2-door Heritage 4cyl auto towing

[Snook]

About to buy a 2-door Heritage with the 2.3 cyl auto. I have an 18' flats boat that tops out at 2400 lbs fully loaded (trailer, boat, motor, trolling motor, batteries, fuel, and gear.) It's 23' from tongue to the back of the motor. I've towed this boat with my Gladiator (current vehicle), a 4Runner, and a Hummer H3. All of these utilized their respective factory tow packages. I never felt as though I needed a weight distribution hitch or sway bar with them. I don't exceed vehicle tow limits or the speed limit while towing. Should I plan on investing in a WD hitch and sway bar? If so specifically what should I be looking for (brand, specs), and can I install these myself?

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[Fordified1]

I wouldn’t buy anything extra until you try it without. I have towed well over the tow rating with mine (though it’s a 4-door) and was surprised how well it does. With the tow package it has sway control and apparently works very well. You may want a weight distribution hitch just to keep the Bronco more level depending on your tongue weight. The rear springs are pretty cushy for good off road articulation and don’t support extra weight well.

 

[BroncoChallenger]

If your boat is what I think it is, hitch it up and go. Bronco is rated to tow 3500 lbs in its base form, I believe up to 4500 lbs for the higher-end ones, and a lot of it has to do with how light the Bronco is. Your boat likely will have next to no tongue weight and may not even squat the Bronco.

FWIW our BD SAS (2.7) hauls around my FIL's 19' Starweld with absolutely ZERO issues on a single-axle trailer. The only thing we need to change is I currently have a 3.5" drop hitch and I need about a half-inch more - there is BARELY enough room between the tire and the ball for the coupler to fit between when hooking up/unhooking. Likely wouldn't be an issue on a non-SAS Bronco.

 

[Snook]

Appreciate your advice. Is yours a 2-door?

 

[mjcutri]

About to buy a 2-door Heritage with the 2.3 cyl auto. I have an 18' flats boat that tops out at 2400 lbs fully loaded (trailer, boat, motor, trolling motor, batteries, fuel, and gear.) It's 23' from tongue to the back of the motor. I've towed this boat with my Gladiator (current vehicle), a 4Runner, and a Hummer H3. All of these utilized their respective factory tow packages. I never felt as though I needed a weight distribution hitch or sway bar with them. I don't exceed vehicle tow limits or the speed limit while towing. Should I plan on investing in a WD hitch and sway bar? If so specifically what should I be looking for (brand, specs), and can I install these myself?

I have a 2dr HE 2.3. I towed a 18ft travel trailer from Fruita, CO to Moab with it and it did just fine.
You won't need to do anything special to tow your boat.

 

[BroncoChallenger]

Appreciate your advice. Is yours a 2-door?

Yes, ours is a 2-door, which makes it even lighter, and that boat still doesn't give us any problems.

 

[BroncoChallenger]

Appreciate your advice. Is yours a 2-door?

Ours is a 2-door as well.

Frankly I don't think the Bronco line has a tow rating high enough to pull a trailer you'd need a WDH for.

 

[NC_Pinz]

The 2 door tows pretty well. Control your speed, give a decent stopping distance allowance, and you'll do great.

The only thing that towed weird was when I flat towed my Mini Cooper. The forces from the Mini wanted to push the back end of the Bronco around. Going above 55 mph was sketchy. But that isn't something I would do on a regular basis.

 

[BroncoChallenger]

The 2 door tows pretty well. Control your speed, give a decent stopping distance allowance, and you'll do great.

The only thing that towed weird was when I flat towed my Mini Cooper. The forces from the Mini wanted to push the back end of the Bronco around. Going above 55 mph was sketchy. But that isn't something I would do on a regular basis.

Oh yeah, pulling the boat ours does fine. It's just not rated high enough to pull something that might need a WDH.

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