Ford Ranger for hauling?hat are your thoughts

[McGurk]

Everyone’s hauling preferences are based on 1.) their personal experience and 2.) their region and geography.

Here are my experiences and preferences:

Hauled for 20 + years with a 3/4 Chevy truck and a 16’ steel bumper pull stock trailer with 4 horses. Hauled a LOT of interstate miles in that rig. Eventually blew out the transmission hauling one pony on the interstate on a hot summer day because the dealer’s “tow package” did not include a transmission oil cooler. Will never make that mistake again.

Tried hauling the 16’ steel stock and 2 horses with a beefed up V8 Jeep Cherokee, load levelers and anti-sway bars. It was sorta kinda okay on flat terrain. How it was loaded was key - there had to be enough weight on the tongue to keep the trailer balance. Stopped midday on the trip home to move the horses forward to keep the trailer from going all over the road.

Started out hauling again ten years with a QH size steel Ponderosa bumper bull, towed by a V8 F150. The F150 was a custom build for a friend who haul car trailers and flat beds - has the transmission oil cooler, the beefed up radiator, larger engine than stock and a different rear axle. It was great for pulling the 2 QHs around locally.

I upgraded to a much nicer aluminum 2 horse with small dressing room that actually weighs the same as the steel QH trailer, it’s just longer, taller and wider. I also upgraded to 2 draft crosses. So, ~ 2800 pounds of horse in the trailer instead of 1800. Again, the beefed up F-150 does fine locally. Hauling longer distances, NOT even interstate, it gets dicey and the engine overheats. Traded out the thermostat and I am very careful and watch the gauges like a hawk while hauling.

Eagerly awaiting our F-250.

Friend bought a really lovely bumper pull 2+1 plus dressing room. Is hauling it with a beefy V8 Jeep Cherokee with a tow package. RV guys told her it was okay, Jeep dealer told her it was okay. I told her the set up made very nervous, that it any kind of challenging conditions, the trailer would overpower the Jeep.

It was okay for for 6 - 8 months when she was just hauling locally to lessons or to school. Even with two horses on it. She wanted to go to a more distant competition that required interstate travel. NOT okay. Scared her to death and she knows it is TRULY just for local hauling.

I have had several people tell me that the Eco-Boost engine is truly a game changer. But when I look around parking lots at shows and gatherings, I don’t see many. And even if the smaller engine is THAT much efficient, how about the transmission? You’re much likely to blow a transmission hauling too big or too unbalanced a load than a engine.

Yes, lots of people used to haul with station wagons back in the day. But the station wagons had 350CC and up engines, and the trailers were tiny two horse Hartmans. Apples and oranges.

I know that in the UK, hauling setups are very different than here, and I don’t understand why. Do you haul shorter distances? Is there no expectation of going at interstate speeds?

As for me, I am three interstate travel hours away for a veterinary emergency hospital with surgical capabilities. I would like a rig that could take me there in an emergency at speeds higher than 45 mph, so I’m gonna hold out for the F250.

@Nezzy, I’m glad you got the bigger truck. For reference, the Ford Ranger has a 2.3L 4 cylinder engine. My F-150 has literally TWICE the engine.

@endlessclimb, not a fan of the sarcasm or the exaggeration for effect, especially since it’s so pointedly directed at Americans, but hey, you do you. You wanna haul with something smaller and you feel safe doing so, good on ya!

I’m gonna keep the F-250.

[McGurk]

Thanks, Warmblood1,

Your response makes TONS of sense. I just didn’t see it before I typed out my screed below.

I also want to add that I haul where there are some pretty good hills - the mountain pass between me and my favorite horsey destination is 1900’.

[Warmblood1]

No problem, @McGurk. I appreciate your real world experience. I’m in the mountains and towing is certainly different when navigating steep inclines in wet weather versus no incline at a steady speed in sunny weather. Strong winds with unhappy horses rattling the trailer can make me nervous even in a heavy weight truck. I wasn’t even aware that we were talking about a Ranger with a 4C engine, holy cow. No way. Not enough xanax in the world for me.

[omare]

I was making fun about the station wagons and four door sedans - used 60 years ago—hence the Yikes after that statement.

[Calvincrowe]

I would not choose a Ranger, new or not, to haul my horse. I’m sure it can be done safely, but having seen far too many campers and boats and dump trailers fishtailing down the freeway being small SUVs or smaller trucks, I don’t think it would be safe. I live in the PNW, land of wet highways, curvy roads, and hills…so many big hills and mountain roads. I firmly believe in more tow vehicle than needed, with the longest wheelbase possible. The cute little trailer that Sweetsalute showed in her photo would be hard to find here in my area and my massive warmblood mare wouldn’t fit in it.

