Towing my horse trailer

[Stewthebassman]

I have been towing my Featherlite 2 horse slant since 2005. First with an X5 with the straight six gas engine, then with my 2011 X5 diesel. The trailer weighs 3500lbs. I have had and used the Weight distribution hitch. I use a Tekonsha Prodigy RF brake controller. It works flawlessly.

The Ranger purchase was done becuase the 2011 is getting a bit tired - 403,000kms and the transmission is feeling a bit slippy.

I ordered and received an XLT with the FX4 package, spray in bed and Tow Package. I then set about figuring out what I needed. First, the receiver height is 19", and my BMW was 12". So I got a drop hitch that went down 8". I needed new chains, as my original ones were too short. Amazon took care of that. The truck was really unstable, to my surprise. Purusing forum posts, I realized that my rear shocks needed changing, so I got some Bilsteins online and changed them. The towing got better! I dropped the air pressure to the stock 30 all around. It got better. Then I read some more, and using the WDH put more weight on the front. That seemed to work okay, unloaded! I don't know where to get my trailer weighed, tongue weight etc, so I basically relied on my senses....

The big day come and we loaded up the trailer with gear, luggage, hay, shavings (those in the truck bed), the horse, and five of us in the truck!

Our first day towing was a 500km trip. It was quite windy. I kept the speed to 90-95kms, at times a bit slower if the gusts were hard. I was passed by many, many big rigs, but strangely they didn't affect me much. About three hours in, I experimented with the Cruise Control. Strangely, everything worked better! I was very careful with this, but ultimately I relaxed a lot with the cruise!

My gas mileage for the first 5000kms of this truck has been around 12.5l/100km. The trip meter that I reset before the trip showed about 17l/100kms. Not bad! I used 94 Octane, as I had read the Super is the best when towing.

The trip home was a lot easier, as there was no wind to speak of, just rain. We had some hills. I am so impressed at this 4 cylinder engine! Never breathed hard, good gas mileage and overall a very stable ride.

If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them if you are thinking of using your Ranger for horses!

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[Cabose-1]

One suggestion, level the trailer just another slot up, maybe two?
And...........
Gen-y Rebel adjustable hitch.
Nice!
I tow that weight range often and am all stock, xlt4x2. I dont use weight distribution hitches, the ranger does really well on its own.Truck does awesome! Will be buying rear stabilizer bars before the year is out hopefully. The more level the trailer the far better the tow!
What kind of horses?
Love seeing the ranger used for work or off road.

 

[Stewthebassman]

I will try a notch or two up, maybe it'll be even more stable. Our next trip is only 170kms, in a few weeks.

Never heard of that hitch, I'll have a look!

My daughters both ride. This time it was the dressage mare, a Hanoverian doing Prix St Georges for the Canadian Young Riders Program.

 

[jflogerzi]

Expensive hobby ? and I thought buying my ranger to tow my track car was expensive. I agree as well you don't need a weight distribution hitch for that load. Lovely horse.

 

[Stewthebassman]

Ford doesn't require WDH on their towing page, but the trailer feels better in strong wind, so I used them.

Thank you!

 

[Big Blue]

Ford doesn't require WDH on their towing page, but the trailer feels better in strong wind, so I used them.

Thank you!

Yes, Ford doesn't require a WDH, but the you are correct that using one will feel better. Most towing sites will recommend them if your trailer weight is half of your truck weight or more. This is to get some of the tongue weight off the rear axle and back on the front. This helps with steering and braking. Makes the truck more stable. I do agree that you want your setup to have the trailer level, especially with a tandem axle trailer. Shares the load on the axles better and makes the trailer more stable. The one picture does look a little tongue low. Better than tongue high, that's a big no no.

 

[Stewthebassman]

Thank you for your observations! I had read another member here state that while WDH is required he had always done it and always would. I thought, well, maybe I'll give that a try!

I found that the fifth chain link actually did give a more solid road feel. Maybe one day I will find a weigh station where I can try and see how the weight is apportioned!

I'm not sure in that gas station if it's because the iPhone lens distorts the trailer or not....I agree that it looks a bit low but like you say, better low than high! And for me the stall floor needs to be as flat and comfortable for my horses as possible!

Funny, while we were tidying the trailer cabin today my wife found the original Robin Brand WDH instructions! (2005)

Yes, Ford doesn't require a WDH, but the you are correct that using one will feel better. Most towing sites will recommend them if your trailer weight is half of your truck weight or more. This is to get some of the tongue weight off the rear axle and back on the front. This helps with steering and braking. Makes the truck more stable. I do agree that you want your setup to have the trailer level, especially with a tandem axle trailer. Shares the load on the axles better and makes the trailer more stable. The one picture does look a little tongue low. Better than tongue high, that's a big no no.

 

[Fritz]

You say the trailer is 3500, is that loaded or empty?

 

[Stewthebassman]

Empty. It's a Featherlite, known for their aluminum construction.

You say the trailer is 3500, is that loaded or empty?

 

[ProtonDecay]

Our fully loaded Black Series HQ15 is just under 6,000 lbs. but we tow it anywhere it will go. Yesterday was up & over Sonora Pass (trailers not recommended), and it was 1st gear coming down the eastern side in places. A few observations and things we are trying:

1) The 2.3l has plenty of power to tow the weight. It likes to "breathe" between 3,000-4500 RPM and will overheat if under heavy load below about 2,500 RPM.
2) We tow in Sport Mode rather than using the Trailer Mode (ours is an XLT); we find that Sport Mode does everything we want in terms of RPM ranges and downshifts, plus we can lock in gears when the going gets tough.
3) One big issue is stopping power. We have upgraded the trailer to disc brakes (Hydrastar, highly recommend), and PowerStop Z36 slotted discs and grippier pads on the truck.
4) We are running Icon Stage 2 front and back, AirLift 5000 Pro air bags on the back of the truck, and an Equal-i-zer WDH hitch. We don't need the air bags so much when the WDH is hooked up, but inflate them to 40lbs or so when going off-road in order to level out the truck.

Here we are at the moment in the Eastern Sierras:

 

[Stewthebassman]

Great setup!!

Thanks for your input, looks like you can go anywhere with your rig!

Our fully loaded Black Series HQ15 is just under 6,000 lbs. but we tow it anywhere it will go. Yesterday was up & over Sonora Pass (trailers not recommended), and it was 1st gear coming down the eastern side in places. A few observations and things we are trying:

1) The 2.3l has plenty of power to tow the weight. It likes to "breathe" between 3,000-4500 RPM and will overheat if under heavy load below about 2,500 RPM.
2) We tow in Sport Mode rather than using the Trailer Mode (ours is an XLT); we find that Sport Mode does everything we want in terms of RPM ranges and downshifts, plus we can lock in gears when the going gets tough.
3) One big issue is stopping power. We have upgraded the trailer to disc brakes (Hydrastar, highly recommend), and PowerStop Z36 slotted discs and grippier pads on the truck.
4) We are running Icon Stage 2 front and back, AirLift 5000 Pro air bags on the back of the truck, and an Equal-i-zer WDH hitch. We don't need the air bags so much when the WDH is hooked up, but inflate them to 40lbs or so when going off-road in order to level out the truck.

Here we are at the moment in the Eastern Sierras:

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