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Tow capacity will keep me from switching...

Glenquerry

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I think towing capacity was a big deciding factor. I live in Florid, and the ability to tow a boat when needed is critical.
Very well said, Once you have the tow capacity numbers for your vehicle, you can use them as a guideline in order to cross reference it with the dry weight of your desired boat. I usually done my boat towing from shipping company to ensure safety. There is ultimately one factor that should be affecting your decision: the safety of you and your family.
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LarryZiegler

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Remember that your definition of fun is not the only one that's valid. For some people it's crawling over rocks. For others it's dune jumping. Some like mud bogging. Some people like camping with their family. Or late-season hunting with a warm bed at night. All of those fun things are accomplished best with slightly different configurations of vehicle, but a well-engineered vehicle should be able to accomplish them all. For example a 4-door Wildrak and 2-door Badlands are going to be very good at their own specialty, but they are still capable at the alternate. For the Gladiator you have the Mojave and Rubicon trims for those same purposes.

As a thought exercise, can you give me a really good argument against a separate max tow package that provides higher tow cap for those of us who would like to option it but doesn't affect those of us who would like to keep the Bronco as-is?
If I am understanding you correctly, a Bronco weighs in at roughly 4,700 lbs give or take according to trim. The rated GCWR is at 8,780 lbs for most trims. That leaves 4,080 lbs of trailer and cargo. Tongue weight of a 3,500 lb trailer is 12-15% of its weight, so Iā€™ll use 450 lbs & add a 150 lb driver and 150 lb passenger and no additional cargo. All of that creates a weight that exceeds the GCWR of the Bronco by 170 lbs. Most people donā€™t understand the complexities of a vehicleā€™s rated safety limits. That provides the answers as to why a tow rating above 3,500 lbs is not possible
 

Lakelife36

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If I am understanding you correctly, a Bronco weighs in at roughly 4,700 lbs give or take according to trim. The rated GCWR is at 8,780 lbs for most trims. That leaves 4,080 lbs of trailer and cargo. Tongue weight of a 3,500 lb trailer is 12-15% of its weight, so Iā€™ll use 450 lbs & add a 150 lb driver and 150 lb passenger and no additional cargo. All of that creates a weight that exceeds the GCWR of the Bronco by 170 lbs. Most people donā€™t understand the complexities of a vehicleā€™s rated safety limits. That provides the answers as to why a tow rating above 3,500 lbs is not possible
The problem here is that you're double-counting the tongue weight. Remember that's already part of the trailer weight, so don't add it back on again when you're figuring out the payload/towed weight relationship from GCWR.

Tongue weight is very important when you're figuring that out from GVWR of course. And you do need to satisfy both.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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If I am understanding you correctly, a Bronco weighs in at roughly 4,700 lbs give or take according to trim. The rated GCWR is at 8,780 lbs for most trims. That leaves 4,080 lbs of trailer and cargo. Tongue weight of a 3,500 lb trailer is 12-15% of its weight, so Iā€™ll use 450 lbs & add a 150 lb driver and 150 lb passenger and no additional cargo. All of that creates a weight that exceeds the GCWR of the Bronco by 170 lbs. Most people donā€™t understand the complexities of a vehicleā€™s rated safety limits. That provides the answers as to why a tow rating above 3,500 lbs is not possible
No it does not.

A tow package with a reworked suspension could easily raise the GCWR/towing capacity.

If they add something similar for 22 given that we are likely getting a 22 anyway I would opt for it.
 

Little Foot

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Like many of you, I really was anticipating the new Bronco launch. I was extremely impressed by the engineering and design feats made by Ford. Itā€™s a very good looking rig.

I watched the release getting more and more excited UNTIL I read the towing capacity. This was a really key opportunity to pull away two large segments of buyers(existing pickup owners and current Jeep owners). With both segments, I think towing capacity was a big deciding factor. I live in Florid, and the ability to tow a boat when needed is critical. For that reason, you see a lot of pickup trucks. You also see/hear a ton of Jeep owners wondering why they paid 30-50k for practically no towing capacity.

3500 lbs is NOTHING. It doesnā€™t even match the Ford Ranger.

I, like most Americans, donā€™t have the money to plop down 40-50k on multiple vehicles to serve multiple purposes.

I hope someone at Ford will read this and consider it for the future.
4Runner, Which I thought Bronco was supposed to be a competitor with also can tow 5,000 pounds. I just traded in my 4Runner a few months ago. I miss that truck.....
 

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2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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If I am understanding you correctly, a Bronco weighs in at roughly 4,700 lbs give or take according to trim. The rated GCWR is at 8,780 lbs for most trims. That leaves 4,080 lbs of trailer and cargo. Tongue weight of a 3,500 lb trailer is 12-15% of its weight, so Iā€™ll use 450 lbs & add a 150 lb driver and 150 lb passenger and no additional cargo. All of that creates a weight that exceeds the GCWR of the Bronco by 170 lbs. Most people donā€™t understand the complexities of a vehicleā€™s rated safety limits. That provides the answers as to why a tow rating above 3,500 lbs is not possible
Hmmm. I believe the 4dr BL, 2.7 and options comes in around 5280 lbs.
 

LarryZiegler

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No it does not.

