CAN MY RANGER PULL

You should check your owner's guide and the vehicle certification plate on the door. Hurting your truck should be a secondary concern to hurting yourself.

Does the truck have an automatic or a manual transmission? If it has an Automatic, be sure to turn the overdrive off.

How are you planning to tow the Msutang? On a trailer, or using a dolly? The car plus a full car carrier might be pushing the weight limits, but is probably OK if the tailer has surge brakes. The car on a dolly is likely to be OK as well, as long as you take it easy. It is not the "going" that is the problem, it is the "stopping." Flat towing the Mustang is a bad idea.

Ed

If the Mustang weighs more than the Ranger (which it does) the answer is a BIG NO....

Can I kill an elephant with a wet noodle ?

I wouldn't do it, not with that small truck.

And cut the ALL CAPS please.

Why would you say that? I don't know about his particular Ranger (which is why he should look at his owner's manual and the vehicle certification plate), but properly equipped Rangers are rated to tow trailers that weigh more than the empty Ranger. I don't have the infomration for a 1991 Ranger, but 1996 Rangers with the 4.0L V6 and proper equipment were rated to tow as much as 6000 lbs (or as little as 2000 lb). Properly equipped is an important phrase!

Assuming he has a properly equipped Ranger, the important thing is how he tows the Mustang. I certainly would not try flat towing the Mustang. If his Ranger is rated to tow as much as 6000 lbs, then the best way to tow the Mustang would be on a full car trailer with surge brakes. Next best is with a tow dolly.

Ed

lol - After reading your reply are started thinking, you know he might want to flatbed or dolly his Ranger behind the Mustang!

lovemyranger wrote in news:72c9c00f-4861-4141- snipped-for-privacy@v25g2000yqk.googlegroups.com:

don`t listen to these whinners. that ranger will do the job easy. I use my

2.5 ranger to pull lots of vehicles all the time. You do need to be very aware of the increased brakeing time. KB

I initially thought the same thing, but I wouldn't pull either with anything less than an F-150.

All these posts are ridiculous. I would never tow anything that weighed more than the tow vehicle. Didn't any of you posters take physics in school. When he gets rolling the heavier vehicle will be in complete control. And he will be using his Ranger as the detonator in an explosive situation. A situation the Ranger cannot control. I have seen too many preventable accidents where someone was towing a heavier vehicle. And the idiots I really laugh at are the ones I see towing two, yes, dragging two objects.

So, in your mind, a semi tractor shoukdn't tow anything heavier than the actual weight of the tractor? An F250 rated to tow 12,000 lbs shouldn't tow anything heavier than 6000 lbs? My F150 rated to tow

9000 lb should be limited to towing 5500 lb?

Ed

I didn't say that. I drove semi's for over 20 years. The tractors are set up for pulling 80,000 pounds. A Ranger is not anything I would tow with. Have you ever been on #405 in Calif. when it rains? How many semi's have you seen jack knifed? Ranger is too light, no weight in the rear, and single narrow tires.... When you are towing with a Ranger let me know, so I can stay off the road....

AND.......the trailers have brakes.

If you use a tow bar, instead of a trailer, I don't see why not. I pulled a 69 Firebird 400 miles with my 89 S-10 with 4.3L and 4 sp auto. Just keep the speed down and leave sufficient following distance. You could probably do it with a dolly also. With a trailer I think the combined weight might be a little much. Your owners manual can probably shed some light.

ok thank for the respond SORRY FOR CAPS! and i do drive truck and have for many years. i no i can handle the load that not what i am asking. my truck is a stick. and on the scale the truck waighs 3340, the car waighs 3430 some shit like thatl. i just dont wanna blow clutch.

As long as you tow a trailer within the rating of the vehicle and follow good practices, the Ranger is perfectly adequate to tow a car on a trailer. This is the same principle you expounded regarding semi tractors. In either case, if you exced the capabilities of the vehicle, you are asking for trouble. Properly equipped Rangers are cabable of safely towing as much as

6000 lbs. Of course you need to have proper equipment and exercise proper caution - exactly the same as the case for any tow vehicle.

If I wanted to tow a Mustang with a Ranger, I would want a 2WD, 4.0L V6 Ranger with an automatic transmission. I would want to load the Mustang onto a full car trailer with surge brakes. I'd tow with the overdrive off and take it easy. I wouldn't be worried, but I would be careful.

Over the years I towed several cars with a variety of vehicles. About the closest I came to this particualr situation was towing a F150 on car carrier with an Expedition. The F150 + trailer weighed slightly more than the Expedition, but were well within the allowed towing capacity of the Expedition. It was an easy tow. On the farm I've towed fifth wheel trailers that weighed over twice the weight of the truck alone with no. This is routine for farmers.

The worst thing I ever did was flat tow a Jensen-Healey with a Ford Courier. This was not a good idea, but I was very careful and had no problems. I would not do it again.

Ed

Having a manual transmission makes this a less desirable idea. You should look at your owner's guide. For current Rangers, the maximum towing wieght for a Ranger with a manual transmission is much lower than for a Ranger with an automatic. 3430 is likely near the highest limit for a manual transmission equipped Ranger (maximum towing load is with a 3.55 rear end - lower for anything else). By the time you load the car on a trailer, you will almost certainly exceed the maximum tow rating (3700# or less). On a tow dolly you would be very close to the maximum. Given the age and miles on your clutch, I'd tend to say not to do it. But if you really want to try it, be sure to check the GCW Rating on the vehicle certification label (on the door jam I think). The weight of the Ranger + Car + trailer (or dolly) must not exceed the GCWR on the label.

Ed

If one did a search of the Ford web site they could find the maximum towing capacity for a Ranger. Better yet stop at your local Ford dealer and pick up the free truck load/ towing capacity guide book.

Another thing you will discover is that a Ford F150 will TOW a Tundra, loaded to its maximum capacity, as well. ;)

Check this out....

pickup towing a TT on #275 in downtown Tampa. TT overturned, caught fire blocking all three lanes of traffic.... for a few hours....

A pickup towing a TT on #275 in downtown Tampa. TT overturned, > caught fire blocking all three lanes of traffic.... for a few > hours....

And this proves what? That a driver can screw up? You don't have to be towing something to do that. As you pointed out, even semis can turn over. I agree that towing puts extra strain on a vehicle and requires additional care from the driver. But just becasue someone screws up towing doesn't mean that you can't tow a Mustang with a Ranger (assuming a properly equipped Ranger). It does mean that you need to be careful...but then that is true if you are riding a bike in the woods.

Ed

Ok first, it will be on a DOLLY!not a trailer. And the fact of the matter its the driver that makes or breaks the deal. and some common sense driving and a lil skill. there should be no problems that way. i just ment it's a hilly ride, long way with an old small truck. but the truck is a good truck, a little worked over. i just dont wanna get there with smoke rolling out.