Towing 4 Down

[P. A. Schilke]

I just posted this in towing but since I am new to this forum I am posting here as well - not exactly sure how this forum process works!

Hello fellow Ranger drivers. We just bought a 2018 Minnie Winnie and a new 2019 Ford Ranger 4x4 to tow after ~15 years with a travel trailer towed by an F-250. We are preparing for a 2 week trip from Oklahoma to northwest Colorado in July, and I have several questions and honestly some concerns about flat towing the Ranger.

I have installed the Roadmaster base plate and wiring kit and also purchased the Blue Ox Patriot in-cab brake. Would appreciate your inputs to any or all of my questions, and thank you in advance!

• I have seen other threads expressing concern over battery drain and resultant potential transmission failure - what is the best method to run a power line from the RV to the Ranger? Understanding you may not have knowledge about my RV, the more specific question is how to hook a power supply to the Ranger?
• On another thread it was stated the in-cab power supply times out - what is the best method to run power to the Patriot brake?
• I was intending to run the brake break-away cable through the engine compartment and the driver's side door to the brake - any concerns with this?
• Is there a problem with driving the truck for some distance just prior to hooking up and towing?
• Is there a recommended maximum speed to tow? I am not intending anything crazy, probably 65mph or maybe 70mph max.
• Does anyone have concerns with towing 500-600 miles+ without unhooking and driving the Ranger?

Thanks again!

Hi Dan,

I tow without a charge line without draining the battery. A charge line can be fabricated quite easily and fuse at both ends. Commercial charge lines are available.

I ran a power line for the Add a Brake from the Ranger's battery through the wiring grommet on the driverside, fused at the battery to avoid the time out of the powerpoints in the Ranger. Tip-Pull a bundle of about 8 wires through the grommet for future use... It is a PITA to run the wires.

My brake-away module is at the front of the vehicle and the the wiring runs through the same grommet..

Should be no problem with driving the Ranger just prior to hooking up. Here is something I do...I leave a good distance from the RV with the tow bar. Then I set the parking brake and go through the process to put the Ranger in neutral tow mode with the transfer case in neutral. I then release the parking brake and then by hand push the Ranger forward. It should roll forward a foot or two freely...If it does not roll...repeat the neutral tow function.

We tow up to 70mph but I keep most times to 65mph or lower.

Towing 500 to 600 miles should not hurt the Ranger at all.

Hope this helps.
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

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[RMD3819]

I just posted this in towing but since I am new to this forum I am posting here as well - not exactly sure how this forum process works!

Hello fellow Ranger drivers. We just bought a 2018 Minnie Winnie and a new 2019 Ford Ranger 4x4 to tow after ~15 years with a travel trailer towed by an F-250. We are preparing for a 2 week trip from Oklahoma to northwest Colorado in July, and I have several questions and honestly some concerns about flat towing the Ranger.

I have installed the Roadmaster base plate and wiring kit and also purchased the Blue Ox Patriot in-cab brake. Would appreciate your inputs to any or all of my questions, and thank you in advance!

• I have seen other threads expressing concern over battery drain and resultant potential transmission failure - what is the best method to run a power line from the RV to the Ranger? Understanding you may not have knowledge about my RV, the more specific question is how to hook a power supply to the Ranger? Buy this: https://rvibrake.com/collections/flat-towing-products/products/towed-battery-charger-plus
• On another thread it was stated the in-cab power supply times out - what is the best method to run power to the Patriot brake?
• I was intending to run the brake break-away cable through the engine compartment and the driver's side door to the brake - any concerns with this?
• Is there a problem with driving the truck for some distance just prior to hooking up and towing? No
• Is there a recommended maximum speed to tow? I am not intending anything crazy, probably 65mph or maybe 70mph max. Nothing in the manual. I don’t go above 70.
• Does anyone have concerns with towing 500-600 miles+ without unhooking and driving the Ranger? I would start the Ranger but not unhook after that many miles. I would not drive that far without a charge line.

