Towing a 2001 Ford Ranger behind an RV
ryan_s...@msn.com
Manual Transmission) can be towed "4 wheels down" behind an RV. I've
seen that some other years are safe as long as it stays under 55mph
and both the tranny and transfer case in neutral... I haven't found
anything specific for the 2001 and I'd like to see if anyone here has
done this themselves or has a copy of the official 2001 Ford Towing
Guide with this information. I'm hoping that it can be safely towed
simply with a tow bar; if not I may have to use a car dolly and a
driveline disconnect. If anyone has any info on either 4 wheel down
towing or some good options for drive line disconnect kits, or any
other helpful information for that matter; I would GREATLY appreciate
it. Thank you in advance.
Tom J
Jeff Strickland
<ryan_s...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:9d9f67ad-9615-4b6d...@n21g2000vba.googlegroups.com...
> Hello, I've been trying to find out if a 2001 Ford Ranger (V6, 4WD,
> Manual Transmission) can be towed "4 wheels down" behind an RV. I've
> seen that some other years are safe as long as it stays under 55mph
> and both the tranny and transfer case in neutral...
I believe that's an error. The trans should be in 1st or R (or P, if an
automatic), and the tcase should be in N.
The reason is, as the tires roll down the highway, the drive train spins the
tcase, which then spins the output shaft of the trans. If the trans is in a
gear, the output shaft will be held in place. I spun the transmission of my
Jeep all apart one day when I failed to check the positon of the levers and
handles. I had the transmission in N, and stopped to check my load after
about 50 miles. The syncros in the trans were cooked.
I haven't found
> anything specific for the 2001 and I'd like to see if anyone here has
> done this themselves or has a copy of the official 2001 Ford Towing
> Guide with this information. I'm hoping that it can be safely towed
> simply with a tow bar; if not I may have to use a car dolly and a
> driveline disconnect. If anyone has any info on either 4 wheel down
> towing or some good options for drive line disconnect kits, or any
> other helpful information for that matter; I would GREATLY appreciate
> it. Thank you in advance.
Depending on how far you are pulling your Ranger, you might want to
disconnect the drive shaft while you flat-tow. If you are going camping, and
want the truck for trips to the market, then this is not a very workable
solution, but if you are going coast to coast and do not plan on driving the
truck, you would be better off, even if flat-towing, to disconnect the rear
drive shaft.
While flat towing, be sure to leave the ignition in OFF but not LOCK
marlin...@verizon.spamdam.net
This info should be in the owners manual. If you do not have one, you
can download a manual in PDF format from www.motorcraftservice.com, in
the owners manual section
PeterD
>Hello, I've been trying to find out if a 2001 Ford Ranger (V6, 4WD,
>Manual Transmission) can be towed "4 wheels down" behind an RV. I've
>seen that some other years are safe as long as it stays under 55mph
>and both the tranny and transfer case in neutral...
Personally, I'd leave the transmission in Park... The tail shaft
bearings in the transmission do not have lubrication when being towed,
and any spinning from the transfer case will cause them to fail.
But you have a manual transmission, so it should be OK in neutral.
> I haven't found
>anything specific for the 2001 and I'd like to see if anyone here has
>done this themselves or has a copy of the official 2001 Ford Towing
>Guide with this information. I'm hoping that it can be safely towed
>simply with a tow bar; if not I may have to use a car dolly and a
>driveline disconnect. If anyone has any info on either 4 wheel down
>towing or some good options for drive line disconnect kits, or any
>other helpful information for that matter; I would GREATLY appreciate
>it. Thank you in advance.
Best would be to disconnect both drive shafts. Then nothing
unnecessary is spinning. At least with the Fords in that generation
that I've worked on (OK, not that many...) it is not difficult to drop
the U-joints at the diffs, bag 'em, and tie-wrap the drive shaft up
out of the way.
Jeff Strickland
"PeterD" <pet...@hipson.net> wrote in message
news:3e2s05tqgqdgp02cm...@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 15 May 2009 07:41:32 -0700 (PDT), ryan_s...@msn.com wrote:
>
>>Hello, I've been trying to find out if a 2001 Ford Ranger (V6, 4WD,
>>Manual Transmission) can be towed "4 wheels down" behind an RV. I've
>>seen that some other years are safe as long as it stays under 55mph
>>and both the tranny and transfer case in neutral...
>
> Personally, I'd leave the transmission in Park... The tail shaft
> bearings in the transmission do not have lubrication when being towed,
> and any spinning from the transfer case will cause them to fail.
