Half ton Ranger V6, pulling a 5X8 cargo trailer.

[Jays]

Wondering if it will work for long distance travel without killing the truck. Weight of the trailer, before modifications is 761 lbs empty.

 

[bullfrog !]

It depends on wind resistance, the weight you put in the trailer, the amount of weight you carry in the truck and whether your truck has a towing package or is 4 wheel drive. Most small trucks towing/carrying less than a thousand pounds is no problem. Putting a thousand pounds in the truck and then towing a trailer at maximum capacity is when the problems occur.

 

[eDJ_]

I was once at a Tourist Information center in West Virginia. (first one you come to on I 64 leaving Ashland, KY headed east) Met this older gentleman and his wife with a 5th wheel Scamp and struck up a conversation at this Memorial Day Safety coffee stop where we were standing in line) He was explaining to me that he was having no problems with his Ranger towing the Scamp thru the hills. When we were leaving he pulled out going up hill and left me in his dust.

Older used ones of these may weigh less than 2000 lbs. But by the time you buy a utility trailer and pay prevailing cost to build it out, you may find a deal on something ready to hit the road in.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Check the printed allowable towing capacity and tongue weight for the truck. Then check to see if it has any additional equipment such as towing gear ratio, aux oil cooler, transmission cooler, overdrive lockout, etc. I'm assuming that if you are asking this question that the pickup either does not have this additional equipment, or, you dont know if it does.

You can assume the 5x8 trailer will weigh somewhere between 1000 and 1500 pounds with all your stuff, and maybe as much as 2000 pounds if you add water tanks, house batteries, etc.

Short answer is the Ranger will 'probably' handle the trailer IF you keep the build as lightweight as possible, AND you keep your speeds around 65 mph or less, and you know to manually downshift in the mountains and take your time.

I would highly recommend that you buy a Scan Gauge unit that plugs into your OBD2 port, so that you will get a baseline on things like coolant, oil, and transmission temps before you pull anything, and then after the trailer is hooked up, and you are working the engine and transmission pretty hard, you will be able to keep an eye on the various sensors in the vehicle.

This is what I have on my pickup truck:

https://www.amazon.com/ScanGauge-Au...-Real-Time/dp/B000AAMY86?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

 

[overlandsiberia]

Isn't Ranger v6 towing capacity around 7500 lbs?
Cargo trailer weighting only 750lbs is 1/10 of it. Whatever is added into the trailer isn't going to be anywhere close to the towing capacity. Which leaves plenty of payload opportunity for the truck itself.

 

[overlandsiberia]

I was once at a Tourist Information center in West Virginia. (first one you come to on I 64 leaving Ashland, KY headed east) Met this older gentleman and his wife with a 5th wheel Scamp and struck up a conversation at this Memorial Day Safety coffee stop where we were standing in line) He was explaining to me that he was having no problems with his Ranger towing the Scamp thru the hills. When we were leaving he pulled out going up hill and left me in his dust.

Older used ones of these may weigh less than 2000 lbs. But by the time you buy a utility trailer and pay prevailing cost to build it out, you may find a deal on something ready to hit the road in.

Some of us like it simple.
I am about to start selling my RV and go back to simple camping in no-build scenario, also going to get utility trailer.

These scamps cost 25-30K if they're not decades old and are hard to find. Especially hard to find if you have certain size range in mind, like really small ones. For these money one can buy entire cargo van or a truck, while utility trailer of 5x8 costs only several gran. If someone wanted to buy a prebuilt RV trailer one can go with one of the newer off-road trailer options, they're going to cost as much as a scamp.

 

[bullfrog !]

Believing manufacturer’s claims is not a good idea in my opinion. Take a test ride or rent the truck you intend to buy with a rented Uhaul trailer loaded (a few cheap plastic 55 gallon drums filled with water) out on the highway and back roads. Spend a few hundred dollars to prevent a mistake that will cost you thousands.

 

[overlandsiberia]

I had driven a motorhome with v10 engine with 5K max towing capacity, had towed across the country multiple times towing near max capacity + good payload, full tanks, in the heavy motorhome itself, pretty sure I was close to total GCVWR with no issues (Ford).
I think when they claim towing capacity they test that stuff or they would have been sued over this long time ago.
I would put quality fuel, no 85-86 gas they sell in the mountains, though, probably. No shady little gas stations either.
(and I'm not someone who needs to drive 80mph while towing, especially uphill, see people do that, not the best idea)

 

[bullfrog !]

^^^I’m just suggesting you know as near as possible what the experience will be like before buying.

 

[overlandsiberia]

^^^I’m just suggesting you know as near as possible what the experience will be like before buying.

May be easier to rent a U-haul dolly or autotransport trailer and put a car on it, if it's to verify towing capacity. U-haul dolly weights around the same as that trailer 750lbs, autotransport 2200lbs.

 

[bullfrog !]

No wind resistance plus you can get a trailer almost if not the same size you are wanting to purchase. Money well spent especially if you get an idea of the space you will be working with. This is an easy foolproof test of your concept which will save you thousands of dollars and time wasted on a project that may not work for you. Rent it and take it camping over a weekend.

 

[overlandsiberia]

No wind resistance plus you can get a trailer almost if not the same size you are wanting to purchase. Money well spent especially if you get an idea of the space you will be working with. This is an easy foolproof test of your concept which will save you thousands of dollars and time wasted on a project that may not work for you. Rent it and take it camping over a weekend.

I physically won't be able to deal with 55 gallon water drums LOL, personally, and how do you get the water out, then, just tip and dump them outside somewhere on the roadside?

 

[bullfrog !]

Where you buy the drums will usually roll or carry them to load them in the trailer. They are fairly light weight. Places here sell them for $15 to $35 last time I bought them. Just use a garden hose to fill them in place. Each will weigh around 400 lbs full. When finished you can siphon the water out with a garden hose or simply drill holes in them to drain them enough to tip them over and finish draining them. I had a neighbor that was doing potable / black water transport that was happy to drain mine and take them out to get to keep the barrels. Place an add or inquiry on Facebook market place. I use two on a trailer to transport water to my primitive campsite so I bought “food grade” barrels that had had vinegar in them and washed them out for later use.

 

[overlandsiberia]

Where you buy the drums will usually roll or carry them to load them in the trailer. They are fairly light weight. Places here sell them for $15 to $35 last time I bought them. Just use a garden hose to fill them in place. Each will weigh around 400 lbs full. When finished you can siphon the water out with a garden hose or simply drill holes in them to drain them enough to tip them over and finish draining them. I had a neighbor that was doing potable / black water transport that was happy to drain mine and take them out to get to keep the barrels. Place an add or inquiry on Facebook market place. I use two on a trailer to transport water to my primitive campsite so I bought “food grade” barrels that had had vinegar in them and washed them out for later use.

Too much for me, personally, but I see how it makes sense for someone who would be doing a real build on their new cargo trailer and plans to keep it for a long time (puls after driving my class C all over the country and towing with it everything else seems lovely). One thing though Uhaul trailers tend to have wood product flooring, water can damage it.