Max towing!! yeehaw

[Cabose-1]

You have your trailer and truck really well balanced!!
Nice tow.
Ford F@$%&>! Ranger.
I do stuff like this regularly.
I do use the good robust
GEN-Y REBEL hitch. Seen to many bs hitches bend.

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[dano42]

To play devil’s advocate, if you pull an excavator regularly, why not buy a full size truck that is designed more in line for that sort of thing? I would think it would tear up a smaller truck pretty quickly not to mention the weight difference between the two.

 

[BiilyJones]

Pretty sure you're quite a bit over weight there.

That excavator is probably 7000 lbs on it's own.

Looks like a 17G, I think they are less than 2 tons.

 

[Jason B]

To play devil’s advocate, if you pull an excavator regularly, why not buy a full size truck that is designed more in line for that sort of thing? I would think it would tear up a smaller truck pretty quickly not to mention the weight difference between the two.

The 5G Ranger really isn't a 'smaller truck' when compared to F150's from 90's. And it's power and towing is right up there with older gen's of F150's.
My 1995 was rated 240 horsepower 340 ftlbs. torque. The truck can carry a 745-pound load and can be outfitted to pull a trailer weighing 5,000 pounds.

 

[D Fresh]

Looks like a 17G, I think they are less than 2 tons.

I was thinking 26g @ over 3 tons.

 

[Cabose-1]

Because my fathers f150 carries and tows less than my ranger. He has a 96 f150. And the 2020 f150 was 10k more in price with the same capabilities with no bells or whistles. I dont do this as a job, i dont tow everyday, about once every 10 days or so, different size trailers, and dont tow anything heavier than 7k lbs. We dont have anything bigger.
Says more about the ranger really. Very capable truck compared to low end f150s.
Plus it fits in my garage, if i start doing this for work
F250 with the godzilla engine 3.55 rear end, camper package 4x2

 

[grammat95]

Pretty sure you're quite a bit over weight there.

That excavator is probably 7000 lbs on it's own.

Do you really think I can't tell the difference between an excavator that weighs 3,700 LBS and one that weights 10,000?

 

[grammat95]

To play devil’s advocate, if you pull an excavator regularly, why not buy a full size truck that is designed more in line for that sort of thing? I would think it would tear up a smaller truck pretty quickly not to mention the weight difference between the two.

The reason I went with a midsize is because it fits in my garage... which is a must because I leave home for months at a time. I really don't see it tearing up the truck anyways. The trans (10R80) can more than handle any power the 2.3 is going to put out and everything else seems super solid. Almost every full size truck you see isn't spec'd for max towing anyways... my previous F-150 had a 7,700 LB rating and didn't come with a brake controller!

 

[Stevedbvik1]

Last week I finally bit the bullet and installed the ford (redarc) brake controller. Sort of a PITA but well worth it. This setup is right around max weight for the Ranger... and it pulled surprisingly well. The only thing that concerns me is the actual tongue weight because its obviously not all that easy to guestimate without some sort of scale. If anybody has any questions about the brake controller install, let me know.

Not a question about install but more about operation. Had mine installed at dealer and having issues with it. Been on the phone with Redarc and Lumen both and they ate telling me that there’s an issue with either the install or modules. I’m just wondering how a normal operation works. As I understand it you connect trailer cord and the dial should be solid blue. It then turns red when brakes applied. Mine is stuck in calibration mode ( flashing blue/green ) and won’t change no matter what we try. It was at the dealer yesterday and tech said he found nothing wrong. Won’t say what they did to come to that determination. I know they didn’t call Lumen’s tech service for help as there’s one guy and he didn’t speak with anyone. I’m just looking fir what it should be doing when working normal. Thanks

 

[grammat95]

Not a question about install but more about operation. Had mine installed at dealer and having issues with it. Been on the phone with Redarc and Lumen both and they ate telling me that there’s an issue with either the install or modules. I’m just wondering how a normal operation works. As I understand it you connect trailer cord and the dial should be solid blue. It then turns red when brakes applied. Mine is stuck in calibration mode ( flashing blue/green ) and won’t change no matter what we try. It was at the dealer yesterday and tech said he found nothing wrong. Won’t say what they did to come to that determination. I know they didn’t call Lumen’s tech service for help as there’s one guy and he didn’t speak with anyone. I’m just looking fir what it should be doing when working normal. Thanks

