Newbie to towing with a bunch of questions!

[RangerOwner86]

Good day everyone!

I have had my '23 Ranger Lariat since August '24 and it has been a good truck! When I bought it, it did not come with a factory brake controller, which I thought was weird for a truck that came with a tow package. So I asked the dealership to install the Ford brake controller for me before I took delivery. Instead the installed a Curt Spectrum Brake Control 51170. I have not used it yet so I don't know if it actually works or not! Has anyone else used this controller, is it any good?

After I bought my truck I took and bought a pop-up camper weighing maybe 2,000 pounds and it came with non-working surge brakes. The truck towed it awesome, didn't even really notice it was behind me most of the time. I ended up selling the trailer and at the 2026 RV show in Edmonton I am going to be buying a 2026 R-Pod 194.

This trailer has a GVWR of 4,760 pounds, which I doubt I will ever load it up to, hopefully will keep it around 4,000 to 4,200 pounds max with all my gear and food. I will also be bringing with me 3 25L Jerry cans of extra fuel, kept in the bed of the truck, since this thing has such a tiny fuel capacity.

My question is, do I need a WDH hitch? I keep seeing people saying yes I do and I see people saying no I don't. This will be my actual full size trailer I am buying and towing. A lot of my trips will be on the prairies with hills and such, but I will also be doing a trip to BC every year (mountains). I want to be as safe as possible while on the road. I know when I hauled 1,000 pounds of dirt in the bed, the truck really didn't squat that much, but I'm not sure what having around 546 pounds of tongue weight (4200lbs x 13% tongue weight) will do to the truck.

When I was doing all my numbers, I found it interesting as well how the truck is rated to tow 7500 pounds max with a 750 pound tongue weight max, but according to my numbers, my GVWR is 6,050 pounds, the GCWR is 12,500 pounds, which means I could really only legally tow 6,450 pounds. How did they come up with the higher number?

Another question. The truck currently has 45,657 KM's on it, only had standard service (oil change, new tires, filters.) I bought it off a 1yr lease which I assume was doing mostly highway mileage as it had just over 38,000 KM's when I bought it. I put less than 10,000 KM's on a year, so this didn't really bother me. When I start towing, how often should I change my transmission fluid? Is just doing a pan drop and filter change okay or do I need to do it another way? In the spring time when I do my spring oil change, I also plan on changing the fluid in both diff's, the transfer case, change the spark plugs, so that when I start towing I know I've got a fresh tune up. I currently do 2 oil changes a year; one in the fall around October and then one in the spring time around April. I do this because most of my driving is 5KM or under one way, so the engine and fluids never really get up to operating temp. I plan on doing four good trips next year!

My dad is a Ford mechanic, so I have access to a shop (on occasion) with a hoist to do most of the work myself and someone to help me with stuff I can't do, which is always nice!

Thank you for all the help and tips!

Attached is a pic after I bought my truck and the '97 Jayco pop-up trailer I had bought!

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[dtech]

Does that r pod have beast mode suspension? My nobo 19.5 does and it helps with towing, I use a wdh as well The godfather of towing, aka grumpaw frequents this site, so hopefully he weighs in. If I had to do it again I'd buy a lower profile rig, the nobo goes 10' 6" , with 13" ground clearance but I do like it.

 

[RangerOwner86]

Does that r pod have beast mode suspension? My nobo 19.5 does and it helps with towing, I use a wdh as well The godfather of towing, aka grumpaw frequents this site, so hopefully he weighs in. If I had to do it again I'd buy a lower profile rig, the nobo goes 10' 6" , with 13" ground clearance but I do like it.

I’m not sure what the beast mode suspension is, but because I live near Edmonton, Alberta, the R-Pods here are the Hood River Edition. It gives higher ground clearance, 15” off-road tires, heated under belly with tank heaters.

it is about 20’6” long, 8’ wide, and 10’4” height. When I replace the tires, I probably won’t go with an off-road tire…

 

[dtech]

Beast mode is an independent suspension, made by curt, helps with cornering and towing off road. Nobo and r pod iirc are similar in design. The nobo 19.5 has 2 wheels , tires are goodyear , off road so pretty solid which is a good thing as some won't buy a 2 wheel trailer.

