Will A Ranger Tow My Trailer?

with a BIG transmission cooler (assuming auto), in 3rd, not OD, at reasonable speed, with a trailer brake controller, yes

For 1500lbs you do not need a BIG tranny cooler like this guy says, (he has also been telling people to hook up aux coolers incorrectly and that Detriot has been doing their aux coolers wrong for years) a small one will work just fine as you can over cool the oil and the brake controller is debatable too unless you plan to tow in hills or your state requires it with that load. (some states it is 1000lbs)IF you get up to 2000lbs with that vehical I would go for trailer brakes either electric or surge brakes.

yeah, well, over 250 satisfied customers say my method works just fine

you can't 'overcool' it

no way

'surge brakes' ????

is there any end to your utterly idiotic advice ?

What are you responding to? Did I miss something or is my news server screwed up??

Al

My 1991 Ranger, 3.0L V6 with 5 speed OD transmission, hauls a 1200lb utility trailer quite easily. I've had my 250 Honda ATV on the trailer (500lbs with trailer) plus my buddies 250 Honda (400lbs by itself) on the bed of my truck, and the truck hauled it quite easily. My truck has no tranny cooler installed and there were no indications of it overheating, burning clutch or anything else. Mind you, this is all I ever plan on hauling with it, but it would probably handle a 1200lb load just as easily.

Sharky

On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 23:53:45 +0000, Sharky rearranged some electrons to form:

Ummm, transmission coolers are for AUTOMATIC transmissions.

Where did I indicate that my transmission was automatic in that post? Because of the fact that my transmission is a 5 speed, it makes it easier to tow because I can manually select the gear as I need it. However, I only haul my trailer every so often, and when I do, it is not very far, so I am not concerned about damaging my transmission. Besides, if I need to haul a larger load, I have a half ton truck geared up for towing as well.

SnoMan, I agree with you, but you'd be suprised how easy that little truck hauls a large load. Possibly it may be because of the rear axle gearing, I'm not sure. But when I had that load of just under 1000lbs on the truck, the engine was not struggling for power or lugging up any hills. For a 3.0L V6, it sure seems to have a fair amount of torque in the first 3 gears. Like I said earlier, if I towed with it every day, I would be more concerned about damage. But if that were the case, I would have a larger truck more suited for towing regularly.

Getting back to the original post, depending on the amount of usage of the trailer, he may want to look at a different truck. Possibly a 4wd Ranger, with the 4.0L V6, which are known to have quite a bit more power than the

Sharky

be sure you check fluid level EVERY oil change

the manual used in your truck has the shift rails in the top cover, with the rear openings closed by rubber plugs

the plugs dry up and shrink, the gears throw oil up onto the shift rails, it runs backand out the holes that are poorly plugged

every manual that comes in here with the 'all I have left is 4th (straight-thru)' has about a handdful of sludge and gear dust in the bottom of the case

Transurgeon, thanx for the warning. Unfortunately, I learned about this problem 3 years ago, just after I bought the truck. By the time I was sitting on the highway with the rear output shaft snapped in two, it was too late. But that's what happened to it, fluid had not been checked since the original owner bought it new in 1991. Up until that point, it had been leaking out of those 3 rubber plugs that are known to leak.

Sharky

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 01:00:11 +0000, Sharky rearranged some electrons to form:

You didn't. That's why I wondered why you thought not having a cooler was even relevant.