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Is the towing capacity really that bad?

TNcoupe

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I honestly think the 4 door will get a higher tow rating than the 2 door and I think its all gonna be based off wheelbase. I figured out a couple weeks ago the 2dr has a 4" shorter wheelbase than my Hyundai Veloster N. With a vehicle that short the tail could wag the dog pretty easily.
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Lakelife36

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If I was Ford and was going to the trouble of putting a specific package together for a higher tow rating, I would start with the larger engine no matter what the smaller engine might be allowed to do on paper. And that would be the 4 door, 2.7, auto, 31's max, minimum lift, and sway bars. No deviations allowed.
I'm picking up what you're putting down here, but this isn't really a matter of "on paper". There are a ton of Rangers driving around right meow with a 7500lb tow rating.

Also it would be pretty much pitchfork time if they kept the 3500lb rating on the manual.
 

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The trouble is that we all suspect that it's engineered for far more, but since they can't tell you, it's actually dangerous as folks will exceed the stated limits without knowing the real one.
 

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If I was Ford and was going to the trouble of putting a specific package together for a higher tow rating, I would start with the larger engine no matter what the smaller engine might be allowed to do on paper. And that would be the 4 door, 2.7, auto, 31's max, minimum lift, and sway bars. No deviations allowed.
Just out of curiosity why is a rear sway bar so important? Side to side movement would be limited by the panhard bar, no?
 

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The trouble is that we all suspect that it's engineered for far more, but since they can't tell you, it's actually dangerous as folks will exceed the stated limits without knowing the real one.
If I'm being really honest, I think those same people would probably still overload the vehicle even if they knew the limits.

And, it's probably not as big of an issue as we are making it out to be. I mean, even if you overload it 200 to 300 lbs, a catastrophic failure is not likely.
 

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If the day comes, and that's a BIG if, I would have no problem towing a 5000 trailer as long as the vehicle/hitch/suspension is properly modified. Not worried about the 2.7 10 speed handling it...
 

ipongtreat

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Let’s assume Ford ain’t gonna change anything regarding tow capacity. Let’s also assume there’s actually a good reason for it being where it is.

Given a 3,500 pound limit, what’s the highest gross trailer weight that is acceptable if we want to be safe, legal, and unafraid? Let’s assume that the trailer is properly outfitted with a good weight distribution hitch and electric brakes, that the trailer itself is properly loaded, our Broncos aren’t overloaded with gear and/or passengers, and we limit our speed appropriately.

I’ve heard rule of thumb, best practices that suggest the gross weight towed should not exceed anywhere from 70-85% of the rated GVWR load capacity. The thinking is that it’s smart to give yourself some cushion out of an abundance of caution.

That’s anywhere from 2,450 (70%) to 2,975 (85%) pounds *max* fully loaded weight. There are several travel trailers that can fit in that range - so long as you are careful about how you option them, carefully manage how much you load in them, and don’t commit unforced errors such as rolling down the road carrying several gallons of water in your tanks.

Thoughts? If 3,500 is really the limit, what percent of that number would you run with confidence?
 

Lakelife36

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Let’s assume Ford ain’t gonna change anything regarding tow capacity. Let’s also assume there’s actually a good reason for it being where it is.

Given a 3,500 pound limit, what’s the highest gross trailer weight that is acceptable if we want to be safe, legal, and unafraid? Let’s assume that the trailer is properly outfitted with a good weight distribution hitch and electric brakes, that the trailer itself is properly loaded, our Broncos aren’t overloaded with gear and/or passengers, and we limit our speed appropriately.

I’ve heard rule of thumb, best practices that suggest the gross weight towed should not exceed anywhere from 70-85% of the rated GVWR load capacity. The thinking is that it’s smart to give yourself some cushion out of an abundance of caution.

That’s anywhere from 2,450 (70%) to 2,975 (85%) pounds *max* fully loaded weight. There are several travel trailers that can fit in that range - so long as you are careful about how you option them, carefully manage how much you load in them, and don’t commit unforced errors such as rolling down the road carrying several gallons of water in your tanks.

Thoughts? If 3,500 is really the limit, what percent of that number would you run with confidence?
I don't know for sure, but I think that guideline is from the days of surge brakes only. Electric brakes and sway control give you a lot more stability with your towing. Modern SUVs and quarter tons are rated for 7000lbs +, modern half tons are rated for 10000lbs +, and modern three-quarter and one tons are rated for 30000lbs +, yet none of their GVWRs exceed 10,000lbs.

Can you send links to these sub-3000lb (loaded) trailers? I've had a hard time finding any that weren't simply rolling beds with a clamshell overtop or full custom jobs at ridonkulous prices.
 

Eggsalad

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Just out of curiosity why is a rear sway bar so important? Side to side movement would be limited by the panhard bar, no?
Ah, there's sooooo many factors with rear suspension with an SUV and towing. The tail can wag the dog with short wheelbase vehicles. Without a rear swaybar you generally stiffen the rear suspension with stronger springs, stronger shocks, airbags. 4Runners, people upgrade the panhard and control links to thicker stronger components that provide articulation and also sway control with the factory rear swaybar removed.

