off we go.....maybe???????

pclarksurf · Aug 8, 2015

I have a class 4 hitch on my Chevy 1500 4x4 -- she too is a stock v6 in the Cheyenne heavy 1/2 ton set up with a full size bed-- I will venture that your ranger is on the light side as my truck will pull all day long , but is admittedly underpowered with the stock v6.

The most telling will be to look up your factory towing specs for the ranger and compare them to the gross towable of the boat and trailer.

Your class 3 hitch is 600lbs on the tongue and 6000 gross trailer weight. -- someone will know better than I through actual measurement, but you might be a bit shy on the tongue weight with that class 3. My trailer jack alone is rated at 1500 and works pretty hard to jack the boat up to max extension.

pclarksurf · Aug 8, 2015

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/towing-capacity/vehicle /towing-capacity-chart.htm

Lots of look ups out there, but this might be a start:

Leeward Rail · Aug 8, 2015

You don't say which year Ranger ?
Towing capacity can be all over the place for the same basic vehicle depending on transmission type, rear axle ratio etc.

What does the sticker say on the driver door say for GVWR etc ? That will tell you the numbers for what your truck weighs and what it can handle for towing.

Usually you try to have a trailer setup so that tongue weight is just over 10% of the weight of the total trailer weight.
You could weigh your trailer tongue to check what yours is.

Gene Neill · Aug 9, 2015

AnnaLise said:
So, I have completed the work needed to get "AnnaLise" in the water, and under sail, but now.........

I own a Ford Ranger XLT Super Cab, 4x4 with the 3.0 V6 engine, class III hitch, and some friends and others are saying "sure, that will tow your boat just fine," others say, "are you *&^%$ing serious?! I wouldn't pull a Golf Cart on a Trailer with that setup!!"

I know the trailer and boat weigh about 3000-3500, I don't have a galley, nor anything else on the boat (outboard goes in the back of the truck)

Will my Ford do the job, ( had the Ford before the boat), I know I need to hook up the trailer brakes, (they are electric) but not if the truck can't handle it! Sure don't want 3500lbs of boat chasing me down the road! Underwear is getting expensive!

It'll be close. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're gonna be okay once the trailer brakes are hooked up, although it may be slow going uphill. Your load is probably closer to 3000 lbs than 3500 (my new design boat weighs 3300 on the trailer, with a good bit amount of gear and stuff onboard, and new designs are known for being heavier than older boats).

My truck is a 2014 Tacoma 2WD with a 4.0 liter (236 HP) V6. It's enough (on Florida's relatively flat terrain), but there's not much to spare, especially on the hills.

woodster · Aug 9, 2015

if you have an automatic transmission make sure you get a good transmission cooler installed

a Hayden transmission cooler will be great

CaptDon01 · Aug 9, 2015

Spend a couple bucks and go to a truck scale and see exactly what the rig's total weight is as normally loaded going to the launch the boat. I was surprised to find out our WK MK-II with our normal gear on board, outboard, and trailer, weighed 4,600 Lbs. Then I weighed the empty trailer and it came in at 1,100 Lbs. That's when I realized that the 14" Load Range-C tires were not sufficient.

Then look in your owner's manual and the weight limits sticker inside the door, and you'll know where you stand.

I think the they charged me $5. to weigh each time. Best $10. I've spent.

Don

Leeward Rail · Aug 9, 2015

+1 for woodster, gene, and Don's posts.

Don't make the mistake of overworking the truck or towing at it's maximum capacity.
Especially considering you are in Bozeman, MT.

The truck may pull it, but even if the boat is lightly loaded, the boat's size/height can throw a light vehicle around due to wind gusts. Not to mention the risk of destroying the transmission.

Like Gene says, it will likely be very close, and therefore only suitable for flat terrain.

FWIW, when it comes to towing, I like a bit of overkill. It's keeps things 100% safe, and I don't have to worry. A

Are you planning to tow it far or frequently ? Worst case maybe a U-haul pickup rental, a couple times are year will work for you ?

Or maybe meet a nice dog that owns a pickup and cute human ?

Gene Neill · Aug 9, 2015

CaptDon01 said:
I was surprised to find out our WK MK-II with our normal gear on board, outboard, and trailer, weighed 4,600 Lbs.

Don

Holy Moses, Don, and I thought MY boat was heavy!!

Leeward Rail · Aug 9, 2015

Gene Neill said:
Holy Moses, Don, and I thought MY boat was heavy!!

All that Rum weighs a lot !

Gene Neill · Aug 9, 2015

And a substantial amount of gold bullion ...

kito · Aug 9, 2015

I once towed my 24' Bayliner (about 5,000 lbs) with a 1987 Ranger 4x4 2.8L from Illinois to North Carolina. It did fine until going down the Smokies. I about lost it due to serious fishtale. The boat outweighed my truck and got pretty scary. I now have 4.0L Ranger and pulls my C22 easily. Just make sure you have the correct tongue weight on your trailer. Moving the bow stop just a few inches can determine a 50 mph max with fishtailing or a 75 mph smooth trip.