Thanks again!

My answers are in bold. Could not answer all of them.

 

[Dan W.]

Hi Dan,

I tow without a charge line without draining the battery. A charge line can be fabricated quite easily and fuse at both ends. Commercial charge lines are available.

I ran a power line for the Add a Brake from the Ranger's battery through the wiring grommet on the driverside, fused at the battery to avoid the time out of the powerpoints in the Ranger. Tip-Pull a bundle of about 8 wires through the grommet for future use... It is a PITA to run the wires.

My brake-away module is at the front of the vehicle and the the wiring runs through the same grommet..

Should be no problem with driving the Ranger just prior to hooking up. Here is something I do...I leave a good distance from the RV with the tow bar. Then I set the parking brake and go through the process to put the Ranger in neutral tow mode with the transfer case in neutral. I then release the parking brake and then by hand push the Ranger forward. It should roll forward a foot or two freely...If it does not roll...repeat the neutral tow function.

We tow up to 70mph but I keep most times to 65mph or lower.

Towing 500 to 600 miles should not hurt the Ranger at all.

Hope this helps.
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Phil:

Thank you very much for the great inputs. So you do not believe battery drain is a problem, even after a couple of days of towing (which is how long it takes me to get to Grand Lake, Colorado).

Thanks again,
Dan

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Phil:

Thank you very much for the great inputs. So you do not believe battery drain is a problem, even after a couple of days of towing (which is how long it takes me to get to Grand Lake, Colorado).

Thanks again,
Dan

Hi Dan,

The brake unit only works when you apply the brakes, and usually braking is for the short haul down. Now that said, I also follow the rule of RVing.... You go down hill at the same speed you climbed. For example in our RV adventures in Wyoming going into Jackson Hole, we climbed Teton Pass at 25mph...and dropping into Jackson Hole...the pass is a 10% grade. We maintained 25 mph with mild braking to stop the speed build up on this steep pass. Now, if you have to brake for extended periods, you might tax the battery over time, but the battery is sized for the electrical demand of the 90 percentile user.

The reason for many vehicles is that they must be towed with the ignition key in the on position and this is a battery drain, but on my Lariat, no key is required. Is it on your XLT? I do not know if a similar condition exists on the keyed Ranger, and if it is such that you have to have the key in the on position to unlock the steering column then this might be a problem...Hopefully others will chime in here. When we are RVing all summer, every summer where we traveled to all lower 48 states, my 2007 Ranger followed along. Never a battery problem as the first key position to unlock the steering wheel did not turn on the vehicle.


Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[Dan W.]

Hi Dan,

The brake unit only works when you apply the brakes, and usually braking is for the short haul down. Now that said, I also follow the rule of RVing.... You go down hill at the same speed you climbed. For example in our RV adventures in Wyoming going into Jackson Hole, we climbed Teton Pass at 25mph...and dropping into Jackson Hole...the pass is a 10% grade. We maintained 25 mph with mild braking to stop the speed build up on this steep pass. Now, if you have to brake for extended periods, you might tax the battery over time, but the battery is sized for the electrical demand of the 90 percentile user.

The reason for many vehicles is that they must be towed with the ignition key in the on position and this is a battery drain, but on my Lariat, no key is required. Is it on your XLT? I do not know if a similar condition exists on the keyed Ranger, and if it is such that you have to have the key in the on position to unlock the steering column then this might be a problem...Hopefully others will chime in here. When we are RVing all summer, every summer where we traveled to all lower 48 states, my 2007 Ranger followed along. Never a battery problem as the first key position to unlock the steering wheel did not turn on the vehicle.


Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

Phil:

Yes, mine is an XLT and once you place it into tow neutral you do not turn the key all the way off. I suspect that is why I have seen concerns expressed regarding battery drain?

On another topic, what is the popular opinion on rock guards on the tow bar vs mud flaps or other rock suppression approaches?

