Defender vs Bronco Towing Capacity

[Xodric]

The hitch being attached to the rear of the chassis is exactly why the tow rating is so low on the Bronco. The end.

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[Lcubed]

true. it's a bolted on oversized class II hitch instead of a welded on class III hitch.

 

[Trustable]

The hitch being attached to the rear of the chassis is exactly why the tow rating is so low on the Bronco. The end.

what do you mean by that, im not familiar with towing or its mechanics at all, but the way I saw it arn't all hitches attached to the end of frame except for 5th wheel setups? Im not being a smartass btw, im genuinely interested.

 

[PSUTE]

Not in a hurry for a hitch, keeping my pick up. I'll do aftermarket class III. Hopefully they will have a weight distribution design so I'll feel more comfortable towing the 5-6000 lbs I want to.

 

[pan-y-cerveza]

what do you mean by that, im not familiar with towing or its mechanics at all, but the way I saw it arn't all hitches attached to the end of frame except for 5th wheel setups? Im not being a smartass btw, im genuinely interested.

I know both my vehicles just have four bolts horizontally through the frame and are rated for much more than 3500lbs. Structurally no different than this. Definetly not the end of the story. It's been talked about here a million times. There are a bunch of small thinga that add up to the low rating on the Bronco.

 

[Trustable]

I know both my vehicles just have four bolts horizontally through the frame. Structurally no different than this. Definetly not the end of the story. It's been talked about here a million times. There are a bunch of small thinga that add up to the low rating on the Bronco.

Okay, thanks for the explanation, Id like to get a hitch for possibly one of these https://www.intechrv.com/models/flyer/chase/ . But more likely for bike rack, just for 1 or 2 bikes. The camper would probably be in 3 or so years if i was to get it, but Bike rack would be within the year of purchase. Not sure if there tow package is a good buy for it.

 

[pan-y-cerveza]

Okay, thanks for the explanation, Id like to get a hitch for possibly one of these https://www.intechrv.com/models/flyer/chase/ . But more likely for bike rack, just for 1 or 2 bikes. The camper would probably be in 3 or so years if i was to get it, but Bike rack would be within the year of purchase. Not sure if there tow package is a good buy for it.

The hitch that comes from Ford will be fine. Anything aftermarket will be fine too. No hitch will increase your towing capacity and no Class II or Class III will be rated for less than the Bronco's 3500lbs.

 

[Rick Astley]

the real question is what is the limiting factor for the tow capacity?

did ford pick a number that wouldn't conflict with other vehicle sales?

or is it like why PPF can't be ordered with a sasquatch (yup, GVWR)?
(speculation by B6G)

or is it a litigation/liability issue?
(those idiots who air down will forget to air up and reduce the roll stiffness to the point where rollovers will occur again)

You can actually help us all out. Please look up the NHTSA federal regulations for towing capacity ratings and certification. Then work one-on-one with the engineers at Ford who had a hand in the chassis engineering and towing capabilities of the Bronco.

Report back to us with the results, findings and regulations. We'll be wanting copious documentation and research at each step of the process.

- OR -


One can reasonably assume that Ford had fulfilled the NHTSA regulations and designed their vehicle and given you safe operating parameters.

Please know I say all of this seriously. Its abundantly clear that "trust" is not an internal control. You are going to need more detailed and accurate information out there for John Q. Public.

After that, please go ahead and assess the aerospace industry and give us the run down on 747 certifications because the public cannot just trust whatever MIT-grad yahoo's are designing this crap. We're going to need every drop-out and public school educated person in the nation to comprehend and understand the reasoning and engineering behind this. Because you cannot trust the engineering capabilities of Ford, you will need to do this research yourself and please post your findings.

 

[Lcubed]

You can actually help us all out. Please look up the NHTSA federal regulations for towing capacity ratings and certification. Then work one-on-one with the engineers at Ford who had a hand in the chassis engineering and towing capabilities of the Bronco.

