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Tow capacity will keep me from switching...

FirstOnRaceDay

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The limiting factor for tow capacity of the Bronco seems to be the rear suspension. The current Ranger with the 2.7L, 10 speed auto and tow package is rated up to 7500 lbs. The Ranger has a leaf spring rear suspension vs. a softer 5 link coil suspension on the Bronco. I plan to tow my 18 foot boat that is around 3500 lbs. loaded with trailer very short distances.
I’m no suspension expert but it’s 100% related to the rear suspension.

My 2001 Grand Marquis is full frame and a 11’ wheelbase with the same axel, transmission and engine as the f150. Yet my car can only tow 2000 while the f-150 can tow 8,000.

It’s not just springs and shocks. It’s the actual linkages. How the axel is attached to the car.

The bronco linkages are designed for off roading.

The crown Vic was designed for smooth floaty ride

F-150 was for hauling

I imagine if you REALLY want to tow with the bronco. You can get some stiffer springs and shocks and be just fine
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Cased

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No sway bar if I'm not mistaken and with coil suspension, these were not designed for towing

A person could add air bags I suppose but get in a corner with a load with no sway bar .......no bueno

I'm glad it doesn't have leaf springs and a 6000 lb tow rating , that is what trucks are for
 

FirstOnRaceDay

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No sway bar if I'm not mistaken and with coil suspension, these were not designed for towing

A person could add air bags I suppose but get in a corner with a load with no sway bar .......no bueno

I'm glad it doesn't have leaf springs and a 6000 lb tow rating , that is what trucks are for
I figure if you add different shocks and struts you can get better towing numbers if you REALLY need more
 

Thehime

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I figure if you add different shocks and struts you can get better towing numbers if you REALLY need more
I would think Ford would offer that with a tow package, but then again that may have not been in there design plan.
 

AwakeOnABus

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I hate to say it, but if I want a "top-off" vehicle, as it stands, I will not be ordering my reserved Badlands 4dr, but will be getting a Gladiator - hopefully with a diesel.

I loathe the Gladiator's frame reputation and Jeep's reliability reputation, but "not towing" is not an option for me.

Towing over the rated capacity is a potential safety risk and a huge insurance risk - whether it contributes to an accident or not.

5K towing capacity is the minimum I would consider. Bronco is a no-go without that.
 

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Aussieshed

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Been a min since I've looked this up. There aren't many(wasn't trying to say ANY sedan could do it), and not sure any current new versions are still rated that high, but few years back the Volvo S60 was rated for 3500lbs, the Subaru Legacy was just shy of 3000lbs, I think one of the bmw 5 series models was rated for something like 4000lbs, but think the bmw one wasn't a us model so that doesn't really count(sedans do get crazy tow ratings in other countries because of different rules/training/etc for towing). There were a couple others in that range in the US that I cant remember. Me and a few buddies had a running list for awhile years ago, which actually started as a "what can tow the same as your wrangler" for one guy in our group of friends. He sold the wrangler so we stopped keeping up with the list.
My Alfa Stelvio is rated to 3000 lbs.
 

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Sure you could tow more than 3.5K as is or upgrade the rear suspension but you will be all on your own should something bad happen.
 

FirstOnRaceDay

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I hate to say it, but if I want a "top-off" vehicle, as it stands, I will not be ordering my reserved Badlands 4dr, but will be getting a Gladiator - hopefully with a diesel.

I loathe the Gladiator's frame reputation and Jeep's reliability reputation, but "not towing" is not an option for me.

Towing over the rated capacity is a potential safety risk and a huge insurance risk - whether it contributes to an accident or not.

5K towing capacity is the minimum I would consider. Bronco is a no-go without that.

Have you not seen alll the gladiators bent in half for towing over 3000lbs.
 

AwakeOnABus

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Have you not seen alll the gladiators bent in half for towing over 3000lbs.
Hahahahahaha! Yes. I have - as referenced. I will be watching to see how those cases are handled. That's why I started with, "I hate it."

The whole concept of Jeeps bending in half makes me LOL... that's how bad Jeep dropped the ball on that, yet... making a 4 door off-road SUV in 2020 that can only tow 3500lbs puts me out of the Bronco business.
 

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GotWake

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I'll use my 3500HD for towing. I would hook up my jetskis behind one, but I have no intention of towing anything big behind one. I mean you can't have everything. I would rather it ride good and do well on the trail. Different tools for different problems.
 

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The problem I've been running into with the Bronco as well as the Wrangler is the 350 lb. Hitch weight. Plenty of trailers fit the 3500 limit, but the hitch weight seems to always be near 400 lbs. There are some that are within the 350 lbs. but not many.
Why want Bronco with higher tow capacity? To tow a reasonable travel trailer and still enjoy wheeling. I have an F150 but don't want to drive two vehicles 600 miles.
 

GotWake

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The problem I've been running into with the Bronco as well as the Wrangler is the 350 lb. Hitch weight. Plenty of trailers fit the 3500 limit, but the hitch weight seems to always be near 400 lbs. There are some that are within the 350 lbs. but not many.
Why want Bronco with higher tow capacity? To tow a reasonable travel trailer and still enjoy wheeling. I have an F150 but don't want to drive two vehicles 600 miles.
One of the problems is wheelbase on these vehicles. I think the rule of thumb is 110" for 20 ft trailer and add 1 ft of trailer for every 4 inches of wheelbase. I just don't like towing anything big with a short wheelbase vehicle. Growing up, dad had this regular cab short bed truck and I hated towing with that thing.
 

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Hmm, light tow cap decreased my initial excitement. Right away I thought "Install ClassIV hitch and you have 7000lbs tow capacity!" Should be doable since it's a Ranger frame. A ClassIV hitch won't affect offroadability.
Ford Bronco Tow capacity will keep me from switching... 2021 Bronco rear setu
Ford Bronco Tow capacity will keep me from switching... 2021 Bronco rear setu


Some outfit will build a hitch that mounts where the two tow hooks are, retain the factory 4/7-pin connector.

Here's a video of a ClassIII Curt hitch install on a Ranger -




Should be easy to add a beefier hitch. Beefing up the suspension to deal with high tongue weight is a different matter. A proper hitch allows the use of a WDH, so that's good, but without WDH one would need beefier springs. I don't see a way to add airbags onto it.

Anyway, I'm still interested because I think a better hitch is doable and someone will come out with HD coils for the rear.
 

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I was also really hoping the Bronco would have a slightly higher towing capacity. I took my boat to the CAT scales just to be sure and it came in at 3600 fully loaded. That was a big bummer. Guess I will just have to be patient and hold out hope that the theories about a higher towing package come true.

I do find it very odd that the 2 and 4 door come in at the same listed capacity (as many have pointed out, probably suspension limited). But even stranger is the fact that pictures and videos keep surfacing of broncos equipped with a class III hitch when they only show a Class II as an option on the website. Example in this link at 2:34. I can't think of a good reason they would fit broncos with a Class III if their max listed capacity is only rated to 3500.



Here's hoping there is an option for a Class III. I used to tow this same boat with an old 99 jeep Cherokee (Somehow rated to 5000 lbs.......standards have obviously changed a lot). It was awful but managed to get the job done for years with no issues. I am confident this would be a significant improvement over the jeep.
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