5.0 towing with ford ranger

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I understand what you're saying, but this is a confirmed model that you can order today and which exists in pre-production form (final design, just constructed in small quantities); it's not just an idea or a "concept vehicle". You might as well get used to the idea of the Ranger not being the smallest Ford pickup.

I also understand your point; I am fully aware that the Ranger will soon (maybe really, as Ford is awaiting chips to finish production of many vehicles) not be the smallest Ford pickup. All I was stating was, unless I am wrong, Ford has not yet delivered a single one and they are not yet on the road being driven by owners. If I came across that way, I did not intend to infer that the Maverick was a concept vehicle. As of today, the smallest Ford pickup you can drive off the lot remains the Ranger.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

I also understand your point; I am fully aware that the Ranger will soon (maybe really, as Ford is awaiting chips to finish production of many vehicles) not be the smallest Ford pickup. All I was stating was, unless I am wrong, Ford has not yet delivered a single one and they are not yet on the road being driven by owners. If I came across that way, I did not intend to infer that the Maverick was a concept vehicle. As of today, the smallest Ford pickup you can drive off the lot remains the Ranger.

Hi: C&G in FL... Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Keith3]

My only hesitation with a ranger is that it is too close to the size and cost of an F150. There doesn’t seem to be much advantage in picking the smaller truck unless there a specific thing it can do better for you than the F150, like fit in your garage. Or appease your desire not to own a big truck.

I have a second gen 2.7 eb F150 and it has plenty of power for the escape 5.0. Just pulled it over 3500 miles at close to posted speeds most of the time and averaged 13.3 mpg. Went over Raton pass both ways without an issue. I never felt like I needed more power.

If the ranger came with the 2.7 it would be an easy yes. With the 2.3 I bet it would work just fine. Just haven’t used that engine to tow before.

[Fox hunt]

my F 150 2.7 seems to pull my 5.0 with great ease no issues over mountains so far seem a great fit.

[C&G in FL]

Just to clarify, I do not debate that the 2.7 will pull the 5.0TA over mountains. But if one watches the 2.7’s transmission temperature, it rapidly increases on long uphill climbs faster and higher than does the 3.5’s transmission. I got 15.3 mpg towing from Florida to New England this past week, the best I ever got with my 2.7 in 5 years was 14.1.
Any dog musher will tell you 12 dogs pulling a sled is more efficient than 8 dogs. Each dog in the 8 dog team has to work harder and tires sooner than its counterparts in the 12 dog team.
Likewise, the 3.5 does not have to work as hard as the 2.7 to tow the 5.0TA. All the comments about the 2.7 towing over mountains without problem are true. But it has to work much harder to complete the task. Nobody can understand the difference unless they have towed with both. I have, and I can honestly say there is a noticeable difference in terms of towing performance between the two.

[ritacasita]

Payload specs seem to indicate it would do the job. I’d be concerned about the hitch and specifically will the pin box assembly turn inside the narrower bed without hitting the bed sides. Is the ranger skinnier than the 1500 full size models? Clearance could be an issue.

[Keith3]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Just to clarify, I do not debate that the 2.7 will pull the 5.0TA over mountains. But if one watches the 2.7’s transmission temperature, it rapidly increases on long uphill climbs faster and higher than does the 3.5’s transmission. I got 15.3 mpg towing from Florida to New England this past week, the best I ever got with my 2.7 in 5 years was 14.1.
Any dog musher will tell you 12 dogs pulling a sled is more efficient than 8 dogs. Each dog in the 8 dog team has to work harder and tires sooner than its counterparts in the 12 dog team.
Likewise, the 3.5 does not have to work as hard as the 2.7 to tow the 5.0TA. All the comments about the 2.7 towing over mountains without problem are true. But it has to work much harder to complete the task. Nobody can understand the difference unless they have towed with both. I have, and I can honestly say there is a noticeable difference in terms of towing performance between the two.

Just so long as I don’t have to push I’m not too worried about how much the dogs have to work.

