I like IKE: 2 door Bronco tow test.

[Tricky Mike]

Wow, I don't understand how you all get such good gas mileage. I just did Boulder to independence pass last weekend and averaged like 15 mpg... I don't have the lead foot that some of yall do, but how on earth is pulling a trailer more efficient than me driving without one? Crazy.

2D Badlands, Non-sas, 2.3L.

That mileage is really good. I get 13 with a similar trailer at reasonable speeds. Trailers just murder the mileage.

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[Tripodbruno]

No surge. I have electronic brakes on the trailer. The wireless controller communicates with the brakes through Bluetooth to activate the device as needed it activates according to your settings as you brake. The app creates a manual push button on the screen of your phone and the app keeps your phone awake as you drive. This controller eliminates the need for a brake controller hard wried in. It is basically a 7 pin pass through device so will not work with 4 pin. The set up could not have been easier. Plug in, download the app, put in the device pin and your there. Curt also makes a Bluetooth dash button that you can stick on to the dash with double sided tape if you don’t want to always use your phone. I got this on a Labor Day deal from Jegs ~$220ish it normally runs close to $290.

 

[Tripodbruno]

Yes am going to add safety margin for the extension for now I couldn’t find anything reliable so maybe 10%, the extension I have is a harbor freight special with a step. It states it’s rating was 5000lbs. I am also toying with the idea of cutting off the vehicle side 2” of the max coupler and welding on a longer 2” section to eliminate the extension altogether.

Tripod, When reading your Post, you stated that you used a "Hitch Extension". That was my first thought when setting up my rig for towing an overlanding trailer, but when researching and going through spec's, depending on the length of the extension, it will de-rate your hitch's capacity by 25-50%. I I was able to locate a 2" x 16" Ball Mount, that's rated for at least 5000#. Never Forget, 09/11/2001.

 

[Tripodbruno]

Wow, I don't understand how you all get such good gas mileage. I just did Boulder to independence pass last weekend and averaged like 15 mpg... I don't have the lead foot that some of yall do, but how on earth is pulling a trailer more efficient than me driving without one? Crazy.

2D Badlands, Non-sas, 2.3L.

I also do not have a lead foot. That calculation is based off pump readings and mileage. The fuel economy gauge is inaccurate at best and optimistic-Ford is known for this.

 

[Tripodbruno]

Curious what settings you used on the Curt bluetooth brake controller? I just recently used it on my Bronco and it was a lot more sensitive than when using on my pickup.

I am going to need to play with it more I started out with the max output at 50% and sensitivity at 3. I like the brakes on the trailer to help but not take over. I’m sure I can dial it up as needed. It might be a little sketchy adjusting as you drive down a mountain though.

 

[Tripodbruno]

Does this trailer have a bathroom? If yes please send the model and brand.

Gotta have what you gotta have when you gotta go.

No bathroom- although you can see my road shower and privacy enclosure mounted to the side in the pic. I put a mat of dry deck under the shower and enclosure then keep a Dometic chemical toilet next to it. The road shower gives you 7 gallons of solar heated water (it is often too hot) and then the Dometic contains about 2 gals and can be emptied in any vault toilet or regular toilet- it will generally last us a weekend without emptying. this setup is mostly for the girls. Or if we go off grid.

the trailer is a hiker trailers extreme off-road 5x9’ (made in Colorado and Indiana) it is simple although can follow on moderate trails. I have had it since 2017 and added a renogy solar panel, Dakota lithium battery, and 2k watt inverter. The wife and I sleep inside on a memory foam mattress and the kids up top in the RTT. I store all the kitchen setup and two large coolers in the back. We generally only go for 3-4 days max so I don’t feel the need for a Dometic type refrigerator. I love this trailer and it fits in a standard size garage.

 

[CMillBronco]

Thanks for posting, I tow through the IKE all the time but with my Truck, been toying the idea of the RZR on it's trailer at 3400 pds. Only issue is my trailer doesn't have brakes, do you think the brakes on your trailer made a big difference?

