Towing w/a Manual 2 Door

[Rustytuna]

Anyone experience towing with a manual? I imagine the crawler gear would help but I am having concerns with maneuvering/reversing a 1,700lb trailer (13ft Scamp) into camp sites or storage. I would prefer the manual but since this would be a primary duty for the Bronco, I am wondering if i should go with an automatic.

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[Petey]

Crawler gear only goes forward, so it won’t help you backing up to a trailer. I don’t think crawling will help you on the highway either.

 

[Rustytuna]

Indeed. Highway speeds i expect would be the easy part, more concerned with slower speeds through hills and starting with a decline from a stop. But i guess crawler gear would help. Im wondering if that crawler gear is something you can go right into first from? Or more like crawler -> neutral and come to stop -> then first?

 

[mrxg78]

I towed a medium U-haul trailer from Boston MA to St Louis MO with a manual FJ. I didn’t notice anything specific.

 

[KH_59]

Starting from a stop on a decline should be easy enough. Starting on a shallow incline with a trailer will feel a lot like starting on a steep incline without a trailer. If you are seriously worried about this sort of thing..... have an experienced mentor help you develop some skills (or the obvious smart-ass answer...get an automatic).

 

[Rocketeer Rick]

There are a few things to consider here.

1) the short wheelbase of the 2-dr and small trailer will be more maneuverable around the campground. It will also jack knife easier while backing and be less stable at highway speeds. So, you have to consider what's more important to you.

2) the part more relevant to your question - if the trailer is light enough, then towing it with a manual isn't too big of a deal. My dad used to tow his 22' boat with a m/t F150. This was when they still had a straight-6 and granny 1st gear. But he eventually switched to a Superduty with an automatic. To get a trailer started, you'd have to slip the clutch more when towing. This is where a torque converter in an a/t is extremely useful, as it allows a more fluid start and also multiplies torque a bit on its own. The crawler gear might be helpful here as well, assuming it isn't actually too low to be practical in traffic (if the engine runs out of steam in Crawl before getting into its power band in 1st with a load on). Another consideration will be how well would hill-start assist work in this situation. It might be enough to make the difference.

3) this is tied to #2 - if 1700 lbs is the dry weight of the Scamp, then you can assume that when loaded and tanks filled, it will jump up in weight considerably. Your actual tow weight might actually be closer to 2500-3000 lb, depending on what you put in it. So that's what you really have to start and stop.

No matter what you choose, make sure you have a good trailer brake controller in place.

 

[Headsong]

I can still remember the moment when I realized how happy I was that I'd switch to an automatic as I was backing a boat down a ramp. So instead of half Twisted into the seat and trying to work a clutch in a stick I could actually just watch what I was doing.

 

[pan-y-cerveza]

I doubt you'd use the crawler gear much other than very specific situations. Maybe on a very steep hill but even then, with the shift pattern to get in and out of C and with hill start assist, I doubt you would even bother much if at all.

Reversing into a tight camp spot on a hill so never much fun with a manual but it's not like you're doing it ever day.

I tow a 13 ft fiberglass Scamp-like camper (Trillium) with a vehicle that is only good for 1500lbs of towing. It struggles to go up long grades but isn't much trouble to get going. It's an automatic, mind you, but I don't think it would be an issue of it was a manual. I did tow it for a bit with a manual Jetta with no real issues but never took it anywhere with a substantial incline.

 

[Rustytuna]

Starting from a stop on a decline should be easy enough. Starting on a shallow incline with a trailer will feel a lot like starting on a steep incline without a trailer. If you are seriously worried about this sort of thing..... have an experienced mentor help you develop some skills (or the obvious smart-ass answer...get an automatic).

I’ve never towed a trailer, let alone with a manual, so I may have to do that. The automatic and 2.7 is such a good value I would totally jump into but an auto Bronco just doesn’t have the same appeal to me but since it’s main purpose is going to be towing I’m seriously considering.

There are a few things to consider here.