>
> But you have a manual transmission, so it should be OK in neutral.
>
NO!
The same principles hold true. You do not want the transmission tailshaft to
spin while towing. Leave the automatic in P, put the manual in 1st or R,
select N in the transfer case.
PeterD
OK, I'll accept that, but probably not in R, use 1st... That way your
backup lights won't accidently come on if the key is moved to
ignition.
Anyway, I think we all agree that dropping the drive shafts is the
best way.
Then I had a brain fart. I know you can drop the front shaft on an
Explorer and still drive it. I wonder if one could do the same in the
Ranger, put it on a dolly backwards and have a drivable vehicle (with
no 4x4)?
Old Crow
I tried towing a truck backwards on a dolly one time. if there's any play
in the steering it'll turn into a fun experience. 2 miles down the road I
pulled over and turned it around.
--
Old Crow
'82 FLTC(P) 'Mistress Pearl'
'87 FLTC 'Fugly'
'61 F-100
BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, SLOB#13, MAMBM
Jeff Strickland
I think you want the steering tires on the dolly. As Old Crow points out, if
there is any slop in the steering gear or suspension, you'll be chasing your
load down the road.
If the front axle has a disconnect built into the axle (hubs that you
manually turn, or a vacuum system to lock the hubs automatically) to
physically lock the tires to the axles and the rest of the drive train, then
you do not need to disconnect the front drive shaft to flat tow. Indeed,
there is a school of thought that says if you have manual hubs (the type you
have to lock by turning a dial on the hubs), then yoiu might want to go
ahead and lock the hubs while flat towing. The reasoning is, while under way
the front tires will turn the driveshaft, which turns the t-case output
shaft, which turns gears inside the t-case, which sling oil onto the output
shaft bearing for the rear drive shaft. The front shaft is below the oil
level, so it is immersed in oil, but the rear drive shaft is above the oil
level, so you want a means of getting oil up to the bearings of the
tailshaft. Typically, yoiu have to stop for gas every 250 miles or so, and
they suggest (require) you to run the engine with the transmission engaged
and the t-case in N. The purpose is to spin the t-case for a while and throw
oil onto the tailshaft bearings. If you flat tow while the front hubs are
locked (with a vacuum system, this is difficult to do, but a manual system
is easy), then the front driveshaft will turn the gears and throw oil onto
the tailshaft bearings as you drive.
Sometimes, you can have systemic problems with the front suspension that are
magnified while flat towing, and having the front hubs locked can present
problems while towing. But, if you don't have any problems towing, the front
hubs being locked will help lubricate the rear tailshaft of the t-case.
Rowbotth
PeterD <pet...@hipson.net> wrote:
So if you are towing it, and if you are taking the driveshafts off so
you can tow it, then why wouldn't you just put them back on to drive it?
H.
PeterD
I think it is just an issue of convience, like going to a shopping
center without driving the RV, but wintout getting all dirty putting
the drive shaft back on.
Dave D
>>"PeterD" <pet...@hipson.net> wrote in message
>>news:3e2s05tqgqdgp02cm...@4ax.com...
>>> On Fri, 15 May 2009 07:41:32 -0700 (PDT), ryan_s...@msn.com wrote:
>>>
>>>>Hello, I've been trying to find out if a 2001 Ford Ranger (V6, 4WD,
>>>>Manual Transmission) can be towed "4 wheels down" behind an RV. I've
>>>>seen that some other years are safe as long as it stays under 55mph
>>>>and both the tranny and transfer case in neutral...
You said you have a manual tranny, do you have manual locking hubs in front
(anything but those horrible Ford Automatic Locking Hubs)? If you intend to
tow this vehicle much of the time you might consider fitting manual locking
hubs to the rear axles also. I have read about this being done on Jeeps.
This way all four wheels are disconnected from the axles while you are
towing it. Result is that nothing in the power train turns. Just a
thought....
DaveD
Old Crow
news:4a0f...@news.acsalaska.net...
I have seen a cable operated disconnect for the rear driveshaft of a 2wd
pickup. Had a unit that resembled a synkro out of a manual trans that was
fitted to the driveshaft, and a mechanism that moved the collar back anf
forth with a cable. Ah, here it is:
http://www.remcotowing.com/remco_drive_shaft_coupling
PeterD
wrote:
Interesting product. Wonder how tough it is for off-roading?
Ralph E Lindberg
marlin...@verizon.SPAMDAM.net wrote:
...
