Can I safely tow this travel trailer?

djhood

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I am new here and have read a lot about what my 2020 XLT 4x2 Ranger can tow but still a bit confused. Still new to towing and owing a truck. Could I tow a 27ft long and 8ft wide travel trailer that weights 4591 lbs? I figure weight is not an issue but cant tell if the size of the trailer is too big. If it is too big how long of a trailer should I l look for?

Thank you,
Derek
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P. A. Schilke

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I am new here and have read a lot about what my 2020 XLT 4x2 Ranger can tow but still a bit confused. Still new to towing and owing a truck. Could I tow a 27ft long and 8ft wide travel trailer that weights 4591 lbs? I figure weight is not an issue but cant tell if the size of the trailer is too big. If it is too big how long of a trailer should I l look for?

Thank you,
Derek
Hi Derek,

Nothing wrong with the trailer you wish to pull from a size standpoint. Just be mindful of the max tow rating of 7500 lbs and the GCW of 12,150 lbs to 12,500 lbs dependent on SuperCab or SuperCrew.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 

Big Blue

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I am new here and have read a lot about what my 2020 XLT 4x2 Ranger can tow but still a bit confused. Still new to towing and owing a truck. Could I tow a 27ft long and 8ft wide travel trailer that weights 4591 lbs? I figure weight is not an issue but cant tell if the size of the trailer is too big. If it is too big how long of a trailer should I l look for?

Thank you,
Derek
There is a big difference here between CAN your truck tow this and SHOULD you tow this? Safely is a totally separate issue.

A few additional questions need to be answered. Are you going to tow this a couple or so times a year to a local sight, or are you going to do cross country tours? If the second, do you really need a 37 foot TT?

If you are new to trucks and towing, maybe something smaller to start with until you get some experience, then move up to you land yacht.

As has been mentioned the weight you looking at is not a problem for the ranger. 37 feet is a big wind sail and the biggest concern with a travel trailer. Next will be maneuvering and parking it. A little surprised you even found on that big that light. As Phil mentioned you need to watch your weights, surprising how much stuff you can put in 37 feet

Just some added things to think about. If you really need that big of trailer,aybe think about a bigger truck to handle it.
 


D Fresh

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I assume that's dry weight?

Can you? Sure.

Should you? Depends on your experience/confidence level. If it were me I'd look for something smaller. But my towing experience is somewhat limited compared to many here.
 

RangerAJS

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That’s a lot of sail to drag but doable. I’ve been pulling for 20+ years starting with F250 and a 10,000 lbs 33 foot trailer and it was a pretty Stable set up and felt safe to drive. I had been pulling a new trailer ( 7 foot wide, 19 foot cab, 22 foot length, 4,800 max weight) with my 2018 explorer sport before I bought my Ranger. The Ranger does a great job on the new set up and has Plenty of Power to get the job done. Only concern is it can get a little sketchy in high crosswinds that might be surprising to someone who hasn’t towed before.
Best advice - if you can try to pull something before you buy it, do that. Barring that, stay within the speed limits, get some good mirrors and stay aware.
Be Safe!
BTW - the trailer blind spot warning IS AWESOME!
 

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He posted 27 ft, not 37 ft.
My bad! It was several typos, still a lot of trailer for the ranger to control if it gets a mind of its own.
 
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djhood

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Wow, thank you for all your help. I probably will look for something a bit smaller maybe 22 or 23 ft at the longest. Just need it big enough for me my wife and 2 kids. Again thank you all for your help.
 

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Wow, thank you for all your help. I probably will look for something a bit smaller maybe 22 or 23 ft at the longest. Just need it big enough for me my wife and 2 kids. Again thank you all for your help.
Find a good RV dealer and be sure to know your weight requirements before you buy. I’ve got KZ Travel Trailer that is perfect for my situation. Be sure to shop around!



