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Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: tow vehicle question
    Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 3:57pm
Ford is bringing a V6 diesel to market in the F150 this fall.. or at least that's what they said on the spring auto show circuit.. I have high hopes my next Expedition is a oil burner... Wink
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 9:28pm
By the time we get around to purchasing a new vehicle, perhaps there will be a diesel.

We picked up our R-Pod from the dealer on Monday. On the trip home, I filled the gas tank. After we got home and before I drove too many miles, I filled again and figured out the mileage. 18+ MPG, but that was only a short haul of about 50 miles. Gotta love those tailwinds! We had a pretty stiff one for the return trip. Thumbs Up The tanks were also empty.

Ford does not have a "tow" mode for the Escape. The transmission has D and S, or Drive and Sport. On the return trip, I had it in S. That may also have helped with the mileage. I guess the S can also stand for Schlep mode. LOL

I won't be doing a long trip until April. I'll have a better idea after that trip as to how the AeroPlus helps.
StephenH
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Patriot Dave View Drop Down
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Posts: 206 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 5:34am
We will be picking up our new Rpod soon and for a Tow Vehicle, I currently own a 2006 Ford Ranger 4.0 V6, 4x4 Super Cab with a factory tow package.
Trying to locate the specs on Google it looks like my truck is at 207hp @ 5250rpm's, and torque is 238 @ 3000rpm.
After reading all of the many posts here it seems I am going to be just adequate?
Any and all comments are welcome.
Thanks
Dave & Joyce
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 7:18am
Originally posted by Patriot Dave

We will be picking up our new Rpod soon and for a Tow Vehicle, I currently own a 2006 Ford Ranger 4.0 V6, 4x4 Super Cab with a factory tow package.
Trying to locate the specs on Google it looks like my truck is at 207hp @ 5250rpm's, and torque is 238 @ 3000rpm.
After reading all of the many posts here it seems I am going to be just adequate?
Any and all comments are welcome.
Thanks


When it comes to tow vehicles:
There is what is possible and
There is what I would recommend
The two are very different animals.

It is possible to tow a Pod with a lawn tractor. When I bought my Pod, my TV was a 185hp GMC Canyon. I towed my Pod from central Indiana to the Rocky Mountains and back with it. It is possible to tow with a vehicle like that. However, would I recommend it?
HELL NO!
I got something more powerful as soon as I possibly could.

I'm guessing what you have can be made to work. I'll go out on a limb and speculate that you will want something with a little more "umph".
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CharlieM View Drop Down
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Posts: 1797 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 7:36am
Originally posted by Patriot Dave

................. 2006 Ford Ranger 4.0 V6, 4x4 Super Cab with a factory tow package.
Trying to locate the specs on Google it looks like my truck is at 207hp @ 5250rpm's, and torque is 238 @ 3000rpm.
After reading all of the many posts here it seems I am going to be just adequate? ...................


I would say just adequate on relatively flat low altitude terrain. Don't tow in the highest or overdrive gear. Mountains will be a challenge, but you will just have to be content with slow ascents. As Dave said, it can be done, but you'll want something better when the budget allows.


Charlie
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OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD
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Posts: 206 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 9:04am
Originally posted by CharlieM


Originally posted by Patriot Dave

................. 2006 Ford Ranger 4.0 V6, 4x4 Super Cab with a factory tow package.
Trying to locate the specs on Google it looks like my truck is at 207hp @ 5250rpm's, and torque is 238 @ 3000rpm.
After reading all of the many posts here it seems I am going to be just adequate?
...................
I would say just adequate on relatively flat low altitude terrain. Don't tow in the highest or overdrive gear. Mountains will be a challenge, but you will just have to be content with slow ascents. As Dave said, it can be done, but you'll want something better when the budget allows.


Thanks for the reply. The Ranger has 145,000 miles on it and is in great shape (I take good care of my vehicles) however with that said, I will start thinking and looking at possible replacement vehicles. Hope to get through this summer with the current setup. By the end of summer I should have a good idea as to what I will need.
Have a Great Day.
Dave & Joyce
Never Forget, In God We Trust; This Our National Motto.
Member; Patriot Guard Riders, Michigan Chapter
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Posts: 206 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 9:07am
Originally posted by David

Originally posted by Patriot Dave

We will be picking up our new Rpod soon and for a Tow Vehicle, I currently own a 2006 Ford Ranger 4.0 V6, 4x4 Super Cab with a factory tow package.
Trying to locate the specs on Google it looks like my truck is at 207hp @ 5250rpm's, and torque is 238 @ 3000rpm.
After reading all of the many posts here it seems I am going to be just adequate?
Any and all comments are welcome.
Thanks


When it comes to tow vehicles:
There is what is possible and
There is what I would recommend
The two are very different animals.

