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What would be a realistic towing capacity?

Cookieck

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Yea, almost none of that relates to the broncos towing capacity at all. Mentions brakes, frame, engine, transmission, driveline and tires not holding up, all of those on the bronco are already rated to tow much more in other vehicles. Youā€™re not going to strain the engine/drivetrain with 5k when the 2.3 is already rated to tow 7500 in the ranger and the 2.7 rated for 9k in the f150. And the abuse some of those parts will take off-road will be as much or more than any towing. The only limiting factor would be suspension and wheelbase, both of which I addressed, main point being the 4 dr has an extra 16in in the wheelbase, which means a lot more stability, so everything else being equal as it is it should easily have a slightly higher tow cap. For something with as short a wheelbase as the 2dr, that wheelbase is typical the biggest limiting factor for tow rating, not any other parts withstanding the wear and tear.
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Blksn955.o

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I dont need to tow often or much. Looking for something that could say tow a 5x8 trailer so I could get a load of drywall or 4x8 plywood type sized items stuff like that at random.

We are looking to buy a lot in a community near us (about 5 miles away) that has a couple hundred acre lake...4-8k for basically a non build-able lot with lake rights and there is a community pool, club house, and golf course (about 1,200 a year in community fees). We want to buy a small 16-20ft pontoon boat and there is a storage lot in this community so that would be my max load. Towing the pontoon would be really close...and over the 80% limit I feel as the pontoon will be like 1,500-2k itself and you have to add the trailer. We would not be moving it much but would like to be able to. We dont even have to get on the hwy to get there from our house and the roads are 45mph or less so with a 4 door and such a short trip I think that will be fine.
 

Lakelife36

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I already have a truck and an suv (with a shorter wheelbase, higher towing capability) that both can both go everywhere that 95% of the Bronco owners will ever go. Why would I want to always be forced to take my supercrew, 6ā€ lift & 35ā€ MT and leave the $60k offroad vehicle at home when I head to Moab or Ouray? Seriously though, what offroad performance are you 5% Bronco owners going to lose if Ford increased towing from 3500 to 5k?

Planning on still getting a 4dr, 2.7 Badlands at this point still since I know Iā€™ll be just under the max weight loaded, but its a piece of mind thing to give some buffer for safety reasons.
If it's on a separate max tow package then they would lose absolutely none if they don't get it. That's kinda the point of those packages, and one of the reasons why I don't understand people's resistance to the idea.
 

Lakelife36

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Folks just like to complain. If they really cared about towing 3500lbs they'd get a truck. The percentage of trucks that two is small. The percentage of Broncos that tow, I imagine, will be even lower. No need to carry to the vocal minority crying about more capacity.

Honestly you'd be fine with the Basecamp. Does it have trailer brakes? If not I'd add them.

My Escape is rated for 1500lbs of towing. My trailer with gear is right on the limit. I added trailer brakes (Real brakes. With controller) and a transmission cooler. No issues. I'm not recommending overloading but the exact same Escape outside of North America is rated for more towing capacity. Plus the added safety of the brakes and trans cooler I feel totally fine with it. I do only pull a 13ft camper but the Escape isn't that big itself.

Anecodtal but I've towed with my Escape at least 30,000km with no issues.

Seeing as how the 2D, 4D, 2.3L, and 2.7L all are rated the same leads me to believe that there is a large safety built in. It doesn't make sense that they are all only rated to 3500.

Always be cautious, use judgment, and common sense, but I wouldn't hesitate to pull at 3500lbs+ to a point.
For sure it doesn't make much sense and many of us are hoping it's a placeholder while they finish testing - remember the Dixon Dam run must be done in >100Ā°F temperatures so that test wouldn't have been completed yet.

As for "if they cared they'd get a truck" argument, modern half tons tow over 10,000lbs and quarter tons (like the Ranger that the Bronco is based on) tow 7,500lbs. No one on here is asking for that kind of towing capability, what people want it so to be able to tow their small travel trailer or fishing boat to their camping/fishing/hunting spot and then unhook and take their Bronco off-roading. For some people not being able to do that defeats the very purpose of buying a Bronco in the first place.
 

pan-y-cerveza

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]

No one on here is asking for that kind of towing capability, what people want it so to be able to tow their small travel trailer or fishing boat to their camping/fishing/hunting spot and then unhook and take their Bronco off-roading. For some people not being able to do that defeats the very purpose of buying a Bronco in the first place.
3500lbs is pretty good for towing a small camper or fishing boat.

