Actual Towing Capacity (help)

[AZSky]

Whatever you do,you will need an extended hitch bar to clear the spare tire. Mine has a 4" drop and it makes everything sit nice and level.

This however makes the capacity go down 50%:
However, when you use a hitch expander, you must keep in mind that your tongue weight capacity will be reduced by 50%. For example, if your hitch has a 200-lb maximum tongue weight, it will be reduced to 100 lbs.

Ideally, you hook as close to rear axis as possible even if you need to raise or delete the spare.

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[ne2000]

https://www.tinycampercompany.com/upgrades-3/2023-kong-xl-payments-as-low-as-1039-a-month

 

[SCB FabWorx]

This however makes the capacity go down 50%:
However, when you use a hitch expander, you must keep in mind that your tongue weight capacity will be reduced by 50%. For example, if your hitch has a 200-lb maximum tongue weight, it will be reduced to 100 lbs.

Ideally, you hook as close to rear axis as possible even if you need to raise or delete the spare.

Properly loading your trailer makes this a moot point. You should not be loaded to the tongue weight anyway. Just tongue heavy enough to keep the trailer tracking properly.

 

[AZSky]

Agree but sometimes the "anatomy" of the trailer does not give you all the options:
Tongue Weight- 280lbs
https://mammothoverland.com/amenities/
I am solving the puzzle of the articulating hitch weight (ARK), avoiding the spare, tongue weight increasing with the load of propane tank, hitch etc.

 

[jehines3]

I suggest towing around any camper for a minimum of 50 miles before the purchase. This means up and down hills and at highway speed. preferably in a cross breeze with tanks half full (more on that later)

The design of one versus the next, trailer axle distance from the tow vehicle, and tongue weight can all make identical-weight trailers tow completely different.

The dynamics of towing high-windage trailers with fairly large, lightweight, high-windage tow vehicles is fatiguing. You will be uncomfortable and no one will want to be in the car.

I'm not sure of your financial situation, but consider getting a class C for camping or buy a used Class A and flat tow the Bronco. Anything else will be a major PITA because you can only carry enough weight to go off the grid for about 48 hours. It's that, or be committed to full hook-up sites and only travel completely empty on all tanks. Water sloshing around an 18-foot ultralight with half-full tanks will push that nice soft suspension into a frenzy. Your knuckles won't want to hold that wheel for long.

 

[MNBigfoot]

Properly loading your trailer makes this a moot point. You should not be loaded to the tongue weight anyway. Just tongue heavy enough to keep the trailer tracking properly.

You should have a minimum of 10% on the tongue. Given that the Broncos listed maximum tongue weight is only 350lbs, every bit that extender adds to the tongue weight, also decreases maximum towing capacity. Not a moot point, if someone wants to pull a 3000lb trailer.

 

[Snacktime]

List your wants and add them up. Every comfort item is a weight that slowly makes the set up heavier. My parents have a 3500lb coleman camper with a queen bed and the few times I have borrowed it(tow with my ram 1500 or f150) I rather have had my camping cube tent. Things you give up are water storage, grey tank storage and stuff. You are basically forced to hook up to use the thing, so off the grid your pretty much tent camping.

Gear wise what you want to take with you? Kayak, bikes or chairs? My dad set up is at max weight without anything other than essentials. We are talking just 2 chairs, some cookware, toilet paper, sewage hook up, power cord, trailer mounted awning and small crap like salt. He regrets buying such a small camper but it fit in the side yard and he had a JK Jeep when he bought it.

Bronco is just not enough vehicle to pull a full camper, we have already had one person bend the rear hitch support from a drop hitch. People posting the tent trailers are being more realistic but your still going to fight weight.

I am looking at a 5ftx6ft trailer for camping just to keep the bronco open enough for my dogs. Between an ice chest and camping gear its going to be close for 5-7 day trip to the Sierras.

 

[SCB FabWorx]

You should have a minimum of 10% on the tongue. Given that the Broncos listed maximum tongue weight is only 350lbs, every bit that extender adds to the tongue weight, also decreases maximum towing capacity. Not a moot point, if someone wants to pull a 3000lb trailer.

It is a moot point. If you do the math a hitch that's 2.5" longer only adds about 13.24% of the leveraged weight, not 50% that was quoted elsewhere. I saw almost no difference in the ball height from the pavement with a normal bar verses the one I have now with the same trailer loaded the same way. But it is much easier to hitch and latch. The towing capacity remains the same. The bar length does not affect this. BTW none of us has addressed the OP question.

