What are you guys towing?

[Don B.]

Hey @Don B. , Do you know about how much height that gives your truck? I am guessing 3-4”, but they don’t say on their site. Have a tight fit in my garage, but looking at those bars in the removable format.
Thank you.

I would have to measure this weekend, but they are only slightly above my Stubby Antenna, if that helps:

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[Bzmustang13]

That does help, thanks! I have the stubby on there too, so gives me a great visual.

 

[Bionic]

 

[ElSolo]

First-time towing a travel trailer (w/ a Ranger or otherwise). Here's my experience:

Travel Trailer: 2021 Wolf Pup 16fq; 21’6” (hitch to bumper); 84" wide; 3,031lbs empty; ~500lbs cargo; hitch weight 444lbs (dry); hitch weight loaded (~500lbs... assuming 10% transfer of loaded weight).

Ranger Specs: 2020 Ranger XLT Crew Cab; FX2 package; stock motor; stock suspension; added OEM trailer brake controller.

Truck Cargo: 3 adults + 1 toddler (~600lbs) on the inside; misc "stuff" in the cab (~100 lbs); 2 gallons of gas; wood (140lbs); stroller (~30lbs).

WDH: Fastway e2 2-point sway control trunnion hitch.

Distance Travelled: 590 miles round-trip (all but ~15 miles were while towing the trailer... I unhooked at the campsite to make some runs into town for stuff we forgot to pack).

So, our family is interested in purchasing our first TT. We've never owned one and neither of us have experience camping in trailers so we were hesitant to pull the trigger on purchasing the TT. Because of that we decided to rent a trailer through Outdoorsy (think of AirBnB but for travel trailers) so we could get a feel for what this was like and whether it'd be something we want to throw money away on.

We were interested in trailers under 25 ft and under 6,500lbs. So, naturally, we searched for a trailer within that size range. We ended up with the Wolf Pup 16fq since it was around what we were interested in getting (even though it doesn't have the bunkhouse which is a must for us).

Power: The Ranger DOES NOT lack power to pull a trailer this size. In fact, I was VERY impressed with how easily it pulled the thing and how fast it got up to speed on the freeway on-ramps. I didn't do a ton of passing since I kept my speed around 60-63 mph most of the time, but the Ranger had no issues passing the few big rigs/slower vehicles I did come across.

Unless I was passing or going up a slight grade, the Ranger hovered around 1,800 rpm's when cruising. Even when going up a grade (I hit a few 3 & 4% inclines), the ranger didn't climb above 3,000-3,400 rpm's which kept it at 55-60mph without any issues.

Stability/Towing: I don't have a ton of experience towing travel trailers, so there's not much for me to reference on that end. But, the Ranger did extremely well towing the Wolf Pup 16fq. Going up the 101 from the Santa Barbara, CA area to just outside Santa Cruz, CA, we encountered a few windy areas with ~20 mph gusts and a steady 10-15 mph cross winds.

I don't want to overstate things. When gusts picked up, I could feel that there was a trailer behind the truck. But, I never felt unsafe or like the trailer was controlling the truck. In those situations where the wind picked up, I'd simply drop my speed to ~55mph which helped steady things completely.

Not sure if it was the built-in sway control or the WDH sway control (or a combo of both), but things were dialed in really well and the truck was sturdy and steady down the highway.

I hit headwinds a few times both ways and the truck did amazingly well driving into them and controlling the setup. During these stretches, the truck cruised along at ~2,000 to 2,100rpm's. Once winds died down, the rpm's dropped back down to ~1,800 rpm's.

Stopping: No issues at all. On descending stretches (coming down from grades) or during heavier winds, I'd dial the brake controller up a little to match the stopping power needed to bring the trailer to a stop or to address the slight sway from the heavier winds. I'm not lying when I say that I could barely feel the trailer when coming to a stop. I had to stop kind of suddenly to compensate for a driver that cut me off and had no issues slowing the rig down.

Fuel Efficiency: Over the course of the trip, I managed to get 12.8 mpg. As mentioned above, only about 15 miles of my trip were without the trailer hooked up, so I don't think that made much of an impact to raise the overall mpg for the trip. At just under 13mpg, I was pleasantly surprised with the final number. I'll take that any day knowing that I'm balancing overall ease of the Ranger's daily driving benefits compared to a full-sized truck which is more capable on the towing side of things.

Trailer Size: The 16fq (21'6" overall length) is a nice match for this truck. Based on this experience, I'd feel comfortable moving up to a slightly longer/heavier trailer (but not by a lot). We were really considering the Coachmen Apex Nano 208bhs. But, at 25ft long (hitch to bumper), I honestly think that the Apex Nano 194bhs (22'8" overall length) would be a slightly better match from a towing perspective.

That said, I do think the 208bhs could be doable for someone with more towing experience.

 

[TechnicallyReal]

Nice writeup!

Not sure if it was the built-in sway control or the WDH sway control (or a combo of both), but things were dialed in really well and the truck was sturdy and steady down the highway.

FYI built-in sway control is part of the electronic stability control system. It only activates when there's a problem. When it activates, you'll see it and hear it. People think that he helps prevent sway, but unfortunately it only reacts to sway to try and prevent an accident.

