Towing 24 ft trailer

[4acres]

Hi all,

I know towing has been touched on a few times. I'm looking for more specific info: We bought a 2020 ranger lareit and looking to by an older travel trailer 24 ft 3560 dry weight. I keep getting mixed info anyone know if we can safely tow this trailer? Obviously weight wise we should be fine but is there a max length someone should tow with this truck?

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[P. A. Schilke]

Hi all,

I know towing has been touched on a few times. I'm looking for more specific info: We bought a 2020 ranger lareit and looking to by an older travel trailer 24 ft 3560 dry weight. I keep getting mixed info anyone know if we can safely tow this trailer? Obviously weight wise we should be fine but is there a max length someone should tow with this truck?

Hi Dan,

The short answer is not length. It is all about Tongue Weight, GVW and GCW. Let your owner's manual be your guide. The problem with towing is mostly related to GCW as folks under estimate the trailer weight with a well stocked trailer with provisions and water as well as what is loaded into the truck including passengers and what is in the pickup box. This is where the friendly truckstop scale is your friend. GCW is the loaded trailer with the weight of the loaded truck. It is Not Trailer GVW plus Truck GVW. For a trailer/Truck loaded to GCW, for every pound added to the truck, a pound must be removed from the trailer. Hope this makes sense. When in doubt weigh the trailer, the truck and the combined weight. If over the owners manual which I think is 7500...the you must decided what to leave behind before you tow.

If this confused you, please respond to these Forums as there are other folks that can shed light on their towing experience.

Good luck and enjoy your Ranger...It has a proud heritage of being built Ford Tough!

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

 

[Floyd]

Most RV trailers are measured from coupler to rear bumper, unlike box and open utility trailers, which are measured floor only.
However, a few RV trailers are measured box only.
Be sure that you know which specific trailer you are considering and how it is measured.

At 24FT almost every RV trailer will be tandem axle. Tandem axle trailers, when properly towed have considerably less tongue weight than a comparable single axle trailer, but the length from the center of the axle(s) to the coupler can vary and the layout will vary as well. Both of these will affect the balance and tongue weight of the trailer.
There is no other factor lied about more than trailer weight, and aerodynamics are important as well.

Think about features more than length, if you can find a layout which works for you, I assure you that you will enjoy towing an 18 to 21ft trailer much more.

If you are budget minded and want a used trailer, remember that a 5 year old stick built trailer in good shape should cost about a quarter of its original list price. Check for water damage at the windows and the roof.

Finally if you need the sleeping space in a smaller trailer consider a hybrid with a canvas popout on the end. Be aware that any trailer with actual slide outs will be heavier, and less balanced for towing and will present you with maintenance problems.

If you can afford it, look at a used molded fiberglass trailer, you will pay more at first because they hold their value, but should you decide to sell you will lose a lot less.

If you want, please explain what you want to do with the trailer and how many will use it on a normal trip, also do you anticipate touring for months or just weekends and a few hundred miles a year?

 

[2.7EcoBoost]

Hi all,

I know towing has been touched on a few times. I'm looking for more specific info: We bought a 2020 ranger lareit and looking to by an older travel trailer 24 ft 3560 dry weight. I keep getting mixed info anyone know if we can safely tow this trailer? Obviously weight wise we should be fine but is there a max length someone should tow with this truck?

You can easily tow that trailer safely. You could just as easily tow it unsafely. I have seen much smaller trailers, not even campers being towed unsafely. The thing I learned is get that tow ball even with the coupler as must for a starting point. A 3,560lb trailer probably has a 350-450 lb tongue weight. That is measured with an empty, level trailer. So you want to keep that same ratio when loaded 10-15% on the tongue. If your trailer coupler is 21" and your tow ball ( These Rangers sit high in the rear with a tight tucked hitch) is 23", that factory tongue weight is thrown out of whack before you even do anything with loading the trailer etc. Wind and especially cross wind (passing or on coming semis and even cars) will affect the trailer some. An improperly set up (too little especially, or too much tongue weight will become way less stable than a proper set up). Towing too fast is probably a main factor in most towing accidents. A good trailer brake is a must.

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