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BroncoTPA

BroncoTPA

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You have 5 people in your family, however the Bronco has 4 seat belts ...I believe.
The 4 door definitely has 5 seat belts, just like a 4 door Wrangler. However, the Bronco has been determined to not meet my needs unfortunately.

I wanted to add the real world example of a trailer overpowering a tow vehicle for anyone whom may come across this thread in the future. If this can happen on Florida where there is little to no elevation then I could not imagine when going through the mountains.
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KirchTX

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The 4 door definitely has 5 seat belts, just like a 4 door Wrangler. However, the Bronco has been determined to not meet my needs unfortunately.

I wanted to add the real world example of a trailer overpowering a tow vehicle for anyone whom may come across this thread in the future. If this can happen on Florida where there is little to no elevation then I could not imagine when going through the mountains.
You're absolutely right. This whole time I thought the 4 door had just 4 belts and it does, in fact, have 5.

Also a good warning to not push the weight limits. That pic got my attention!
 

Tonka1

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I don't think you'll be happy with the Bronco as a family hauler or towing that large camper. If you can afford the extra vehicle, I'd keep the F150. I am close to being an empty nester, so the Bronco is downsizing for me.
 
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BroncoTPA

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I just caught a glimpse of the payload sticker in another thread. 816 pounds! Granted it is from a two door, no idea what the four door will be? 816 seems light though. Two adult men, a winch and a cooler might be pushing it.

I have learned quite a lot over the last few weeks. I took my F150 and pop up over the cat scale with an extremely light load for a 1 night trip. I weighed in at 90 pounds under my max payload of 1,576. So I have taken a complete 180 from counting down the days to Bronco ownership to now contemplating a F250 for its 3,000+ pound payload.

1605890984687__01.png
 
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BroncoTPA

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Hey guys, I thought I would update my thread here since it was within this thread that caused me to really dig into GVWR and towing.

A few months back we took a one night trip which meant a very light load, no cooler, no generator, no water in the tank, among a long list of other items that we left behind. During the drive I decided to pull into the Cat Scales and found that I was running just 90 pounds under my trucks posted payload. My tongue weight was 520 which I imagine was due to having bikes on the roof rack of the camper that sits on the front section.

I have learned to pay close attention to the marketing information that truck companies put out and have noticed most have a disclaimers such as these from Ford:

Max towing varies based on cargo, vehicle configuration, accessories and number of passengers.

And

Payload and towing are independent attributes and may not be achieved simultaneously.

Because of this I tossed between the F250 and F350 and landed on an F250 that has a payload of 2,760 or 1,200 pounds more that my F150 (possibly 2,000 more than the bronco I was originally hoping to two my pop up with). Granted the F350 would have been 800 pounds better or so but due to the timing of our trips I did not want to wait 18 weeks for a special order which several dealers informed me is now typical for a Super Duty build.
 

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Thank you guys for opening my eyes.n I really appreciate the way my lack of knowledge was handled. You could have very easily told me how big of an idiot I am.

Our first trip is now scheduled, Tampa to Moab in April. Should end with around 5,000 miles. I know the Bronco will not be here by then but the original idea was to take these trips with the Bronco. I now realize how uncomfortable and dangerous that would have been.

Here is my new tow rig that I picked up yesterday next to my F150.

IMG_20210109_124508.jpg
 

MannyG20

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Good for you. I think you made the right decision. The Bronco really is a one purpose vehicle and towing is not it.
 

TripleB

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Good choice. You can't beat the practicality of a truck. I will never not have one in the stable.
 
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Good for you. I think you made the right decision. The Bronco really is a one purpose vehicle and towing is not it.
The sad thing is I went to the RV dealership and told them that I was a Bronco reservation holder and wanted something that the Bronco could tow to camp, detatch and explore. I also explained that it is expected to tow around the same as a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the sales man said he also has a Bronco reservation and that the camper he sold us would be perfect. I should have known better.
 

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Good choice. You can't beat the practicality of a truck. I will never not have one in the stable.
I sold my ‘95 Lightning to make room in the stable for the Bronco. Of course the Lightning was really more of a Mustang GT with a pick up bed instead of a back seat and trunk. Load capacity was less than 1/2 ton. Personally, I’m better off with the Bronco and my utility trailer. It depends on what you need to do. I expect a lot fewer requests to borrow the Bronco to help someone move now!
 

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The sad thing is I went to the RV dealership and told them that I was a Bronco reservation holder and wanted something that the Bronco could tow to camp, detatch and explore. I also explained that it is expected to tow around the same as a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the sales man said he also has a Bronco reservation and that the camper he sold us would be perfect. I should have known better.
RV dealers are, maybe, even worse than car dealers. You could have told them you were getting a 1989 Toyota Tercel and they'd tell you that you're fine hauling a 30' trailer.
 

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The sad thing is I went to the RV dealership and told them that I was a Bronco reservation holder and wanted something that the Bronco could tow to camp, detatch and explore. I also explained that it is expected to tow around the same as a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the sales man said he also has a Bronco reservation and that the camper he sold us would be perfect. I should have known better.
Car sales people dance around the truth at times. RV sales people sell. ALOT of trucks.
 

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Thank you guys for opening my eyes.n I really appreciate the way my lack of knowledge was handled. You could have very easily told me how big of an idiot I am.

Our first trip is now scheduled, Tampa to Moab in April. Should end with around 5,000 miles. I know the Bronco will not be here by then but the original idea was to take these trips with the Bronco. I now realize how uncomfortable and dangerous that would have been.

Here is my new tow rig that I picked up yesterday next to my F150.

Ford Bronco Bought a pop up to start exploring IMG_20210109_124508
Nice! Thinking about doing the same thing but with a F350 from my F150 so I can throw the Bronco and camper on a gooseneck and tow to places such as Moab.

PS- I lived in Tampa for 15yrs before moving out here to CO.
 

elnorte

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So we know the Bronco and Wrangler are made for off roading not towing. OP has some good examples and concerns.

Are we thinking about this backwards? If we want the camping gear etc, why not buy something with those capabilities and can tow the Bronco? (In this case we may actually be putting the cart in front of the horse, ?)
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