 

[KNI]

Considering that here in EU we use just regular ball hitch for anything under 3500kg (7716lbs), I would say WDH would not be needed for something as trivial as 4,760 pounds. Just keep the tongue weight under limits.

 

[Grumpaw]

Everyone here knows I always err on the side of safety, so yeah, I will say get one.....
You may not think you'll get to a heavier gross trailer weight, but it is very easy to load "stuff", so think ahead.....
It's not so much the weights, but the big box shape your towing...wind will affect it and a WD hitch will help to stabilize it. Also, your trailer has a single axle which is much more susceptible to swaying that a WD hitch will help with.
And the tongue weight that may sag the rear of the truck....I say "may" as it just depends on how your truck is set up, what your carrying in the bed and cabin.
Anything over 3000 lbs, in a box shaped RV, I would always recommend a WD hitch......

Let me add....WD hitches are always thought to be "Heavy" in that they use flexible bars to tighten up and transfer weight.....so you may think they are used for heavy tongue weights....
But, they have WD hitches with transfer bars rated for as low as a 200 lb tongue weights, so it is easy to get what is needed for your rig......

 

[Josh Stretch]

I agree with Grumpaw. I regularly tow my Intech Flyer Explore. It’s a big square box that weighs less than 3000lbs loaded and I installed a factory trailer brake in my 2020 XLT. My big square box of a camper is about 12ft long, 7ft high, and 7ft wide. Also, the tongue weight on the Flyer series is very high for their weight. I do not run a weight distribution hitch, but occasionally under certain circumstances I wish I had one. I may still get one if I go on a trip that will involve a lot of interstate driving. I would second Grumpaw that a weight distribution hitch is a great idea in your towing scenario. Also, a TPMS is a MUST on these single axle campers. I went with the tire linc by lippert. Happy Camping!

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

Forget the WDH

A nice set of rear shocks and some air support bags (Airlift, Firestone) and you will be set

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

Forget the WDH (just my opinion)

A nice set of rear shocks and some air support bags (Airlift, Firestone) and you will be set

If you have sway issues after your first trip out replace the (assumed) Chineseium tires with a nice set of ST tires and may consider the sway attachment to your hitch assembly

https://www.grainger.com/product/80...TJKMgGlGL6zhEJ2W97bk3PnNaGlziKJ8aAjfwEALw_wcB

 

[dtech]

I've towed my NOBO, UVW 4200 lbs with the E2 WDH and without it. It towed ok without it with the important exception being in windy conditions - this is where the wdh makes towing safer. Keep in mind although the Ranger is rated to tow 7,500 lbs it is all things considered less than ideal tow vehicle for tall box trailers - a few guys who switched from towing with the Ranger to larger vehicles can speak to their experience. Not sure what tires your rpod has but my NOBO has Goodyear AT light truck tires - pretty decent tire and I wouldn't run with anything less durable.

 

[Jason B]

Good day everyone!

I have had my '23 Ranger Lariat since August '24 and it has been a good truck! When I bought it, it did not come with a factory brake controller, which I thought was weird for a truck that came with a tow package. So I asked the dealership to install the Ford brake controller for me before I took delivery. Instead the installed a Curt Spectrum Brake Control 51170. I have not used it yet so I don't know if it actually works or not! Has anyone else used this controller, is it any good?

After I bought my truck I took and bought a pop-up camper weighing maybe 2,000 pounds and it came with non-working surge brakes. The truck towed it awesome, didn't even really notice it was behind me most of the time. I ended up selling the trailer and at the 2026 RV show in Edmonton I am going to be buying a 2026 R-Pod 194.

This trailer has a GVWR of 4,760 pounds, which I doubt I will ever load it up to, hopefully will keep it around 4,000 to 4,200 pounds max with all my gear and food. I will also be bringing with me 3 25L Jerry cans of extra fuel, kept in the bed of the truck, since this thing has such a tiny fuel capacity.

My question is, do I need a WDH hitch? I keep seeing people saying yes I do and I see people saying no I don't. This will be my actual full size trailer I am buying and towing. A lot of my trips will be on the prairies with hills and such, but I will also be doing a trip to BC every year (mountains). I want to be as safe as possible while on the road. I know when I hauled 1,000 pounds of dirt in the bed, the truck really didn't squat that much, but I'm not sure what having around 546 pounds of tongue weight (4200lbs x 13% tongue weight) will do to the truck.