The 16fq (21'6" overall length) is a nice match for this truck. Based on this experience, I'd feel comfortable moving up to a slightly longer/heavier trailer (but not by a lot). We were really considering the Coachmen Apex Nano 208bhs. But, at 25ft long (hitch to bumper), I honestly think that the Apex Nano 194bhs (22'8" overall length) would be a slightly better match from a towing perspective.

That said, I do think the 208bhs could be doable for someone with more towing experience.

You might be surprised how little difference in feel there is between the ~21' trailers and a 25'. I went from a 21' 8" (hitch to bumper) to a 29' 5" that's a foot wider and 1700 lbs heavier, and the difference has been surprisingly minimal (other than the first trip home from the dealer where it was loaded with 400 lbs of water up front).

 

[t4thfavor]

Nice writeup!


FYI built-in sway control is part of the electronic stability control system. It only activates when there's a problem. When it activates, you'll see it and hear it. People think that he helps prevent sway, but unfortunately it only reacts to sway to try and prevent an accident.


You might be surprised how little difference in feel there is between the ~21' trailers and a 25'. I went from a 21' 8" (hitch to bumper) to a 29' 5" that's a foot wider and 1700 lbs heavier, and the difference has been surprisingly minimal (other than the first trip home from the dealer where it was loaded with 400 lbs of water up front).

I agree with this 100% coming from a Forrest river 207bh to a keystone passport 2920 gt. It’s pretty light at ~6000# loaded and bounces around just as much as the other one did. The biggest difference was going from a single axle to a double axle. It’s night and day stability wise.
And of course change to some high performance shocks it’s soooo much better (I went fox 2.0 front and rear)

 

[TechnicallyReal]

I agree with this 100% coming from a Forrest river 207bh to a keystone passport 2920 gt. It’s pretty light at ~6000# loaded and bounces around just as much as the other one did. The biggest difference was going from a single axle to a double axle. It’s night and day stability wise.
And of course change to some high performance shocks it’s soooo much better (I went fox 2.0 front and rear)

Agreed - I went from single axle to dual axle as well and dual feels better. Also did rear shocks on the truck (Eibach PRO Truck) to firm things up a bit.

 

[Arly]

Same old camper. Posted pics of it before. We were out clearing NFS trails over the weekend since our temps were coolish here on the shore shore of the BIG lake. Highs in the low 70's.

 

[chuck s]

It did push me, but not out of the lane. There were terrible cross winds anyway every time I hit a stretch of road without trees, so it was like getting passed by a semi constantly it felt like. I will be happy when I can get some airbags. Those and the anti-sway hitch should do the job.
Remember your ranger is only about 400lbs lighter than the f-150

ch

f150 should be close to 6000 lbs, rangers are around 4400 pounds

 

[Arly]

f150 should be close to 6000 lbs, rangers are around 4400 pounds

Are you sure?? From Fords site.
------------------------------------------
You carry gear – and lots of it. And the new Ford Ranger has a big advantage over other midsize pickups: best-in-class maximum 1,860-lbs. payload and up to 7,500-lbs. tow ratings. * So whether you need to haul it or tow it, the 2021 Ford Ranger is ready for your next adventure.

*Max payload on SuperCab, 4x2. Not shown. Class is Midsize Pickups. SuperCrew, 4x4 shown. See label on vehicle door jamb for the carrying capacity of a specific vehicle. Max towing when equipped with Trailer Tow Package. Max towing varies based on cargo, vehicle configuration, accessories and number of passengers. Towing and payload are independent attributes and may not be achieved simultaneously.

 

[Amsoil guy]

Has anyone pulled a horse trailer with an 1100lb horse on board through mountainous passes? I might have to do this with my XLT FX4. It does have the tow package as well. Probably looking at 1300km of towing distance.
If so how did your truck make out?

thanks
J

 

[TechnicallyReal]

Are you sure?? From Fords site.
------------------------------------------
You carry gear – and lots of it. And the new Ford Ranger has a big advantage over other midsize pickups: best-in-class maximum 1,860-lbs. payload and up to 7,500-lbs. tow ratings. * So whether you need to haul it or tow it, the 2021 Ford Ranger is ready for your next adventure.

*Max payload on SuperCab, 4x2. Not shown. Class is Midsize Pickups. SuperCrew, 4x4 shown. See label on vehicle door jamb for the carrying capacity of a specific vehicle. Max towing when equipped with Trailer Tow Package. Max towing varies based on cargo, vehicle configuration, accessories and number of passengers. Towing and payload are independent attributes and may not be achieved simultaneously.

I think he was referring to the vehicle weight itself and not tow rating or payload capacity

 

[t4thfavor]

f150 should be close to 6000 lbs, rangers are around 4400 pounds

The heaviest f150 is 5697 lbs (curb weight) according to google. With the lightest being 4069 (which is probably without a bed)

 

[Grumpaw]

The heaviest f150 is 5697 lbs (curb weight) according to google. With the lightest being 4069 (which is probably without a bed)

The Rangers, at around 4400 lbs, are not light trucks by any calculation.
I had a 1990 Ford F 150 extended cab, 8 foot bed, 2 wd, and it was around 4700 lbs., and that was all steel. Traded it for an 89 F-350 dually with a 460 and it ran about 4900 lbs A short bed regular cab from back then, with a 5.8 V-8 weighed less than our current Rangers.
Even with the aluminum and plastic used, our Rangers are no light-weights.

 

[aeroshots]

Ranger towing a Ranger.

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