ANYONE KNOW THE REASON WHY??

[Coloradobus]

We are contemplating a small toad. Been looking at Ford Ranger Stick shift 4X4 which is the guides say with tranny stick in neutral and transfer case twist knob in the 2Hi position. Rangers have remained unchanged from 1993 to 2011. Rangers can be towed for unlimited miles, but at ONLY 55 mph.. Anyone know a mechanical reason why one can't tow a Ford Ranger manual 4X4 faster than 55 mph.

Car Two: Anyone tow or know someone who tows a Honda Element All wheel Drive.
Blue Ox makes baseplates for 2002 Elements and up to 2009. The current FMCA guides don't list the Element. The one we have looked at is 2007, and most RV guides don't even list the Element. Who knows the procedure,, we don't have an owers manual yet to read , "HOW TO"

[garyde]

I would ask Steve Bennett. He has had a variety of tow vehicles over the last few years.

[merle&louise]

Jim & Chris,

I tow a 2005 Honda Pilot AWD and the towing procedure is simple.

1. With the engine running put transmission in D for a minute, then put it in neutral
2. Turn engine off and put ignition key in the first position (allows steering wheel to turn)
3. Tow for 8 hours then stop and start Honda - run it thru the gears making sure that D is the last gear selected then put it in neutral.
4. You are good for another 8 hours
5. Maximum speed 65 mph

I would assume that the Honda Element has the same routine

Hope this helps

[lbriant]

I have Towed a Honda accord in an automatic all over the united states it finally shot craps down in the Florida keys one year, it was a good car Honda at the time was one of the only cars I knew of in a front wheel drive that you could tow 4 wheels down,
Then we towed up till now a 2002 Toyota Camry 4 cyl 5 speed, its still set up for towing but we just upgraded to a 4 door Jeep Rubicon and Wow I will never tow anything else what a vehicle it is an automatic but they make them for towing, No steering lock no key necessary in ign to tow + lots of fun
Jeeps are like yet another club Too Fun
Have a Blessed Holiday Season !!

[Coloradobus]

Thanks for info.
We have outfitted a number of vehicles to tow over the last 12 years.
Some using Roadmaster baseplates with their MX adaptor so we could use a Blue Ox Adventa II, and the majority using all Blue Ox

Here is the list:
98 Jeep Grand Cherokee
00 Chevy K2500 gas powered 4X4
00 Saturn SW2
99 Land Rover Range Rover
03 Land Rover Disco
04 Chevy Duramax 4X4
01 Land Rover Disco
97 E-350 Ford Van converted into Airstream Class B (Remco driveshaft Dissconniect)
04 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
99 Lexus LX 470

All t he above had NO Speed Resrtriction or distance restrcition except the Saturn was labelled for a 65 mph due to liablilty NOT mechanical speed limits.
You could say we have kept Blue OX in business over the years.

I need a Ford officianado who can specifically tell me whether or not, there is a mechanical reason a Ford Ranger 4X4 manual shift has a towing speed resrtcition of 55 mph. We know the automatic needs a driveshaft disconnect on the rear like Capt Moguls Tacoma,. I have spoken with 3 Ford dealershoip service centers, and they all pulled a book out and quoted policy.
Several years ago, we weren't willing to accept Toyota's note that a Land Cruioser/ LX 470 was not towable. Reverse engineerring proved otherwise. I don't have the same type of "contacts" with a Ford product. Is there a mechanical reason a 4-by Ranger has the speed restriction.
When they were open, I got a hhold of a Saturn engineer to ask why a 65 mph speed restiction of the SL/SW2. I explained we lived in the west where our major hiways max out at 75 mph. This engineer told me that since Tennessee's speed limit was 65 mph, that's what they rated the Saturns to be towed at.
Having experiecnes with the above listed cars, is the Ranger's 55 mph limit , a mechanical or liability speeed limit? Anyone??

[Seabyrd]

I would want one with NO restrictions... wouldn't want to have to watch speed, hours or distance !! Lots of good ones out there too.
We have always towed Jeeps & Chevy 4X4s without restrictions or problems. Just my thoughts for what its worth !!

