Hitch installation for 5.0 in Ford Ranger

[Dgalla]

We are in a pickle. We have committed to buying a 2009 escape 5.0. Very excited about it. However getting the rails for a 5th wheel hitch into my 2010 ford ranger has proven to be difficult. We had a local installer who said they had done it in the past. We waited 2 weeks for the install and then today they say "oh no it won't work". I understand that it is not an off the shelf job but I have seen on these forums that it has been done. I have also been looking at the Anderson hitches and is there a way to get the goose neck ball installed on the 2010 ranger? Or are we simply flogging a dead horse here and need to look a new tow vehicle? Any and all help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Brian B-P]

Rails for a fifth-wheel can certainly be installed in this earlier generation of Ranger - Escape Trailer Industries used a Ranger to move their fifth-wheel trailers at some point in the past.

The shop may have looked at the clearance from hitch to cab and concluded that there was not enough room, not realizing how narrow the 2009 Escape 5.0 is, and assuming a more common and wider trailer.

[camp4528]

I can’t help you, but others in the community will certainly need to know the Ranger’s box dimensions and Height of the bed and of the top of the box from the ground. The current owner may also have the towing specs and dimensions you might need from ETI. I assume you have bought that Escape 5 SA that was listed for sale in Ottawa. It does look nice and I wish you every success.

[barry]

Originally Posted by Dgalla

We are in a pickle. We have committed to buying a 2009 escape 5.0. Very excited about it. However getting the rails for a 5th wheel hitch into my 2010 ford ranger has proven to be difficult. We had a local installer who said they had done it in the past. We waited 2 weeks for the install and then today they say "oh no it won't work". I understand that it is not an off the shelf job but I have seen on these forums that it has been done. I have also been looking at the Anderson hitches and is there a way to get the goose neck ball installed on the 2010 ranger? Or are we simply flogging a dead horse here and need to look a new tow vehicle? Any and all help would be appreciated.

Thanks

I towed my 2012 5.0 SA with a 2009 Ford Ranger for 6 years. I had Trademasters in Chilliwack install the hitch and I remember that they had to cut the rails to fit the box. It was a custom install but it can be done. It involved buying a universal hitch kit and drilling into the frame of the truck.

The Ranger did a good job of towing the 5.0 but you need to know that the payload is right on the edge and you have to careful as to how you load the trailer. The pin weight of the 5.0 is about 750lbs, add the weight of the hitch (150lbs) and two occupants in the cab (300lbs) and their is only about 100lbs of leeway. I now tow with a 2017 F150 and the difference is night and day.
Barry

[Dgalla]

Did you have to raise the trailer to fit it to the f150?

[barry]

Originally Posted by Dgalla

Did you have to raise the trailer to fit it to the f150?

Yes. Dexter sells a lift kit that is basically a piece of 2 1/2" tubing that fits (bolts) between the axle and the frame. As I live 45 mins from the Escape factory I had them do it for me. Reace charged me $150. I now have about 6 to 7" of clearance between the truck bed rails and the trailer and have never had an issue of the truck hitting the trailer.
Barry

[Dgalla]

The place that installed the previous owners hitch will tentatively install the rails but requires us to sign a liability waiver. Doesn't instill a lot of confidence. And it is not very convenient geographically.

[Dgalla]

Thanks all good information and food for thought.

[Dgalla]

We were once again left at the alter by an installer who said that could do the job but then backed out at the last minute. Frustrating to say the least. What model of f150 are you driving. I looked at a few and the side hieght us at 57" to high I woud think even with the lift kit on the trailer. We are open to any options at this point. If that means a new truck why not. Is there a tow vehicle for the 5.0sa that can take a factory hotch kit? Can anyone recommend someone in southern Ontario who would put the hitch in my ranger without looking like I asked them to perform brain surgery?

Once again any help is greatly appreciated.

[Dgalla]

With a lot of searching and a little luck we found a place in Peterborough Ontario that would install the hitch rails in my ranger. Just needed to find a place with enough experience. Here's hoping we will be on the road shortly. Thanks again to everyone who chimed in with advice.

[AuthorSP]

Hello, I've been paddling around on this for a while, so I wanted to start a new thread to address just this one issue, because it is apparently a potential deal breaker:

When we saw that several people are pulling an Escape 5.0 with a Ford Ranger, we decided to change our trailer reservation to the 5.0. We thought we had enough of the basics to plan for this: Rails in the bed and an Andersen Ultimate 5th wheel hitch.

The problem we're having is that no one seems to make a rail system for the Ford Ranger, and every place we've talked to is dumbfounded that this is even possible. We thought it would just be a matter of ordering ISR (standard universal) rails and having a place install them, but apparently the issue is having the right components to fit under the bed for the rails to attach to.

Can anyone help us find the answer to this problem? Thanks for any help!

[AuthorSP]

Originally Posted by Dgalla

With a lot of searching and a little luck we found a place in Peterborough Ontario that would install the hitch rails in my ranger. Just needed to find a place with enough experience. Here's hoping we will be on the road shortly. Thanks again to everyone who chimed in with advice.

We're finding ourselves in the same pickle. Might have to make a trip to Ontario... Can you link the company you went through?

How has it worked out?
Thanks!

[Dgalla]

To be clear we have a 5.0 single axle. We had the ralis installed by https://www.brucecustomfabricating.com/ They have 40 years experience. They welded the brackets to the frame and cut the rails down to fit in the ranger. Most (all) franchise stores donˋt do anything if they canˋt order and bolt it on. ( nothing custom) Look for a mom and pop shop that have the experience to know what can be done. It has worked very well for us. We are now looking for a new truck and will return to Bruceˋs to have the hitch installed. We also recently swithced to the Andersen hitch and so far are very happy with it. I expect we will have to add a lift kit to the trailer in order to accomodate the newer trucks which have much higher rails.