A tow package with a reworked suspension could easily raise the GCWR/towing capacity.

If they add something similar for 22 given that we are likely getting a 22 anyway I would opt for it.
A re-worked suspension eliminates the benefits of off road capability. A good example is the F-150 Raptor, an excellent off road capable truck with a payload capability similar to the Bronco. Some folks who want the double duty capability of the Raptor surely must be complaining about carrying heavy objects as 4 200lb passengers eat up 70% of the capacity.
Hmmm. I believe the 4dr BL, 2.7 and options comes in around 5280 lbs.
I wonā€™t argue your figure as the Ford spec sheet I have is not far off your number. Other than FE, the other trims have weights below 5,000 lbs. and the heaviest GCWR of any of the trims is 8840 lbs
 

Rivers90

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Just like the jeep gladiator, the bronco pickup will tow a lot more.

Not that I ever tow anything with my vehicles.
I have done some towing for an organisation I am involved in, but that is all big stuff with super duty. No min truck or even half ton truck could do it. But the off road ability is just not as good with a 1 ton. Yesterday I had one of the f350's on some fire roads and you give up a lot to be able to tow a 10,000+ lbs trailer.

I want max off road from the bronco not max tow.
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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Just like the jeep gladiator, the bronco pickup will tow a lot more.

Not that I ever tow anything with my vehicles.
I have done some towing for an organisation I am involved in, but that is all big stuff with super duty. No min truck or even half ton truck could do it. But the off road ability is just not as good with a 1 ton. Yesterday I had one of the f350's on some fire roads and you give up a lot to be able to tow a 10,000+ lbs trailer.

I want max off road from the bronco not max tow.
That why Ford came out with the SD Tremors.
 

LarryZiegler

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The problem here is that you're double-counting the tongue weight. Remember that's already part of the trailer weight, so don't add it back on again when you're figuring out the payload/towed weight relationship from GCWR.

Tongue weight is very important when you're figuring that out from GVWR of course. And you do need to satisfy both.
Even if I am double counting the weight, the numbers still leave very little room for added cargo/passengers in the Bronco to remain within weight limits. In addition, add the extra weight of steel bumper, extra skid plates, and a winch, the weight of the Bronco increases by a few hundred pounds The Bronco was designed to be an off road with its suspension which is engineered differently than a suspension engineered for carrying weight and is made to be a competitor to the Wrangler, which has its own 3500 lb tow rating. If adjusting the rating is so easy, why didnā€™t Jeep re-engineer the suspension & tow limit when the Gladiator was created?
 

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Lakelife36

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Even if I am double counting the weight, the numbers still leave very little room for added cargo/passengers in the Bronco to remain within weight limits. In addition, add the extra weight of steel bumper, extra skid plates, and a winch, the weight of the Bronco increases by a few hundred pounds The Bronco was designed to be an off road with its suspension which is engineered differently than a suspension engineered for carrying weight and is made to be a competitor to the Wrangler, which has its own 3500 lb tow rating. If adjusting the rating is so easy, why didnā€™t Jeep re-engineer the suspension & tow limit when the Gladiator was created?
On the higher trims I concur there is very little room - in fact some of them don't even allow 3500lbs tow rating due to the high curb weight. But on others there is plenty of room in the GCWR. See the table below. Again.

Also I'm not saying that it's easy to do, just that I'm disappointed that Ford has yet to give us a good explanation for why they didn't.

2-Door4-Door
TrimEngineTransGCWRBase Curb WeightGCWR-BCW-300lbsBase Curb WeightGCWR-BCW-300lbs
Base2.37M878042864194N/AN/A
BB2.37M87804297418344674013
BD2.37M87804587389348253655
BL2.37M87804705377549453535
Base2.310A87804306417444764004
BB2.310A87804317416344873993
BD2.310A87804607387348453635
OBX2.310A87804406407445803900
BL2.310A87804725375549653515
Base2.710A88404458408246283912
BB2.710A88404469407146393901
BD2.710A88404781375949973543
OBX2.710A88404558398247323808
BL2.710A88404877366351173423
WT2.710A88404749379149353605
FE2.710A88404997354352563284
 

85_Ranger4x4

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A re-worked suspension eliminates the benefits of off road capability. A good example is the F-150 Raptor, an excellent off road capable truck with a payload capability similar to the Bronco. Some folks who want the double duty capability of the Raptor surely must be complaining about carrying heavy objects as 4 200lb passengers eat up 70% of the capacity.
Ranger Tremor is reworked for off road and maintains its payload/tow ratings.

Make it an option like Sasquatch.
 

71to21-2DR

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Yeah I'm not sure why people were expecting this to be a tow rig. I mean the Bronco heritage has roots in high-speed desert racing. That kind of suspension doesn't lend itself to towing capability. And like you said it already meets/exceeds the Wrangler capacity.

Also since the 2 door and 4 door both have the same listed towing capacity I'm fairly certain that number was chosen as a placeholder/stopgap until they have an actual concrete number while still being able to say they can do better than Jeep.

Edit: So my guess with the supposed "towing package" we've seen as a possible option, is that the 4 door will come in closer to 4/4.5K
Also designed for off road flexing.
Tow an aluminum fishing boat
Or a teardrop!
 
 


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