We can't have it all and you can't please everyone. If it defeats the purpose of buying a Bronco for those people then what are the other options if not buying a truck?

Ill be using mine for pulling a small camper. It'll be perfect for that. If you need to haul your 30ft camper or your giant bass boat the Bronco isn't your truck.
 

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3500lbs is pretty good for towing a small camper or fishing boat.

We can't have it all and you can't please everyone. If it defeats the purpose of buying a Bronco for those people then what are the other options if not buying a truck?

Ill be using mine for pulling a small camper. It'll be perfect for that. If you need to haul your 30ft camper or your giant bass boat the Bronco isn't your truck.
No, 3500lbs max with a ClassII hitch is NOT good for hauling a small camper. My 19' is 3000lbs dry, that's a small trailer. This 2021 Bronco should easily haul that loaded up with cargo for offgrid up to 4000lbs. With the frame and engine it has it should be able to tow 7000lbs with a real tow package. And offroad capability would not be reduced much.
 

pan-y-cerveza

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No, 3500lbs max with a ClassII hitch is NOT good for hauling a small camper. My 19' is 3000lbs dry, that's a small trailer. This 2021 Bronco should easily haul that loaded up with cargo for offgrid up to 4000lbs. With the frame and engine it has it should be able to tow 7000lbs with a real tow package. And offroad capability would not be reduced much.
I guess everyone's idea of small is different. My 13ft trailer is 1000lbs dry.

I don't know why Ford came up with 3500 but that's what it is. Make it work or move on. I don't know what else to say.

Should it/could it be more? Maybe. But, as of right now, it's not.
 

Bronc-O

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I guess everyone's idea of small is different. My 13ft trailer is 1000lbs dry.

I don't know why Ford came up with 3500 but that's what it is. Make it work or move on. I don't know what else to say.

Should it/could it be more? Maybe. But, as of right now, it's not.
Some people just won't listen. They think they know better than the manufacturer of the vehicle. They say Ford is telling us nothing. In this case, they're telling us what the tow rating is and people are telling them they're wrong. Just because Ranger and F-150 share some things doesn't equal the same on a different vehicle. Something about Bronco is obviously different enough to have a lower tow rating. With towing being a big thing in the market today, I believe Ford would rate it as high as safely possible to claim an advantage over the competition.
 

Lakelife36

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Some people just won't listen. They think they know better than the manufacturer of the vehicle. They say Ford is telling us nothing. In this case, they're telling us what the tow rating is and people are telling them they're wrong. Just because Ranger and F-150 share some things doesn't equal the same on a different vehicle. Something about Bronco is obviously different enough to have a lower tow rating. With towing being a big thing in the market today, I believe Ford would rate it as high as safely possible to claim an advantage over the competition.
The thing that is different is the soft suspension and to a lesser extent the shorter wheelbase (especially for the 2-door). That much is clear and no one is arguing it or telling Ford that they're wrong. What people are telling Ford is that they would pay good money for a tow package that gave a higher capacity, even if it was at the expense of some of that suspensiony goodness.

If we never say anything they may never do it. So we're talking about it. I don't understand why this is a problem.
 

Bronc-O

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If we never say anything they may never do it. So we're talking about it. I don't understand why this is a problem.
The only problem I'm seeing is those that will go above the tow rating even if it's advisable to not go above 75-80% of the limit. If Bronco can't tow what you want it to, it's not the right vehicle for the job. You could buy an Escape with 1500 Lb rating, so things could be a lot worse.
 