CloudDiver · Aug 9, 2015

I'm not a professional trucker, but I've towed many things big and small with many vehicles also big and small. A class 3 hitch is fine for a C-22. I use a class 3 to tow my toy hauler that weighs 3300 pounds (I had it weighed at a Truck Stop like Don did). When its loaded with race bikes and gear it probably approaches 5000 lb. Never had a problem with that or my C-22 in my Chevy, but I have a 5.4 L V-8.
I have towed boats (bass boats mostly) and U-Haul trailers with V-6 SUVs and V6 Trucks, also my 4.0L In line 6 Jeep Cherokee. I would confident that any one of them could tow my C22 with the exception that depending on your axle ratio you will feel it on steep hills if you have any. On the flats, you'll be fine.
The BIGGEST suggestion I would make to anyone towing a C-22 with 6 cylinder vehicle; C-22s are transom heavy, so get the bow stop as far forward as possible and crank the hull up onto the trailer as far forward as it can reasonably go! Then check your axle placement, it could be possible to move your axle back if needed, even one inch can make a huge difference. A general rule in towing, if your load is too centered over the axle there may be little to no downward pressure on the trailer tongue, and if the load is behind the axle it can be pulling up on the coupler (this is rare, but could happen if loads shift). Thats when your load gets squirrely and starts fish tailing all over when you get to 55 mph, some times lower. Get that load as far forward of the axle as possible!
With those safety measures in mind I would even tow a C-22 with a 4-banger, but only certain 4 cylinder vehicles that are tow-capable like small SUVs and light trucks and only on relatively flat grades, but it can be done safely. For some C22 owners who only tow short distances to the launch with little to no highway miles on flat grades, sure you can.

woodster · Aug 9, 2015

here is some info on hitches

http://www.reese-hitches.com/learning_center/general-towing-classes

it is very good info and reese has been around for a long time helping write the standards that we have today

Gene Neill · Aug 9, 2015

GVWR and towing capacity aren't really related. GVWR is basically how much the truck can carry, including the weight of the truck itself. Repeat: how much it can carry, NOT how much it can tow.

Gene Neill · Aug 9, 2015

Oh, and as for the automatic transmission model: IME and IMHO, no 3.0 liter powered vehicle is suitable for safely towing 6000 pounds. They just don't put engines that small in trucks that big. I call BS on that rating.

Granted, the important thing is not how much the vehicle can PULL, it's more a matter of how much can it CONTROL, in a sudden, violent swerve, and how much can it bring to an immediate stop in a dire emergency. So it's more about the size, weight, braking power, and wheelbase of the tow vehicle than it is the engine size/horsepower. In other words, most vehicles CAN tow a lot more than they SHOULD tow.

I do believe that a skilled (and very cautious!) driver could safely pull your boat a couple hours down the road to the lake once a year, no problem. But I hesitate to recommend it to a complete stranger on the internet, lest my advice help lead him to disaster. If you're uncertain, don't do it.

You're unlikely to ever look back and say, "if ONLY I hadn't rented a bigger truck!"

allen-deckard · Aug 9, 2015

Pull it? Sure it will pull it. Question is how fast do you want to pull it and what is the grade your pulling it up at that speed?

as far as stopping personally I don't see an issue. Is it going to stop as fast as a full size truck? obviously not but I don't see why you should have any issue myself.

Leeward Rail · Aug 9, 2015

Here's info from a website I've used before. Use at your own risk.

http://www.rv.net/SharedCode/towrat...Ford&model=Ranger+4x4&min_tlimit=&max_tlimit=

http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/

Results:
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Year: 1999 Make: Ford Model: Ranger 4x4 Engine: 3.0 V-6 Tow Limit: 4360 Requires 4.10:1 axle ratio. Requires automatic transmission. Requires Trailer Towing Package.

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GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
maximum operating weight of a vehicle specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle itself, fuel+oil etc, accessories, passengers, and cargo... EXCLUDING trailer

As Gene has said, that doesn't tell you what the towing capacity is.

Importantly, it helps tell you which truck you have.
What I mean is... Manufacturers sometimes build the same basic truck with different GVWR. (Standard and HD versions for example) By matching that GVWR, and other info, to the towing info in your owners manual, you can see what the manufacturer's rating is.

As the posted info above mentions.. the axle ratio can have a large bearing on what you can tow.
Trailer towing packages almost always include transmission coolers, but can also have other upgrades

So the GVWR + axle ratio if you know it + transmission type + towing package or not, will let you match that info to your owners manual's towing info so you can see what the official GTWR (Gross Trailer Weight Rating) and tongue weight numbers are.

If your owners manual doesn't have the info then I'd contact Ford with your VIN number and they can look it up.

That way you are getting directly from the guys who built your truck, and not some website.