Towing with 2019 Ford Ranger Crew Cab

[BobbyHa]

I am at the present time trying to educate myself on Travel trailers. I just bought the 2019 Ford Ranger Crew Cab. I was wondering if anyone out there was towing a travel trailer with this model truck. I like to know the length and weight of the trailer you are pulling. I am considering an Apex Ultra-Lite 249RB. 4768 lbs Dry Weight and 28 ft 3 in Length. I will be installing a sway bar and brake controller.

[tuffr2]

I have been towing RV trailers since 2008.

My thought is that is way too much for for a Ford Ranger. I would not do it.

I am thinking a T@B400, a large pop-up, and several other small trailers.

[NevadaNick]

I have been towing rv trailers since 1974.
I think you will be fine.

[aether_one]

Forget the Dry Weight - it's an unobtainable imaginary number. What is the trailer's GVWR?

And you will definitely need a Weight Distribution Hitch as well as anti-sway. It is better to get a WDH with integrated anti-sway and stay away from friction anti-sway bars.

If you have the optional Trailer Towing Package you will barely be withing the towing capacity of the Ranger, but you may exceed the GCWR depending on your loading. The killer is the 55 square ft frontal wind load. For an 8 foot wide trailer that means it can only be 6 feet tall. That does not fall into the Travel Trailer area and certainly not for the TT you are looking at which has 80 square feet frontal area.

[tuffr2]

That trailer is best suited for a full sized truck. The Ranger has a much smaller footprint that a F-150. I would be worried about the tail wagging the dog with a Ranger and that big trailer.

[Reevesfamily]

Originally Posted by BobbyHa

I am at the present time trying to educate myself on Travel trailers. I just bought the 2019 Ford Ranger Crew Cab. I was wondering if anyone out there was towing a travel trailer with this model truck. I like to know the length and weight of the trailer you are pulling. I am considering an Apex Ultra-Lite 249RB. 4768 lbs Dry Weight and 28 ft 3 in Length. I will be installing a sway bar and brake controller.

Can you tow it? Sure. Can you tow it safely? IMHO - Nope! Here's your learning ..... most of us here on these forums have some experience doing the wrong thing and its "learned us" to do the right thing, and most of us have increased the size, footprint, and capacity of our tow vehicles realizing that the edge isn't a place thats fun to be, especially since quite a number of us carried kids with us for some years and we wanted them to grow up. That should tell you something. But hey, this is a free country and this forum is full of folks with hutzpah who feel they can do anything and aren't afraid to let you know about it. Your camper will ALWAYS weigh more than you estimate it weighs. And the length will get you in trouble before the weight ever does!

[Persistent]

Originally Posted by BobbyHa

I am at the present time trying to educate myself on Travel trailers. I just bought the 2019 Ford Ranger Crew Cab. I was wondering if anyone out there was towing a travel trailer with this model truck. I like to know the length and weight of the trailer you are pulling. I am considering an Apex Ultra-Lite 249RB. 4768 lbs Dry Weight and 28 ft 3 in Length. I will be installing a sway bar and brake controller.

Good advice has been given, but the vital information you have has not been supplied.
Look in the Ranger driver's door frame. There will be stickers attached that give maximum load values for that truck as it left the factory.
Report the numbers here and we will help you calculate what is good for you.


I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead.

[Newmar2856]

You need to get the loaded weight of the trailer and see if the numbers line up with the payload and towing capacity of the truck. From my past experience, even if the numbers line up, I don’t think you’ll be happy pulling a trailer that long and heavy with a Ranger. We had a small 24ft trailer a few years ago that fit within our tow capacity and pulled it with a 4 door GMC Jimmy and that trailer pushed us down the hills and downhill turns were a white knuckle affair as it would try to push the backend of the SUV around. One trip was all it took to get rid of the SUV and get an F150.

[tuffr2]

I tow 600 miles white knuckled before I traded a Honda Ridgeline on a F-150. The Ridgeline was getting pushed around by the 26' total length trailer. The F-150 towed the same trailer easily.

If that is the trailer you really want you can use the Ranger until you decide to up-grade your truck.

You will know as soon as you hit 65mph if the Ranger is going to work or not.

[BobbyHa]

Originally Posted by Persistent

Good advice has been given, but the vital information you have has not been supplied.
Look in the Ranger driver's door frame. There will be stickers attached that give maximum load values for that truck as it left the factory.
Report the numbers here and we will help you calculate what is good for you.


I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead.