1) the short wheelbase of the 2-dr and small trailer will be more maneuverable around the campground. It will also jack knife easier while backing and be less stable at highway speeds. So, you have to consider what's more important to you.

2) the part more relevant to your question - if the trailer is light enough, then towing it with a manual isn't too big of a deal. My dad used to tow his 22' boat with a m/t F150. This was when they still had a straight-6 and granny 1st gear. But he eventually switched to a Superduty with an automatic. To get a trailer started, you'd have to slip the clutch more when towing. This is where a torque converter in an a/t is extremely useful, as it allows a more fluid start and also multiplies torque a bit on its own. The crawler gear might be helpful here as well, assuming it isn't actually too low to be practical in traffic (if the engine runs out of steam in Crawl before getting into its power band in 1st with a load on). Another consideration will be how well would hill-start assist work in this situation. It might be enough to make the difference.

3) this is tied to #2 - if 1700 lbs is the dry weight of the Scamp, then you can assume that when loaded and tanks filled, it will jump up in weight considerably. Your actual tow weight might actually be closer to 2500-3000 lb, depending on what you put in it. So that's what you really have to start and stop.

No matter what you choose, make sure you have a good trailer brake controller in place.

Yes, we ordered the scamp with trailer brakes. I didn’t think about the increased chance to jack knife. It’s definitely a compromise overall but I want to make it work. Also, I don’t expect I would ever tow with the tanks loaded

I wasn’t sure about how that crawler gear would work. I hope it’s enough to get me into first with a load on an incline.

I can still remember the moment when I realized how happy I was that I'd switch to an automatic as I was backing a boat down a ramp. So instead of half Twisted into the seat and trying to work a clutch in a stick I could actually just watch what I was doing.

That’s what I want to avoid.

I doubt you'd use the crawler gear much other than very specific situations. Maybe on a very steep hill but even then, with the shift pattern to get in and out of C and with hill start assist, I doubt you would even bother much if at all.

Reversing into a tight camp spot on a hill so never much fun with a manual but it's not like you're doing it ever day.

I tow a 13 ft fiberglass Scamp-like camper (Trillium) with a vehicle that is only good for 1500lbs of towing. It struggles to go up long grades but isn't much trouble to get going. It's an automatic, mind you, but I don't think it would be an issue of it was a manual. I did tow it for a bit with a manual Jetta with no real issues but never took it anywhere with a substantial incline.

Well I work from home so towing the scamp around the northeast would be a high percentage of its use.
Now, there is no mountains but we do have decent uphill grades throughout.

 

[MaverickMan]

Truckers do it every day. All day. Reverse is deeper than first so no big deal. Crawl will take care of hills for ya. The short wheelbase will be more difficult than the clutch. If you are worried about your skills. Once you get your rig together. Go find a field and spend about 30 minutes driving it backwards in circles. The only thing about the manual is dont shift early. Go a few RPMs more than if you didnt have a trailer and you'll be fine.

 

[Used2jeep]

Indeed. Highway speeds i expect would be the easy part, more concerned with slower speeds through hills and starting with a decline from a stop. But i guess crawler gear would help. Im wondering if that crawler gear is something you can go right into first from? Or more like crawler -> neutral and come to stop -> then first?

Normal driving you would ignore "C". Just start moving in second. If not, then you will probably be at max C speed in a half second at 3500.

 

[Rocketeer Rick]

I’ve never towed a trailer, let alone with a manual, so I may have to do that. The automatic and 2.7 is such a good value I would totally jump into but an auto Bronco just doesn’t have the same appeal to me but since it’s main purpose is going to be towing I’m seriously considering.



Yes, we ordered the scamp with trailer brakes. I didn’t think about the increased chance to jack knife. It’s definitely a compromise overall but I want to make it work. Also, I don’t expect I would ever tow with the tanks loaded

I wasn’t sure about how that crawler gear would work. I hope it’s enough to get me into first with a load on an incline.



That’s what I want to avoid.


Well I work from home so towing the scamp around the northeast would be a high percentage of its use.
Now, there is no mountains but we do have decent uphill grades throughout.

