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Realistic 2.3L Towing Capacity?

Cookieck

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Is there a small chance that we can reduce the "towing used to be better" mantra (similar to the hp lamenting)?

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Just to point out this is rather misleading, the tow caps varied in the 90s broncos based on engine and option packages, but had as high a 7-8k variations available.

straight out of a 90s bronco original owners manual... all engines had options up to 6k, the bigger engines up to 8k.
Ford Bronco Realistic 2.3L Towing Capacity? 18422330-2ADD-41CB-B12C-720C0149B042


This one is from a 91, so 4th gen as the 5th gen started 92, but tow caps had similar changes between engines/options(carried over same engines and basically same chassis). Have an owners manual from a 95 somewhere as well, had a 7k tow cap with the 5.8. Iā€™ve towed 6k behind both a 95 and a 91 bronco.
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Lakelife36

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What, you don't have the money to drop 50K on the Bronco just as an off-road toy and nothing else? šŸ˜„ I thought all of us who wanted to tow something were just going to grab a $50K F-150 as well. ;)
That'd be ridiculous. Haven't you learned anything from the rock star opinions on this forum? Clearly we all need $70k F-250s to tow our 20' trailers!
 

timhood

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What's the possibility that brakes play into the tow rating as well?

Obviously wheel base is part of it, but the tow rating is the same for both 2-door and 4-door, so it's not the only factor.

Not sure how heavy these are compared with older Broncos or the Ranger, but given the GVWR issues I wonder about stopping distance while also towing being a factor contributing to the tow rating.

In any case, you should be fine towing at least up to the rated limit.
Heavier trailers tend to have integrated brakes or surge brakes. Long ago, some vehicles' tow packages would include upgraded brakes. These days, sufficient braking capability is usually standard on vehicles with decent towing capability. That said, it's possible that Ford could have made the brakes on the Bronco just good enough for 3,500 lbs towing, but that would be silly to make it the limiting factor. Besides, the brakes should be capable enough to stop this beast as best as possible.

I think we'll have a better idea when we see pics of people with heavier trailers attached.
 

Erock

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If Iā€™m not mistaken, the question was about the 2.3s ability to tow the 3500 lbs... to answer that question only, I donā€™t think it will be an issue. Iā€™m fairly certain with the engine output and overall gearing that it will be able to climb a decent grade without much trouble.
 

The Pope

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If the OP has questions about the 2.3L ability to tow, they should go over to the Ranger Forum........
as the 2.3L is currently the largest engine offered in the "current" Ranger and it has a tow rating Much Higher than 3500lbs.
 

timhood

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For reference, our old F-150 has 300 hp and 365 lb.-ft. of torque, weighs about 700 lbs more than the Bronco and can tow over 9,200 lbs. The Bronco's 2.3 has "only" 270/310. I'm certain 3,500 lbs will be no sweat for that motor, to say nothing of the six extra gears in the automatic transmission (two in the manual).
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