OP-- it’s your choice. Give it a whirl! If you feel stable, with enough power to get up to highway speed and not strain your truck and enough braking power in trailer and truck to stop smoothly and quickly, then you are set. If not, an F150 might be a better step up vehicle.

[sweetsalute]

I’d say Australia is a good comparison to the US in terms of long distance hauls on freeways etc. For example, my friend (who owns a 2021 Ranger just like me!) took her two 16hh horses to a show last weekend that was two hours away on a freeway, up a mountain (that is notoriously steep and accident prone). The Ranger does it just fine. We have a 5 cylinder 3.2l diesel engine in them here, that may be different in the US. Again, I’m not sure what the laws are there regarding electric brakes etc, here if you tow a horse trailer, you have electric brakes.

Outside of the Ranger here, 99% of our tow vehicles are 4 cylinder dual cab trucks (google the Toyota Hilux, Isuzu Dmax if you want an idea). There’s a handful of V6/V8 wagon/SUV options.

And lol yes my trailer is about as small as it gets (but actually, a 17hh warmblood does fit, it’s more spacious than it looks)! Plenty people here have trailers that are bigger, but weight wise it sounds similar to the OP’s trailer. I’m just giving my experiences, from a country where Rams and the bigger Fords, whilst available imported, are rare (not to mention they cost 100k+).

I’m quite sure there are applications for the bigger trucks! I guess my point was that in the OPs situation, she sounds like most of the people here, we all tow with Rangers and therefore it is likely a perfectly suitable vehicle in this case. If OP was talking about hauling 4 warmbloods in a gooseneck with living quarters then I would absolutely agree a Ranger probably won’t cut it!

I’ll probably horrify y’all here but we used to tow one horse with a Subaru Forester

[BrownDerby]

Yes, the specs for a Ford Ranger are different in the US, at least in California. Max is 2.3 Litre, 4 cylinders, gas only.

[sweetsalute]

That definitely makes a difference! Having said that, we do also have an option here for a 4cyl 2l engine which plenty of people have bought and towed with (as I said, most of our trucks here are a 4cyl anyway, cultural difference I suppose!). Sounds like Ford didn’t want to risk it cutting into sales of their bigger vehicles over there!

[omare]

Well it is an option if you are conservative with your expectations, need something you can tow with (including in a vet emergency), have a budget of $25-30,000, and a used vehicle is not feasible.

[Warmblood1]

Just curious, but how tall and wide is your horse trailer? I have an Aussie friend that absolutely loathes the size of most Australian trailers and I hear plenty about it. Lol.

[4horses]

The newer Rangers actually have better tow capacity then my F150 which is limited to 5000 lbs.

[CanteringCarrot]

@Warmblood1

@endlessclimb

Americans are the only ones who subscribe to the giant truck theory, though. Literally, we are the ONLY ones who say this stuff. Other countries haul horses with smaller tow vehicles all the time, only in america is a full sized suburban with a V8 considered not enough truck for a 2 horse.

Some Rangers come with V6s. Not sure what OP has.

Large pick ups aren’t available elsewhere like they are in the US, so not sure how you can really make that statement. Silverados aren’t manufactured in Europe or Japan. GM shut the door to continental operations years ago. Ford has very limited operations with most being commercial vehicles. The most common trucks available are much smaller in design such as Fiat, Toyota, Landrover, etc. They are smaller for a reason - you can’t even get around in large pick ups in Europe or similar areas because parking spaces and roads are significantly smaller. Horse trailers are significantly smaller as well - a lot of Aussies and Europeans aren’t happy about it. Have you seen a Brenderup? Europe also doesn’t have long stretches of interstate like the US. European semi truck drivers legally can not drive the long stints like US truckers can. US drivers need living space more than other countries, thus bigger semis. The fact that large pick ups aren’t available in other parts of the world has nothing to do with Americans being too stupid to know how to tow. In fact, many European floats are pulled with engines larger than the standard pick up truck in the US, the main difference in design is how compact their rigs are. This European trailer is designed for 9-10 horses:

I do want to add onto this post with my real life experience since I’ve lived in Europe, primarily Germany for 8+ years, just for interest/conversation. Large pick-ups are available here, but not nearly to the extent that they are in the US. I know a few Germans that have bought trucks such as a Ram 2500, Ram 1500, Ford F-150, and I’ve also seen a larger Chevy as well. People that own these trucks are rather well off, but some still live in a modest house, so you might not think “money” when you see them. So they’re definitely expensive and more rare, but within reach. There’s a lot more in the Netherlands. I’ve seen a surprising amount of large pick-ups there (mainly Ram 1500 and 2500). So they’re more common (but not “common”) than you might think, but yes, no car lots full of them like in the US and you don’t see them nearly as much.

