Increase towing capacity with upgrades to suspension?

[Markkelly1965]

Does anyone know of any upgrades to suspension to increase towing capacity? After all this 2.7 and ten speed are virtually the same as the F-150. I know it’s an off-road suspension that limits towing but 3500 lbs ain’t nothing.

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[csj]

Various improvements so far haven't resulted in an official higher tow rating from Ford. But there is a general notion that weight distributing hitches, better shocks, trailer brake controllers, possibly air bags or sumo springs, or possibly better sway bars will make towing more stable.

 

[Lakelife36]

Even the 2.3 and 10A are the same as the Ranger which tows 7500lbs, and the 7Mnis rated for high GCWR so it's not the drivetrain. There are numerous threads discussing all this but to date sadly there is nothing to increase the tow cap.

 

[Lakelife36]

the trouble is, they will often engineer the car to the least common denominator.

Lets say it was the suspension, once they set the target, the brake and powertrain guys will size their parts to match.

if your just hauling a 5000lb boat down 10miles down the road, Id probably just do it.

if you want to go for a 500mile road trip to the mountains with a camper... your probably looking at brakes, trans cooler, and suspension to start. but you'll never know where else you might be putting unexpected wear.

It will be nice to know just how much of that they did. We should be able to tell by comparing parts with the Ranger. The tow package that.takes it the Ranger from 3500lbs to 7500lbs doesn’t include any of those upgrades, so all Ranger parts should be able to handle 5000lbs in a Bronco.

 

[AcesandEights]

Ever tow something with a short wheelbase versus longer? That's part of the equation as well.

 

[The Pope]

Various improvements so far haven't resulted in an official higher tow rating from Ford. But there is a general notion that weight distributing hitches, better shocks, trailer brake controllers, possibly air bags or sumo springs, or possibly better sway bars will make towing more stable.

The Bronco, based on photos of the rear suspension, doesn't have a Rear Sway Bar. That alone "might" be the main reason for the dismal tow rating. If that's the case (lack of rear sway bar), it seams that a version of the front sway bar with disconnect that was only connected when in Tow Mode for the rear would be something that wouldn't hinder the Bronco's Off Road performance. They (FoMoCo) already have this type of sway bar for the front (Badlands), so adapting it for the rear shouldn't be too difficult.

.... and before anyone starts saying that's more difficult than you know.... well... I've got over 20 years in vehicle design within a world wide agricultural & turf company that's older the FoMoCo and know that to do such a task is doable without a lot of difficulty.

 

[Mattwings]

I opted out of the towing “package”. I am going to start with a more robust class III hitch and plug in harness and go from there. I don’t see any likely reduction in capacity for the brakes, transmission or engine for the Bronco to match the lower tow ratings. Rear suspension and wheelbase have to be the biggest contributor to reduced ratings. I only tow my 5k lb boat twice a year 50 miles each way, flat, straight farmland where I might pass 3 cars the whole trip on a quiet day. Good place to test the ability. I agree, if I were towing in the mountains (or when I lived in Seattle) my willingness to explore the capabilities would be much lower. Hopefully someone comes up with an airbag or sway bar bolt on that gives me a good margin of confidence as well.

 

[Lakelife36]

Ever tow something with a short wheelbase versus longer? That's part of the equation as well.

Absolutely it is, but then by that logic the 4-door should be able to tow more than the 2-door, all other things being equal. They're both currently capped at the rating of the Class II reciever, so if that really is the functional limit of the 2-door then the 4-door's limit should be more with a Class III. Perhaps by the time you attach that Class III to the frame rails (instead of the cross-member) you start affecting some other things with the overall stability, but that's where a disconnecting rear swaybar (see @The Pope's post above) comes in.

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

Does anyone know of any upgrades to suspension to increase towing capacity? After all this 2.7 and ten speed are virtually the same as the F-150. I know it’s an off-road suspension that limits towing but 3500 lbs ain’t nothing.

So you won't increase the rating, but you can increase the capability. Unfortunately it is sort of a crap shoot, but we know adding a class IV hitch that connects at the side rails, larger brakes, heavier (less articulate) rear springs or air helpers of some type, and a rear swaybar would increase the towing ability. As would D or E rated tires. Maybe a larger auto transmission cooler. So would a Dana 60.

Also, good trailer brakes and a weight distributing hitch.

I wouldn't drive over the mountains like this - especially with an automatic transmission.

But hey, I am planning on towing 4500 locally to the lake an back stock.

 

[AcesandEights]

I dont disagree, but we can look at the Wrangker as an example, similar wheelbase and size. Direct competitor. They have a 2,000 lbs tow rating for 2D and 3,500 for 4D. The 4D already has the same tow capacity and it is the 2D that has an "upgraded" (over the competition) rating.

Also, if you've driven short versus long wheelbase you know it impacts driveability.

My point was tow capacity is controlled by multiple safety issues; tires, suspension, rear frame crossmember, etc., and driveability.

 

[gigidaho]

I got a tow package on my bronco pretty much exclusively for bike racks/snow sport racks. It seems to me that what makes a good off-roading vehicle vs what makes a good towing vehicle are at odds with each other. I would rather get an old truck for towing than take away from the Broncos capabilities by trying to force it to do something it wasn’t designed for.

 

[CWO4]

This is only a point not that you can or can't do something. No matter what you do to the suspension or upgrades added that will not change the values of GVWR or GVCR on the "sticker" that is applied at the factory. You can not get another sticker or rating.

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

The cooler was my concern in that statement. The Bronco may actually have an “upgraded” cooler because rock crawling causes a lot of heat. We don’t know though.

 

[Lakelife36]

is that just based on the advertised package content? or did the ranger guys really get into the part detail to look if anything changed that they didnt think to mention to retail buyers?

Edit: I misunderstood the first time I read and replied.

Yes that's based on the advertised content, and don't know if anybody has delved deeper. I suspect some people have but I haven't done the detailed research myself, as I am not planning on doing my own aftermarket hitch upgrade.

Even if there are some minor parts changes to the Ranger when you add the tow package if it fits in thee Ranger then Ford should be able to make it fit in the Bronco if they had a good reason to.

 

[Lakelife36]

I dont disagree, but we can look at the Wrangker as an example, similar wheelbase and size. Direct competitor. They have a 2,000 lbs tow rating for 2D and 3,500 for 4D. The 4D already has the same tow capacity and it is the 2D that has an "upgraded" (over the competition) rating.

Also, if you've driven short versus long wheelbase you know it impacts driveability.

My point was tow capacity is controlled by multiple safety issues; tires, suspension, rear frame crossmember, etc., and driveability.

Certainly there are many modes of failure to satisfy, but considering that the Ranger has done it for 7500lbs the main issues for the Bronco to compensate for beyond what the Ranger did would be the shorter wheelbase and the coilover suspension. The Bronco would never be able to tow what the Ranger does given the shorter wheelbase alone, even if the suspension was not a limiting factor.

Here's the thing though - no one here is asking for it to do that. We're asking for the 4-door to be rated appropriately given the fact that the 2-door (with its much shorter wheelbase) has an impressive 3500lb tow capacity.

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