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84prerunner · 03-23-2014, 01:25 AM

Finally made an account on here (for other reasons) but decided i might as well share my previous camper experience. Before anyone asks...no one died!

Skip426 · 03-24-2014, 10:08 AM

I'm glad everyone survived.
You weren't the first to travel overloaded, been there too, hope you've learned, like I did, from a white knuckle experience and not an accident.

84prerunner · 03-26-2014, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skip426

I'm glad everyone survived.
You weren't the first to travel overloaded, been there too, hope you've learned, like I did, from a white knuckle experience and not an accident.

Thanks! That thing drove surprisingly great. cruise control on at 60 pretty much anywhere. Never really did have any white knuckle experience other then the entire time it was on the road haha. Really it was just the mental factor of knowing what i was driving that was the scariest, it never had an issue at all. To be completely fair it wasnt even mine, it belonged to a good friend and business partner but i did drive it and rode in it. He sold it to a guy that drove from AZ to long beach CA and picked it up with a regular cab, 4cylinder, 5spd, stock little ranger. I doubt he ever made it home lol

bens170 · 03-27-2014, 12:31 AM

84prerunner
Did the truck by itself ever hit the scales, then with the camper on , and finally the trailer no weight then with the toys on it?
Ben

84prerunner · 03-27-2014, 12:41 AM

We actually tried to weigh the complete setup twice but it never worked out (closed scales, lines etc)

The tuck alone has been weighed and i believe was 3800lbs or so

bens170 · 03-27-2014, 10:29 PM

Thanks for the information, did you actually have white knuckle driving with everything on the back of the p/u and towing behind the pick up. Have fun and be safe.
Ben

84prerunner · 03-28-2014, 12:19 AM

Like i said previously it actually drove great. it had sway bars on both ends, air bags etc. The white knuckle experience was really just mental knowing all of that weight was on a lifted ranger. It drove better then class C motor that he bought to replace that camper haha.

stink · 03-28-2014, 12:39 AM

If your ranger had the 4 liter v6 w auto and your camper wasn't self contained you might have been just at gccvw for your rig, and the trailor your orv is on had to be aluminum!!

84prerunner · 03-28-2014, 12:47 AM

I figured the rear axle weight and GVW was over...but the combined weight might have still be under. The truck does have the 4.0/auto giving it sometihng like a 5k towing capacity (forget the exact number) and the most that trailer ever weighed was 2500 or less. Camper listed its dry weight at 1000lbs but we added 180lbs of batteries and it had a 25gallon fresh water tank.

caissiel · 03-28-2014, 02:45 AM

I towed a 6000 lbs 5th wheel with a 2.9L Ranger for 3 years and it really worked well for a gas truck. Had to open up the exhaust, not to heat the engine.
Past most transports in the hills. It was a 5 speed standard. And the gears were just right. I could climb the hills at 55 on 3 rd gear. It sounded like a Nascar.
I got the same fuel mileage I get with my PSD with a 15K lbs trailer.
I remember well, the automatic was rated for 5600 lbs trailer and the Standard was rated for 2500 lbs trailer.
Got rid of it because the rims were only good for 35 lbs and one time I had to brake fast and the tires turned on the rims.
So pulled same unit with a 6.2 L GM diesel 1/2 ton and gain 40% on fuel mileage when towing and dame unloaded.
On a good day I try to approach that mileage by driving conservatively with the PSD and get awful close.