Thread: Can a V8 Ranger tow?

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Because my '51 Chevy is stock, to go long distance I want to trailer it.. got a 2.5L Ranger so that's not going to happen with this truck.. stock anyway
Been looking for a good F-150 5.0L/ 5spd 4x4 but keep coming up with junk, or nice 1's that are just too far out of my price range.. checked Comparable Chevy's, which seem a bit cheaper, but nothing that I would be happy with.. Ford had the better truck in the early 90's anyway..

everything keeps coming back to putting a V8 in my Ranger.. to be legal in NY, it has to be OBDII compliant and engine has to be from the same year or newer vehicle.. which is no big deal, just gotta find a 5.0L 2WD exploder from 1998-2001, and everything bolts in.

now the question is, will a Explorer 5.0L in a Ranger, pull a 4,000# car + trailer with helper/ overload springs?, or heavy duty suspension parts from a tow package Ranger?

pulling yes with a V8 but stopping would be a deal i would do some thinking on .the frame may need some work as well they are abit ligth in the frame department .i would look for a S 10 with a 4.3 real tuff and the the frame is abit better .when all said and done i would worry about pulling some thing that bigger then your truck short wheel base

A guy down the street from HAD a ranger, 4X4 with a V8 which he used to pull his 20+ foot camper. Had enough power but the camper was just too big in a wind. He now has the Ford F-150 4X4.

My brother had a 97 with a V6 and 4X4 to pull his boat with an inboard/outboard and the V6 was for sure under powered.

I've been looking for a F-150 4X4 myself, found a 97 that had 86,000 miles, auto, V6,4X4 for $3995.00 but it was sold.

Been looking on cars.com, autotrader.com.

Oh ya I found another 97 F-150 extended cab, 4X4, 82,000 miles, really clean for only $3700. It was perfect and everything I wanted, However it was on Craigslist and turned out to be a scam. Be carefull out there.

Matt, rule one on towing is to NEVER tow something that is over the GVW for the vehicle you're towing with!!!! Not only against the law, but really nasty when the towee starts pushing the tower all over the highway!!!!!!

I am a ford guy ,so the ford gets my vote ....we just picked up a 96 f-150 4 by 4 for 200 dollars ,shure reverse is out and the right front is locked up from a bearing exsplosion ,but the engine runs good and the a/c works

It did not care about the front being locked up either,although it left a pretty good rut in the guys yard when we drove it.
Picked up a used front end from a junkyard for $250 and already have a transmission from another project.

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Matt, rule one on towing is to NEVER tow something that is over the GVW for the vehicle you're towing with!!!! Not only against the law, but really nasty when the towee starts pushing the tower all over the highway!!!!!!

Exactly......dont tow with the little truck.

guess I'll keep looking for F-150's.. don't think I'd turn down a 5.8L F-250 ither, but I have to keep the MPG somewhat resonable.. in the ballpark of 20 MPG, but I don't expect 20

Originally Posted by Matt167

guess I'll keep looking for F-150's.. don't think I'd turn down a 5.8L F-250 ither, but I have to keep the MPG somewhat resonable.. in the ballpark of 20 MPG, but I don't expect 20

20 mpg in a V-8 powered pickup with enough power to tow????? Good luck with that!!!! My diesel barely does 17, and that's with a light load in the trailer!!!! Loaded up and travelling, it's more like about 14. Without the trailer, maybe 18--but then why would I drive it without the trailer???? A full size truck is just too heavy, sits too high, and offers too much wind resistance and parasitic drag, especially a 4X4, to get decent mileage!!!!

PS--the good news is that the toter does the 14 mpg figure with the trailer loaded with car, tools, parts, fuel, etc. along with 4 people and their necessities, at 80 mph on the cruise with the air on......

I know 20 MPG would be dreaming, but I'm thinking somthing like 16-18 unloaded would be ok.. even 14 wouldn't be that bad, don't have very far to go.. dual tanks on an F-150.. I could go for a while in between fillup's but they'd be what $100 fillups?
I remember when my dad had his '97 F-150, with the big 30 gallon tank.. always complained about the $50 fillups.. but it was around that time my parents were complaining about $1.50 gas

Originally Posted by Matt167

I know 20 MPG would be dreaming, but I'm thinking somthing like 16-18 unloaded would be ok.. even 14 wouldn't be that bad, don't have very far to go.. dual tanks on an F-150.. I could go for a while in between fillup's but they'd be what $100 fillups?
I remember when my dad had his '97 F-150, with the big 30 gallon tank.. always complained about the $50 fillups.. but it was around that time my parents were complaining about $1.50 gas

I run 2-22 gal. tanks (factory) and a 100 gal. tank in the bed. I hate having to buy fuel anyplace other then a Cenex---good old farmer fuel, ya know!!!!! My old gas engine dually did 8 mpg loaded and about 10 with nothing hooked up..... Big tow rigs and fuel mileage just don't go well together.....

yea, I just want somthing that can tow.. not all the time, just when I want to take the Chevy long distances.. so a 5.0L V8 F-150 probably would be ok for the limited amount of towing I'll be doing..

Matt - as an "option" you my want to consider a Suburban. They're plentiful and reasonable priced. I looked on line and found several Chevy/GMC in your ares for less than $5k.

Many came with tow packages that have heavy radiator, suspension, tires, etc. A 350 with a T400 or better yet, OD trans. There's a fair number of big blocks out there as well - 454 in a 3/4 ton is a bit of a gas hog, but a tough combination that will run forever...

They have a ton of room, easy to work on and just great haulers.

A little story for you...
Friend #1 buys a late 60's Toyota Landcruiser FJ, and needs to get it moved. Friend #2 has a Datsun pickup that has a trailer hitch. They need to get the Landcruiser to Springfield Mo and the Datsun is chosen for the job ( I think that era Landcruiser probably weighs a good 1400 pounds more than the Datsun ). To keep it "slow and safe" they decide to stick to the back roads. I don't know if you've ever been to southern Missouri, but the backroads down there come two ways, uphill and downhill.

Everything is going great until they get to a downhill part of the road that's real curvy. By the way, did I mention they loaded the Landcruiser on the trailer backwards with the engine well behind the trailer axle to keep the tongue weight down so they wouldn't bend the truck bumper on the Datsun?

Right about the middle of the curve of the downhill drive, everything goes crazy. The tongue of the trailer actually lifts the back tires of the Datsun pickup off the road.

Friend #1 that bought the Landcruiser spent a good part of the afternoon cleaning two brown stains from the seat of the pickup.

Unless you have a need for the 4x4 in the winter, consider a 2WD. It will be cheaper, will get better mpg and will have less stuff to break and fix. My 01 Silverado with 5.3 gets 17+ around town and will get 20 on the highway if I keep the speed to 65. It gets 18+ at 75. It has plenty of power to tow and to stop. I'm sure F150 of same vintage will be similar. Having experience riding in both, I gotta say my Chevy is a much more comfy truck. Especially when towing.

I'd rather not get a Suburban.. just a bit too bulky for what I need.. I need somthing that is also 'mild' enough to be a daily driver.. really looking for somthing pre 1996. if I find a really nice Chevy/ GMC I'll consider it, but In those years, Chevy trucks were just a bit rougher constructed than the Fords IMO.. functional in every respect, just not as nice