Towing (4 wheels down) 2004 Ranger 4wd manual transmission

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Here is what they say you need to do:

********************************** Application Notes Four wheel drive, manual transmission, is towable by placing transfer case in two wheel drive high and manual transmission in neutral. ***********************************

They sell parts to make most vehicles towable, so if they say it can be towed without doing anything other than the above shift placements, you can bet you can. Phone them up on their 800# if you want a person to tell you that it's correct.

Tom J

Your Owner's Manual contains information on towing the truck behind an RV. If you have an automatic transmission, or shift on the fly 4WD, no more than 50 miles at 35 MPH.

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I do not know the Ranger, but when I was dragging my Jeep CJ5 across the highways and byways of America, I set the t-case to N, and put the trans in

1 or R. I also locked my front hubs so the spinning Front Output Shaft drove the gears that were below the oil line in the t-case up onto the gears that were connected to the Rear Output Shaft that lived above the oil line.

I think the suggestion you gave will result in the tires turning the tcase, which will then turn the transmission, which will cook the gears since the output cluster is above the oil line. I would expect a suggestion of setting the trans to 1 or R to hold it from turning due to friction or any other reason, and set the t-case to N so that the rotation of the tires did not turn the gears -- other than the output shaft gears which like to be covered in oil if they can be.

The logic is that the engine is not turning, but the tires are. So, you want settings that disconnect the tires from the engine.

Put the tcase in N, and the goal is achieved. There will be some spinning of the t-case Input Shaft just because of the tcase Output Shaft rotation and the tight tolerances they use to assemble the tcase. To prevent the tcase input shaft from spinning, set the trans to P (if an auto) or 1 or R (if a manual). The trans will hold the tcase input shaft stationary while selecting N on the tcase will allow the tires to turn.

If you want to exceed the speed and/or distance limitations specified in the manual, then you can disconnect the drive shaft from the differential and suspend it/them from the vehicle frame with a suitable material. It is typical that the Rear Drive Shaft be disconnected from the diff when the tcase output shaft is above the oil line in the tcase.

You THINK?? & you don't have experience with that vehicle?? I didn't make any suggestion!! I posted what Remco says and like I said, Remco sells parts to make vehicles towable. I would still call Remco and confirm what their website states, and said that in my post above!!

Tom J

Per his description, the t-case doesn't have a Neutral. Ford electric shift transfer cases don't. Also, given that there are no locking hubs, the front drivetrain is always turning, I'd be hesitant to tow one any distance without all 4 wheels off of the ground, or both drive shafts removed.

I tend to agree with you on the driveshafts removed...

I see Rangers being flat-towed, but I can't say that they are 2WD or 4WD.

The front drive shaft turning was not a problem in my Jeep (Dana 300 t-case) because it was below the oil line, and this became a benefit to me because the front drive shaft turns gears that splash oil that falls onto other gears that are above the oil line and connected to the other drive shaft.

It sounds like a 4WD Ranger is a poor candidate to be flat-towed...

In that case (2HI and setting the trans to N), then one can get around the

35mph limitation by disconnecting the rear drive shaft fromt he differential.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to impune you personally. The suggested method of towing is counterintuitive if you know what I know -- and I know alot, just not the Ranger.

Manual transfer case Rangers were built and they would be fine.

There is a possibility that the electric shift 4WD with a manual transfer case would be fine, but Ford doesn't make their recommendations for no reason.

Without actually seeing the internals of the transmission and transfer case there wouldn't be any way to know for sure, and I'd hate to see someone risk messing up a perfectly good truck.

Why do you keep saying he needs to disconnect the drive shaft when Remco, who sells parts to keep from doing that do not say it's needed?

I have never said I know, but I will truct what Remco says over what is said on a newsgroup, because like the original poster said - you get all kinds of conflicting solutions!!

Tom J

But not trust what FORD says. The folks who engineered and built the truck.

The original post said he wanted advice about what Ford says. I gave him the company that has done the most after market business of making all kinds of vehicles able to be towed 4 down with no damage to the vehicle!!

I don't tow a vehicle behind my motorhome, but if I did, I'd do like thousands are already doing, get the proper equipment, if needed, from Remco and tow away!! I've caravaned all over North America with people towing Ford pickups 4 down for thousands of miles at highway speeds with do problems except backing up. ;-) Tom J

Thank you for sharing your "high points" with us. Together in Spirit, we will "overcome" many obstacles. My Bible claims that Faith can move mountains, but around here, lots of work and persistence is also necessary.

I Recall, an anecdote about the water fountain with the "lightening shock" (due to bad ballasts in the overhead lighting system) told in the summer of 2002. I was without power for hours due to a transforming storm near my apartment. The national news portrayed the Empire State Building as resembling a Roman Candle due to almost constant light strikes for over an hour one . Image the computers in that huge place! The magnetic force fields probably required a lot of rebooting.