When I was doing all my numbers, I found it interesting as well how the truck is rated to tow 7500 pounds max with a 750 pound tongue weight max, but according to my numbers, my GVWR is 6,050 pounds, the GCWR is 12,500 pounds, which means I could really only legally tow 6,450 pounds. How did they come up with the higher number?

Another question. The truck currently has 45,657 KM's on it, only had standard service (oil change, new tires, filters.) I bought it off a 1yr lease which I assume was doing mostly highway mileage as it had just over 38,000 KM's when I bought it. I put less than 10,000 KM's on a year, so this didn't really bother me. When I start towing, how often should I change my transmission fluid? Is just doing a pan drop and filter change okay or do I need to do it another way? In the spring time when I do my spring oil change, I also plan on changing the fluid in both diff's, the transfer case, change the spark plugs, so that when I start towing I know I've got a fresh tune up. I currently do 2 oil changes a year; one in the fall around October and then one in the spring time around April. I do this because most of my driving is 5KM or under one way, so the engine and fluids never really get up to operating temp. I plan on doing four good trips next year!

My dad is a Ford mechanic, so I have access to a shop (on occasion) with a hoist to do most of the work myself and someone to help me with stuff I can't do, which is always nice!

Thank you for all the help and tips!

Attached is a pic after I bought my truck and the '97 Jayco pop-up trailer I had bought!

Does that pop-up even have electric brakes?

 

[RangerOwner86]

Does that pop-up even have electric brakes?

No, it didn’t have electric brakes. It had surge brakes, which used brake fluid and a special hitch that applied pressure when you slowed down or something like that… I’m pretty sure it had never been serviced in its life… glad I sold it!

 

[Grumpaw]

Forget the WDH

A nice set of rear shocks and some air support bags (Airlift, Firestone) and you will be set

Rear shocks and air bags, springs, bump stops, ect ect ect are all fine mods for the truck......but it dose DIDDLY SQUAT for the trailer , it's handling and how it reacts to wind and what that does to effect the truck. The trailer will/can still sway, bounce up and down which will still be transferred to the truck.
A WD set up simply eases the effects of what the trailer's movements are transferred to the truck. It does much more than just "transfer weight"...it adds a lot of stability to the entire rig, truck and trailer.

To the OP....if all your travel's were on usual roads and never got over 45 mph, the need for a WD set up, well you could most likely get by without it.
Once you get on an interstate or roads 55mph and over, you will definitely feel the need for a proper set up. Try towing on an interstate once either in windy conditions or getting passed by big rigs and I guarantee your first stop will be to buy a set up.....and by "windy conditions" I don't mean gale force....just simple 20-30 mile gusts especially hitting from the side, can give you all kinds of sway problems.

 

[RangerOwner86]

Thank you everyone for all your replies, I really appreciate it!

For those that recommend to get a WDH, what size should I look at getting? How do I size them?
Would this one work https://arrkannrvparts.com/products/fastway-trailer-products-14-5607-weight-distribution-hitch

I would probably have around 200-250 pounds of weight in the bed of the truck... trailer weight would probably be around 4,250 or so which means tongue weight should be about 510 pounds (12%)

 

[Grumpaw]

Thank you everyone for all your replies, I really appreciate it!

For those that recommend to get a WDH, what size should I look at getting? How do I size them?
Would this one work (https://arrkannrvparts.com/products/fastway-trailer-products-14-5607-weight-distribution-hitch)?

I would probably have around 200-250 pounds of weight in the bed of the truck... trailer weight would probably be around 4,250 or so which means tongue weight should be about 510 pounds (12%)

Check ETrailer.com. They are probably the most knowledgeable on-line source for hitches. Their prices are very good and there ar a number of help video's. They can also help via calls and e-mail/texts.
There are numerous hitch manufacturers, but try to pick from a reputable company....stay away from junk/cheap stuff......buy good once and have it forever.
As an example, look at Blue Ox.....one of the best companies....I have used their equipment for over 30 years.
Always get a system with bars that are rated for more than you need....this will allow extra weight if needed. If your tongue is 510-520, look for a hitch with 600 lbs bars. Different styles of simple WD hitches, most common are the friction type and the chain type.....ETrailer has pictures and explanations of both to help you......personally I use the chain type, but that's just me.

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