Only Need a Ball in my Bumper for Towing?

[donsmith]

I just took delivery of a 2022 Ford Ranger Lariat and it appears to have everything I need to tow with except for the 2" ball.

There's a hole in the rear bumper where I can take out the plug and put in a towing ball.

Under the bumper is the needed 4-pin electrical connection and the loops (see pictures) where you can secure a chain from any trailer that you may be wanting to tow.

In the cabin, there's anti-sway and towing controls

However, I can find NOTHING about putting the ball into the bumper of a 5G Ranger. Not in the owners manual and not on YT and not online that I've found

I learned this while visiting a U-Haul center where the tech knew immediately that I did not need to install the receiver bar on the bottom of the vehicle but the ball he had did not have a shank long enough to go through the hole in the bumper and be secured with a very large nut screwed on far enough to allow a cotter pin through the shank below it. The shank length of the ball at U-Hall was 3 1/4 inches. The shank needs to be longer, but I don't know what that needed length is.

Before I install the tow ball, I just want to ask around if this is acceptable for towing where my biggest load will likely be my 825lb motorcycle.

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[Blmpkn]

Bike will be fine.

Don't know what length shank you need exactly... mabey Google "long shank trailer ball" and see what comes up.

 

[Elmosaurus]

So, uh... not sure if you're new to towing?

If so, couple of things....

Bumper rated tow is lower than max rating (bumper is 3500lb, Ranger max is 7500lb when using a frame mounted hitch receiver), so you're only going to safely tow something on the lighter side like a lawn trailer, or motorcycle trailer, jon boat, etc. from a weight perspective. Anything heavier and you run into lots of risks as the bumper isn't rated to tow anything much larger than those lighter weight items in a safe manner.

The problem is, those types of trailers generally are low to the ground... and the rear bumper height on most of our Rangers is quite tall. So the trailer would not be remotely level, which present more unsafe towing situations due to instability when the trailer tongue is pointed upwards. A normal hitch receiver allows selection of a drop hitch that will bring the ball down to the height the trailer needs, keeping everything much more level to the ground.

If you want to be safe about it, disclose fully what you intend to tow and how much it weighs. From there, experienced drivers familiar with towing can give you solid advice to stay safely inside the parameters the tow vehicle is capable of.

Also, here is one of the official Ford publications for our Rangers:
https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten...ral/pdf/guides/20Towing_Ford_Ranger_Oct15.pdf

 

[Elmosaurus]

Just saw you mention your Bike, and it's weight. Is that the gross weight of the bike, or bike with a trailer, and any mounted accessories?

Also, consider the height difference of the trailer's tongue, relative to the height where your bumper ball would be located.

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

you can get a hitch off e trailer for about $150 with the 2" receiver. Probably safer and easier

 

[donsmith]

So, uh... not sure if you're new to towing?

If so, couple of things....

Bumper rated tow is lower than max rating (bumper is 3500lb, Ranger max is 7500lb when using a frame mounted hitch receiver), so you're only going to safely tow something on the lighter side like a lawn trailer, or motorcycle trailer, jon boat, etc. from a weight perspective. Anything heavier and you run into lots of risks as the bumper isn't rated to tow anything much larger than those lighter weight items in a safe manner.

The problem is, those types of trailers generally are low to the ground... and the rear bumper height on most of our Rangers is quite tall. So the trailer would not be remotely level, which present more unsafe towing situations due to instability when the trailer tongue is pointed upwards. A normal hitch receiver allows selection of a drop hitch that will bring the ball down to the height the trailer needs, keeping everything much more level to the ground.

If you want to be safe about it, disclose fully what you intend to tow and how much it weighs. From there, experienced drivers familiar with towing can give you solid advice to stay safely inside the parameters the tow vehicle is capable of.

Also, here is one of the official Ford publications for our Rangers:
https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten...ral/pdf/guides/20Towing_Ford_Ranger_Oct15.pdf

My 825 motorcycle plus the weight of the motorcycle trailer from U-Haul is likely the heaviest I'll tow, but you make a good point about the trailer being more level.

 

[donsmith]

Just saw this from Ford thanks to a link from Elmosaurus above. It says the Rear Step Bumper can have a max trailer capacity of 3500 and a tongue weight of 350. Compare that to the Hitch Receiver of 7500/750. If I use the step bumper hitch, I don't think I would exceed 3500/350 but still have to think about the height of the ball.

 

[Elmosaurus]

While I understand that paying for the Ford OEM hitch receiver, even at discounted Fairway ford prices is quite high, ($289 at this moment) it gives you the maximum towing rating for the Truck in case you ever have to pull something heavier.

If you are absolutely sure you will never pull anything heavier, then a more affordable option like a Curt hitch from eTrailer ($149) can fill your need, giving you the ability to use a drop hitch to match the trailer tongue height. (which uses standard hitch balls, so finding a long shank version becomes a non-issue) It is limited to 6000 lb max towing, but unless you plan to pull a 24'+ travel trailer, most recreational trailers (motorcycle, UTV, SxS, sub 30' boat, etc.) won't get up that high unless you intentionally overload it.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Ford/Ranger/2019/C13417.html?VehicleID=201989462

Some food for thought.

(BTW, installation is super easy; if you can turn a ratchet, you can install these easily on a saturday afternoon)

 

[Aonarch]

Don't bumper tow.

Just get a frame mount. Factory or aftermarket.

 

[mtbikernate]

I'd also say that the receiver mount is highly preferable because you have more control over leveling your trailer for a better tow. I'm not even sure what trailer is high enough that I could tow it level on the bumper of the ranger given how high it is.

 

[donsmith]

While I understand that paying for the Ford OEM hitch receiver, even at discounted Fairway ford prices is quite high, ($289 at this moment) it gives you the maximum towing rating for the Truck in case you ever have to pull something heavier.

If you are absolutely sure you will never pull anything heavier, then a more affordable option like a Curt hitch from eTrailer ($149) can fill your need, giving you the ability to use a drop hitch to match the trailer tongue height. (which uses standard hitch balls, so finding a long shank version becomes a non-issue) It is limited to 6000 lb max towing, but unless you plan to pull a 24'+ travel trailer, most recreational trailers (motorcycle, UTV, SxS, sub 30' boat, etc.) won't get up that high unless you intentionally overload it.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Ford/Ranger/2019/C13417.html?VehicleID=201989462

Some food for thought.

(BTW, installation is super easy; if you can turn a ratchet, you can install these easily on a saturday afternoon)

I've been convinced. I'm getting a frame-mounted receiver. Thanks to everyone for the advice.

 

[chrisakz]

I recalled seeing this in the owners manual regarding using brake controllers and trailer brakes in general (surge or electric) so something to keep in mind that ford recommends this

 

[AdamHarris]

i do recall someone on here looking into the shank length to go through the bumper and it was obnoxiously long.
like, when you talk those lengths, more than 2/3's of American men turn green with envy and argue they measured from the top of the balls, not the back end. But it still never helped them get over the emotional damage.

I heard that in Canada, on account of the cold, the shank incredibly shrinks down to the point that the nuts can’t even be started or handled properly…

 

[Sariandan]

So… this is how the title of this thread shows up on my phone. And then, y’all are talking about the length of your shanks….

 

[BettaRanga]

I’m new to truck ownership and have never towed, so this is a genuine question.

Can the OEM frame mounted receiver still max at 7500 lbs when added later?

I thought the tow package from manufacturer came with a transmission cooler that helped sustain the 7500 lb limit.

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