Any trailer over 1650 pounds needs brakes?

VAMike

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I think we all can agree that If the bumper tow limit to 3,500 w/o brakes is correct
It isn't. The manual is just badly written. You need trailer brakes for anything over 1650lbs regardless of where you stick your ball.

The manual has actually managed to get worse--for 2023 the online manual points to the "ford towing guide" for weight limits, and that document doesn't mention brakes at all. But this is definitely an item for which common sense should indicate that the discrepancy is caused by ford's really terrible editors, and not that a bumper ball magically increases braking power.
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WhyNot21

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Let me get this straight. Even though Illinois law states brakes are not required until you hit 3,000 lbs, Ford has it at 1,650?
 

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It isn't. The manual is just badly written. You need trailer brakes for anything over 1650lbs regardless of where you stick your ball.

The manual has actually managed to get worse--for 2023 the online manual points to the "ford towing guide" for weight limits, and that document doesn't mention brakes at all. But this is definitely an item for which common sense should indicate that the discrepancy is caused by ford's really terrible editors, and not that a bumper ball magically increases braking power.
Well, that is my point. If the document is correct in that bumper tow is allowed to 3,500lb w/o brakes then tow package with hitch should be able to do the same, or bumper tow should have the same 1,650lb limit. Looking at the documentation that came with my 2021 it's not poorly written, it clearly states the 1,650lb limit is only with the heavy tow package. So, it's likely just wrong on that restriction, or wrong for not including the restriction on the bumper tow.
Let me get this straight. Even though Illinois law states brakes are not required until you hit 3,000 lbs, Ford has it at 1,650?
Yes.
 

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The Ford guide states that the braking system on the truck is only rated for the gvwr and not the gcwr that really seems low for a truck. Just amazed by how many of the trailers they derate just to eliminate brakes. Then the guide says you can bumper tow 3500 pounds without mentioning anything about brakes. Just wanted to warn others looking for a small utility trailer.
Manufactures will also derate vehicle GVW to 10,000 pounds because many states consider anything over that a commercial vehicle with additional requirements and fees.
As for trailers in my state, there is no inspection required. And you can pay a one-time fee of about $120 for a lifetime registration and license plate..
 


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Well, that is my point. If the document is correct in that bumper tow is allowed to 3,500lb w/o brakes then tow package with hitch should be able to do the same, or bumper tow should have the same 1,650lb limit. Looking at the documentation that came with my 2021 it's not poorly written, it clearly states the 1,650lb limit is only with the heavy tow package. So, it's likely just wrong on that restriction, or wrong for not including the restriction on the bumper tow.

Yes.
Your insurance company will read the owners manual and look at your configuration. You have to tow in a manner which you are covered in liability.... Your choice and your risk if you don't abide by guidelines. You might be able to tow over limits or outside of guidance... You assume any liability when you do so. You can web search for 'how heavy trailer when towing'... Ford likely sets the guidance at minimum specs for liability... I am sure I've seen the ranger pull over limits... And I am sure it has towed something without trailer brakes ... Terrain, distance, weather plays into how much risk you will be assuming doing over limits.

If you are towing over guidance .. let us know when you do so, so we are not impacted by your assuming unnecessary risks when operating a motor vehicle... Better yet... If you are inclined to take unnecessary risks when operating your vehicles, let us know to avoid on road(this is sarcasm) I 🤔
 

VAMike

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Well, that is my point. If the document is correct in that bumper tow is allowed to 3,500lb w/o brakes then tow package with hitch should be able to do the same, or bumper tow should have the same 1,650lb limit. Looking at the documentation that came with my 2021 it's not poorly written, it clearly states the 1,650lb limit is only with the heavy tow package. So, it's likely just wrong on that restriction, or wrong for not including the restriction on the bumper tow.
Again, this is an area where common sense should prevail. If you want to believe that a bumper ball magically increases the braking power of the truck it's not like I can stop you but I can call BS when I see it.

I encourage you to reread the manual. It does not "clearly state that the 1650lb limit is only with the tow package". AFAICT, it says absolutely nothing about trailer brakes when towing without the tow package. That is, it doesn't say that they're needed, it doesn't say that they're not needed, it simply neglects to say anything at all (because it's badly written and inconsistent). To me it's fairly obvious that they didn't bother putting the bumper ball limits into a table because the bumper ball capacity is low enough that the GCW of the various trim lines is irrelevant, but then they forgot to specify braked vs unbraked limits when they simplified the presentation. This is completely unsurprising as the number of errors and omissions in the manual is (IMO) excessive.
 

VAMike

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That means my old Trail Blazer SS was a better tow vehicle up to 3k lbs. That seems odd to me.
Old vehicles tended to have marketing-derived limits because there was no standard test regime. It doesn't actually mean they could do more, rather that the numbers are meaningless or at least not comparable to modern limits. (This is why there's so much "common knowledge" that tow limits don't mean anything and that you should really reduce by X%, and a 5g ranger can't safely tow 7500lb, etc. It's old school wisdom from back when the numbers actually didn't mean anything and doesn't reflect the fact that current vehicles like the 5g ranger are actually evaluated against an SAE standard to determine the towing capacity.)
 

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Your insurance company will read the owners manual and look at your configuration. You have to tow in a manner which you are covered in liability.... Your choice and your risk if you don't abide by guidelines. You might be able to tow over limits or outside of guidance... You assume any liability when you do so. You can web search for 'how heavy trailer when towing'... Ford likely sets the guidance at minimum specs for liability... I am sure I've seen the ranger pull over limits... And I am sure it has towed something without trailer brakes ... Terrain, distance, weather plays into how much risk you will be assuming doing over limits.