It is possible to tow a Pod with a lawn tractor. When I bought my Pod, my TV was a 185hp GMC Canyon. I towed my Pod from central Indiana to the Rocky Mountains and back with it. It is possible to tow with a vehicle like that. However, would I recommend it?
HELL NO!
I got something more powerful as soon as I possibly could.

I'm guessing what you have can be made to work. I'll go out on a limb and speculate that you will want something with a little more "umph".


Thanks for the reply.
Well at least i know what to expect. I will be looking at possible replacements and choose something by the end of summer.
The Ranger has 145,000 on it so It will be time anyway.
Dave & Joyce
Never Forget, In God We Trust; This Our National Motto.
Member; Patriot Guard Riders, Michigan Chapter
Retired; So Every Day is Saturday.... Except Sunday
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Posts: 270 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 9:11am
While we are on the subject: any recommendations on a self powered trailer dolly, to get the pod towed for about 25 feet into a flat paved driveway?

There is a slim chance we won't be able to use the pod the way we hoped at the cottage. By backing the pod in with the truck, I am afraid there will not be enough room to easily walk between the cottage and the pod. The other side of the driveway has a nice large grassy area, which is 100% more preferable for the exit side of the pod. My FiL will have no problem letting me store the dolly at the cottage, so portability is not an issue. The 171 is ~3,200 fully loaded, and the driveway is flat, so I think I can get away with whatever the cheapest model dolly is that can pull that weight.

EDIT: I found the Trailer Valet 5X, which is rated to 5,000Lbs, and has some hand crank mechanism that allows to to propel it slowly. Has anyone used something like this product?
https://www.trailervalet.com/shop/trailer-valet-trailer-dolly/
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 9:18am
See the chart on page 18 of Ford's towing guide for the 2006 model year:

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/2006RVguideApr08.pdf

If I am reading it correctly, your Ranger has a towing limit of 5580 lbs or 5300 lbs with FX4 Level II. It SHOULD be adequate.
StephenH
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Posts: 193 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 11:44am
Originally posted by StephenH

However, the same article used this illustration:  The Honda, with high horsepower and low torque is a vehicle unsuitable for towing.

"In other words, torque lets you do the work, but horsepower lets you do the work quickly."

"In the end, all the evidence points to torque as being more important than horsepower when it comes to towing. Why? The power at low-end rpm provided by high levels of torque lets you move huge loads without much effort. As stated before, some diesel trucks produce twice as much torque as they do horsepower at near-idle RPM levels -- meaning that they can start pulling something like a trailer or a boat with ease.

Horsepower is important because it allows a car to move faster on the highway and at high rpm. However, if you can't get that trailer off the line, all the horsepower in the world won't help you."

The full article would differ. My point was not to say horsepower isn't important. However, it is not enough to have a lot of horsepower if there is insufficient torque available to apply it. One needs both.

Looking up some quick specs for your Tacoma but not knowing the exact model, it looks like the figures for the supercharged engine horsepower are 296@5400 rpm and torque are 318@3600 rpm. The specs for my Escape with 2L Ecoboost engine are horsepower: 240* @ 5500 rpm, torque: 270 @ 3000 rpm. In both cases, the torque specs are higher than the horsepower as opposed to non-supercharged or non-turbocharged where the horsepower specs are usually higher than torque, and which vehicles have a harder time towing. It is the reason I traded from my old Escape, which had a larger engine, but less horsepower and torque, and would not have been suitable to tow the R-Pod 179.



To bolster your argument about the importance of torque over and against horsepower in towing, consider that a modern Detroit Diesel engine used in a semi tractor is capable of towing up to 80,000 lbs., yet puts out only 560 horsepower (for comparison, a Dodge Challenger with the Hellcat engine puts out over 700 horsepower).  But it achieves an astonishing 1,850 lb/ft torque.  That's why you won't find too many Challenger SRT's pulling campers.
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