Towing beast!

[Grumpaw]

Sidebar....
I wonder if it's possible - just as a science experiment to strip the ranger down to reduce as much weight as possible, lower it a little, put on some super efficient tires and wheels, drive highway speeds (55 to 65) for a tank and see what the maximum possible achievable MPG really is. Best case conditions all of the way around. Then we can track how far off of perfection we all are.

Maybe perfect is really only 28 MPG and getting 21 with a fully loaded truck and off road tires and towing isn't that bad.

Or Maybe 42.2 is perfect. We don't really know.

Just take a complete frame/running gear, slap a Ford emblem on it, put a drivers seat, and run your test for a "stripped Ranger".
Why Does This Matter ??????? What is the hourly obsession with the mpg ??????? I don't get it .....
It's a truck, and if you did any homework on the Ranger, you knew it wasn't going to get 275.9484636 mpg, and that it had a small gas tank.
WHY ????? Someone please "splain me"

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[gfitzge2]

Just take a complete frame/running gear, slap a Ford emblem on it, put a drivers seat, and run your test for a "stripped Ranger".
Why Does This Matter ??????? What is the hourly obsession with the mpg ??????? I don't get it .....
It's a truck, and if you did any homework on the Ranger, you knew it wasn't going to get 275.9484636 mpg, and that it had a small gas tank.
WHY ????? Someone please "splain me"

I agree 100%

If I want higher mileage I will choose a smaller ride. I will admit that I can't tow a Taho or Suburban across the country with it. On the other hand, they probably shouldn't have done that with the Ranger either.

 

[Jason B]

While I do like TFL IDK about towing over the max at 70 mph, that isn't the smartest especially for that distance. The saying "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" comes to mind with this one. Also running 87 when they (Ford) recommend premium for towing wasn't the smartest move either but I guess it makes for a good video and clicks on their channel. BTW they towed the Bronco only 24 miles where this was over 300. lol

We should send them this:

 

[seanellaz]

My hero Andre and the TFL Ranger did this...

Low octane gas, overweight, and no weight distributing hitch. And no complaints! With Premium fuel and a weight distributing hitch they could have kept to the speed limit and maybe made the trip a little faster.

 

[Montana Ranger]

Some things Andrei says sometimes seem like...I dunno...like "this truck is rated at 24 mpg highway and we've never seen it"....dude, I got over 26 mpg more than once on long trips. But get this, with cold, dense air at altitude and flying down the highway at 75 mph, don't expect to match EPA numbers, especially when towing 1000 lbs over GCWR. Whatever I can get over the EPA rating I consider a plus, but if you want good gas mileage, get a prius!

Went roughly 200 miles round-trip Friday on my weekly skiing sojourn up and down mountain. Mostly 60-70 mph with occasional stoplights through towns. 25 mpg. Regular gas & mostly below freezing.

 

[Friday yet?]

Just take a complete frame/running gear, slap a Ford emblem on it, put a drivers seat, and run your test for a "stripped Ranger".
Why Does This Matter ??????? What is the hourly obsession with the mpg ??????? I don't get it .....
It's a truck, and if you did any homework on the Ranger, you knew it wasn't going to get 275.9484636 mpg, and that it had a small gas tank.
WHY ????? Someone please "splain me"

When you say something wrong I'll stop you....

 

[Friday yet?]

I agree 100%

If I want higher mileage I will choose a smaller ride. I will admit that I can't tow a Taho or Suburban across the country with it. On the other hand, they probably shouldn't have done that with the Ranger either.

Love the bike!!!!!!! ?

 

[Montana Ranger]

Most trips include mountain passes and we've been as high as 8,000 feet. Never struggles. We usually cruse at 60 mpg for stability and safety. (55 or less going down steep grades) MPG goes to hell after 60 anyway. Average 10-11 mpg. Fuel type never seems to make any difference.