Steve,
When the system is working properly it will stay blue until you apply the brakes. When the brakes are being applied it will change colors based on how much brake pressure you apply. Mine only stayed in calibration mode for less than a minute before turning blue. Have you ruled out any issues you might be having with your trailer? I imagine it could be something as simple as a loose connection with your 7-pin. Wiring the controller into the truck was very simple, but I guess its possible that the tech could've made a bad connection somewhere.

-Ted

 

[Stevedbvik1]

Steve,
When the system is working properly it will stay blue until you apply the brakes. When the brakes are being applied it will change colors based on how much brake pressure you apply. Mine only stayed in calibration mode for less than a minute before turning blue. Have you ruled out any issues you might be having with your trailer? I imagine it could be something as simple as a loose connection with your 7-pin. Wiring the controller into the truck was very simple, but I guess its possible that the tech could've made a bad connection somewhere.

-Ted

Thanks for getting back to me. We towed the same trailer last season with our 2021 Honda Passport. I hooked it up to that and no issues. Did that to rule out the trailer. Also pulled the emergency trailer disconnect brake pin and that functions normal also. Dealer got back to me this AM after I left them a email reminding them that they installed a Ford product in my new Ranger and it’s not working. They want it back to get it resolved so that’s a step in the right direction. The service tech for the Ranger products at Lumen also gave me his cell number to make sure it gets resolved.

 

[asphaltaddict33]

I recently experienced the same issue with the same brake controller. I installed it myself a few months ago (dealership wanted $1000 to do it) and towed my camper 1000 miles on 3 different trips and it worked flawlessly.

Last week when I hooked up it was flashing green/blue and did not automatically calibrate during a short drive like the manual says it will. I tried the procedure in the manual to get it to calibrate, and got no result. I had to get on the road so I did, and at some point in the hour drive it calibrated itself and was all blue till I hit the brakes. That same scenario happened on the return trip. Hook-up and its blue/green, no auto-calibration during a short drive but successful calibration after a longer drive...

 

[Stevedbvik1]

I recently experienced the same issue with the same brake controller. I installed it myself a few months ago (dealership wanted $1000 to do it) and towed my camper 1000 miles on 3 different trips and it worked flawlessly.

Last week when I hooked up it was flashing green/blue and did not automatically calibrate during a short drive like the manual says it will. I tried the procedure in the manual to get it to calibrate, and got no result. I had to get on the road so I did, and at some point in the hour drive it calibrated itself and was all blue till I hit the brakes. That same scenario happened on the return trip. Hook-up and its blue/green, no auto-calibration during a short drive but successful calibration after a longer drive...

Just had the same thing happen last week. After multiple trips to the dealer (they installed)they found they had two wires crossed and it would not allow it to calibrate. After they fixed it it worked perfectly on the first trip ( plug in solid blue). Hooked up last week for our second trip and blue green flashing again. After about 20 miles of driving it finally switched to normal mode. Same thing on the way home. Not sure what’s causing it to act like that.

 

[Dereku]

The reason I went with a midsize is because it fits in my garage... which is a must because I leave home for months at a time. I really don't see it tearing up the truck anyways. The trans (10R80) can more than handle any power the 2.3 is going to put out and everything else seems super solid. Almost every full size truck you see isn't spec'd for max towing anyways... my previous F-150 had a 7,700 LB rating and didn't come with a brake controller!

My last f150 was rated to tow 6700lbs.... Time change and but my towing needs did not. Ranger fits the bill.

 

[asphaltaddict33]

To update my experience, I just towed my camper again and it worked as intended from the initial hookup no calibration needed this time... fun little gizmo to keep an eye on. Im going to keep a close eye on my 7-pin connector to make sure it is clean and greased each tow to eliminate that potential variable.

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