> This info should be in the owners manual. If you do not have one, you
> can download a manual in PDF format from www.motorcraftservice.com, in
> the owners manual section
Never been in -any- owners manual I've ever seen, ok, except for Saturn
(which were designed to be towed, which is why they were popular with RV
owners)
--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv
Ralph E Lindberg
<9d9f67ad-9615-4b6d...@n21g2000vba.googlegroups.com>,
ryan_s...@msn.com wrote:
Tom J (being an RVer) pointed you to one real source, here is another
http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/ and check the Dinghy Guide for the
year in question
Nate Nagel
> In article <hdlr0591ivrchsmvf...@4ax.com>,
> marlin...@verizon.SPAMDAM.net wrote:
>
> ...
>> This info should be in the owners manual. If you do not have one, you
>> can download a manual in PDF format from www.motorcraftservice.com, in
>> the owners manual section
>
> Never been in -any- owners manual I've ever seen, ok, except for Saturn
> (which were designed to be towed, which is why they were popular with RV
> owners)
>
It's in the manual for my '08 Impala... it says "don't do it."
nate
--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
marlin...@verizon.spamdam.net
<n7...@callsign.net> wrote:
>In article <hdlr0591ivrchsmvf...@4ax.com>,
> marlin...@verizon.SPAMDAM.net wrote:
>
>...
>> This info should be in the owners manual. If you do not have one, you
>> can download a manual in PDF format from www.motorcraftservice.com, in
>> the owners manual section
>
>Never been in -any- owners manual I've ever seen, ok, except for Saturn
>(which were designed to be towed, which is why they were popular with RV
>owners)
You must not have looked at many.
Page 157 of the 2001 Ranger owners manual.
4x2 and 4x4 vehicles equipped with manual transmissions
Before you have your vehicle towed:
� Release the parking brake.
� Move the gearshift to N (Neutral).
� Turn the key in the ignition to the OFF/UNLOCKED position.
� The maximum recommended speed is 88 km/h (55 mph).
� The maximum recommended distance is unlimited.
In addition, it is recommended that you follow the instructions
provided by the after market manufacturer of the towing
apparatus if one has been installed.
4x2 and 4x4 vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions
4x2 vehicles with automatic transmissions or 4x4 vehicles with manual
transfer cases and automatic transmissions, follow these guidelines
for
recreational towing:
� Release the parking brake.
� Turn the key in the ignition to the OFF/UNLOCKED position.
� Place the transmission in N (Neutral).
� Do not exceed a distance of 80 km (50 miles).
� Do not exceed 56 km/h (35 mph) vehicle speed.
If a distance of 80 km (50 miles) or a speed of 56 km/h (35 mph) must
be exceeded, you must disconnect the driveshaft. Ford recommends the
driveshaft be removed/installed only by a qualified technician. See
your
local dealer for driveshaft removal/installation.
Improper removal/installation of the driveshaft can cause
transmission fluid loss, damage to the driveshaft and internal
transmission components.
Ralph E Lindberg
marlin...@verizon.SPAMDAM.net wrote:
>
> You must not have looked at many.
>
More then you
> Page 157 of the 2001 Ranger owners manual.
>
> 4x2 and 4x4 vehicles equipped with manual transmissions
> Before you have your vehicle towed:
Em, you do know they are talking about towed by a tow-truck, right? Not
thousands of miles towed by a MotorHome.
Example, for 2008 Ranger, 4WD Auto, Ford recommends the Neutral Tow Kit
(Part #3L2Z-7H332-AA), Find that in an "owners manual"
marlin...@verizon.spamdam.net
<n7...@callsign.net> wrote:
>In article <uvbg15tk40b5e2e2s...@4ax.com>,
> marlin...@verizon.SPAMDAM.net wrote:
>
>>
>> You must not have looked at many.
>>
> More then you
>
>
>> Page 157 of the 2001 Ranger owners manual.
>>
>> 4x2 and 4x4 vehicles equipped with manual transmissions
>> Before you have your vehicle towed:
>
>Em, you do know they are talking about towed by a tow-truck, right? Not
>thousands of miles towed by a MotorHome.
>
No that starts on page 183 under roadside emergencies.
This is under the driving section under recreational towing.
The section just in front of what I posted before, on page 156.
Recreational towing
Follow these guidelines if you have a need for recreational towing. An
example of recreational towing would be towing your vehicle behind a
motorhome. These guidelines are designed to ensure that your
transmission is not damaged.
All available for anyone to read at www.motorcraftservice.com