Trip Report: 1800 Miles With a Camper

JimG_AZ

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Yes it was a 3rd gen (2016). I wanted a 2nd gen but they had already stopped producing them and I couldn't find anything I liked local. It was so bad after that first trip we rented a car the next time we went up there as I couldn't stand driving it. Now I'm actually looking forward to making that trip with the Ranger and hitting some of the trails in Sedona.
Did your Tacoma break down? Was it overheating? Unfortunately it is designed to get power at higher rpm's, so it is going to rev in the mountains. Unless you had a mechanical issue, it is not going to hurt it. If it means anything, my 2017 Mustang GT would also downshift and rev in those mountains when I wanted to pass.
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AzScorpion

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Did your Tacoma break down? Was it overheating? Unfortunately it is designed to get power at higher rpm's, so it is going to rev in the mountains. Unless you had a mechanical issue, it is not going to hurt it. If it means anything, my 2017 Mustang GT would also downshift and rev in those mountains when I wanted to pass.
It never broke down or overheated it was just aggravating the way it was always searching for gears. Even going up the inclined onramps here it was gutless. Even normal driving I had a surge between 35-38 mph like the tranny didn't know which gear it wanted. You're right that it makes it's power around 3000+ rpms but for average street driving it was horrible! The Ranger is so much smoother and the power is more even so your not lagging low end then getting that mid range hit.
 

DavidR

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Like everyone says, nice write-up. I'm in the process of adapting our 4WC slide-in camper (~1000 lbs. dry weight) from our old Ranger to the new one. The extra power will be greatly appreciated. The old truck ('93 4.0L V6) has lasted forever, but there are many grades, even on some interstates, where I can barely hold 55 with two of us in the cab and the camper loaded for a trip. I've built a platform for it, and am now waiting for air bags I have on order to arrive.
 

Booner13

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This has been a big help, get so many different answers from people on how much or how big an RV my Ranger can tow...been very confusing.
 

Jimmy07

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Nice looking combination. What WD hitch and sway control are you using ?
 


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Nice looking combination. What WD hitch and sway control are you using ?
No WD hitch. The sway control might be a Reese, it's just the standard friction bar type.
 

aslusers

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Just got home last night from our trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We took a borrowed camper: my grandpa's Coleman 1705RB. I won't get into many camper details unless someone wants to, but basically it's a 22' single axle with an advertised dry weight of around 3500 lbs.

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Let me get something out of the way before diving in. Colorados and Tacos outnumber Rangers 10:20:1 out here, if not more. They were everywhere. We can nitpick and make excuses for sales numbers all day long, but it's going to take a loooong time to catch up in the real-world mind share space. I think I only saw 4 or 5 '19 Rangers on the entire trip. And Ford has only themselves to blame for abandoning and conceding this market for so long.

Anyway, I cruised anywhere from 62-68 mph depending on wind conditions. The truck really doesn't give a flip about the weight, but wind on a (relatively) big ol camper pushes the truck around quite a bit, even with sway bars set tight. The farther east we went, the more hills we saw. This truck eats mountains for breakfast. It had no problem holding 65 mph on a 5° hill (as indicated by the offroad instrument cluster screen). The 2.3L EB has so much pulling power it's crazy. Anyone who thinks they need the 2.7L EB outside of being a hooligan is kidding themselves.

And the 10-speed...wow. There's always a gear right where you want it. I drove mostly with 9/10 locked out, and I helped it out by anticipating most hills by locking out 8. I found that if you let it lug itself, it waits too long to shift, then you end up in 6. But by forcing it into 7 at the bottom of the hill, it would usually pull right through.

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We had some business to take care of in Knoxville, so we went there first. Then, our campground was near Bryson City, NC, and the route took us over the Tail of the Dragon or Hwy 129. If you're not familiar with that road, it's a super twisty road that is popular with motorcycles. Very tight turns that had the truck in 2nd-5th gears for several miles. Oddly, this stretch returned the best mileage on a tank at 13 MPG. Also, check out the cool action shots I was able to get:

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We drove 180 miles just inside the park one day, without the camper. What beautiful views...if you haven't been, plan on it.

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I'm very happy with the performance of the truck and its ability to confidently handle the load. Not once could I not keep up with traffic because it was short on power, nor did I ever have any handling problems other than wind gusts. I use the Redarc brake controller, and it's fantastic too, but that's for another thread. I wish the Ranger had some niceties that its bigger brothers do, like integrated brakes, or trailer mileage logging. The fuel tank is way too small, and I still hate that steering wheel. But it's got it where it counts: power, handling, comfortable seats...

...I'd do it again, but give me a few days to recover. I don't care how comfortable the seats are, after 11 hrs you're ready to be out. Lol

tl;dr stats
Miles driven.........1800
Cruising speed....62-68
Worst mileage.....9.5
Best mileage.......13
2.3L EB................Awesome
10R80..................Amazing
Validated your writing and pictures!! We already put 4K on this trailer during the COVID shit era. Yet it deliver an awesome job!
SaberCamping.jpeg
 

MXGOLF

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tail of the Dragon is on my bucket list with my Yamaha FZ6. Come spring I will be taking my Tent trailer on the first trip with my Ranger. I can't wait.
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