First ever towing experience was a success

[jflogerzi]

Well today I towed for the first time ever. 3 hours 1 way so 6 hours total. I was completely taken back how well the ranger made things. Effortless is a good way to describe things.

Good mixture of flat roads, freeway, and evaluation changes. As shown below trip showed 19.6 mpg average. This was beyond what I was expecting. Since I was towing for the first time kept speed between 55-62mph.

Towed my track car on uhual auto transport. Total gross weight was about 5100-5200 with all gear and me.

Lane keep was helpful. Blindspot worked like a champ. One thing I noticed. The stock suspension sucks more when towing (more pogo and lasts longer) I have 5100s on all 4 corners I need to install. Another thing the XLT bulbs are terrible. Shame on Ford! But all in all a very pleasant experience. Ranger did great overall.

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[GitRDone]

Good to hear. And yes, the stock lighting and bouncy-bounce are not ideal, but the 5100's and a full set of quality LEDs will fix it.

 

[D Fresh]

My first tow with the Ranger was virtually the same. Stock FX-4 suspension, Hankooks, and a Uhaul auto Xport trailer. Mine was a Jeep over a shorter distance though.


While I wouldn't say the suspension was worse when towing, it wasn't much better. But both of our vehicles are pretty light weight.

The biggest learning curve was the surge brakes. Hadn't used those before. They took a while to get used to.

Nice Subie by the way.

 

[jflogerzi]

Good to hear. And yes, the stock lighting and bouncy-bounce are not ideal, but the 5100's and a full set of quality LEDs will fix it.

I decided to stay away from LEDs. But I do have some high quality replacement bulbs. And suspension wise on uneven roads the typical suspension complaints are amplified when towing. But honestly I could deal with it if I needed to

 

[jflogerzi]

My first tow with the Ranger was virtually the same. Stock FX-4 suspension, Hankooks, and a Uhaul auto Xport trailer. Mine was a Jeep over a shorter distance though.


While I wouldn't say the suspension was worse when towing, it wasn't much better. But both of our vehicles are pretty light weight.

The biggest learning curve was the surge brakes. Hadn't used those before. They took a while to get used to.

Nice Subie by the way.

I think the gas mileage is what supprised me the most. I was pleasantly surprised. I was not able to tell if they were even used. But I don't know what I am looking for.?

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

Well today I towed for the first time ever. 3 hours 1 way so 6 hours total. I was completely taken back how well the ranger made things. Effortless is a good way to describe things.

Good mixture of flat roads, freeway, and evaluation changes. As shown below trip showed 19.6 mpg average. This was beyond what I was expecting. Since I was towing for the first time kept speed between 55-62mph.

Towed my track car on uhual auto transport. Total gross weight was about 5100-5200 with all gear and me.

Lane keep was helpful. Blindspot worked like a champ. One thing I noticed. The stock suspension sucks more when towing (more pogo and lasts longer) I have 5100s on all 4 corners I need to install. Another thing the XLT bulbs are terrible. Shame on Ford! But all in all a very pleasant experience. Ranger did great overall.

NICE!

It's hard to tell from that photo, but those trailer axles look to be pretty far back, and prone to front heavy loading. If you are doing it again, maybe consider loading the car backwards, and keeping more weight on the trailer axles which will reduce bounce on the Ranger. It's a delicate game, because if the weight is too far back, the trailer will sway more.

 

[jflogerzi]

NICE!

It's hard to tell from that photo, but those trailer axles look to be pretty far back, and prone to front heavy loading. If you are doing it again, maybe consider loading the car backwards, and keeping more weight on the trailer axles which will reduce bounce on the Ranger. It's a delicate game, because if the weight is too far back, the trailer will sway more.

The way Uhual trailers work it needs to be loaded way up front. It was nothing bad and on smoother road it was perfect. I think the 5100's will be perfect and cut down on the bouncing when towing.

 

[D Fresh]

I think the gas mileage is what supprised me the most. I was pleasantly surprised. I was not able to tell if they were even used. But I don't know what I am looking for.?

I rarely pay attention to gas mileage. But I'd bet it was better than expected due to the trailer and load. Most reported towing MPGs are with travel trailers, a huge airbrake compared to a slick little BRZ.

I'm sure those surge brakes are all calibrated differently, if at all. The ones one my trailer seemed very sensitive. Once you touched the brakes you could feel the trailer pulling you back, like you threw out and anchor on a boat, and pulling away from a stop you'd feel them drag a bit, then release. It was just odd feeling is all.

The way Uhual trailers work it needs to be loaded way up front. It was nothing bad and on smoother road it was perfect. I think the 5100's will be perfect and cut down on the bouncing when towing.

Agreed. You're loaded as Uhaul directs. I'm no expert, but I believe the dual axles helps alleviate some tongue weight.

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

I don't know what U-Haul recommends, but any trailer, you want your load slightly forward of axle center, and tongue weight 10-15% of trailer weight.

A tandem axle will reduce the off-set of a forward load, but driving characteristics will also change. A forward heavy trailer reduces efficiency and safety, while increasing bounce, headlight misalignment, and tire/suspension wear.

Here's an interesting video on weight distribution.

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