I have no doubt the 3.5 has more power and torque. And the 2.3 has less. I’m just not sure how much less would be too much less. I have no doubt that more would be more.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by ritacasita

Is the ranger skinnier than the 1500 full size models?

Yes, width is the dimension in which compacts are most different from full-size pickups. For an illustration, essentially any full-size has more than 48" between the wheel housings (so 4' wide sheets can lay on the floor), while the compacts often have pockets in the side for boards to form a raised platform to carry 4' sheets over the wheel housings.

[TJMac]

The Ford Ranger SuperCab with the 6' box actually has the necessary width at 61.4" to allow the standard pin box to clear the sides. However, the distance from the cab to axle cl is only 31.3" and severely limits the swing angle. You would have to position the hitch a good distance to the rear of the axle cl in order for the trailer to clear the cab on a tight turn. I quite like the Ranger and spent a considerable amount of time researching the above and came to the conclusion that it would require too many compromises to make it work with the 5.0.

[brroberts]

As mentioned, one hard part about the 5.0 with the Ranger is finding a suitable hitch. You might try the Blue Oval or Ranger Station forums for ideas there.

As far as fuel mileage, engines can be too small for max economy, but a lot depends on how you drive. I can get 17mpg or 9 mpg towing on almost any day with my 3/4 ton. Terrain and wind are a factor, but I’m a bigger factor.

For me, the reality is Escapes are pretty small and light towing loads. So, I should get pretty good mileage as far as towing goes with any vehicle rated to tow a particular Escape.

[Tom&Joan]

I'll relate our Ranger/5.0TA towing experience. We have a 2021 Ranger. I installed a B&W hitch. I used the underbody hardware for an F150 with minor modifications. This is my 5th or 6th fifth wheel hitch and my 3rd B&W, which I am sold on. I know it is heavier than some, but I have another pickup and have no need to remove it. But should I, I would just use my hoist to do so. I positioned the hitch so as to have clearance to lower the tailgate plus a little more. My turning angle is limited by the pinbox/bedrail, not trailer to cab. I can turn about 70*, turning the steering wheel full lock does not get quite that much angle. I have not measured how much the trailer sets the truck down, but it is very minimal.
Now for the driving experience: We could not be more pleased. It rides and handles great. Tractor trailers passing can hardly be felt. Lots of rubber on the road with the optional 18" tires. RPM's in 9th at 65 are 1800, in 10th at 70 the same. Accellerating up on ramps engine revs are about 3500, if I really push it about 4000. Normal starts it shifts at 2300. Lots of torque. We took a 1400 mile trip, fuel mileage ran from 14 to 17.1. The downside is fuel prices for premium recommended for towing) are high. Overall, a well balanced fun combination.

[Mark James]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

People have towed the 5.0TA with “marginal” trucks. But I will state my opinion. The Ranger is not suited well to the task. Get a full sized pickup for the power and the sake of your own safety and that of everyone else sharing the road.

My sentiments exactly. Go for a full sized pickup to tow a 5.

[pioneer500]

Mine also! Thank You all for your insights and advice. I'm keeping my Tundra!

[Centex]

Originally Posted by pioneer500

Has anyone towed a 5.0 with a ford ranger?

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

I'll relate our Ranger/5.0TA towing experience. We have a 2021 Ranger. I installed a B&W hitch. I used the underbody hardware for an F150 with minor modifications. This is my 5th or 6th fifth wheel hitch and my 3rd B&W, which I am sold on. I know it is heavier than some, but I have another pickup and have no need to remove it. But should I, I would just use my hoist to do so. I positioned the hitch so as to have clearance to lower the tailgate plus a little more. My turning angle is limited by the pinbox/bedrail, not trailer to cab. I can turn about 70*, turning the steering wheel full lock does not get quite that much angle. I have not measured how much the trailer sets the truck down, but it is very minimal.
Now for the driving experience: We could not be more pleased. It rides and handles great. Tractor trailers passing can hardly be felt. Lots of rubber on the road with the optional 18" tires. RPM's in 9th at 65 are 1800, in 10th at 70 the same. Accelerating up on ramps engine revs are about 3500, if I really push it about 4000. Normal starts it shifts at 2300. Lots of torque. We took a 1400 mile trip, fuel mileage ran from 14 to 17.1. The downside is fuel prices for premium recommended for towing) are high. Overall, a well balanced fun combination.