 

[MNBigfoot]

It is a moot point. If you do the math a hitch that's 2.5" longer only adds about 13.24% of the leveraged weight, not 50% that was quoted elsewhere. I saw almost no difference in the ball height from the pavement with a normal bar verses the one I have now with the same trailer loaded the same way. But it is much easier to hitch and latch. The towing capacity remains the same. The bar length does not affect this. BTW none of us has addressed the OP question.

Whatever you do,you will need an extended hitch bar to clear the spare tire. Mine has a 4" drop and it makes everything sit nice and level.

What length is that extended mount?

 

[Tilzbow]

This however makes the capacity go down 50%:
However, when you use a hitch expander, you must keep in mind that your tongue weight capacity will be reduced by 50%. For example, if your hitch has a 200-lb maximum tongue weight, it will be reduced to 100 lbs.

Ideally, you hook as close to rear axis as possible even if you need to raise or delete the spare.

Most trailers are likely going to require a drop hitch on the Bronco so they sit level. I’d try one of those without an extender and that’d likely get most trailer tongues to clear the spare (but I could be wrong…). To my knowledge drop hitches don’t have much impact on towing capacity of the tow vehicle. I’m open to being proven wrong on that too.

Anything I tow is with my truck and not my Bronco so I admit I’ve never tried hooking anything up to my Bronco but I’ve towed a bunch of different things the past 30 years with several different 3/4 and 1 ton trucks.

 

[MNBigfoot]

Most trailers are likely going to require a drop hitch on the Bronco so they sit level. I’d try one of those without an extender and that’d likely get most trailer tongues to clear the spare (but I could be wrong…). To my knowledge drop hitches don’t have much impact on towing capacity of the tow vehicle. I’m open to being proven wrong on that too.

Anything I tow is with my truck and not my Bronco so I admit I’ve never tried hooking anything up to my Bronco but I’ve towed a bunch of different things the past 30 years with several different 3/4 and 1 ton trucks.

That brings us to this.
Sudden stop, bent hitch. | Bronco6G - 2021+ Ford Bronco & Bronco Raptor Forum, News, Blog & Owners Community

 

[Sooner]

I drag this setup around with no problems. Weight is approx. 3,600# trailer with Ranger on it.

I pull this same setup with a 2dr and it pulls good

 

[MLRey]

Been towing for many years with SUV and then 3/4 ton truck. DO NOT exceed the 3500 lb total trailer weight. You should look for something that has a weight of around 2,500 to 2,800 lbs that will give you a bit of margin for your stuff, propane, water, batteries, and all the miscellaneous stuff you'll take. It's very easy to overload a small trailer as all the little stuff you bring adds up pretty quickly.

Also don't forget the max payload of the Bronco. I haven't looked but it's probably around 1,000 lbs. Much of that will get eaten up by the trailer tongue weight (guess 450 lbs), the weight distributing hitch you'll need and whatever you pack in the Bronco.

Check out this trailer, I've been looking at them.
https://intech.com/rv/models/sol/brochure.pdf

Also a friend has this weight distributing hitch and really likes it. He said it's much easier to setup compared to his old one.
https://andersenhitches.com/product/weight-distribution-hitch/

Good luck with whatever you get just don't push the weights.

 

[cbrenthus]

That brings us to this.
Sudden stop, bent hitch. | Bronco6G - 2021+ Ford Bronco & Bronco Raptor Forum, News, Blog & Owners Community

5" lift and 37s running a 6" drop hitch. Doesn't take a physics wizard to understand how the leverage from the drop hitch could bend the receiver.

So much is about what you want to go with it, I used to haul a Trophy 1902 around Florida in my '07 JK with a 4: lift and 37s, was probably over the 3500 limit and never had an issue, but I only ever towed from storage to the ramp and back, never more than 45mph if that.

If you want to decrease weight, you can always let all of the air out of the spare

 

[VoltageDrop]

Whatever you do,you will need an extended hitch bar to clear the spare tire. Mine has a 4" drop and it makes everything sit nice and level.

I would probably move the spare to my trailer before I ran an extension like that. Even with tongue weight properly adjusted I'd be worried about lateral forces leading to things getting squirrely. I err on the safe side when it comes to towing and vehicle extraction, though, so maybe it's fine.

OP, I would find a lighter trailer before I exceeded the factory tow rating, which should be fairly easy to find unless you're taking several children with you.

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