Some Trailering Bones to Pick With Ford

BowWow

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Just finished a 2200 km round trip towing a 6x12 dual axle enclosed utility trailer (GVW 7,000 pounds), and before I go to bed I wanted to pick a few bones with Ford about my Ranger trailering experience. For the record, I'm driving a 2020 Lariat FX4 with the trailer towing package.

Here's the bones:

1. Seriously. A trailer towing package without a brake controller???? C'mon, Ford!

2. The umbilical outlet is mounted upside down in the rear bumper. This is not only inconvenient (my trailer umbilicals are trained to bend a certain way. Turn them upside down and they get all wonky), but may cause damage when the tailgate is opened and it hits a pistol-grip-shaped trailer plug. I also have a backup alarm that plugs into the trailer outlet (required for my work) that makes contact with the tailgate when it's open, because the outlet is mounted upside down. Luckily, I discovered this before doing much damage (a small black spot in the paint is all). I'll try to pop the outlet out and turn it around if I can...

3. The truck knows when a trailer has been plugged in. All sorts of warnings and stuff flash on the screen. But you have to manually press the Trailer Tow button to put the transmission into town mode. Again, seriously, Ford? If the truck knows a trailer is plugged in, have it tell the bloody transmission!!! It should automatically turn the trailer tow mode on when a trailer is plugged in. Then, if I don't want the trailer tow engaged, make me turn it off, not on!

4. When the trailer tow button is pushed, a very bright orange icon lights up on the dash. It isn't dimmable with the rest of the display. Why not have an information light in the display, like the 4H and 4L lights, instead of this garish glaring warning light? After a while I actually adjusted my body position in the seat so the steering wheel would obstruct the light. It's extremely obnoxious! I know, I know, a piece of electrical tape strategically stuck to the glass. But seriously, who wants a blob of tape stuck to their instrument panel???

5. Towing mirrors. Should be part of the towing package, no? The stock Lariat mirrors are fine for my 6 foot wide trailer, but a 7 or 8 foot wide trailer would be impossible. I seriously miss my ghost trailer mirrors on my Ram!???

6. Tiny fuel tank. But you knew that already, didn't you Ford. And did I mention the lack of an integrated brake controller?????

7. This is more of a wish than pointing out obvious failures. My 2017 Nissan Titan had headlights that could be adjusted from inside the cab. A 4 position roller switch let me aim them up or down as needed, while driving. Of course, each headlight cost about $900, but it sure was nice!!!

These are the bones. My towing experience was actually great. Gobs of power, lots of torque available. The loaded trailer slightly magnified the stock FX4 shocks weaknesses. I'm swapping for Eibach soon. Eibach or Bilstein should cure the wallow. The truck tracks well with the trailer properly loaded, no porpoislng at all. The trailer dropped the bumper by about an inch and a half. I didn't re-aim my headlights, so I got flashed - a lot.

I found the best balance of fuel mileage/speed by staying at 60-65 mph in 7th or 8th gear. Not great fuel mileage (just over 13 mpg), but far better than my 2017 Titan got pulling that trailer! Most of the trip was through the Rockies between Calgary Alberta and Prince George BC. Spectacular!!! The Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper is stunning both ways!!! So lots of up and down. The truck didn't miss a beat.

Well, there you have it. I'll probably send a sternly worded email to whomever I can find at Ford to tell them of my experience, and perhaps some future edition of a Ford truck will get the towing experience right, straight out of the box...
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Deleted member 1634

Not to be harsh but why did you buy a mid size truck for towing? Seems like you need a full size. Plenty of great points nonetheless. Let us know about how the suspension upgrades help!
That was my thought as well. Sounds like the encompassing issue here is that OP wants full-size capability in a mid-size package.

If you keep comparing your mid-size Ranger to your previous full-size Rams and Titans, then you're just asking to be disappointed by it's capability and functionality. Don't get me wrong, some of those "gripes" would be nice to have, but they're not something I would expect to see on a mid-size "lifestyle vehicle" type truck.
 

