Can the Bronco really only Tow 3500 lbs?

[contented]

OP, I towed a 30 ft fifth wheel camper that weighed about 10k lbs for 100,000 miles all over USA w/ 2500 ext cab Chevy 2500hd w/ duramax and allison trans. Figuring out if you're towing safely and legally is actually somewhat complicated. And requires going to a truck stop, pulling your entire rig onto scale so it will weigh each axle. Then you pull off, drop the trailer, and back to scale w/ tow vehicle. Then you do some basic addition and subtraction w/ the weigh slips.

There is the gvwr (gross vehicle weight rating) of your tow rig, gawr of each axle and vehicle's stated towing rating. The same thing for your trailer. And, my fifth wheel hitch had a max weight rating too. All the ratings for your vehicle will be on a door or door jamb. Allowable tongue weight comes into play (a hitch rating). Oh, and don't forget load ratings for tires.

In my case, when hooked up w/ full water, propane, and stuff, I was usually at 16k lbs or 1,000lbs under truck's gvwr, but always right at or slightly over the allowable front axle rating. Never a problem at hitch or rear axle. Camper itself was alway near its gvwr.

When we were on the road we frequently saw folks towing 36' and 38' trailers w/ a basic 3/4 ton truck. And on it went. I'd shake my head and think, stay out of the mountains.

Relating this to your Bronco, process is the same. My wild ass scientific guess - one would be over an allowable axle rating or gvwr long before hitting the 3,500 lb tow rating. Is my description overkill? Perhaps, but if your towing w/ kids and wife in the car.....

Hope this helps. Take care. Contented

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[Russ.Gil]

OP, I towed a 30 ft fifth wheel camper that weighed about 10k lbs for 100,000 miles all over USA w/ 2500 ext cab Chevy 2500hd w/ duramax and allison trans. Figuring out if you're towing safely and legally is actually somewhat complicated. And requires going to a truck stop, pulling your entire rig onto scale so it will weigh each axle. Then you pull off, drop the trailer, and back to scale w/ tow vehicle. Then you do some basic addition and subtraction w/ the weigh slips.

There is the gvwr (gross vehicle weight rating) of your tow rig, gawr of each axle and vehicle's stated towing rating. The same thing for your trailer. And, my fifth wheel hitch had a max weight rating too. All the ratings for your vehicle will be on a door or door jamb. Allowable tongue weight comes into play (a hitch rating). Oh, and don't forget load ratings for tires.

In my case, when hooked up w/ full water, propane, and stuff, I was usually at 16k lbs or 1,000lbs under truck's gvwr, but always right at or slightly over the allowable front axle rating. Never a problem at hitch or rear axle. Camper itself was alway near its gvwr.

When we were on the road we frequently saw folks towing 36' and 38' trailers w/ a basic 3/4 ton truck. And on it went. I'd shake my head and think, stay out of the mountains.

Relating this to your Bronco, process is the same. My wild ass scientific guess - one would be over an allowable axle rating or gvwr long before hitting the 3,500 lb tow rating. Is my description overkill? Perhaps, but if your towing w/ kids and wife in the car.....

Hope this helps. Take care. Contented

Appreciate the in depth post. Lots of good information here I'll definitely take into account after I get my bronco and start planning out what gear we need for what trips weight and all of the other metrics to consider. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Lakelife36]

The reason the same vehicle in other countries have a higher tow rating than in the US is because the US has different (and much safer) regulations for trailer weight distribution. In the US, it is required to have 10-15% of the trailer weight on the hitch. In Europe, their regulations are designed around having 5% of the trailer weight on the hitch.

With less than 10% of the trailer weight on the hitch, trailers are prone to dangerous oscillations aver ~ 60 MPH. In Europe, they compensate for that with lower speed limits required for vehicles towing trailers.

Don't go thinking that a 3500 lb tow rating means you can go ahead and get a 3500 lbs trailer though. First, your tongue weight is going to be limited by the tow vehicle's payload minus the weight of the passengers and cargo you have in the vehicle. Even in pickup trucks, this can markedly reduce the max tongue weight available for towing. Secondly, you need to consider the weight of the trailer fully loaded.

You'll need to do the math to figure out the max tongue weight available to you, e.g. for a Badlands 4dr + weight of relevant mods (that ARB fridge, recovery gear, etc.) + passengers and cargo typical for usage you are planning. From there, factoring in the weight of the cargo you plan to tow, you can calculate the max trailer weight to stay within the vehicle's limits.

GVWR will govern at high hauled weight, but for anyone reading that post and thinking that they're okay because they just squeeze underneath the truck's payload rating with their cargo weight plus tongue weight, make sure that you're also satisfying GCWR. GCWR will govern how much you can tow at low to moderate hauled weights. You cannot exceed either of those two values.

 

[Scott1911]

I have trailer brakes, so I feel like I can "push the limit". As a 1 time event, I needed to move my tractor and accessories to a new location. The total load was North of 4,000 pounds. Because of geometry, I had way too much weight on the hitch. I limited my speed to 55 or 60, but it pulled with no sway and no problem. I realize I was a tad on the "unsafe" side, but I see no reason it would not tow in this condition for many miles.

 

[aeolian]

GVWR will govern at high hauled weight, but for anyone reading that post and thinking that they're okay because they just squeeze underneath the truck's payload rating with their cargo weight plus tongue weight, make sure that you're also satisfying GCWR. GCWR will govern how much you can tow at low to moderate hauled weights. You cannot exceed either of those two values.

@Lakelife36 Excellent point about factoring GCWR too. GCWR for a 2.7L 4 door is 8,840 lbs, which might end up being a limiting factor on a heavier trim level (i.e. Badlands).

Here's a PDF with the max tow rating and GCWR for Broncos:

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten.../pdf/guides/21Towing_Ford_Bronco_r2_Jun24.pdf

 

[contented]

Appreciate the in depth post. Lots of good information here I'll definitely take into account after I get my bronco and start planning out what gear we need for what trips weight and all of the other metrics to consider. Thanks for sharing.

Russ, you're very welcome. There was one term I alluded to but didn't directly mention and is GCVWR or gross combined vehicle weight rating which is total allowable weight of truck and trailer from manufacturer. Tow ratings are a marketing gimmick, the higher the better someone seems to think.

I can't find a GCVWR for a bronco. However if one takes the GVWR 6,180 lbs and subtract empty weight of the bronco, say 4,800lbs, that means you can add 1,380 lbs of gasoline, people, stuff and trailer tongue weight to your car. Whoever makes the hitch no doubt gave Ford a weight rating and of course how hitch is mounted makes a big difference too. I suppose one could tow several small motorcycles or snowmobiles but not much else while staying in spec.

I'm old enough now that I won't tow anymore and like a nice hotel bed when away from home. Watching YouTube videos I've seen trailers that aren't big enough to sleep in, but yet can carry enough stuff for a nice campsite. They stand about waist high and have bigger tires and can handles decent obstacles. Find something that has a gvwr of 1,500 - 2,000 lbs, don't overload it and you shouldn't have to worry. Or, get a roof rack. But the same math applies

If you want to see what happens to folks towing too much trailer for their vehicle, look around YouTube. Scary.

Take care. Contented

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