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Old 11-16-2013, 03:38 PM   #1
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pulling new trailer with a ford ranger

i'm buying a new Rockford 2109s 21 foot. the dry trailer weight is 3665 lb., and the tongue weight is 336 lb.. my ranger has a towing capacity of 5700 lb. it has the towing package, and the 4.0 v-6. the dealer sold me an equal-I-zer 1000 system. and is installing the brake controller. I don't plan on long hauls mostly close to home. just to old to travel far any more. my ranger is a 2011 with 17,000 miles and has no problem pulling the 2700 lb. camper I have now with 360 lb. tongue weight. does this new set up sound feasible? thanks bill
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Old 11-16-2013, 04:29 PM   #2
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That 1000 is overkill and may actually be a worse ride ( the dealership will try to tell you otherwise....it's better to treat them like a used car salesman and research anything they say). Too much spring stiffness can result in unpredictable ride and bounce. I've got the other floor plan of that trailer and I can tell you you'll probably be around 4300 lbs. and 460 lbs on the tongue loaded so, if it were me, I'd get the 600 / 6000 lb model instead of that 1000 / 10,000 lb. (probably something they keep in stock for the larger trailers and probably more common than the smaller unit) That is, by the way, the hitch Equilizer recommended (90-00-0600)when I punched in the weight numbers for your trailer on their website. If the dealer won't order it, get it online. The truck will pull it, just expect around 10 mpg....that's what I get with a 4.2L. Also, depending on your wheelbase...and I think you're about the same as me, the crosswind can be a beast. Sway shouldn't be an issue, but it tends to want to push me around a little, so watch out.
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Old 11-16-2013, 04:38 PM   #3
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well, without knowing which cab you have, which rear end ratio you have, which trans you have, whether it 4x2 or 4x4, can't say for sure if you have the 5700 towing capacity.
but if you do, you should be fine on hitch weight and trailer weight, since the GVWR is well below the 5700 number.

BUT don't use fictional "dry" weights. no trailer weighs its brochure/website "dry" weight from the factory. those are stripped down trailer weights and bear no resemblance to what they actually weigh.

i suggest you get the yellow sticker weight of the trailer, which will be its actual weight when it left the factory. it won't include battery, water, cargo and maybe propane weight.

by the way, what did your dealer charge for the controller/installation and Equalizer, if you don't mind saying?
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Old 11-16-2013, 04:50 PM   #4
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Four years ago I began my RV journey using a Ranger pulling a 3500 lb. 21' Passport by Keystone. It pulled ok, but here's a warning. Get a good pair of side view mirrors. The Ranger is pretty narrow and seeing around behind you is difficult if not impossible without a good set of mirrors. I bought some at Camping World that fit on the side of the doors and extended way past the factory mirrors. Did not even consider those that just fit on the mirrors. Also get a weight distribution hitch. You won't regret it. By the way; I now have a F250 and a fifth wheel. I guess you can say I got the RV fever real fast. Good Luck and Welcome to the forum. Hope to see you around.
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Old 11-16-2013, 04:59 PM   #5
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While trailer shopping recently, I ran into several dealers selling "Equalizer/Equal-i-zer" hitches that were NOT the brand name hitch at all, they were lesser quality hitches.

Big dealers, and very blatant about it.
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Old 11-17-2013, 03:46 AM   #6
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thanks all for the great info, i kind of started out big with 2, 5th wheels and a ford 1 ton v-10. since i happen to have his and hers rangers now, i had to down size big time. i'm going to confront the dealer on the equilizer hitch size. the ranger i'm pulling with is a super cab, with an automatic , with a 3.70 rearend. they are installing a proportional brake control for $179.00. bill
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Old 11-17-2013, 07:58 AM   #7
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I pull a 3700 lb trailer with my 2011 Ranger. It can handle it for short trips but boy does it suck for gas. I find the Ranger is bad on gas on a normal day but with the trailer, yikes. I've done a few trips with it. Once I stayed on the secondary highways where I stayed at around 80 Kms per hour. Other time I drove on the main highway where I drove at 100 Kms per hour. Seemed I used less gas when staying at the slower speed. I also had a bit of a hard time getting out of a dry camping area when the "road" was slick with mud, so I know to avoid that situation as much as possible.

I have a 600/6000 WDH and the extended mirrors and it seems to work.
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Old 11-17-2013, 09:25 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by wpredock View Post
just to old to travel far any more.
I'm coming up at 79 so I have a few years to go before I get to old to travel!
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Old 11-17-2013, 10:49 AM   #9
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Quote:
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just to old to travel far any more.
I'm coming up at 79 so I have a few years to go before I get to old to travel!
sounds like your having a great time. i just can't drive that far anymore. we stay close to home. if i thought i was goiing to get this old i would have changed my oil more often.
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Old 11-17-2013, 11:14 AM   #10
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sounds like your having a great time. i just can't drive that far anymore. we stay close to home. if i thought i was goiing to get this old i would have changed my oil more often.
If you run into a certain Iowegian, you won't even want to leave home.
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Old 12-27-2013, 08:00 AM   #11
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i picked up my new 21fbrs in iowa yesterday and pulled it home 300 miles with my 4.0 v6 ranger. the trip went perfect. i locked out overdrive all the way home and used speed control 98%. i was heading into the wind most of the way. fairly flat highway running 55 mph. i hit about 14 grades where the trans. down shifted. it never exceeded 3800 rpm and was running a consistant 2400 rpm. i had plenty of power and with the reese pro wdh, and dual stablilizers handling was perfect. a few big trucks passing me tightened my butt,and i used lots of fuel. i guess a new truck is out of the equation.
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Old 12-27-2013, 08:06 AM   #12
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i just realized that i started this tread buying a rockford 2109s. the deal fell trhough on that so i bought the same model in a flagstaff in iowa.
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Old 12-27-2013, 08:46 AM   #13
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Those rpms sound right at where I was at with my setup with the Ranger and my 3,700 lb trailer. It can do it for sure. I actually didn't find any problems with the big trucks going by me. No sway at all. If your not traveling far and can avoid wet grass/mud areas, the ranger will have no trouble. We have since upgraded to a F150, but mainly for the safety of our son so he wouldn't have to sit in the sideways facing jumper seats in the back. My wife hated him sitting back there.

Congrats on the trailer!
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Old 12-29-2013, 07:08 AM   #14
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i would love to have a new f150 or expedition. but for the distance i will be towing each year, it is just not financially sensible. there are so many nice camp grounds close to home, and we have traveled so much since i retired in 1994, we now have no need to go that far. we have some of the most beautiful country in the usa at our backdoor in mo.
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