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In the good old days factories built a truck and then you modified it to your specs or you lived with it. Now days little babies want a custom for them straight from the factory. Now you know why trucks cost much. Solution for the pistol grip, cut it off. Solution for the backup horn, cut it to fit and paint it to match. I am sure that there are some mechanics in your area that can think and help you with your problems. ?
 
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Having to stop so often when towing because of the small gas tank is indeed a pain (BTW the Colorado has 3 gallon larger tank comparing apples to apples). Cost me over $300 to have an OEM Brake Controller installed (standard in the Colorado with the tow package). BTW...my ranger has a higher tow rating than my 2013 F150 by 1500lbs for those advocating that one should of bought a full size pickup to tow. Agree...Ranger as a towing platform is far less than ideal.
 


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Thanks for mentioning the mirrors and SMALL gas tank. I am just now getting into the details of wanting to tow a small RV trailer and am concerned with mileage of having to fill up every 100 miles or so If towing MPG drops to half of normal from towing. They should have towing mirrors as an accessory if they thought out far enough for BLIS covering the trailer they knew we would be utilizing as such.
 

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That was my thought as well. Sounds like the encompassing issue here is that OP wants full-size capability in a mid-size package.

If you keep comparing your mid-size Ranger to your previous full-size Rams and Titans, then you're just asking to be disappointed by it's capability and functionality. Don't get me wrong, some of those "gripes" would be nice to have, but they're not something I would expect to see on a mid-size "lifestyle vehicle" type truck.
I totally agree, the Ranger was never designed to be a full time work truck tow vehicle. That's what full size trucks are for. It is a lifestyle truck with best in class towing capabilities. Yes, the brake controller was a major miss on Ford's side. A towing mirror option would be nice for those that need it, along with a larger fuel tank. The rest of the issues are more personal preference items from you previous full size experience.

Sounds like you got really good mileage considering where you were towing. Maybe a weight distribution hitch would help the headlight issue, if you didn't have one.
 

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Cost me over $300 to have an OEM Brake Controller installed (standard in the Colorado with the tow package)
It's all just numbers games. Colorado tow package is $250 and includes the hitch receiver and wiring. It also forces the locking diff which is $325. The integrated brake controller is another $230 on top of that. So basically $800 for the colorado vs basically $800 for the ranger--after comparing apples and oranges you end up with less than the differences between incentives that happen to be in place the day you walk into the dealership. Little differences in line item numbers like this basically don't matter because if they give you something on one line they'll take it away on another line. The only thing that matters is the bottom line, and that changes on a daily basis. Interestingly enough the list price on equivalent base models (6cyl colorado) equipped for towing is basically the same--like the manufacturers almost had a price point they were trying to hit.
 
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Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Some of you have made some assumptions that are not accurate - the basic failing of making assumptions. I don't pull trailers every day, but with a 7500 pound "best in class" towing capacity, I will utilize that part of the design from time to time. This trip was hauling furniture to my daughter's house 1100 km away from me. The next haul trip may be to fetch a motorcycle or two that I've bought. Or to help a neighbor move. I'll haul my boat to the lake and back every year. You know, the basic stuff Ford had in mind when they designed this truck. This was my first big trip, and it was a total success, with a few flies in the ointment. Totally to be expected

I'm sorry if my list hurt a few feelings out there, not my intent. Just thought you'd like to hear about my experience. I will be contacting Ford with my list. Any good designer/engineer welcomes actual user experience.

I do have a load leveling hitch, currently set up on my 10,000 pound travel trailer and adjusted for my old Ram 2500. Since my hauls vary (I have a small 4x8 flatbed trailer, the 6x12 that I used on this trip, and my ski boat), a load leveler isn't the most practical solution. Instead I'm probably going to install air bags (I've put them on 3 other pickups), or possibly do the add a leaf option. That's still being studied.

