Ford Ranger Tow Vehicle

Welcome.

Can't go wrong with a r.pod BigGrover, but you might want to do some research on the Ford website. While the trailer weight falls with in the tow rating, only Ford, out of "the big three" suggests a limit on the "frontal area" of the trailer.

Case in point. I used to tow my 182G with a 4.0 liter, 6 speed manual, Nissan 4x4 pickup, it was rated to tow 6200#, had 261 horsepower and 281 ft. lbs. of torque, and weighted 4900#, it had everything covered. The Nissan had no trouble handling and stopping the extra the weight and would go just as fast as I wanted. I found if I lost momentum, I had to drop down to 4th or even 3rd gear before I could accelerate. For me, (and my wife) towing, with the engine screaming up every grade, was stressful, and forget about using the cruise control. (some people say you shouldn't use it while towing anyway)

The key isn't horsepower, it's torque. I have owned three Rangers, enjoyed them all but, even with the 4.0 V6, the Ranger doesn't have an abundance of torque or horsepower for towing. One of the other things you need to be concerned with is stopping, and Rangers have notoriously poor brake life, even without a trailer.

I now tow with a 5.7 liter Jeep, same weight, same tow rating, same 12 mpg. and much less drama, much more relaxing. This is NOT an advertisement for a Jeep, just suggesting a little "overkill" in the power department isn't always a bad thing.