*Update 7.25.22* Towing Yamaha SX195 with 2.3L Black Diamond Bronco

[Cbiggs]

Glad to hear it! Yeah the 195 series is a super light 19ft boat so I wasn't worried about the Bronco pulling it, but was pleasantly surprised at how well it handled it.

As far as the boat, I love it. This was our 4th season with it here on Long Island. I've grown up on and around a variety of boats over my life so I've seen it all really. For my use, the shallow sandy bay areas I typically boat in it's perfect. It's usually me and my fiance with the occasional couple and maybe some of my nieces and nephews.

It's a great platform for doing it all

Agreed!

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[BroncoAZ]

For a little added comfort, you might add a brake controller. I really like this one, no wiring required. It goes with the trailer not the tow vehicle. Not the cheapest option but neither is owning a Bronco.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brake-Controller/Tekonsha/TK94FR.html

This isn’t going to do anything on a boat trailer with surge brakes.

 

[DesertChip]

This isn’t going to do anything on a boat trailer with surge brakes.

If it has surge brakes, you are all set.

 

[Bob 07064]

This is great news. I have a coleman fleetwood series popup that weighs in at 1700lbs without all the extra crap in it so it should do well!

 

[PDiddy]

The only thing I can see holding the bronco back, towing wise, is the brakes (frame is probably not designed for heave loads either). Stability and power are there. The brakes seem a little under powered with the sas package. Probably not an issue with smaller wheels.

Looks like it will have no problem towing at its max capacity though. Very nice.

 

[Lakelife36]

Very glad to hear how well it tows your boat.

Hey Everyone! I wanted to share my quick experience towing with my new 4dr, 2.3L, Auto, Black Diamond, non-Sas, tow package.

For reference my Yamaha SX195 weighs about 2100lbs dry. With full fuel, gear and trailer we get close to 3,000lbs. Figure a couple of passengers in the Bronco we should be pretty much right at the 3,500lb rating when I get into more normal use next spring.

I wouldn't worry too much about your on-board weight relative to towing capacity on a 4dr 2.3L auto BD. You have about 4100lbs available to tow and haul combined, so at 3000lbs towed you could load 1100lbs without going over GCWR. Your limiting factor will be GVWR, as you have only about 1000lbs available to haul. At approximately 300lb tongue weight (assumed), you can load only about 700lbs before you're over GVWR.

 

[footsteps]

For all its weird flaws, it really is just an amazing vehicle. I traded in a 21' Ranger Tremor and thought I would miss it.. HA! I've had my Bronco about 2 weeks now (I'm at ~1,000 miles) and I still get giddy every time I get in.

Glad to hear it can handle towing ~3K just fine. I'm looking at a small overlanding trailer setup, and its going to be right in that ballpark.

yep, i'm still giddy too, at 957 miles and 1 month on 11/9! Heading down to Johnson Valley CA tomorrow for a little road trip that will add some miles and help me catchup to your total ;-)

 

[vrtical]

The only thing I can see holding the bronco back, towing wise, is the brakes (frame is probably not designed for heave loads either). Stability and power are there. The brakes seem a little under powered with the sas package. Probably not an issue with smaller wheels.

Looks like it will have no problem towing at its max capacity though. Very nice.

if you have a trailer with electric brakes and a decent brake controller there wont be an issues with the Bronco, I have a lot of experience towing heavy and that is key to have distributed braking. I prolly will push the max on mine when I get a camper, but I will set it up correctly and even use a WDH even though its not really needed in this range of weight. 350lbs on the tongue isn't a whole lot. My last setup I was running 1300lbs on my F150. This is also the reason most can get away with a 4 pin tow setup and not need the 7pin and just have surge brakes.

 

[BroncoRick]

Thanks for the report on this setup. I had been seriously considering the 2.3 as I'd been previously looking at Rangers with that engine. Ended up going with the 2.7 after seeing TFL's towing test with the 2.7 and 35's going through the Eisenhower tunnel on I70. It did not seem to break a sweat and I was just through that stretch several weeks before, towing with my Jeep (and it was a joke, couldn't hold speed and nearly overheating). I'm hoping someone will eventually test the 2.3L in the Bronco in the same way, at high elevation, and see how it compares to the 2.7 in that regard.

 

[Scopebit]

Hey Everyone! I wanted to share my quick experience towing with my new 4dr, 2.3L, Auto, Black Diamond, non-Sas, tow package.

For reference my Yamaha SX195 weighs about 2100lbs dry. With full fuel, gear and trailer we get close to 3,000lbs. Figure a couple of passengers in the Bronco we should be pretty much right at the 3,500lb rating when I get into more normal use next spring.