If you are towing over guidance .. let us know when you do so, so we are not impacted by your assuming unnecessary risks when operating a motor vehicle... Better yet... If you are inclined to take unnecessary risks when operating your vehicles, let us know to avoid on road(this is sarcasm) I 🤔
How have you misconstrued me pointing out the likely errors in the manual as me planning to go over the limits? I have no plans to bumper tow, since I have the tow package. I've been the one pointing out that restriction for heavy duty trailer hitch while omitted from Light Duty Trailer Hitch for a while. I read the manuals online before I bought my Ranger and had the dealer add in the brake controller with my purchase.

Again, this is an area where common sense should prevail. If you want to believe that a bumper ball magically increases the braking power of the truck it's not like I can stop you but I can call BS when I see it.

I encourage you to reread the manual. It does not "clearly state that the 1650lb limit is only with the tow package". AFAICT, it says absolutely nothing about trailer brakes when towing without the tow package. That is, it doesn't say that they're needed, it doesn't say that they're not needed, it simply neglects to say anything at all (because it's badly written and inconsistent). To me it's fairly obvious that they didn't bother putting the bumper ball limits into a table because the bumper ball capacity is low enough that the GCW of the various trim lines is irrelevant, but then they forgot to specify braked vs unbraked limits when they simplified the presentation. This is completely unsurprising as the number of errors and omissions in the manual is (IMO) excessive.
I've read it several times...
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... The chart that has the 1,650lb limit only applies to heavy duty tow package. I don't believe one magically changes the braking ability of the truck over the other. I've stated either the restriction on the bumper tow is missing, or the tow package is restricted too low, I don't know which is the case since I'm not the engineer with enough data about the limits of the systems on this truck to determine that.
 

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No worries... I am always snarky. What you see there is the difference in attaching to a less stable point on your truck. A heavy duty hitch distributes the forces better to the frame than a single point ball mount on your rear bumper. The truck might have enough mass to stop things going forward but how that mass is distributed to the frame matters...heavier loads on your bumper might end up in your tailgate. The at most 1650 before brakes is likely based on safety standards for towing at 40 percent of ranger gvw (general community towing guidance)...

community guidance, laws and so forth vary when looking at trailer weights needing or determining brakes...when looking at it from truck ....it's the pushing weight limit they are advocating for brakes. For the trailer there are assumptions what is in front of it. When looking at vehicles in the past there were less rigid mechanisms for evaluating these tolerances and there is a large degree of debate between sales and engineering on what is published. Community guidance has also evolved as less experienced people end up over their heads towing more than they are capable of handling. It's comparing apples and oranges if you are not using the same set of standards that set the guidance.
 

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Your insurance company will read the owners manual and look at your configuration. You have to tow in a manner which you are covered in liability.... Your choice and your risk if you don't abide by guidelines. You might be able to tow over limits or outside of guidance... You assume any liability when you do so. You can web search for 'how heavy trailer when towing'... Ford likely sets the guidance at minimum specs for liability... I am sure I've seen the ranger pull over limits... And I am sure it has towed something without trailer brakes ... Terrain, distance, weather plays into how much risk you will be assuming doing over limits.

If you are towing over guidance .. let us know when you do so, so we are not impacted by your assuming unnecessary risks when operating a motor vehicle... Better yet... If you are inclined to take unnecessary risks when operating your vehicles, let us know to avoid on road(this is sarcasm) I 🤔
The tow rating is not a legal number, but rather a guideline. if the tow rating was a true legal number, it could be challenged in court. Regarding the insurance company looklng at the owners manual and deciding they have no liability in the event of an accident - please provide proof. If they could do this, it would stretch well beyond trailer towing. So, if you got into an accident with unsafe tires due to limited tread, texting on your phone, or had a few drinks, they could say you were acting negligently and they are not covering you.
 
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The tow rating is not a legal number, but rather a guideline. if the tow rating was a true legal number, it could be challenged in court. Regarding the insurance company looklng at the owners manual and deciding they have no liability in the event of an accident - please provide proof. If they could do this, it would stretch well beyond trailer towing. So, if you got into an accident with unsafe tires due to limited tread, texting on your phone, or had a few drinks, they could say you were acting negligently and they are not covering you.
Not sure if you have ever been in a lawsuit after an accident but lawyers use highly paid specialists to testify and they definitely will bring facts such as this to the jury. Once there is personal injury with multi million dollars lawsuits nothing is off the table. My DIL got over 3 million for a 3/4 inch mistake by NY in the location of a bridge abutment from the center of the lane after being hit by an under insured driver. Lawyers will pursue every option and the vague documentation by ford removes them from any liability. Never ever ignore documented facts or claim they have no meaning.
 

XLT and me

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You are legally bound by d.o.t. regulations, irregardless of what anyone thinks. D.o.t. can pull you over for an inspection, same as an 18 wheeler. I wish an endorsement on operator license was required for towing anything over 1500 lbs. I see way too many amateurs out there that think they have mad skillz, when the reality is they are commuter level nonsense with a trailer, a danger to everyone around.
 

VAMike

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... The chart that has the 1,650lb limit only applies to heavy duty tow package. I don't believe one magically changes the braking ability of the truck over the other. I've stated either the restriction on the bumper tow is missing, or the tow package is restricted too low, I don't know which is the case since I'm not the engineer with enough data about the limits of the systems on this truck to determine that.
The simple, sensible answer would be to abide by the lower limit in the absence of data to the contrary, rather than act as though there's a deep mystery here.
 

ControlNode

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The simple, sensible answer would be to abide by the lower limit in the absence of data to the contrary, rather than act as though there's a deep mystery here.
But there is no lower limit provided for "Light Duty Trailer Hitch" in the Towing Capacities section, just the 3,500lb max towing limit. The 1,650lb limit is in a table that clearly is only intended to apply to "Heavy Duty Trailer Hitch".
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