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Towing Package question

pan-y-cerveza

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The four door has 16" longer wheelbase than the two door and so far they both have the same tow rating. Which is much lower than the tow rating of many other SUVs with similar wheelbase to the four door, some of which are off-road ready.
Right. I keep seeing the "short wheelbase" come up.

I'm no wheelbase expert but I know a 4Runner has a wheelbase that is 6" less than a 4 door Bronco and can tow 1500lbs. So wheelbase can't be the only factor.
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Dlerojo

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Right. I keep seeing the "short wheelbase" come up.

I'm no wheelbase expert but I know a 4Runner has a wheelbase that is 6" less than a 4 door Bronco and can tow 1500lbs. So wheelbase can't be the only factor.
It's probably a similar reason as to why Uhaul won't rent trailers to people with soft tops. With a convertible the liability for accidents is just a lot higher than a non convertible vehicle. Marking the rating lower reduces potential incidents.
 

Lakelife36

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It's probably a similar reason as to why Uhaul won't rent trailers to people with soft tops. With a convertible the liability for accidents is just a lot higher than a non convertible vehicle. Marking the rating lower reduces potential incidents.
The Bronco has the full frame rails around the top though so I'd hope that's not part of it. If it is one of the considerations then a) they should tell us, and b) they could require the hardtop with a max tow package. Or even a modified hardtop where the rear-most section is not removable. That's the price you'd pay for the higher towing if you wanted it.
 

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It's probably a similar reason as to why Uhaul won't rent trailers to people with soft tops. With a convertible the liability for accidents is just a lot higher than a non convertible vehicle. Marking the rating lower reduces potential incidents.

The Bronco has the full frame rails around the top though so I'd hope that's not part of it. If it is one of the considerations then a) they should tell us, and b) they could require the hardtop with a max tow package. Or even a modified hardtop where the rear-most section is not removable. That's the price you'd pay for the higher towing if you wanted it.
Gladiator has the same kind of removable top, comes with a soft top standard, and has up to 7600lb tow cap(not dependent on top). So I donā€™t think the top really has anything to do with it. Uhauls ruling has nothing to do with the tow cap either, they just doesnā€™t want some schmuck that bolted a $20 hitch under his convertible sedan trying to tow one of their small trailers and getting mad at them when something happens. Iā€™ve seen jeeps towing uhaul trailers on the road more than once, so obviously not every uhaul store adheres to the roofless rule.
 

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Gladiator has the same kind of removable top, comes with a soft top standard, and has up to 7600lb tow cap(not dependent on top). So I donā€™t think the top really has anything to do with it. Uhauls ruling has nothing to do with the tow cap either, they just doesnā€™t want some schmuck that bolted a $20 hitch under his convertible sedan trying to tow one of their small trailers and getting mad at them when something happens. Iā€™ve seen jeeps towing uhaul trailers on the road more than once, so obviously not every uhaul store adheres to the roofless rule.
Tried 3 places in FL and no go with a my wrangler w/ soft top. Had to borrow a buddies 4runner to pick up trailer just to go home and hook up to my jeep. Jeep has 3500lb tow rating.
 

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Tried 3 places in FL and no go with a my wrangler w/ soft top. Had to borrow a buddies 4runner to pick up trailer just to go home and hook up to my jeep. Jeep has 3500lb tow rating.
Yea Iā€™ve heard a lot donā€™t let the jeeps, but Iā€™ve also seen a Jeep top down pulling out of with a trailer from the uhaul place where my dad had a storage garage for awhile. So while they may have a rule about it, not every one of the uhaul stores follows it for the jeeps. Just depends how lucky you are I guess.
 

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I'm not remotely knowledgeable about these things, but my understanding is that - so far - we believe the tow package only includes the wiring harness and the hitch receiver. And the consensus is that this seems a bit pricey at $600, so an aftermarket alternative may be a better option.

I've been doing a little research to get an idea of what an aftermarket option might cost - primarily looking at the Ranger as a point of comparison. I came across a discussion that the Ranger factory receiver is mounted higher than aftermarket options, so aftermarket receivers typically end up reducing your departure angle. I haven't seen much mention of that around here, but that seems significant for an off-road vehicle like the Bronco.

For those that know far more than I, how likely is it that aftermarket receivers will impact the Bronco's departure angle compared to the factory option?
 

The Pope

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For those that know far more than I, how likely is it that aftermarket receivers will impact the Bronco's departure angle compared to the factory option?
Yes (basically), an aftermarket load distributing hitch will most likely adversely affect the departure angle. Now with that said, an aftermarket rear bumper with the Class III Receiver incorporated within it would most likely not cause any departure angle issue.
 

Lakelife36

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Yes (basically), an aftermarket load distributing hitch will most likely adversely affect the departure angle. Now with that said, an aftermarket rear bumper with the Class III Receiver incorporated within it would most likely not cause any departure angle issue.
I like it a lot.
 