FWIW, what I was referring to was a trailer brake controller. Just because the trailer will have brakes doesn't mean that they will work unless you install a brake controller in the tow vehicle. Also, at that weight, the Scamp is probably legally required to have the brakes anyway whether you ordered them or not. That's beside the point. You'll need to buy and install (not always fun) the brake controller yourself. Its too bad that Ford doesn't offer an integrated unit in the Bronco like they do on F-series, because the OEM ones are the best in my experience. But short of that, I'd suggest going to etrailer.com and looking at what's offered. I've used Tekonsha brand controllers a couple of times, they seem to be decent.

Regarding towing with the tanks full, its easy to say you'll never do it. But, here's the thing, any time you use the plumbing onboard, you'll need water. Its a lot of little things. If you're taking a trip and want to pull into a rest stop, then pop back into the camper to make lunch, you'll probably want water to clean up or wash your hands, etc. Or, if you're driving a distance and you need to pull into a Walmart lot to overnight, you either 1) walk into the store when you want to pee and brush your teeth, or B) travel with a partial tank of water. Or maybe you decide to camp in a national forest where the views and hiking are great but there's no hook ups. You'll need to carry water with you when you get there. And, of course, if you've been camping and there's no place to dump tanks when you leave (like the national forest site), then you'll have to leave with both grey and black tanks partly full.

I went thru the same thing when I bought my Micro Minnie, but in short quickly learned that there's a lot of benefit to traveling with at least half a tank or so. So it becomes part of the weight you have to plan on.

 

[pan-y-cerveza]

FWIW, what I was referring to was a trailer brake controller. Just because the trailer will have brakes doesn't mean that they will work unless you install a brake controller in the tow vehicle. Also, at that weight, the Scamp is probably legally required to have the brakes anyway whether you ordered them or not. That's beside the point. You'll need to buy and install (not always fun) the brake controller yourself. Its too bad that Ford doesn't offer an integrated unit in the Bronco like they do on F-series, because the OEM ones are the best in my experience. But short of that, I'd suggest going to etrailer.com and looking at what's offered. I've used Tekonsha brand controllers a couple of times, they seem to be decent.

Regarding towing with the tanks full, its easy to say you'll never do it. But, here's the thing, any time you use the plumbing onboard, you'll need water. Its a lot of little things. If you're taking a trip and want to pull into a rest stop, then pop back into the camper to make lunch, you'll probably want water to clean up or wash your hands, etc. Or, if you're driving a distance and you need to pull into a Walmart lot to overnight, you either 1) walk into the store when you want to pee and brush your teeth, or B) travel with a partial tank of water. Or maybe you decide to camp in a national forest where the views and hiking are great but there's no hook ups. You'll need to carry water with you when you get there. And, of course, if you've been camping and there's no place to dump tanks when you leave (like the national forest site), then you'll have to leave with both grey and black tanks partly full.

I went thru the same thing when I bought my Micro Minnie, but in short quickly learned that there's a lot of benefit to traveling with at least half a tank or so. So it becomes part of the weight you have to plan on.

A Scamp may have surge brakes (or even no brakes) as well. There may be no need for a controller.

Though electric brakes and a controller are much better than surge brakes.

 

[Rick Astley]

Crawler gear only goes forward, so it won’t help you backing up to a trailer. I don’t think crawling will help you on the highway either.

We won't know until somebody tries it on a production-spec Bronco.

Hopefully an in-warranty one.

I'm willing to video anybody who wants to try and max-speed tow on the highway in L1. Beers provided afterward to tell old war stories!

 

[pan-y-cerveza]

Well I work from home so towing the scamp around the northeast would be a high percentage of its use.
Now, there is no mountains but we do have decent uphill grades throughout.

A manual, in my opinion, is better in the hills anyway. Easier to select gears to avoid an automatic's tendency to hunt for gears while towing in the hills. Easier to gear down while going down the other side.

This is especially advantageous if there is no "tow" setting on the Bronco.

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