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Cookieck

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The only problem I'm seeing is those that will go above the tow rating even if it's advisable to not go above 75-80% of the limit. If Bronco can't tow what you want it to, it's not the right vehicle for the job. You could buy an Escape with 1500 Lb rating, so things could be a lot worse.
Thatā€™s the whole reason people talk about it, they donā€™t want to exceed the tow rating. Sure there are some that say itā€™s no big deal to do so, but most want the extra tow rating so that we wonā€™t be exceeding it. And without that some will look elsewhere. If a simple change to the rear suspension is all it takes(which is likely) then why canā€™t there be a tow package that does that? Plenty people change suspension anyways for off-roading, but changing the suspension aftermarket for towing doesnā€™t change what the rated tow capacity is, so then even if it can handle that easily itā€™s still a legal liability. And sure you can buy an escape with less but you can also buy half a dozen suvs the same size as the bronco with tow ratings 8000lbs+ And even the escape can get 3500lbs tow cap with the right configuration.
 
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Bronc-O

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Thatā€™s the whole reason people talk about it, they donā€™t want to exceed the tow rating. Sure there are some that say itā€™s no big deal to do so, but most want the extra tow rating so that we wonā€™t be exceeding it. And without that some will look elsewhere. If a simple change to the rear suspension is all it takes(which is likely) then why canā€™t there be a tow package that does that? Plenty people change suspension anyways for off-roading, but changing the suspension aftermarket for towing doesnā€™t change what the rated tow capacity is, so then even if it can handle that easily itā€™s still a legal liability. And sure you can you can buy an escape with less but you can also buy half a dozen suvs the same size as the bronco with tow ratings 8000lbs+ And even the escape can get 3500lbs tow cap with the right configuration.
It looks like you covered just about everything I was thinking. If they need to exceed the tow rating, the Bronco is probably the wrong choice. If there isn't a tow package to raise the rating, then again Bronco may not be what you want. If you ever got into an accident and you aren't legal, the resulting lawsuit could wipe you out. Also right, there are other vehicles such as Explorer or Expedition or F-150. That may be what you need if you know the Bronco is rated below what you plan on towing.
 

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The thing that is different is the soft suspension and to a lesser extent the shorter wheelbase (especially for the 2-door). That much is clear and no one is arguing it or telling Ford that they're wrong. What people are telling Ford is that they would pay good money for a tow package that gave a higher capacity, even if it was at the expense of some of that suspensiony goodness.

If we never say anything they may never do it. So we're talking about it. I don't understand why this is a problem.
Exactly, well said!

Some other people just like to complain about what they see as complaining! :)

I don't have a separate tow vehicle. My FJ Cruiser, with similar size and 5000# towing capacity, has done the job for the past 13 years. I had hoped to replace it with a Bronco.

But I did install helper bags inside the rear coil springs that I'll inflate occasionally if needed. I mainly installed them when hauling my DRZ400 on the hitch-mount rack.

Occasional vehicle purchase or helping a buddy/family member out towing their car. Picking up rental equipment (skid steer), cherry picker. Other than that many trips with the motorcycles.

Ford Bronco What would be a realistic towing capacity? FB_IMG_1597017843694
 
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tomknight

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Well, I was going to get a Wrangler a few years ago, but saw it towed 3500. Instead, I got a LIberty with tow package, that tows 5500.

Going to 5k broadens your camper trailer options significantly.


I know that is what it can do. A lot of folks complain itā€˜s not enough, so Iā€™m wondering what is enough realistically.
 

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It looks like you covered just about everything I was thinking. If they need to exceed the tow rating, the Bronco is probably the wrong choice. If there isn't a tow package to raise the rating, then again Bronco may not be what you want. If you ever got into an accident and you aren't legal, the resulting lawsuit could wipe you out. Also right, there are other vehicles such as Explorer or Expedition or F-150. That may be what you need if you know the Bronco is rated below what you plan on towing.
Except for missing my point of 3500 being a crap tow rating to begin with at least for the 4dr then yes weā€™re on similar page. Ford set the rating at what they did yes, and because of that Iā€™ll likely not be buying a bronco. But I would love to and fords missing out on sales for something that would be simple to do and likely wouldnā€™t even change much(if anything) to get there, just actually test the rating for what it can handle in each configuration not an across the board cop out. And give a configuration that gives you more benefit there as an option.
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