Newbie with thanks and some info,

[Towchamp]

Hey All! What a great forum and I thank you for all that I have learned via your experiences. I purchased a new 2020 Ranger Lariat FX4 in Feb of this year. This was after extensive research including that done here, as I was looking for a tow vehicle for a camper trailer my wife and I decided to purchase. I have been in the automotive service world all my life (now semi retired), completed showroom nut and bolt restos, the latest being a FJ40 and don’t take buying cars or trucks lightLy. I only mention this to hopefully establish some credibility when I say the Ranger is an awesome truck. There are three points I want to make on this post:
1) Towing: My son and I drove the new truck from CA to FL to pick up the trailer my wife and I had purchased used - a 23ft Airstream. At about 5200 lbs tow weight (on the axles per the CAT Scale with another 600 on the tongue) we easily sailed back to CA. High elevations through NM and CA? No problem - the truck said, “You want 65? Okay lemme know if you want more.” Seriously I had to hold it back. We have taken several trips since all involving mountain passes with lots of twisting and turning and the last one in 104 degrees. This truck did not struggle once - though that fan clutch locked in solid for a while. In short this truck tows very well.
2) The drive shaft slip-bump (bump or clunk on stop and then on go) I was getting like many of you. This started happening when the weather got hot here, all the time. I took it to the dealer but of course it was a cool day so they could not duplicate. I am convinced it is a tolerance issue and once the parts expand with heat, the symptom presents itself. I have been down that “intermittent problem” road before and as a former service advisor had to sometimes deliver that message myself- I know it is frustrating. Based on what I had read on this forum about some dealers lubing the slip joint I went ahead and got the Teflon lube kit Ford sells for the 150s and did that procedure. When I removed the shaft I noted the slip joint was almost dry. Bottom line, using the new lube instantly fixed the issue. I hope it lasts but even if not, at least I know it’s not a serious problem.
3) Lastly, I just wanted to say thanks to all the great info and I appreciate the professionalism, member involvement, moderating, and vibe of this forum. Cheers

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[dondonbabyraptor]

Welcome Mark. I am glad you enjoy the truck so much and got some good towing experience with it! You are quite resourceful and I am sure this forum will accompany you well.

 

[wanted33]

Welcome Mark, and thanks for the tip about the driveshaft. IIRC that was the same fix used to repair the F-150's back around 2010-2011. I had a 2011 F-150, but was lucky mine was fine. It had a small amount of what I called 'slack", but wasn't bad enough to mess with.

Enjoy that new ranger.

 

[Glocker]

Welcome!
First, for some reason, I feel like I have to be the warning nazi. Don't overload that trailer, or you could find yourself maxing the handling characteristics of your truck. Videos have been popping up now and then of Rangers flipped over towing travel trailers, and it hurts me to see it!

Second, on your driveline clunk. I seem to recall seeing some folks having pulled their driveshafts and re-greased the slip yokes. What your experiencing could be the grease getting a little more liquid on the hot days and allowing a little easier movement that you're hearing as the slip yoke does it's thing. Could be something to check!

 

[Jason B]

FYI, the slip yoke clunking is nothing new and effects not only new Rangers and F150's. Had this problem on my '99 B4000, which is a Ranger by another name. The solutions was a good cleaning and lube job.

 

[Jason B]

1) Towing: My son and I drove the new truck from CA to FL to pick up the trailer my wife and I had purchased used - a 23ft Airstream. At about 5200 lbs tow weight (on the axles per the CAT Scale with another 600 on the tongue) we easily sailed back to CA.

Does the trailer have surge brakes or have you installed a Trailer Brake Controller? If the answer to both questions is 'No', then you really need a TBC with that weight. As an old timer told me about my '95 F150- 'Pulling a heavy load is possible. Stopping it is questionable.' I have no doubt you could ease into a planned stop, but what about emergencies? You don't want to be in a situation where the truck stops, by the trailer doesn't.

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