariat with the 7500 lb package , 7 pin controller.
Travel trailer is 2025 Northern Spirit 2353RB, 5,314 LBS dry, not sure of the hitch wt. yet
Yes weight distribution is a must for long haul, but then again we will be traveling light from
park to park a month at a time as getaway weekend warriors until we find that place we really like locally for now.
So thats the plan!

 

[ctechbob]

I would just be aware, that Ford didn't include the brake controller with the 'tow package' in any of the models until the 6th generation trucks. You'll have to add one, be it the 'Ford' Redarc with the add on module, a Redarc without the module (For automatic emergency braking) or some other aftermarket controller.

The wires are there, the controller just never came equipped from factory.

 

[Grumpaw]

HI again everyone, thanks for the replies from you all , very helpful indeed ! Always a good
idea to chat with people already in the game of OTR towing with the ranger. Impressed with what a 5th gen can actually do, after 20 yrs behind the wheel of a ten wheeler hauling around 9 ton tag along! As for me, approaching the 70 next month, still a working fool !
Sold the class c over a year ago, my other half wants something she can drive!
thats where the ranger fits the bill.
Have our sites on a very low mileage 2019 4 w/d lariat with the 7500 lb package , 7 pin controller.
Travel trailer is 2025 Northern Spirit 2353RB, 5,314 LBS dry, not sure of the hitch wt. yet
Yes weight distribution is a must for long haul, but then again we will be traveling light from
park to park a month at a time as getaway weekend warriors until we find that place we really like locally for now.
So thats the plan!

I looked up the specs for your Coachman and it lists the dry hitch weight as 640 lbs. Something you should be aware of....Coachman does NOT include the weight of the 2 propane tanks (filled) or the battery in their dry ratings.....and as you know, the tanks and battery sit right on the front of the hitch frame.
That means you'll need to add at least 100-120 lbs to the hitch weight for an empty rig. Pretty much your going to exceed the 750 lb tongue weight limit before you add any personal "stuff"....
By the time you load personal items, especially in the front compartment, I'm guessing your tongue weight will be over 850 lbs, maybe more.

 

[Rangerup!]

Thanks ctechbob & Grumpaw for the
Info! The search continues for the right
Fit! Always a pleasure to have experienced people in the back ground.
Happy camping to you all!!

 

[ctechbob]

I looked up the specs for your Coachman and it lists the dry hitch weight as 640 lbs. Something you should be aware of....Coachman does NOT include the weight of the 2 propane tanks (filled) or the battery in their dry ratings.....and as you know, the tanks and battery sit right on the front of the hitch frame.
That means you'll need to add at least 100-120 lbs to the hitch weight for an empty rig. Pretty much your going to exceed the 750 lb tongue weight limit before you add any personal "stuff"....
By the time you load personal items, especially in the front compartment, I'm guessing your tongue weight will be over 850 lbs, maybe more.

Its a Forest River Product. They include the gas in the weight:

The last time I did any research in the matter, FR brands include propane, but Thor (Jayco etc) do not.

Still, better to err on the side of caution.

 

[Grumpaw]

Shawn, googled it up and the Northern Spirit comes up a Coachman, and I found this on a Coachman site.....

No, Coachmen typically does not include the weight of full propane tanks or batteries in their "dry hitch weight" rating; this means the listed hitch weight only reflects the trailer's basic structure without any added fluids, cargo, or optional equipment like a full propane tank or battery, although sometimes a single empty propane tank may be factored in depending on the specific model and manufacturer specifications.

Forrest River "owns" Coachman, but it's still manufactured separate from Forrest River products.

 

[ctechbob]

They need to un-F their sites then.

FWIW, I'm inclined to believe they include propane. The hitch weight on my trailer 'dry' was supposed to be 580ish pounds. Loaded up to travel I'm still at 700. If they didn't include propane, I'd be way over once I loaded it up since all that weight is on the tongue.

 

[30coupe]

4000 lb dry,24 total length,5k total people gear etc.. dual axle, travel trailer, have towed about 15k+ miles over 2 years with my 21 lariat tremor w tow.

Power, braking are great, I've got to stay below 65 to feel safe... 55-60 is SOLID 12.5 mpg avg over varying West Coast geology valleys mountains etc.. .

Equalizer 6k wd sway kit and the Ford brake controller were-are a must for me

Works great, no desire to get a bigger truck

Stay smart n safe!!

How wide is your TT? Mine is about the same as yours in terms of weight, but it's 8' wide. Debating trading my F150 for a Ranger due to limited garage space among other things.

 

[Racket]

I would just be aware, that Ford didn't include the brake controller with the 'tow package' in any of the models until the 6th generation trucks. You'll have to add one, be it the 'Ford' Redarc with the add on module, a Redarc without the module (For automatic emergency braking) or some other aftermarket controller.

The wires are there, the controller just never came equipped from factory.

Curious, my truck didn't have the factory 'tow package' - something about first year parts availability and the dealership directed me to a local business to install a Curt hitch and seven pin connector. I can still add the Redarc, right?

 

[ctechbob]

Curious, my truck didn't have the factory 'tow package' - something about first year parts availability and the dealership directed me to a local business to install a Curt hitch and seven pin connector. I can still add the Redarc, right?

I thought I remembered something about early trucks not being wired? You'd have to search back through for that though. I'd search around in the kick panel for the trailer wires, should be 4 wires taped up there in blue tape. As for the 7 pin, that might be as easy as plugging in a factory harness, or as hard as having to run all new wires. Not sure though, perhaps someone with a 2019 can chime in.

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