As far as range goes, I drove from Jasper to Calgary - 412 km, or 256 miles, on a single tank. That's going over two mountain passes, so definitely not a flat tow. The gauge was showing 1/8 tank, the low fuel warning comes on just before 1/8 (3/16-ish?). I found the "distance remaining" number on the fuel economy gauge to be pretty accurate. So refueling every three or four hours, which actually isn't too bad. I need to point Percy at the porcelain at about that rate anyway! ???

Again, thanks for your responses! This is a great forum, with lots of positive, constructive people. I appreciate being part of this group!

Steve

PS. A pickup truck's "lifestyle" actually includes carrying stuff in the box and towing trailers. Sorta what they were actually designed to do... ?
 
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1. Totally with you on that, and my adventures with that are well documented elsewhere here. To proudly market this truck as having "Best in Class Towing" and no available controller was absurd, if not misleading.

3. I've thought the exact same thing. All this technology and automation, and they didn't think of that?

Another absurdity I've noticed that when in "Sport" mode, the automatic shutoff is disabled and the button is illuminated. When you are in "Trailer" mode, automatic shutoff is also disable, but for some strange reason, in this case the light on the button is not illuminated. This along with other clues has led me to believe that the teams that designed the programming for this truck worked separately and didn't communicate with each other much, if at all.

5. I've been looking for custom-fit after-market trailering mirrors for some time now, like those that are available for the F-150. Hopefully someone will soon figure out that there's a market for that. In the meantime, I'm stuck with a kludgy solution that occasionally fails.

6. My only big complaint. It would be nice to have an extra 5 gallons or so, so that I might be able to go more that 200 miles on a tank.

7. I've just settled for adjusting my lights at the beginning of trailering season, and then setting them back for the winter.
 

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2020 XLT FX4, towing a 3500-4000# camper in the Colorado Rockies. Love it. 25mpg in town, 13mpg towing, and no strain over our passes. I’m curious if anyone has investigated the performance upgrade ($800) to add 50ho and 50 ft-lbs of torque? Downside is needing premium gas...
 
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This is a great thread! I need a vehicle that tows my horse trailer a few times a year but fits in my townhouse's smallish garage. Had a 2014 JGC EcoDiesel (loved it) but it was getting ready to develop some major exhaust/coolant issues (did not love at all) so after much research and convincing myself that this truck "had it", I got one. I agree with the OP's contention that the truck should put itself into tow mode when you plug in the trailer. The Jeep didn't have an integrated brake controller nor great towing mirrors, but it had other great aspects (lots of torque and superior diesel mpg). The Ranger beats the JGC in responsiveness to the gas pedal (love) and once I set my WDH for the Ranger instead of the JGC, the ride was less wiggly.

I'm wondering, @BowWow , did you use a WDH for your trailer? My husband and I have been wondering if that's less necessary with the Ranger than it was with the JGC (which had a higher curb weight but shorter wheelbase than the Ranger). We did use one the last time and felt a bit of trailer sway. Just looking for the best options for good, correct towing.
 
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I didn't use a WDH, although I do have one set up for my Ram 2500 pulling my 10,000 travel trailer, so I do have experience with them. For my use with my utility trailer I don't think I'll use the WDH, but it would have easily leveled my truck. I will install either air bags (I've had them on two trucks, they work great), or possibly an add-a-leaf, to handle the sag when loaded. As I haul motorcycles in the box from time to time as well, I think the air bags would be the better solution for me. More flexibility in load leveling. I also pull my ski boat and I have a small 4x8 flatbed trailer that sees some use as well, so the airbags would probably be best...

I had no sway issues towing my trailer on my last trip
 
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Just finished a 2200 km round trip towing a 6x12 dual axle enclosed utility trailer (GVW 7,000 pounds), and before I go to bed I wanted to pick a few bones with Ford about my Ranger trailering experience. For the record, I'm driving a 2020 Lariat FX4 with the trailer towing package.