Thanks again,
Dan

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Phil:

Yes, mine is an XLT and once you place it into tow neutral you do not turn the key all the way off. I suspect that is why I have seen concerns expressed regarding battery drain?

On another topic, what is the popular opinion on rock guards on the tow bar vs mud flaps or other rock suppression approaches?

Thanks again,
Dan

Hi Dan,

It has been proven again and again with the Alfa Motor Home that it is not needed as the rear wheel wells seem to take much if not all of the rocks etc. So I never use, however other motor homes might be more prone to kicking up stones and pebbles. I would refer to your Mini Winnie websites for this question... I really can't help you as I have no experience with your motor home configuration. Hope you can find an answer to your question. However it certainly wouldn't hurt to install a shield. I just did not need the added expense and aggravation of dealing with a shield.

Good Luck!
Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[BillinPCB]

Finished my first extended tow a couple of weeks ago and all went well.

My setup is the Ready Brute Elite Tow Bar with the integrated Ready Brake surge brake system. Also have the Roadmaster diode kit for the lights and have a charge line to the Ranger. Towing behind a class A motorhome on a 2019 Ford F53 26K GVWR chassis.

Tow was 1,000 miles where I unhooked the Ranger in the middle of the trip and again at the end. I did have one unusual indication each time exiting Neutral Tow. When exiting Neutral Tow I get a “Check Brakes” warning message in the dash display. I select OK, the message clears and no other message or warning is displayed. I have seen one other report of this on the irv2.com forum. Has anyone one on here seen this?

 

[RMD3819]

I had the check brakes warning one time.

Other than the initial fear it went away and all seems well.

 

[Jmckinley]

I got the “Check Brake” warning today when unhooking. It went away and didn’t come back.

 

[RAS100]

This forum is great source of information. I'm about to have a blue ox base plate installed. I'm having it done and will add the small charger Phil recommended. I have a brake buddy so I'll ask my installer to run the breakaway cable and a separate wire from the battery through the firewall. I'll recommend he go through the main wiring grommet. I hope the installer does a good job since I really can't do the work myself. Anything else I should tell my installer? Also, I have the Lariat with keyless ignition. Do I need to keep the fob in the truck while towing? Sorry if I missed this in the manual. Currently work camping in Carbondale CO. It's a great place to explore.

 

[Pvsaint]

You don't leave the key in the truck. You can lock it and walk away. Below is from the Owners Manual:

8. Leave the transmission in neutral (N)
and turn the ignition key as far as it can
go towards the off position. It does not
turn fully off when the transmission is
in neutral (N). If your vehicle has an
ignition key, you must leave the key in
the ignition when towing. To lock and
unlock your vehicle, use the keyless
entry keypad or an extra set of keys. If
your vehicle has intelligent access,
press the engine START/STOP button
once without pressing the brake pedal.
You do not need to leave your keys in
the vehicle. You can lock and unlock
your vehicle as you normally do.

 

[RAS100]

Thanks. Appreciate the info.

 

[hodges97]

I picked up my new 19 ranger today from my Ford dealer. Part of the deal was he would install my stuff. New Blue Ox tow plate. New Brake away, New hot wire to keep the b attery charged. 12 volt plug for Brake Buddy. And diodes on the lights. I will try to hook up and give it a practice tow soon. But it looks good.

 

[RAS100]

I picked up my new 19 ranger today from my Ford dealer. Part of the deal was he would install my stuff. New Blue Ox tow plate. New Brake away, New hot wire to keep the b attery charged. 12 volt plug for Brake Buddy. And diodes on the lights. I will try to hook up and give it a practice tow soon. But it looks good.

That's a pretty sweet deal. I paid close to $1200 for parts and labor to do the same thing. Looks like you have the same set-up as me. Good luck with it.

 

[hodges97]

I’m curious how it tows? I will hook it up and do a trial run soon

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