Thank You, Tom&Joan!

Nice to see a post based on actual direct experience, and you touched all the bases both pro and con.

[Tom&Joan]

Wrote a reply yesterday, but forum said I was not signed in, but I believe I was. So this is a test before I go on a long blog.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

Wrote a reply yesterday, but forum said I was not signed in, but I believe I was. So this is a test before I go on a long blog.

As a guess, what happened to you, has happened to me innumerable times: I have typed long posts, or taken a long time to complete the post, and the forum program has logged me out for inactivity, hence the "not logged on" note.
I try to remember, having typed long and arduously, to open another tab or window of the forum, to see if I'm still logged on. If not, I log on, then return to my original session, and post my comments.


Edit: If I know my post will be long, I also try to remember to type and edit it in a text file, then just copy and paste it into a post.

[Chamberman]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

Wrote a reply yesterday, but forum said I was not signed in, but I believe I was. So this is a test before I go on a long blog.

If I type up something that takes me more than a couple of minutes then I always highlight it and hit Ctrl - C before I hit the submit button. It doesn't matter if I'm logged in or not. It only takes a few seconds to protect yourself. If something goes wrong then you always have the copied text stored in the clipboard. Open a new reply box and paste your work in a second time...

You can also do what dfandrews suggested and type it up in a text file, but just copying it to the clipboard will save your bacon.

Back about 15 years ago I went back to school to finish a second degree and some of my classes were online. The online classes required a lot of class forum activity. I have typed up some drastically long posts only to have them go poof into the ether when I hit submit reply. Then I find out that I got booted out of the blackboard forum for some reason or the forum went down for maintenance while I was spending 30 min typing, etc.

[Tom&Joan]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

As a guess, what happened to you, has happened to me innumerable times: I have typed long posts, or taken a long time to complete the post, and the forum program has logged me out for inactivity, hence the "not logged on" note.
I try to remember, having typed long and arduously, to open another tab or window of the forum, to see if I'm still logged on. If not, I log on, then return to my original session, and post my comments.


Edit: If I know my post will be long, I also try to remember to type and edit it in a text file, then just copy and paste it into a post.

Don & Teresa, Thank you very much! I may try that. In the meantime I'll try to be more brief.
Tom& Joan

[Tom&Joan]

I think part of my problem here is the poor internet connection, it is very slow and takes a long time for a particular function and likes to scramble the text. My computer is supposedly ok. Very frustrating.
It is late, so I will just ask the poster who deemed my tow vehicle marginal, in what parameter?

[TJMac]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

My turning angle is limited by the pinbox/bedrail, not trailer to cab. I can turn about 70*, turning the steering wheel full lock does not get quite that much angle.

It's somewhat comforting to know I wasn't the only one having issues in posting my long winded reply yesterday.

I totally agree with Centex's comment on "actual direct experience" as I had a difficult time finding anything related to towing the 5.0 with the Ranger. Thus the theoretical calculations above which were done using the Andersen hitch with the ball located 4" to the rear of the trailer pin.

Tom&Joan; Would it be at all possible to get your dimension from back of cab to centre of pin as I am still concerned about the 31.3" dimension to axle cl. My calculation of 67 deg swing to bed contact is not enough to allow me to access my parking pad as there is a very tight banked turn off the lane.

With the cab clearance being an issue on the Ranger I was also researching the Colorado/Canyon 6'2" bed option finding the bed side clearance an even bigger issue for turning. I then contacted Escape and, with some back and forth, determined that substitution of the OEM Lippert 1716 (L07) pinbox with the Lippert 1116 (M19) pinbox will not void the warranty since the 5.75" shorter dimension actually reduces stress on the trailer. However, this approach should be carefully considered as there are now clearance issues at the tailgate. There always seems to be some sort of trade-off when working with the mid-size pickups.