Off roading camping trip (Bronco, LR3 and D90) towing trailer (w/ mudding video)

[Tadel001]

Just got back from a two night camping trip at the Cove Campground. The Bronco Badlands (non-sas) was a beast. It performed excellent through all obstacles. Some thoughts:

1) I towed the camper trailer with go-kart on the front. The truck was great at towing. No problem hitting 70+ speeds on the highway and into the mountains. Temps were good the entire time.

2) The Bronco is really an outstanding combination of daily driver for work and off-road beast. I drive this truck every day to work in a suit and then take it off-road. It has all the features I need.

3) Definitely got a few surface scratches on the doors. They buffed out with some wax. Was a bit nervous when I got home and gave it a bath. Glad it buffed out.

4) May need to think about a snorkel. The air intake looks like it has a drain at the entrance but still concerning.

5) The tailgate table was great for cooking in the wind. Best option so far.

6) I had a Defender 110 before this. I had a winch and used it more often than not... Mainly because I tried everything. I carried that spirit with the Bronco but couldn’t get it stuck. The diff lock and 4L in M2 is a great set up to go up rocky trails.

This is a great truck.

I have the 2.7. Plenty of power. Almost don’t notice the trailer (except for on ramp acceleration). Trailer is 1550 empty weight. Go-kart is 325 lbs. So guessing total trailer rig was 2000 lbs. Tongue weight probably 350 lbs.

This picture is the group of vehicles…. Bronco was the only one that didn’t have to try multiple times to get up the Pinnacle Trail. It just crawled through each obstacle.

This is a screen shot of the water…

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[NorthShoreBronco]

Awesome! I know, I keep expecting to get stuck... But just don't.

 

[NevadaDesertExploration]

I can’t wait to get my BadSquatch, so I can have some awesome adventure.

 

[wrbix]

You jettisoned a Def110???. At a huge profit I hope.

Estimated weight of your trailer/cart setup? Load distributing hitch? Trailer brakes?

<edit: OP added weights in an edit after this>

 

[Danny's Bronco]

You have the 2.3 or 2.7 liter? I switched to the 2.3 in June hoping for a faster build always worried I will wish I had the 2.7 when towing

 

[ilkhan]

1) I towed the camper trailer with go-kart on the front. The truck was great at towing. No problem hitting 70+ speeds on the highway and into the mountains. Temps were good the entire time.

Details on the trailer? That looks like an awesome setup.

 

[2Jeeps&PatriotX1]

Like others asked. Whats the weight of the overall trailer weight, tongue weight and which engine?

 

[FlyingBronco]

I have the 2.7. Plenty of power. Almost don’t notice the trailer (escape for on ramp acceleration). Trailer is 1550 empty weight. Go-kart is 325 lbs. So guessing total trailer rig was 2000 lbs. Tongue weight probably 350 lbs.

This picture is the group of vehicles…. Bronco was the only one that didn’t have to try multiple times to get up the Pinnacle Trail. It just crawled through each obstacle.

This is a screen shot of the water…

View attachment 207218

View attachment 207219

Ooo my! Pucker factor had to be extreme when hitting that water. Nice shots! I bet that little go kart is a blast too!!

 

[Bschurr]

Looks like the Bronco got a proper exercise - thanks for sharing.

 

[Meharps]

Greetings! Nice rig! I have a badlands 2.3L with a manual pulling a teardrop that weights around 1,750 fully loaded. Pulls great, even in the mountains and off road! Don’t let the 2.3L fool you! It is a beast as well! Only issue I have, and I feel like you should be warned as well, is that I bought a 9” hitch extension to put my ball mount in since that’s what was on ford’s accessories page. It is needed to clear the spare tire, even if you just want to use a bike carrier or something, you will need it. With that said, there was no warning on Ford’s pages that said that the extension is not recommended for towing with, only recommended for use of the bike carriers and cargo racks. Using an extension half’s your tongue capacity, so brings it down to about 175lbs. After finding that out and giving my setup a good inspection since I’m right at that weight limit, I found excessive wear on my ball mount and extension. I’ve gotten about 3,000 miles towing. Compared it to my old ball mount for my Outback with about the same mileage pulling the same trailer that has zero evidence of wear. So if you want to tow something safely and keep your spare tire on, you may want to switch to a 12” or longer ball mount. I think a 12” with 2” drop (the drop that I need for my rig) will work, but it’s going to be tight. Just trying to spread the word here since Ford has done a terrible job at this.

 

[Gnomad]

Thanks for posting this, as I will be going from a LR3 to a Bronco eventually.
Interesting that you went from a Defender to the Bronco. As a Rover guy I was waiting with great anticipation for the new Defender and when it came out I like many of us were underwhelmed with the result. And then Ford built a better Defender than LR.

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