rainyescape
Advanced Member
Towing in the mountains with a Ranger
I may not have much to say that hasn’t already been said, this is just another data point of experience. I have a 2021 Ranger XLT that I’ve been towing our 21NE with for the last year. We live in the front range of Colorado. Last year we had a big trip to Glacier and Waterton that we made with the Ranger, and we didn’t have any issues, plus lots of smaller trips around Colorado and Utah. I’d say the Ranger is capable at towing this class of trailer, but with a few caveats. In fact, these caveats are the reason we are upgrading to a full size truck soon (likely a 2023 non-hybrid Tundra).
1. You’ll want the Ranger with the factory installed tow package. It won’t come with a brake controller, which you need to add to get the 7500 lb tow rating. I installed a Redarc brand controller under the steering wheel column quite easily and it works well. Adjustment knob goes in one of the 12V outlets below the entertainment center. I’d be happy to share more info about that, but there is plenty to Google. I also think a WDH is necessary with the Ranger, even if the manual might not say so.
2. Towing in the mountains at altitude requires a reduction in tow capacity. I remember the Ranger’s manual says something like a 3% reduction for every 1,000 ft elevation. So the Eisenhower tunnel at 11,000 ft on I-70 would drop the tow rating to 5,000 lb, which is right on the edge of towing a fully laden Escape. Just starting from home (around 6,000 ft) reduces the tow rating to about 6,000 lb.
3. I’ve seen people say that filling up their Escape can quite easily push it well over the trailer’s weight rating, sometimes by quite a bit especially when filling up the tanks. For this reason we try to avoid towing with full tanks with the Ranger (when combined with point #2 above). It can be a bit annoying to *need* to dump after a trip when you can’t find a convenient dump station, or worrying about towing from a water fill up that’s far from your eventual camp site.
4. The Ranger does not have a smooth ride. A simple test drive makes this obvious, but it’s not something we became accustomed to. Recently test driving full size trucks, the Tundra especially, made this super obvious. The Ranger bounces all over the place, to the point that my wife needs make her supportive clothing choices carefully on days where we’ll be driving all day with her in the back seat with our son. It’s not a fun experience, especially on long trips.
5. The backseat is small, even on the crew cab. This is actually the biggest reason we are changing to a full size truck. If you will frequently have passengers in the back, it’ll be okay, but not great. Cramped but not terribly uncomfortable. It’s not a full size truck, so hopefully this point is obvious.
Overall the Ranger is a fine truck, and fine for towing. It’s small size makes it easier to park when driving without the trailer (compared to full size trucks). It gets decent mileage: around 19 mpg without the trailer, and 12-14 mpg with. I have no worries driving it on rough roads (we have the FX4 4x4 package), and you can haul plenty of payload. But there is nothing about the towing experience that screams confidence. It just feels right on the edge of being capable. It gets pushed around a bit by the trailer, and sometimes gets some sway from high winds (but not as often as I’d have thought). It’s not white knuckle driving, but it’s also not easy.
I’m really looking forward to towing with a Tundra!
I may not have much to say that hasn’t already been said, this is just another data point of experience. I have a 2021 Ranger XLT that I’ve been towing our 21NE with for the last year. We live in the front range of Colorado. Last year we had a big trip to Glacier and Waterton that we made with the Ranger, and we didn’t have any issues, plus lots of smaller trips around Colorado and Utah. I’d say the Ranger is capable at towing this class of trailer, but with a few caveats. In fact, these caveats are the reason we are upgrading to a full size truck soon (likely a 2023 non-hybrid Tundra).
1. You’ll want the Ranger with the factory installed tow package. It won’t come with a brake controller, which you need to add to get the 7500 lb tow rating. I installed a Redarc brand controller under the steering wheel column quite easily and it works well. Adjustment knob goes in one of the 12V outlets below the entertainment center. I’d be happy to share more info about that, but there is plenty to Google. I also think a WDH is necessary with the Ranger, even if the manual might not say so.
2. Towing in the mountains at altitude requires a reduction in tow capacity. I remember the Ranger’s manual says something like a 3% reduction for every 1,000 ft elevation. So the Eisenhower tunnel at 11,000 ft on I-70 would drop the tow rating to 5,000 lb, which is right on the edge of towing a fully laden Escape. Just starting from home (around 6,000 ft) reduces the tow rating to about 6,000 lb.
3. I’ve seen people say that filling up their Escape can quite easily push it well over the trailer’s weight rating, sometimes by quite a bit especially when filling up the tanks. For this reason we try to avoid towing with full tanks with the Ranger (when combined with point #2 above). It can be a bit annoying to *need* to dump after a trip when you can’t find a convenient dump station, or worrying about towing from a water fill up that’s far from your eventual camp site.
4. The Ranger does not have a smooth ride. A simple test drive makes this obvious, but it’s not something we became accustomed to. Recently test driving full size trucks, the Tundra especially, made this super obvious. The Ranger bounces all over the place, to the point that my wife needs make her supportive clothing choices carefully on days where we’ll be driving all day with her in the back seat with our son. It’s not a fun experience, especially on long trips.
5. The backseat is small, even on the crew cab. This is actually the biggest reason we are changing to a full size truck. If you will frequently have passengers in the back, it’ll be okay, but not great. Cramped but not terribly uncomfortable. It’s not a full size truck, so hopefully this point is obvious.
Overall the Ranger is a fine truck, and fine for towing. It’s small size makes it easier to park when driving without the trailer (compared to full size trucks). It gets decent mileage: around 19 mpg without the trailer, and 12-14 mpg with. I have no worries driving it on rough roads (we have the FX4 4x4 package), and you can haul plenty of payload. But there is nothing about the towing experience that screams confidence. It just feels right on the edge of being capable. It gets pushed around a bit by the trailer, and sometimes gets some sway from high winds (but not as often as I’d have thought). It’s not white knuckle driving, but it’s also not easy.
I’m really looking forward to towing with a Tundra!