Report back to us with the results, findings and regulations. We'll be wanting copious documentation and research at each step of the process.

- OR -


One can reasonably assume that Ford had fulfilled the NHTSA regulations and designed their vehicle and given you safe operating parameters.

Please know I say all of this seriously. Its abundantly clear that "trust" is not an internal control. You are going to need more detailed and accurate information out there for John Q. Public.

After that, please go ahead and assess the aerospace industry and give us the run down on 747 certifications because the public cannot just trust whatever MIT-grad yahoo's are designing this crap. We're going to need every drop-out and public school educated person in the nation to comprehend and understand the reasoning and engineering behind this. Because you cannot trust the engineering capabilities of Ford, you will need to do this research yourself and please post your findings.

ha! the field i work in assumes a SF of 5 or greater, so i've seen some overly conservative ratings

 

[Cookieck]

You can actually help us all out. Please look up the NHTSA federal regulations for towing capacity ratings and certification. Then work one-on-one with the engineers at Ford who had a hand in the chassis engineering and towing capabilities of the Bronco.

Report back to us with the results, findings and regulations. We'll be wanting copious documentation and research at each step of the process.

- OR -


One can reasonably assume that Ford had fulfilled the NHTSA regulations and designed their vehicle and given you safe operating parameters.

Please know I say all of this seriously. Its abundantly clear that "trust" is not an internal control. You are going to need more detailed and accurate information out there for John Q. Public.

After that, please go ahead and assess the aerospace industry and give us the run down on 747 certifications because the public cannot just trust whatever MIT-grad yahoo's are designing this crap. We're going to need every drop-out and public school educated person in the nation to comprehend and understand the reasoning and engineering behind this. Because you cannot trust the engineering capabilities of Ford, you will need to do this research yourself and please post your findings.

Just meeting regulations doesn’t mean a higher tow cap wouldn’t meet the same safety regulations or that a single part is the only thing limiting that. Regulations just mean it can tow at least this much safely, doesn’t mean it can’t tow more and still be safe, could just mean it wasn’t tested any higher because somebody thought that was good enough and left it at that. So regulations don’t really mean crap for why it isn’t rated higher, just means it meets enough and was tested to be rated at that level. Nothing against engineering capabilities, but conservative safety and cost cutting are typically the only real limiting factors in any rating. And it’s likely the same here. The hitch, or way its mounted(to the crossmember not to the frame rails on either side) could literally be the only thing making the tow cap 3500lbs, without a direct answer from ford on why there’s no way to know for sure. But what can be known for sure is what other parts used on the bronco are rated to tow in other applications, or what similar setups from other manufactures can tow. Or even just the comparison between what’s different about different broncos and still no change(wheelbase, wheelsize, engines, etc). And a lot of those comparisons have been made on here and in mine and some others opinions the rating is ridiculously low and could easily be higher, even if just for the 4dr for instance or just with a tow package option, but fords just being conservative and/or cheap and giving a “good enough” rating across the board and leaving it at that.

 

[The_Phew]

The only 'Tow Rating' that matters for any Land Rover is how many times per week it has to be towed to the dealer.

 

[BackcountryBirds]

The power wagon has a similar issue. It can tow 10k while the other gas HD trucks are closer to 15-20k. It's primarily due to the soft suspension. The engine is identical as is the frame, tires, etc. Some folks have put airbags in to help balance out a heavier load but that technically doesn't increase toe capacity. The Ford tremor on the other hand kept most their payload and tow rating but isn't nearly as capable offroad
Alas, everything is a trade-off in life.

Still, I think for the size/weight of the bronco compared to a Wrangler as well as the supposed increase in engine power, Ford should have really tried to creep towing up near 5k and distance itself a bit from the much lighter and less powered jeep. I actually consider tow rating one of, if not the biggest misses on the new bronco.

And for all those saying just exceed max towing numbers, yes you may be fine but you are just asking for a lawsuit, insurance or factory warranty issue if you do have an accident.

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