2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

[mikeandronda]

I have a 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger with a tounge wieght max of 200lbs and towing max of 2000lbs.........What is the safe amount I can tow?

 

[Mkos1980]

Re: 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

You didnt list what 6CYL you have but with my 4.0L V6 my combo weights in at 5300lbs and 285LBS TW. I dont have any trouble towing it or at the launch ramp. I think I've used the 4x4 once or twice because of slime but thats it. I have 4.10's in the back which help out alot. I've also upgraded to to LT tires as well.

 

[JB]

Re: 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

The 200# and 2000# are ratings of the bumper hitch, Mike, not the truck.

Truck ratings are based on engine, drive train ratio, 2X4 or 4X4, whether there is a towing package installed (oil cooler, tranny cooler, alternator, battery and heavy duty brakes may be included in a towing package).

Your Ford Dealer can tell you the truck rating as equipped.

Based on my experience with a 3 liter, 4X4, 5 speed Ranger I would guess the rating is 2000# and safe load about 1500#.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

it is different dependent on what options the truck has. there is a chart in the owners manual listing the tow rating for all the engine, trans and wheelbase combinations.

I think we need more details about the truck to answer this question.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

Mike it is not the towing that is the problem with a Ranger, it is the stopping, they are light in the rear, you need trailer brakes. even with full size PU's i have been pushed thru intersections.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

Mike it is not the towing that is the problem with a Ranger, it is the stopping, they are light in the rear, you need trailer brakes. even with full size PU's i have been pushed thru intersections.

Ill agree whole heartedly. if there is any real weight to the boat I would suggest trailer brakes. Even my very light boat/trailer has shoved the rear around on my Ranger when I have had to get on the brakes hard.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

Sorry I didnt get back to this sooner......Been one of those days........for like 3 days now Anyways after hearing the general concenus here, talking to a few people about the truck and to the guy with boat he says its a little heavier then other 18's because its a wellcraft. I decided to pull it with a shop truck from my father's dealership.....Better safe than sorry Anyways Im gonna get the boat and my dad's mechanics are gonna go over the motor tomarrow.......Its kinda cool because I know all these guys pretty well and I can hang out while they go over everything and I can ask 1,976,000 questions........ Im thinking a bigger truck is in my future.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

I've been using a 1994 Ranger to tow with for years.
With a fiberglass cap, bedliner, a full tank of fuel on a regular cab longbed with a 2.3L 4 cylinder engine and 5 speed stick shift, it weighs in at 3,743 lbs. That's only about 700 lbs less than my '86 F150. None of my trailers were built with brakes, the largest trailer I tow regularly is my 18' cuddy cabin on a single axle trailer and it tows that just fine, you can forget that it's back there. I've pulled as much as 7,000 lbs but not real far, maybe 20 miles or so. The frame and power train does fine, the truck handles the weight just fine. My only concern is that it has a 7.5" rear axle and a transmission that's not known for it's strength. (None of the Ranger transmissions over the years have been very highly rated when it comes to towing, the manual trans is probably the heaviest duty of all the transmissions even though Ford rates the automatic higher).

I was actually surprised to see how heavy it was, the difference between the Ranger and the F150 is not much more than a couple big passengers.

The biggest plus with the Ranger is the mileage, I tried a new F150 but couldn't get over 13 mpg out of it around town.
My two biggest complaints about the Ranger are the clutch master cylinder and slave set up, which fails every two years, and the lack of traction on wet ramps, but most of that is due to the very tall rear ratio in mine, a 2.73 gear. I think I'd be far better off all around with a 3.73:1 rear or lower. I changed the rear on my old Ranger to a 4.10 gear and my mileage and power were both increased by nearly double for around town driving.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: 2001 6 cyl. auto Ford Ranger max weight towing?

My ranger has the 8.8 LS rear with 4:10 gears. combine that with the 5 speed and it makes for dependable rig. No issues pulling up a ramp ever. I would say the 4:10 gears should be mandatory regardless of engine. I have the 3.0L and while its not a speed demon, I never have any issues merging in traffic with a load in the bed or pulling a trailer. I even put 31x10.5 tires on it with no noticable loss in power.