https://www.kz-rv.com/products/escape-travel-trailers/E191BHK.html

1912BF39-B460-4D24-95DD-225435B3452B.png
 

2.7EcoBoost

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Wow, thank you for all your help. I probably will look for something a bit smaller maybe 22 or 23 ft at the longest. Just need it big enough for me my wife and 2 kids. Again thank you all for your help.
You need a trailer brake controller first and foremost. If you have a good weight distribution, you can safely tow that if you use common (uncommon?) sense. I have towed a 27.5' box TT (30 ft overall) 5,200lb dry with out issue. If I was going to tow down a freeway, I'd run about 55-60 mph on a calm day. Cars passing you will affect the air flow and upset the trailer (aero not weight). Either way, check out youtube on weight distribution hitch set up for whatever model you use. Don't assume the TT dealer has it set up right. Mine was not even close. I had to buy a lower drop shank to get mine correct. If you set it up right, it is a good tow vehicle. What's crazy is a 2.7 F-150 with the standard class IV hitch ( now "tow package" or payload package ) is only rated to tow 6,000lbs. The same F-150 with a 5.0 is rated at 7,000. It would seem like such a more capable tow vehicle. Not sure why Ford rates the Ranger so high ( or that F-150 so low in stock form ). Power wise, the 2.3/10 speed will tow great. Just get the weight distribution set up properly and use common sense. Take your time and be safe. Too many clowns flying down the high way with these wind sails behind them. FWIW, if you don't get enough camper, you will not be happy after a while. Been there...lol
 

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Only you would be able to tell us if you can safely tow a trailer that weighs more than your tow vehicle, and has a LOT more surface area for crosswinds to push against.

If I saw a Ranger towing a 27-foot travel trailer, I'd steer WELL clear of it.
 

Rescue Ranger

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I would stay in 20 foot range with a Ranger. RV's are many things to different people on how they camp. I like to use mine as a weekend get away and for long road trips. Bigger is not always better. I spent three years researching our next camper, we were up grading from a pop-up. We wanted small, easy to tow, no slide, and easy to repair and upgrade and the best value for the dollar. We looked at everything that was with in our budget and practicality.
We eliminated the slide out first off they are one of the most complained about and problem having option in the RV industry. We were camping they guy across from us could not leave because he could not retract the slide he was stuck until the parts came. Over on YouTube Patrick from Travels with Delany purchased a brand new Lance travel trailer, it was installed wrong at the factory it took him several months to get it fixed.
Smaller has gotten me into parks that other wise didn't have space. Most notable was our last minute decision (3 months planning) to go to Yellowstone last September, the high light was getting a spot when I called they had one spot for the last night they were open September 12th it was a small spot but it was just one more piece of trail magic on a great trip. We could pull into a tandem parking space and sleep for the night in a highway rest area or anyplace for that matter. We picked the smallest TT with a bathroom the Jayco 145RB ok there are some smaller ones but in the Jayco SLX7 series the shower and toilet are separate.
I went with tin and stick TT its lighter and can be repaired and worked on easily
SLX7 Narrower then an 8 footer it is less cross section to pull through the air that makes a big difference in gas mileage and pulling up grades.
2 year warranty, better Goodyear Endurance tires, parts and service available nation wide
This is NOT our forever camper, we are going to get a bigger 19- 21 foot camper.
We like being outside not inside watching TV it is a place to eat, sleep and take care of nature calls. On our Yellowstone trip we were coming back and stopped to help a family broke down the kids needed to use the bathroom so we let them use ours while we fixed their van. Note I always travel with a full tank of water and empty black and grey tanks just for CYA.

Try to stick to a big manufacture its not for the build quality but for parts availability and warranty work if needed. They are not perfect but its better then a small company they many close up after you buy their product. RV's are not like cars and trucks manufactures they come and go all the time.

Try renting from a owner there are RV share apps that allow you to rent a camper from a camper owner. This will let you see what you like and what you can tow.

Watch plenty of sales videos one of the best and maybe the most Honest guy I watch on YouTube is Josh the RV nerd at Haylett RV in Cold Water MI. I am really considering buy my next camper from them. I live in Maryland

One thing the RV market is super hot right now Uncle Josh says they are substituting items due to short supply. I wouldn't buy until the market calms down. Try renting this year and wait until things slow down. Good luck
 

Turbotom1052

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I have towed big over the years with many different rigs in various configurations, and the best thing I can offer as far as advise, is to NEVER believe the salesman thats trying to either sell you a trailer or tow rig.
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