 

[Grumpaw]

I don't know what the big hoopla is all about...their towing a 5000 lb truck on a 2000 lb trailer...
Every time I hook up and tow, I'm doing that...trailer is right around 6900 lbs plus the stuff I have in the bed. I've posted several times before, Ranger handles it without a problem.....
Use premium when towing....couldn't care less what mpg is...it is what it is...
Small tank is no problem...gives us a chance every few hours to get out and stretch.

 

[ControlNode]

Well, I no longer have any reservations of towing my two dr JK to the trails in Colorado or Utah lol

It should depend on what your gross combined weight lands at with your trailer, gear, passengers and JK. Also depends on the adjusted for altitude GCWR rating, -3% GCWR for every 1,000ft over sea level.

 

[Grumpaw]

It should depend on what your gross combined weight lands at with your trailer, gear, passengers and JK. Also depends on the adjusted for altitude GCWR rating, -3% GCWR for every 1,000ft over sea level.

You know, manual may state that figure, but in all my years of towing and all the hundreds of people I know that tow, neither I or anyone else I know has ever stopped to weigh their rigs and than worry about towing up mountain grades while worrying about deducting 3% for every 1000 feet.
I have towed over mountains in the Rockies, Canadian Rockies, Smokies, all over and I never worried or computed about weight/hp/height, ect.
It's just numbers, and can be made to indicate whatever the "maker" wants.
It's like adding 100 lbs to the 7500 lb towing rating...do you think the truck is going to notice an extra 100 lbs, of just stop running because of the xtra weight ? I have already had my rig, towing, thru the Blue Ridge Pkway at 6500 feet, and the Ranger didn't miss a beat.
Planning on the Rockies and Teton next year...no problem.

 

[Azhang253]

It should depend on what your gross combined weight lands at with your trailer, gear, passengers and JK. Also depends on the adjusted for altitude GCWR rating, -3% GCWR for every 1,000ft over sea level.

Well, I don’t have the trailer yet lol, it the Jeep only weighs around 4200lb at most.

 

[ControlNode]

You know, manual may state that figure, but in all my years of towing and all the hundreds of people I know that tow, neither I or anyone else I know has ever stopped to weigh their rigs and than worry about towing up mountain grades while worrying about deducting 3% for every 1000 feet.
I have towed over mountains in the Rockies, Canadian Rockies, Smokies, all over and I never worried or computed about weight/hp/height, ect.
It's just numbers, and can be made to indicate whatever the "maker" wants.
It's like adding 100 lbs to the 7500 lb towing rating...do you think the truck is going to notice an extra 100 lbs, of just stop running because of the xtra weight ? I have already had my rig, towing, thru the Blue Ridge Pkway at 6500 feet, and the Ranger didn't miss a beat.
Planning on the Rockies and Teton next year...no problem.

You kinda know me, and I do those things. I actually estimate what the load will be. The trailer I'm towing what I'll have in the truck. And when I've known it would be really close to the limits. I have put the truck with everything in it and my passengers on a scale so I knew how much GVWR I had left because that was my tight number in that case not the actual combined weight because the trailer was light enough. Then with the scale in my hitch I can add that tongue weight really quick to the number I got prior. I use a site, flattest route I believe, to determine what the elevation is between the two points that I'll be pulling the trailer. (I often pick up the RV close to my destination by renting it there).

 

[BettaRanga]

Yes I remember that from your trip last summer, Dave. The same goes with me; as long as I don't mash on the skinny one at every stop light, I get good results, and I, like you am running 32" tires (no lift tho). I have read several others in this forum who had managed over 24 mpg, so definitely not a fluke

How did you fit the tires with no lift?

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

I don't know what the big hoopla is all about...their towing a 5000 lb truck on a 2000 lb trailer...
Every time I hook up and tow, I'm doing that...trailer is right around 6900 lbs plus the stuff I have in the bed. I've posted several times before, Ranger handles it without a problem.....
Use premium when towing....couldn't care less what mpg is...it is what it is...
Small tank is no problem...gives us a chance every few hours to get out and stretch.

According to the weigh scale, they were 13,520 combined, so more like 8500 lbs for the trailer and Yukon. The big hoopla as you put it, is they were over GVCW and towing capacity by more than 1,000 lbs.

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