Had my Ford Ranger a few months now. Came with the frame-mounted hitch and wiring for trailer lights. I need to choose a ball mount and ball, have never towed anything before and know little about it. I don't plan on buying a trailer anytime soon but I will have need to borrow/rent one every couple months most likely. Just hauling building materials in and smashed demolition debris to the dump to make for less back and forth trips with the bed alone, small furniture etc, nothing incredibly heavy. Something like a 6-8 foot trailer would be right roughly. What height of the mount, size of hitch ball etc would be the best to get etc.
School a newbie about towing
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Sounds to me like you'll want an 8 or 10 foot utility trailer. A 2 inch diameter, Class III ball will be plenty strong for any load your Ranger is approved to pull. As far as the ball mount & how much drop, that depends- the idea is for the trailer to sit level, when both it and the truck are loaded. Since it's usually difficult to get that *Exactly* right, keep in mind that most prefer for the trailer to be a bit nose-down when loaded, as opposed to nose-up. Off the top of my head- go look at the trailer(s) you may rent or buy, measure how high off the ground the tongue is when it sits level. Then apply that to your hitch height- you might want to consider reducing your truck hitch height by a couple of inches to simulate having the bed loaded down. This should do for a start.
Wish my new truck had a frame-mount hitch- I'm gonna have to buy one.
Wish my new truck had a frame-mount hitch- I'm gonna have to buy one.
To follow up on the OP's question. I've been looking at covered trailers and none of them have any trailer brakes, even the ones 4000lbs GVWR. Why is that? My Isuzu recommends towing 1000+ lbs trailers with trailer brakes only.
Not requierd under 5000lb in AK.
Originally Posted By: willix
Not requierd under 5000lb in AK.
What about cross-country driving? I can't imagine going over the Rockies without the trailer brakes. What about the car manufacturer's recommendation?
To give some background, I have a class III hitch, rated to 5K lbs weight carrying. Isuzu recommends trailer breaks on trailers over 1K lbs, and a weight-distributing hitch on trailers over 3500 lbs. Max towing rating is 4500 lbs
Another question, what exactly is a difference between surge brakes and electric brakes? From my limited understanding, surge brakes are just about useless.
OP---not trying to highjack the thread. I actually was going to start a similar thread, since I am a newbie to towing as well.
Thank you!
Not requierd under 5000lb in AK.
What about cross-country driving? I can't imagine going over the Rockies without the trailer brakes. What about the car manufacturer's recommendation?
To give some background, I have a class III hitch, rated to 5K lbs weight carrying. Isuzu recommends trailer breaks on trailers over 1K lbs, and a weight-distributing hitch on trailers over 3500 lbs. Max towing rating is 4500 lbs
Another question, what exactly is a difference between surge brakes and electric brakes? From my limited understanding, surge brakes are just about useless.
OP---not trying to highjack the thread. I actually was going to start a similar thread, since I am a newbie to towing as well.
Thank you!
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Of course having all axles braking is going to feel better and reduce wear. Electric brakes work great and you can ajust them for icy & slippery condtions that being the only reason you wouldn't want the trailer axles to brake.
Hydraulic surge brake on the tongue are simple & common. The surge brake uses the trailer weight to activate the surge brake when braking.
Hydraulic surge brake on the tongue are simple & common. The surge brake uses the trailer weight to activate the surge brake when braking.
For your Ranger, get a slide-in with a standard 2" drop, flip it upside down so you raise the ball height 2", and that should be right for a utility trailer. On my Colorado that puts the height of the ball just below the height of the bumper. I like to load the heavy stuff towards the front of the trailer to put weight on the drive wheels.
Wait until you get your trailer, there are 3 common ball sizes and the drop or raise will depend on the trailer as well. No point in getting the wrong one first.
Goofy thing about surge brakes is if you're trying to back up a hill, you also have to overcome the trailer's brakes.
There are lots of really heavy trailers out there, which will guzzle your weight capacity before you can even load them up.
Harbor freight has trailer kits where you add plywood, and are only a few hundred bucks.
Here's a cutie
4x8
There are lots of really heavy trailers out there, which will guzzle your weight capacity before you can even load them up.
Harbor freight has trailer kits where you add plywood, and are only a few hundred bucks.
Here's a cutie
4x8
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Wait until you get your trailer, there are 3 common ball sizes and the drop or raise will depend on the trailer as well. No point in getting the wrong one first.
This is definitely true. Unless you want to get a 3-way ball mount, wait until you know what trailer you are getting.
On a 2WD, either a level ball mount or one with a 2" drop will probably work. I tow off the bumper, but it tilts the tongue of the trailer up some. It definitely needs to be lower for ideal towing.
Wait until you get your trailer, there are 3 common ball sizes and the drop or raise will depend on the trailer as well. No point in getting the wrong one first.
This is definitely true. Unless you want to get a 3-way ball mount, wait until you know what trailer you are getting.
On a 2WD, either a level ball mount or one with a 2" drop will probably work. I tow off the bumper, but it tilts the tongue of the trailer up some. It definitely needs to be lower for ideal towing.
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Goofy thing about surge brakes is if you're trying to back up a hill, you also have to overcome the trailer's brakes.
I think you're supposed to disable surge brakes before backing up
Goofy thing about surge brakes is if you're trying to back up a hill, you also have to overcome the trailer's brakes.
I think you're supposed to disable surge brakes before backing up
If the surge brake is set up correctly you will need momentum inertia to apply line pressure to the wheels and backing normally won't apply them.
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Wait until you get your trailer, there are 3 common ball sizes and the drop or raise will depend on the trailer as well. No point in getting the wrong one first.
I agree with this -- wait to buy the ball until you know which you need.
To address another point: I drove halfway across the country with nearly a ton loaded on a 4x8 flatbed utility trailer without auxiliary brakes, over three separate mountain passes. I drove very carefully and avoided situations where a sudden stop might have been required. Maybe not smart but I could not afford the fuel for a U-Haul or Ryder truck.
Wait until you get your trailer, there are 3 common ball sizes and the drop or raise will depend on the trailer as well. No point in getting the wrong one first.
I agree with this -- wait to buy the ball until you know which you need.
To address another point: I drove halfway across the country with nearly a ton loaded on a 4x8 flatbed utility trailer without auxiliary brakes, over three separate mountain passes. I drove very carefully and avoided situations where a sudden stop might have been required. Maybe not smart but I could not afford the fuel for a U-Haul or Ryder truck.
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