You can get around Europe (Europe is quite large, so really depends on where, specifically within Europe) in large pick ups and even fit into some parking spaces. In some areas you cannot. It really depends.

Our trailers are different. Lighter, different brakes, and rather flimsy. Everyone get ready to clutch your pearls here, but I towed one horse in a 2 horse trailer here with a station wagon. A diesel 6 cyl, and it was fine. It is kind of nice to be able to tow your horse with a “normal” car that also gets 50+ mpg when driving normally without a trailer. Diesel SUV’s work well for our trailers too.

The best thing, IMO, are transporters. So convenient and easy to drive. A 2 horse has a nice dressing/tack room in the back, room for 2 horses, and is just easier to handle in tighter spaces. They’re not cheap though! And it’s a whole 'nother vehicle that you have to maintain.

I don’t know the laws re semi trucks here but there are timed when drivers have to live in their trucks quite a bit. Especially because none are allowed to drive on Sundays here (with a fee exceptions). So they often spend all weekend in this small sleeper cab parked where there are no facilities. Truck stops in America are a lot better. My husband always comments that he feels bad for the European truckers because their sleepers are small and they spend a lot of time parked at places that offer nothing. In the UK truckers work many hours in a week and even in a day. So, I don’t know the legalities and specifics, but they definitely drive for long stints.

That European “trailer” I’d call a lorry or LKW in Germant. Designs vary amongst manufactures/models. They generally use their space efficiently though!

I do think Americans are a bit obsessed with large vehicles. I don’t know why. For towing I get it because the trailers are so heavy there, so you do need something safe, but there’s definely a strong interest in having a large vehicle (see the lifted truck trend, for example).

I think in general our roadways are smaller here (but there are long stretches of highway) and fuel is more expensive, so that plays a role too. Plus people see it as practical when your can drive a station wagon as your everyday car for the family, and also tow with it. It’s not “too big” for day to day stuff.

We also need to pass a test to drive a trailer/a certain size/weight, and in the US you can drive huge trucks and trailers off of your basic drivers license, and I think that’s a difference worth noting as well.

[asterix]

As I think the conversation has actually demonstrated, in a way, is that it is really about the specs of the tow vehicle and the trailer. It’s pretty useless to make blanket statements like “I would never tow with X” if X means different things to different people, and their trailers weigh anything from 1900 to 3700, just for a bumper pull.
You need to know how much your trailer weighs loaded (with everything), how much the tongue weight is, etc. Then you need to know how long the wheelbase of the truck is, how big the engine, does it have the transmission needed, what the rear axle is, and how much the truck itself weighs and is rated to tow. ALL of those things affect how the setup will haul.
Someone said some F150s can only tow 5000 or 7500. Mine is rated for over 11,000 lbs, because I bought it configured at the top end of the tow capacity. How are those the same trucks?
Do your homework, and do the math. Then you will be safe.

[millerra]

I haven’t read all the posts but just my experience with different trucks.

My DH has a Ford F150 - totally rated to haul our teeny tiny RV camper (19 footer). To tow that safely, we have on an equalizer hitch and an anti-sway bar. The antisway bar is really needed and even than the trailer will wiggle a bit when windy.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the job of pulling the camper w/ my horse trailer truck. It is a 1 ton dodge cummins. No equalizer hitch, no antisway bars. Truck didn’t even act like there was something behind - and no wiggle out of the trailer at all. A bigger, heavier truck, regardless of tow rating or power, made all the difference in hauling w/r/t how the trailer behaved.

[Rackonteur]

@Nezzy

My husband is pushing for the Ranger.

Why? A Ranger can’t handle the work you’ve described. It’s not can it pull. It’s can it STOP?

[Rackonteur]

Yep, this. I wouldn’t haul any horse in any trailer with a 150, let alone a Ranger.

[Rackonteur]

@CanteringCarrot

I do think Americans are a bit obsessed with large vehicles. I don’t know why.

For American men, it’s a phallic symbol thing. Back in the '60s and '70s it was powerful sports cars with long long long hoods.

For American women, who knows? Maybe it’s like a second McMansion, on wheels.
I would still pick a 2500 over a Ranger or 1500.
Why do we build such humongous barns compared to most UK ones?

[Rackonteur]

Oh but those wagons could safely haul a 2-horse! And a family of 7 on the highway!

We had one like this:

Three on the tree and no AC, not even a 3rd seat (well we didn’t have 5 kids either lol).