Towing new camper

[spieghts451]

Ok. I just bought a 26 ft camper that weighs 4800lbs dry. I have 2019 ranger with towing package that has 7500lbs towing capacity. How’s she gonna do?

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[JohnnyO]

You'll hardly know it's back there. You will need to add a brake controller.

 

[spieghts451]

You'll hardly know it's back there. You will need to add a brake controller.

I bought the curt wireless Bluetooth controller.

 

[Raygunn]

In my experience I was quite surprised. I have a camper similar to yours and tow it with a '20 FX4 SCREW. My foremost concern was having enough torque for towing, but that fear vanished instantly..... the little turbo CAN do. Some issues to watch for though: these trucks weigh in at around 4500 lbs. which in your case is lighter than your TT, they are also short in the wheel base. These can lead to a slightly unstable feeling when you're towing in the wind or a big rig is passing by you. A Sway Bar will help alleviate some of that. A properly installed Weight Distribution Hitch will keep your front tires firmly planted, and definitely install a brake controller. Also, if you see a response to your post by the one called Grumpaw, read it, reread it, and then do what it says. After following his advice I had a trouble free cross country trip.

 

[UnregistredHypercam2]

Only thing you’ll really feel is how small our gas tank is compared to a full size truck. I’ve towed ~4000 pounds a couple times in the form of a uhaul tandem axle cargo trailer and the truck did great.

 

[mtbikernate]

yeah, the small gas tank has convinced me to stay small for campers. I basically treat my towing capacity such that pushing the limits is for local trips only. stopping to fill up the gas tank all the time on a long road trip gets irritating fast, so for a camper that I'd be planning to take on longer road trips, I want it to be small, light, and aerodynamic so I can keep my fill-up frequency down as much as possible.

I'll be doing my longest road trip while towing this weekend. My average mpg when towing my little camper has been about 20mpg on twisty southern Appalachian mountain roads, but I see potential to get it a little higher and I'll be trying to do that on this trip.

this truck is VERY sensitive to the frontal area and general aerodynamics of your trailer, also.

 

[Big Blue]

Ok. I just bought a 26 ft camper that weighs 4800lbs dry. I have 2019 ranger with towing package that has 7500lbs towing capacity. How’s she gonna do?

Only comments I will add are.

The dry weight of the camper means nothing, it's the actual loaded weight that counts. The GVWR of the trailer is a good starting point. That and the GCVWR of your truck, which varies by cab size and drive. It is the total combined weight of your truck and all passengers and cargo along with the loaded trailer weight. Only way to check this is to take your rig loaded for travel to a truck scale and weigh it.

Your mileage towing a rig that size will suck, no way around it. With that much frontal area weight is a small part of it. Only way to maximize mileage is to keep speeds down. Anything over 60-65 mph and it goes south fast.

I can only second the comments on getting a properly set up weight distribution hitch with sway control. Oh and get yourself some good towing mirrors, I have the Clearview extendables on my truck.

I will add one personal comment to this. Get yourself the Ford brake controller installed. It integrates with the trucks safety features and there is no loose parts every time you hook up. I consider the Curt Echo a good option for occasional towing. But for routinely towing a TT I recommend the built in controller, that lets you manually apply the trailer brakes, if needed.
Take that for what you will.

With all that said your Ranger should pull your camper just fine. Tow safe, enjoy your TT and make memories.

 

[spieghts451]

Only comments I will add are.

The dry weight of the camper means nothing, it's the actual loaded weight that counts. The GVWR of the trailer is a good starting point. That and the GCVWR of your truck, which varies by cab size and drive. It is the total combined weight of your truck and all passengers and cargo along with the loaded trailer weight. Only way to check this is to take your rig loaded for travel to a truck scale and weigh it.

Your mileage towing a rig that size will suck, no way around it. With that much frontal area weight is a small part of it. Only way to maximize mileage is to keep speeds down. Anything over 60-65 mph and it goes south fast.

I can only second the comments on getting a properly set up weight distribution hitch with sway control. Oh and get yourself some good towing mirrors, I have the Clearview extendables on my truck.

I will add one personal comment to this. Get yourself the Ford brake controller installed. It integrates with the trucks safety features and there is no loose parts every time you hook up. I consider the Curt Echo a good option for occasional towing. But for routinely towing a TT I recommend the built in controller, that lets you manually apply the trailer brakes, if needed.
Take that for what you will.

With all that said your Ranger should pull your camper just fine. Tow safe, enjoy your TT and make memories.

Hopefully, I’ll rarely tow it. I live in it while I’m working out of state

 

[Frenchy]

Lol so you baught a trailer that is under the towing capacity of your vehicle.... How do you think its going to do? I had a coworker question me on it thinking the truck would squat. I told him it wasnt an issue pulling 5,500 LBS. Its rated from tge Factory at 7,500 LBS for a reason.

 

[Big Blue]

Hopefully, I’ll rarely tow it. I live in it while I’m working out of state

Everyone has their own needs and uses. Most people that buy a TT that big plan to travel. My only point to all my comments is this. It only takes one instance with an improperly setup or equipped or overloaded rig to make for a very bad day for you and possibly someone else. And towing a travel trailer is not like any other trailer towing.

 

[WingShot]

Hopefully, I’ll rarely tow it. I live in it while I’m working out of state

Some critical information that was missing from the original post. Didn't you ask how the truck would do while towing?

 

[spieghts451]

Lol so you baught a trailer that is under the towing capacity of your vehicle.... How do you think its going to do? I had a coworker question me on it thinking the truck would squat. I told him it wasnt an issue pulling 5,500 LBS. Its rated from tge Factory at 7,500 LBS for a reason.

I think it’s probably a little too much weight. Do you believe everything the factory tells you?

 

[spieghts451]

Some critical information that was missing from the original post. Didn't you ask how the truck would do while towing?

Yes I did. I guess I just started having a conversation with the people who replied. What critical info do you need?

 

[WingShot]

Yes I did. I guess I just started having a conversation with the people who replied. What critical info do you need?

The fact that you will rarely tow it is critical to a question about towing. Seems like that would be something worth mentioning in your original post.

As to my question…You bring up the Dry Weight and ask how the truck will tow it. Then respond to the answers with “Hopefully, I’ll rarely tow it”. So what are we doing here?

BTW, several members on here are towing trailers of similar weight with little issue. Including myself.

 

[mtbikernate]

I think it’s probably a little too much weight. Do you believe everything the factory tells you?

With regards to safety specifications, yes. The manufacturer is in for a world of trouble if they get too happy with those. If anything, they're going to tend to be more conservative about them to ensure that there's a safety margin.

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