The GCWR 12,500 Towing Weight is 7500 GVWR 6050, Front GAWR 3130, Rear GAWR 3370, Curb Weight 4,441, Axle Ratio 3.73, Cargo bed are payload 1650,
Max. Tongue Load 750

I am now looking at something smaller

Apex Nano 203RBK

Hitch Weight:478 lb. GVWR:6000 lb. UVW 3916 lb. CCC 2084 lb.Exterior Length:23' 4" Exterior Height: 9' 9"Exterior Width:90" Fresh Water:50.00 gal.Gray Water:35.00 gal.Black Water:35.00 gal.Awning Size:15'

[Persistent]

Originally Posted by BobbyHa

The GCWR 12,500 Towing Weight is 7500 GVWR 6050, Front GAWR 3130, Rear GAWR 3370, Curb Weight 4,441, Axle Ratio 3.73, Cargo bed are payload 1650,
Max. Tongue Load 750

I am now looking at something smaller

Apex Nano 203RBK

Hitch Weight:478 lb. GVWR:6000 lb. UVW 3916 lb. CCC 2084 lb.Exterior Length:23' 4" Exterior Height: 9' 9"Exterior Width:90" Fresh Water:50.00 gal.Gray Water:35.00 gal.Black Water:35.00 gal.Awning Size:15'

Good job! The numbers now make sense.
In this game, the actual weights fully loaded are what matter. So when you get your rig together, load it up and take it to a local truck scale and get a full set of axle weights. Check the scale measured weights against the sticker maximums. Don't forget the tire maximums.
In the mean time, weight the truck fully loaded. And use the TT specs to plan.

A 28 ft TT is most likely too big for the ranger. I see your new post says 23 feet. That is much more reasonable. Possibly you found the TT weight sticker on the TT front driver's side.

6000# gross TT weight matched with the 7500# TV weight is about right for the 80% rule. This would be the most TT you should pull. I recommend moderate speeds to allow for unexpected events while driving. Specially when you start towing and are getting used to rig behavior.

In a little more detail:
1) Load up the family, luggage, and camping gear the way you plan to camp in the Ranger and get it weighed at a truck scale.
TV scale wgt ?#
+ TT GVW 6000#
+ Wgt Distribution Hitch 100#
Total wgt =
Check against 12500# max combined

Tongue weight:
Tongue weights vary a lot. Even new off the sales lot they often differ from published numbers. My TT's tongue weights have both been over weight by about 90% when I towed them home new. Re-balancing by moving weight in the TT was necessary because my tow vehicles were over allowed tongue weight.
I bought a tongue weight gauge from Amazon for $130 and moved batteries off the tongue to correct the problem. My rig is 750# fully loaded when I leave and 550# when I return with empty water tanks.
Stable towing requires at least 10% of trailer weight on the tongue. 15% is good. Your published hitch weight looks good. Don't forget to add the 100# for the weight distribution hitch. 750# max tongue weight seems low. Maybe a higher capacity hitch would raise that a little. (I am not a truck expert.)

Be sure to check it out when you take delivery of your TT. You might want to take your gauge with you to the dealer and weight the tongue before you buy. Dealers are much more cooperative before you sign anything.

[Wrktfsh]

I’d probably be looking at a teardrop, a pop up , or a Casita/Scamp type trailer. But that’s just conservative me

[aether_one]

Originally Posted by BobbyHa

The GCWR 12,500 Towing Weight is 7500 GVWR 6050, Front GAWR 3130, Rear GAWR 3370, Curb Weight 4,441, Axle Ratio 3.73, Cargo bed are payload 1650,
Max. Tongue Load 750

I am now looking at something smaller

Apex Nano 203RBK

Hitch Weight:478 lb. GVWR:6000 lb. UVW 3916 lb. CCC 2084 lb.Exterior Length:23' 4" Exterior Height: 9' 9"Exterior Width:90" Fresh Water:50.00 gal.Gray Water:35.00 gal.Black Water:35.00 gal.Awning Size:15'

As I mentioned in post #4 the Ranger does not have the capacity to tow a travel trailer with greater than 55 square feet frontal area, regardless of length or weigth.

[cathib007]

Originally Posted by tfryman

Forget the Dry Weight - it's an unobtainable imaginary number. What is the trailer's GVWR?

And you will definitely need a Weight Distribution Hitch as well as anti-sway. It is better to get a WDH with integrated anti-sway and stay away from friction anti-sway bars.

If you have the optional Trailer Towing Package you will barely be withing the towing capacity of the Ranger, but you may exceed the GCWR depending on your loading. The killer is the 55 square ft frontal wind load. For an 8 foot wide trailer that means it can only be 6 feet tall. That does not fall into the Travel Trailer area and certainly not for the TT you are looking at which has 80 square feet frontal area.

Stupid question by how do you find the Square foot frontal area? If my TT is 8 feet wide, 9' 6" tall, I drive a 2020 Pathfinder, I am trying to learn. I want to buy the Jayco Jay Feather Hybrid X17Z, it is 18.7 feet long and has a GVWR of 3950. Just curious, thanks