 

[Bill K]

I’m a fan of the youtube TFL channels (especially @TFLtruck and @TFLoffroad) I finally got a Curt Bluetooth brake controller and was able to conduct a tow test with my 2 door non-sas badlands with the 2.3L. I figured I might as well make it one of the toughest (according to TFL) towing tests.

The end result is that I couldn’t be happier with how it performed.

I have had my Bronco since July 3rd and between break in, travel, getting the kids back into school, work, and life in general I hadn’t been able to tow until this morning. My trailer is a Hiker Trailer Exteme Off-Road. It is roughly 13’ long excluding the tongue, 1700lbs dry, and has the same size wheels and tires as the Bronco. It is coupled with a Maxx coupler and maybe had a few hundred pounds of gear inside- let’s call it ~2000lbs. Next time I use it, it will be closer to 2500lbs loaded with everything and my GFC super lite RTT. Being a Sunday the landscape supply centers are closed so I wasn’t able to get an accurate weight. This trailer does have brakes- not required but helpful in the mountains.

Previously I have towed this trailer with my last two vehicles a 2005 Tacoma, and 2017 Wrangler Rubicon Recon. I have also towed it with a borrowed F-150. The trailer itself and its set up I love, not really reviewing that here.

Round trip was close to 156 miles and burned almost exactly 10 gallons of premium. The dash fuel economy has been hovering around “20” mpg although my actual has been between 18.5-19 so a drop to 15.6 mpg in steep mountain country isn’t bad. For reference I would routinely get close to 9-10 mpg with the Tacoma and 12ish with the Jeep towing. The approach to the tunnel was uneventful. I stopped about 20 miles in at the start of the mountains to do a safety check.

Climbing uphill felt almost as it does without the trailer. The little 2.3 has plenty of power and the ability to pass. I found myself in the left lane often without any burden to other traffic. I had plenty of reserve the entire approach. My tacoma was always steady and reliable but definitely maxed out towing in mountain country. The Jeep always seemed to hunting for the right gear and highly revving while towing.

Other than a few passes of semis and other slow traffic the ‘wonderful’ tac never went above 4200rpm. The first major descent “Floyd Hill” was good indicator that downshifting the transmission was more than capable of mostly eliminating the need for brakes.

After a slow final approach to the tunnel due to traffic I was able to exit the tunnel close to the 50mph speed limit to start the descent test into Silverthorn. Tunnel to the exit I was able to maintain close to the 65 mph speed limit with downshifting and only needed one brake application due to a vehicle merging close in front of me and hitting their brakes. The trans hovered around 4000 rpm controlling the descent and the temps all staying nominal.

Turning around and heading back up was just as uneventful and easy as the approach. The acceleration was smooth and consistent. Aside from the thicker traffic that slowed me down it would be hard to make the top in much less than the 7:53 end time without exceeding the speed limit.

The test over with and good results- a mountain trip is never truly successful until you cross onto your driveway. Doing this in the morning helped avoid most of but not all the building Sunday traffic, but there were no issues descending back into Denver in time to find the lazy boy for the Broncos vs. Raiders- Go Broncos and Go Bronco.

Lessons learned and observations:

• -The hitch area is cramped I’ll need to find a narrow/short hitch pin.
• -The Curt Bluetooth controller worked awesome simple easy setup. Don’t waste money or time installing a brake controller if you need one. Ford why not just add one in like most of your trucks c’mon man!
• -I need a better phone mount as you use your phone as the manual control and to set the controller.
• -I saw a lot of overloaded towing setups. For this test I was close to 30-40ish% under the Bronco’s 3500lb max. I try to plan on a max of a 20% safety margin(10% at minimum and 10% for mountain country) I work as a first responder and see too many towing failures.
• -Using the Max coupler required a hitch extension due to the height and the spare tire- easy fix though.
• -I wish I could manually keep the backup camera on past the 30 second delay. I found myself doing a few quick shifts into reverse to turn it back on as I navigated out of a tight parking spot in Idaho springs.
• -I was worried the 2 door would dog track as it towed due to the short wheelbase. No complaints it tracked perfectly straight.
• -I want to add a backup camera to my trailer- easy ideas welcomed- thinking a license plate to Bluetooth type.
• -If I was (and I will be at some point) doing a cross country trip my effective range would be close to 200 miles. I always take a fuel can as insurance I will need it with my 16gal tank- I’d want it with the 4dr too tho.
• -I don’t regret not getting the 2.7L, when I get the Ford performance tune I’ll forget even more.