Bronco is different than a 4Runner because it's coilover rear rather than 4Runner that has rear coils separate from the shocks. We'll see what Ford does. It's goofy they provide a 5000lb tow platform then limit it to a ClassII hitch. Should be capable for 5000lbs, should be able to yank 4000lbs offroad in rough terrain.
 

ipongtreat

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My wife and I really, really, really don’t want to have to crawl over one another to get out of bed in the middle of the night. That severely restricts our options because we are only considering those travel trailers with a “north-south” oriented bed. We also want a real toilet (not a cassette or anything similar). We are also currently planning to err on the side of safety in regards to the weight limit. If someone convinced us we could tow 400-500 pounds more, options would expand greatly.

Based on our criteria and our conservative approach to weight, here’s a few that we are currently considering:

1. A pop-up (which may not float your boat) but if you can stand that and the way the toilet/shower is setup, this one has the distinct advantage of providing a metal platform to place a few toys such as bikes, eBikes, etc.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/camping-trailers/rockwood-extreme-sports-package/2280BHESP/2129n

2. Pricey but nice:

https://www.roulottesprolite.com/produit/CLASSIC/

3. Two side-by-side twin beds that are north-south:

https://casitatraveltrailers.com/independence

4. Another “pricey but nice” option:

https://safaricondo.com/en/caravanes-alto-serie-f-2114/

If I were pulling the trigger today, I would personally go for the Casita. They don’t cost as much as some of the other options, last forever, and don’t depreciate much. It’s not quite as big as we would like but seems like a decent compromise.

For context, I currently pull a 5,500 Lb (dry weight) travel trailer with a half-ton truck rated for 8,100 lbs. I am very careful to not load much in it (or the truck bed) and have an upgraded weight distribution hitch, upgraded truck brakes/rotors, electric brakes on the trailer, heavy-duty transmission cooler, etc. I live in the Dallas area and my longest trips so far with that setup have been Big Bend National Park and Colorado Springs, CO. I wouldn’t want to pull any more weight than that with my current tow vehicle.

Can you send links to these sub-3000lb (loaded) trailers? I've had a hard time finding any that weren't simply rolling beds with a clamshell overtop or full custom jobs at ridonkulous prices.
 

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For context, I currently pull a 5,500 Lb (dry weight) travel trailer with a half-ton truck rated for 8,100 lbs. I am very careful to not load much in it (or the truck bed) and have an upgraded weight distribution hitch, upgraded truck brakes/rotors, electric brakes on the trailer, heavy-duty transmission cooler, etc. I
So, going by rule of thumb, dry weight X 0.5 for wet weight puts you right at 8250. Since you load light, take a few hundred pounds off, leaving you pretty close to capacity...
 

ipongtreat

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So, going by rule of thumb, dry weight X 0.5 for wet weight puts you right at 8250. Since you load light, take a few hundred pounds off, leaving you pretty close to capacity...
I’m thinking/hoping we’re pulling under 7,000 but should probably get weighed to be sure. We definitely don’t roll down the road with anything in our tanks. We don’t do any boondocking (yet) so we don’t roll even temporarily with anything in the tanks. We split the luggage, supplies, and tools between the trailer and the bed of the truck. The plan is to downsize to something the Bronco can pull safely (whatever that is). It will be interesting to get feedback from those that start pulling right after they get their Broncos.
 

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I’m thinking/hoping we’re pulling under 7,000 but should probably get weighed to be sure. We definitely don’t roll down the road with anything in our tanks. We don’t do any boondocking (yet) so we don’t roll even temporarily with anything in the tanks. We split the luggage, supplies, and tools between the trailer and the bed of the truck. The plan is to downsize to something the Bronco can pull safely (whatever that is). It will be interesting to get feedback from those that start pulling right after they get their Broncos.
Agree. Not in a hurry to get a trailer. Properly equipped with after market modifications, given the track record of the 2.7 10 speed, I am thinking 5-6000 is reasonable... Not going to buy the tow package from Ford. Set up of the hitch sucks...
 

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We don't know for sure if the GVWR is 6k. That's been the going theory on here for weeks because Ford wants to keep it in the "small SUV" class to compete with Jeep.

If so, I'd feel like Ford kind of screwed that up. Most people utilizing the Bronco would like thr ability to pack for trips without having to pick their meals the night before carefully for fear of being overweight.
Who on this board decided it was 6K GVWR? If that was really that important, no one thinks GMC couldn't have knocked 1-2 lbs off the GVWR of the acadia or Chrysler, 51 lbs off the grand caravan? Seems there are bunch of vehicles just a hair over 6K that could have been under if it mattered that much.


http://www.blumshapiro.com/media/uploads/files/2017 Vehicles with GVW over 6.pdf
 

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It matters as Ford has obviously chosen to emission and crash test as a light duty truck instead of a heavy light duty truck (6000lb-8500lb is heavy light duty for emissions). They go over and they have to recertify emissions which ain't cheap. For non-emission purposes, 6000lb is where a light truck becomes a heavy duty truck (yep, two different classifications from the same government) and would have to be crashed tested again. Also not exactly cheap. Would Ford make up the difference in profit of roof racks for 4-door 2.7 Sasquatch vehicles? It seems that Ford didn't want to find out. Smart money says they wont be going over 6000lbs on the Bronco GVWR.
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