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HBadger · 09-03-2020, 06:51 PM

Howdy all!

I have a 2009 Ford Ranger - Regular Cabin, 6 Ft Bed, Automatic 4.10 Gear Ratio, Rear Wheel Drive, 2.3L 4 Cylinder ...

Maximum GCWR : 5500 Lb
GVWR : 4300 Lb
Front GAWR : 2100 Lb
Rear GAWR : 2350 Lb

Max Tongue Load : 200 Lb
Max Gross Trailer Wt : 2000 Lb

As I understand it, these specs are highest weight the truck is engineered to safely handle -- however, my hunch is : realistic limit for genuine on-the-road use would be substantially less for anything that wouldn't burn out the transmission rather quickly ...

Any recommendations for trailers (like a teardrop or something) this truck could realistically handle?

Desert Flyer · 09-03-2020, 10:03 PM

With only a 2,000 lb tow rating and 200 lb hitch load, you are really limited. Look at:
Popups with 8-ft box length
Scamp 13-ft fiberglass “egg” trailer
NuCamp T@G teardrop
Forest River No Boundries 10-ft camp trailer

Another option is a camp trailer. There are more and more of these every day and quite a variety and price ranges. They are generally a small/tiny trailer with (sometimes) a foldout tent packed inside. You don’t walk in it or sleep in it; it is just for all your camping gear. You sleep in the tent. Here are some:
Outback Innovationz
Turtleback Trailers
Or any of another “expedition” trailers

Finally, you could get a camper cap (6-ft bed is good size), fill it with your stuff, and tent camp. Or, a slide-in, low profile truck camper.

Persistent · 09-04-2020, 07:19 AM

I towed a chalet "A" frame folding camper with a tow vehicle with similar specs. My engine and transmission were much bigger. We traveled thousands of miles with it. We had a great time.

The tow vehicle was a Toyota Camry. We had to repeatedly replace the soft drive tires. With your smaller engine and transmission, you should probably not try to drive 70 mph for long periods. Stick with a 60 mph speed limit.

Please note, the towing limits include only the driver. Adding a passenger, luggage, and equipment reduce the towing capacity. So, leave a margin between max and actual when choosing a trailer.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!