Towing report from Miles City, MT to Seattle

[chasbo]

My son loaded up a 6x12 Uhaul enclosed trailer, hooked it up to his 2004 Jeep Cherokee (which did not have the original tow package but he had added what he hoped would suffice) and started driving from central Wisconsin out to where I live near Seattle. The Cherokee, could not handle it and he only made it to Miles City, MT. So I drove my 2020 Ranger Lariat 4x4 (with the tow package) to go out and bring the trailer the rest of the way. At this point, we assumed he had not exceeded the max load of the trailer, which would have put the total tow weight under 4400 pounds. The Ranger had no issues pulling the trailer, and FYI it's about 1000 miles there are 4 mountain passes to go through between here and there. We took the most direct route which is I-94 to I-90. The Tow Control worked great. Engine braking kicked in when necessary and the transmission shifting seemed fine to me. I'm not an expert but I have been in vehicles where they would often have to rely on overdrive to do the job. The Ranger downshifting/upshifting seemed very good to me. I kept it under 70 for the most part but I didn't use cruise control so would occasionally go above that downhill. MPG ended up at 14.5. And at the end of the trip, I went to the local transfer station and got an unofficial total weight of the whole rig of 9560 lbs. Based on what I have read, that means were were carrying/pulling about 5000 pounds. This means he maxed out that trailer (we put some stuff in the bed but not 600 pounds). He had also maxed out the GVWR of his Cherokee, so no surprise that it struggled since it was a DIY tow upgrade and the vehicle has close to 200K on it. He was surprised that he had loaded up that much weight but his guesstimate was simply off by at least 1000 pounds. I kind of figured that would happen because he is kind of a pack rat.

Anyway, I am pretty pleased with how the Ranger handled it as we are intending to get a small RV someday. Another FYI I don't have the brake controller installed yet but the Uhaul trailer just has a 4-pin and it has a braking system on the tongue of the trailer so that they don't have to worry about customers needing a 7-pin with a brake controller.

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[TBR17]

Last Cherokee I had was a '96 Cherokee Classic which I ordered with the 4.0, auto trans, 4WD, Up Country suspension package, and tow package. If memory serves me, the package consisted of a trans cooler and HD radiator along with the hitch and wiring.

 

[chasbo]

Last Cherokee I had was a '96 Cherokee Classic which I ordered with the 4.0, auto trans, 4WD, Up Country suspension package, and tow package. If memory serves me, the package consisted of a trans cooler and HD radiator along with the hitch and wiring.

He did add the trans cooler, but not HD radiator. And of course the hitch and 4-pin wiring. His transmission is what had the problem dealing with the hills. Not sure exactly what was happening but the vehicle would lose all it's speed going up hills and they never made it to any actual mountains.

 

[TBR17]

That's a bummer. Glad pops and his venerable Ranger were there to save the day.

 

[12Bravo20]

My 2016 Jeep Cherokee had the factory tow package and was rated at 4500 pounds. I would not have attempted to haul 5000 pounds in hilly/mountainous terrain with it.

Glad to hear that the Ranger did well with the weight .

 

[P. A. Schilke]

My son loaded up a 6x12 Uhaul enclosed trailer, hooked it up to his 2004 Jeep Cherokee (which did not have the original tow package but he had added what he hoped would suffice) and started driving from central Wisconsin out to where I live near Seattle. The Cherokee, could not handle it and he only made it to Miles City, MT. So I drove my 2020 Ranger Lariat 4x4 (with the tow package) to go out and bring the trailer the rest of the way. At this point, we assumed he had not exceeded the max load of the trailer, which would have put the total tow weight under 4400 pounds. The Ranger had no issues pulling the trailer, and FYI it's about 1000 miles there are 4 mountain passes to go through between here and there. We took the most direct route which is I-94 to I-90. The Tow Control worked great. Engine braking kicked in when necessary and the transmission shifting seemed fine to me. I'm not an expert but I have been in vehicles where they would often have to rely on overdrive to do the job. The Ranger downshifting/upshifting seemed very good to me. I kept it under 70 for the most part but I didn't use cruise control so would occasionally go above that downhill. MPG ended up at 14.5. And at the end of the trip, I went to the local transfer station and got an unofficial total weight of the whole rig of 9560 lbs. Based on what I have read, that means were were carrying/pulling about 5000 pounds. This means he maxed out that trailer (we put some stuff in the bed but not 600 pounds). He had also maxed out the GVWR of his Cherokee, so no surprise that it struggled since it was a DIY tow upgrade and the vehicle has close to 200K on it. He was surprised that he had loaded up that much weight but his guesstimate was simply off by at least 1000 pounds. I kind of figured that would happen because he is kind of a pack rat.

Anyway, I am pretty pleased with how the Ranger handled it as we are intending to get a small RV someday. Another FYI I don't have the brake controller installed yet but the Uhaul trailer just has a 4-pin and it has a braking system on the tongue of the trailer so that they don't have to worry about customers needing a 7-pin with a brake controller.

Another example of a SWAG gone wrong. Best to not guess. Go to the local truck stop and get the vehicle and trailer weighed....you will then know before heading out and finding yourself in trouble.

Charlie....glad you could lent a hand with the Ranger!

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

 

[rang19ca]

What a good Dad you are. Ford Fxxkin Ranger.

 

[chasbo]

What a good Dad you are. Ford Fxxkin Ranger.

Couldn't have done it without the Ranger. Up until a couple months ago, I had a 2006 Jeep Liberty and and 2012 Jeep Liberty (still have the 2012). Both of those max out at 5000. Got a new Ranger specifically for towing a future RV and it looks like it can handle it pretty well.

 

[12Bravo20]

Couldn't have done it without the Ranger. Up until a couple months ago, I had a 2006 Jeep Liberty and and 2012 Jeep Liberty (still have the 2012). Both of those max out at 5000. Got a new Ranger specifically for towing a future RV and it looks like it can handle it pretty well.

I had a 2002 Jeep Liberty 3.7L V6 with factory tow package and it did way better pulling my utility trailer than my 1997 Ford F150 4x4 with the 4.6L V8.

I have not pulled any trailer yet with my Ranger FX4 but I'm sure it will do fine. It probably won't even notice my trailer. My 5.5'x10' utility trailer, Honda Pioneer 500 and gear are right around 2,000- 2,100 pounds.

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