Now granted I haven't towed too much as I have only owned the Bronco for about a week and boating season is pretty much over here on Long Island, but I have put on about 50 miles with a mix of highway and normal roads taking the boat to get shrink wrapped.

Long Island is mostly flat so can't provide insight to hills, but passing on the highway (going from 60 to 70 to pass) hasn't been an issue. Power train has plenty of grunt (as expected given it's in the ranger). Fuel economy hasn't been so bad in the brief bit of towing averaging around 14mpg for those 50 miles. It's been solid and very stable, but you do know the trailer is back there so don't expect similar characteristics to a dedicated tow truck. There is a little bit of sag which is expected given off road suspension so there still may be some fine tuning with tongue weight and hitch set ups in my future.

For comparison I have towed this boat with a friend's 2017 4dr wrangler, my parents 2015 Tacoma and my most recent tow vehicle of 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. All have towed the boat "fine" but the Bronco has by far handled it the best and inspired the most amount of confidence. It doesn't wander and handled bumps extremely well while towing

Overall no complaints with plenty of confidence going forward. I'm excited for our new Bronco to serve as our swiss army-do it all vehicle. It's going to tow our boat, take us on road trips, take us camping in the Adirondacks, take us out on the outer beach with the dog and the occasional Costco run.

Happy to answer any questions, thanks!

This very topic has been on my mind since i began the process to buy a Bronco - a 2.7L, BL, non-sas, w/ the tow package. At 3500# max ,wondered how a rig like this (e.g. not a V8 - F150) could pull my current trailer - dry weight of 3000#s and loaded approaching the max of 3500#s. Also, with the shorter wheel base, how squirrely would it be? Seeing your post and hearing from others has eased my mind, thank you! I do intend to install air bags to support the primarily off-road suspension.

 

[asurfer11]

This weekend I pulled a 12 foot trailer loaded with a big Harley, a Kawasaki and loads of parts and tires. It pulled great, very stable on the freeway and the bumpy secondary roads. Brakes handled the weight fine. Looking into weekend off-road trailers next.

What kind of hitch did you use to pull this uhaul trailer - 2 or 3 inch drop? Thank you!

 

[M&M Beer]

I would like to still see Ford install the trailer brake controller at the factory as an option. they are putting on a 7 pin connector but not offering the brake controller at the factory only at the dealership or yourself. I find that odd. I am driving a new Chevy Silverado 1500 for a work vehicle and it has trailer everything installed from the factory. Come on Ford get with the upgraded times.

 

[nwGTS]

long wheelbase of the 4 door is certainly going to help here. I'm curious how the 2 doors handle towing this same load.

 

[Carreratime]

What kind of hitch did you use to pull this uhaul trailer - 2 or 3 inch drop? Thank you!

I used the B&W trailer hitch "Tow & Stow for 2" Receiver, Tri-Ball (1-7/8" x 2" x 2-5/16"), adjustable 5" Drop, 10,000 GTW.

 

[DANK 4X4]

Hey Everyone! I wanted to share my quick experience towing with my new 4dr, 2.3L, Auto, Black Diamond, non-Sas, tow package.

For reference my Yamaha SX195 weighs about 2100lbs dry. With full fuel, gear and trailer we get close to 3,000lbs. Figure a couple of passengers in the Bronco we should be pretty much right at the 3,500lb rating when I get into more normal use next spring.

Now granted I haven't towed too much as I have only owned the Bronco for about a week and boating season is pretty much over here on Long Island, but I have put on about 50 miles with a mix of highway and normal roads taking the boat to get shrink wrapped.

Long Island is mostly flat so can't provide insight to hills, but passing on the highway (going from 60 to 70 to pass) hasn't been an issue. Power train has plenty of grunt (as expected given it's in the ranger). Fuel economy hasn't been so bad in the brief bit of towing averaging around 14mpg for those 50 miles. It's been solid and very stable, but you do know the trailer is back there so don't expect similar characteristics to a dedicated tow truck. There is a little bit of sag which is expected given off road suspension so there still may be some fine tuning with tongue weight and hitch set ups in my future.

For comparison I have towed this boat with a friend's 2017 4dr wrangler, my parents 2015 Tacoma and my most recent tow vehicle of 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. All have towed the boat "fine" but the Bronco has by far handled it the best and inspired the most amount of confidence. It doesn't wander and handled bumps extremely well while towing

Overall no complaints with plenty of confidence going forward. I'm excited for our new Bronco to serve as our swiss army-do it all vehicle. It's going to tow our boat, take us on road trips, take us camping in the Adirondacks, take us out on the outer beach with the dog and the occasional Costco run.

Happy to answer any questions, thanks!

Are you, or anyone reading this thread, using a weight distribution hitch? If so what brand, model, etc.

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