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hi
I have read all the page from this post and nobody talk about breaking capacity to stop a load !! when you buy a real truck like F150 with max towing and max charge like me, you buy class 4 hitch oil coolers big radiator, 3.73 gear ratio with 3.5 l twin turbo and BIG DISK BRAQUE ON EACH WHEELS. And you have to keep in mind the weight of the vehicule befor tow rating ex: F350 single wheels have more towing capacity than rear double wheels cause the add of a weight. you can track 3000 lbs trailer with a small ATV BUT the problem is to stop them for tow rating they are more thing to consider than just buy a class 4 or class 5 hitch sorry i know everybody knows this.
just my 2 cents
TRACKTOY
scuse my english i am french CANADIAN
 

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Lakelife36

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hi
I have read all the page from this post and nobody talk about breaking capacity to stop a load !! when you buy a real truck like F150 with max towing and max charge like me, you buy class 4 hitch oil coolers big radiator, 3.73 gear ratio with 3.5 l twin turbo and BIG DISK BRAQUE ON EACH WHEELS. And you have to keep in mind the weight of the vehicule befor tow rating ex: F350 single wheels have more towing capacity than rear double wheels cause the add of a weight. you can track 3000 lbs trailer with a small ATV BUT the problem is to stop them for tow rating they are more thing to consider than just buy a class 4 or class 5 hitch sorry i know everybody knows this.
just my 2 cents
TRACKTOY
scuse my english i am french CANADIAN
Brakes are an easy problem to fix if they really want a max tow package. I've said in another thread that such a package may not be available on Base during to the 16" rim's not fitting larger brakes.
 

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hi
I have read all the page from this post and nobody talk about breaking capacity to stop a load !! when you buy a real truck like F150 with max towing and max charge like me, you buy class 4 hitch oil coolers big radiator, 3.73 gear ratio with 3.5 l twin turbo and BIG DISK BRAQUE ON EACH WHEELS. And you have to keep in mind the weight of the vehicule befor tow rating ex: F350 single wheels have more towing capacity than rear double wheels cause the add of a weight. you can track 3000 lbs trailer with a small ATV BUT the problem is to stop them for tow rating they are more thing to consider than just buy a class 4 or class 5 hitch sorry i know everybody knows this.
just my 2 cents
TRACKTOY
scuse my english i am french CANADIAN
Brakes are an easy problem to fix if they really want a max tow package. I've said in another thread that such a package may not be available on Base during to the 16" rim's not fitting larger brakes.
The ranger has 16 in rims and 7500lb tow cap. Raptor has 17in rims, 34in tires and 8000lb tow cap. So ford has brakes thatā€™ll work for well over what most want the bronco capabilities to be increased to, and being the bronco is based on the ranger it may have just been assumed by many it would have same or similar brakes. So brakes shouldnā€™t be a limiting issue, if they are itā€™s because fords just choosing to make them one not because they canā€™t put on brakes that work. And for such a hyped up vehicle Iā€™d certainly be disappointed if they cheaped out on the brakes. But even if they did, like lakelife36 said, it wouldnā€™t be hard to throw those in on a tow package.
 
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2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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hi
I have read all the page from this post and nobody talk about breaking capacity to stop a load !! when you buy a real truck like F150 with max towing and max charge like me, you buy class 4 hitch oil coolers big radiator, 3.73 gear ratio with 3.5 l twin turbo and BIG DISK BRAQUE ON EACH WHEELS. And you have to keep in mind the weight of the vehicule befor tow rating ex: F350 single wheels have more towing capacity than rear double wheels cause the add of a weight. you can track 3000 lbs trailer with a small ATV BUT the problem is to stop them for tow rating they are more thing to consider than just buy a class 4 or class 5 hitch sorry i know everybody knows this.
just my 2 cents
TRACKTOY
scuse my english i am french CANADIAN
I've always upgraded my rotors and pads on all my vehicles. OEM stuff tends to be crap and warp. Upgraded my F150 (w/ max tow package) rotors & pads before 20k miles because the rotors were warped. But I would expect a 4dr Bronco that is provided 35" tires from the factory to have bigger brakes vs what comes on a base non-squatch 2dr Bronco. Even my wife's GC with the factory tow package gets HD brakes (dual-piston calipers, larger front diameter rotors & rear rotors are vented).
 

tomwill

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I am doing the same with my FJ Cruiser as well.
Bronco is replacing my Toyota FJ cruiser. It has 5000# towing capacity stock. Length is 183.9" Bronco 4 door is 189.4. I had hoped to get a 2 door, but I would consider getting the Bronco 4 door if I could get #5000 towing capacity. That sure has come in handy over the years.
 

Gloff

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Towing is a pretty complex engineering problem. This article has some insight: https://jalopnik.com/the-engineering-behind-the-jeep-gladiators-tow-rating-1833657453

There's cooling considerations, wheelbase, wheel and tire changes, suspension design and softness/firmness, flex, sway bars, brakes, engine output, final drive ratio, overall gear ratios. They all play a factor.

Ultimately, I think Ford was willing to compromise absolute towing to go after Jeep's offroad capabilities and offer stuff like Factory 35" tires. Wrangler has the same tow rating that Bronco has, and being how towing is not the primary driver of Wrangler sales, Ford probably didn't prioritize it.

I wish it towed more too, and I think a Max tow package would have been a great idea.
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