Here's the bones:

1. Seriously. A trailer towing package without a brake controller???? C'mon, Ford!

2. The umbilical outlet is mounted upside down in the rear bumper. This is not only inconvenient (my trailer umbilicals are trained to bend a certain way. Turn them upside down and they get all wonky), but may cause damage when the tailgate is opened and it hits a pistol-grip-shaped trailer plug. I also have a backup alarm that plugs into the trailer outlet (required for my work) that makes contact with the tailgate when it's open, because the outlet is mounted upside down. Luckily, I discovered this before doing much damage (a small black spot in the paint is all). I'll try to pop the outlet out and turn it around if I can...

3. The truck knows when a trailer has been plugged in. All sorts of warnings and stuff flash on the screen. But you have to manually press the Trailer Tow button to put the transmission into town mode. Again, seriously, Ford? If the truck knows a trailer is plugged in, have it tell the bloody transmission!!! It should automatically turn the trailer tow mode on when a trailer is plugged in. Then, if I don't want the trailer tow engaged, make me turn it off, not on!

4. When the trailer tow button is pushed, a very bright orange icon lights up on the dash. It isn't dimmable with the rest of the display. Why not have an information light in the display, like the 4H and 4L lights, instead of this garish glaring warning light? After a while I actually adjusted my body position in the seat so the steering wheel would obstruct the light. It's extremely obnoxious! I know, I know, a piece of electrical tape strategically stuck to the glass. But seriously, who wants a blob of tape stuck to their instrument panel???

5. Towing mirrors. Should be part of the towing package, no? The stock Lariat mirrors are fine for my 6 foot wide trailer, but a 7 or 8 foot wide trailer would be impossible. I seriously miss my ghost trailer mirrors on my Ram!???

6. Tiny fuel tank. But you knew that already, didn't you Ford. And did I mention the lack of an integrated brake controller?????

7. This is more of a wish than pointing out obvious failures. My 2017 Nissan Titan had headlights that could be adjusted from inside the cab. A 4 position roller switch let me aim them up or down as needed, while driving. Of course, each headlight cost about $900, but it sure was nice!!!

These are the bones. My towing experience was actually great. Gobs of power, lots of torque available. The loaded trailer slightly magnified the stock FX4 shocks weaknesses. I'm swapping for Eibach soon. Eibach or Bilstein should cure the wallow. The truck tracks well with the trailer properly loaded, no porpoislng at all. The trailer dropped the bumper by about an inch and a half. I didn't re-aim my headlights, so I got flashed - a lot.

I found the best balance of fuel mileage/speed by staying at 60-65 mph in 7th or 8th gear. Not great fuel mileage (just over 13 mpg), but far better than my 2017 Titan got pulling that trailer! Most of the trip was through the Rockies between Calgary Alberta and Prince George BC. Spectacular!!! The Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper is stunning both ways!!! So lots of up and down. The truck didn't miss a beat.

Well, there you have it. I'll probably send a sternly worded email to whomever I can find at Ford to tell them of my experience, and perhaps some future edition of a Ford truck will get the towing experience right, straight out of the box...
I agree with all of your points. I moved from crossovers to this truck so that I could tow a travel trailer once in a while, and #1 (no brake controller), #3 (smart enough to know a trailer is there, too dumb to put it into tow/haul automatically), and #6 (small fuel tank) are annoying. #1 most of all.

#2 (upside down connector) seemed odd to me as well. It hasn't been an issue with my trailer but I was thinking of flipping it (I wonder if it's as easy as it seems like it should be).

#4 (tow light too bright) might adjust with the dimmer for the instrument cluster as a whole, but I assume you're not wanting to do that for some reason. I haven't found it too bright in my setup.

#5 (tow mirrors) I am surprised there are no custom fit options or replacement mirrors available. If anyone comes across any please post'em!
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