Alright enough towing- time to hit the trails!

Nice set-up and great post. I have the towing package on my 2.3L Big Bend and am glad to know it will be up to the task when I finally get around to using it.

I attached a picture of my phone mount that I bought for it. I really like it. It keeps the phone out of the way, uses the 2 nameplate bolts to mount, has a ball joint so you can easily angle it, and wirelessly mag charges my iphone 12 mini with the aftermarket case I bought for it. I recall it was a little expensive at around $100.

If you're really interested, I'll continue poking and see where the heck I bought it from. I do remember I had to buy it from the vendor website.

 

[Bill K]

Nice set-up and great post. I have the towing package on my 2.3L Big Bend and am glad to know it will be up to the task when I finally get around to using it.

I attached a picture of my phone mount that I bought for it. I really like it. It keeps the phone out of the way, uses the 2 nameplate bolts to mount, has a ball joint so you can easily angle it, and wirelessly mag charges my iphone 12 mini with the aftermarket case I bought for it. I recall it was a little expensive at around $100.

If you're really interested, I'll continue poking and see where the heck I bought it from. I do remember I had to buy it from the vendor website.

Nevermind - looks like the name of the company is boldly displayed on the mount and charge pad

 

[Tripodbruno]

Thanks for posting, I tow through the IKE all the time but with my Truck, been toying the idea of the RZR on it's trailer at 3400 pds. Only issue is my trailer doesn't have brakes, do you think the brakes on your trailer made a big difference?

On this trip they probably helped and I anticipate they would even more when I am fully loaded.

I was traveling vail pass with this trailer and hit a blizzard up. On the way down toward copper mountain there was a huge pile up in front of me. I was unable to stop/steer well and started to jack knife a bit. It was one of my first times out with this trailer. As I was barreling toward the other cars I remembered my trailer brake and manually feathered it. In doing this it righted me and I was able to better steer through avoiding several other vehicles. I will always have brakes on a travel trailer after this. It also has the emergency brake- if I lose the trailer the brakes will lock up and help stop it.

 

[lakesinai]

2.3 manual Sasquatch pulls 3500lbs unexpectedly good! In 5th gear up hills and under 70mph, makes max boost if I try to keep it in 6th. Trailer brakes would be ideal since the brakes already suck without a trailer but even with a trailer it still stops better than all the unmaintained pre-2000s junk limping around

I like a guy who leaves before sunrise to go trailer-boating! Or, are you getting home real late!!?

 

[BCKMRKR]

I have this phone mount from Course - very solid, and looks like it gives you a little more space in the console at the slight expense of passenger room. Also highly recommend their tailgate fire extinguisher mount and their extinguishers.

https://coursemotorsports.com/collections/bronco/products/direct-fit-phone-mount-ford-bronco-2022

 

[TroutTrooper]

Where's that setting? It sounds like something I might want to play with.

I'm pretty sure it's in the APIM, but I'm not 100% sure on that. It's one of the plain text options. I'll try to check tomorrow afternoon after work and let y'all know.

 

[Pitpup]

Excellent write-up. Thank you for taking the time to post!

 

[Combustion_King]

I tow this, as well as a 2 up sea-doo trailer with 3 person machines on it.

Bronco tows like a champ, it barely gets above 2k unless I shift down for hills etc.

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