[Coloradobus]

We would be interested in a "used" Colorado or Canyon by GM, but low mileaged used ones are scarce. We have many Ford Rangers by comparison available at reasonable prices. There only a handful of Dodge Dakota, and they all have high miles.
So, that leaves us to look at Rangers.

[RonAltman]

We are contemplating a small toad. Been looking at Ford Ranger Stick shift 4X4 which is the guides say with tranny stick in neutral and transfer case twist knob in the 2Hi position. Rangers have remained unchanged from 1993 to 2011. Rangers can be towed for unlimited miles, but at ONLY 55 mph.. Anyone know a mechanical reason why one can't tow a Ford Ranger manual 4X4 faster than 55 mph.

Car Two: Anyone tow or know someone who tows a Honda Element All wheel Drive.
Blue Ox makes baseplates for 2002 Elements and up to 2009. The current FMCA guides don't list the Element. The one we have looked at is 2007, and most RV guides don't even list the Element. Who knows the procedure,, we don't have an owers manual yet to read , "HOW TO"

I can't speak for the Honda Element other than several years back they were towable all 4 down along with many of the Honda models. For some reason Honda changed that and only allowed the CRV to be towed all 4 down and I believe that is correct to the present. Concerning the Ford Ranger not being towed in excess of 55mph, I can think of no other reason other than at higher speeds the fluids in the transmission and gearboxes are sloshing around to an extent that proper lubrication can not be properly maintained.

[Will Garner]

Jim and Chris,

Not a Ford guy. I've had some through the years and they provided good, reliable transportation. A 4x4 with the transfer case in neutral should not be a speed limiting problem. Could it be that Ford just doesn't want the Ranger to feel what speeds above 55 are like?

On a more serious note, and I know of one western state that imposes a "strict enforcement" of the double nickles speed limit for RV's that are towing anything. Could that be what is limiting the towing speed in the literature.

On a different note, why not just slow down a little bit and enjoy the lifestyle as the rest of the world goes streaming by at audaciously outrageous speeds well above any posting?

Have you tried going to Ford's website and posting the question? Also, have you gone to Honda's website to see if an Element Owner's Manual is available for reading on line? You might try posing the same questions that you pose to Ford just for customer service comparisons. I wanted to buy one of those cute little Transit Connects from Ford. The sales person went to the factory and within a couple of days came back with the answer being it can be towed four down, so long as the down was on a trailer! The TC is manufactured in Turkey and only carries a Ford label so that was another bummer.

[Coloradobus]

Thanks Will and Ron,
When in the coach, with our gearing attached to the 8V ( tallest rear gearing out of 23 Beaver Bus's found {3.56-1}), we speed along at at whopping 62 mph with the tach pegging 2100 RPM.
I know there are many other toads one could consider, but for the occasional requirement of needing a Pickup for the jobsite, that's why the Ranger is the topic.
We have an aging Chevy C-1500 4X4, that needs some attention, ( A/C repair. tires, windshield, paint, maybe brakes and a clutch.) Sinking that kind of money into a 1991 truck doesn't make sense/cents.
Chris primarily drives the Chevy for business, but on rare occasions employees drive it, around town,. It would be nice to have a more professional looking, cleaner looking vehicle that on occasion can drag the utility trailer to the dump and that is a 4X4 to get out of the dump, can haul a 38 inch tall Carpet shampooer, transport a frig or stove to a unit, haul bags of leaves from Chris's mom's yard, etc.
Most of the Toyota Tacomas we have looked at have way over 100K miles, and those that don't have the miles, have almost new price tags. Most all small trucks here in Colorado are 4X4, because 2WD's are helpless in the snow.
We like the Transit Connect, and thought about putting one on a tow dolly since they are frontwheel drive. We may further explore them. Don't know anything about them, or how they ride. Its just a thought about towing something like a Ranger. We don't need another toad per say ,since we have the Lexus. But if the opportunity presents itself, a small truck may find itself behind the Airstream 270 Class A.
Whatever we look at, it needs to have at minimum a 40 inch rear hatch opening, oir be open air.
We still have the Remco driveshaft disconnect system from the Ford E-350 Aisrtream Class B Van, and possibly install it on a non-towable small truck.
The lubrication issue that Ron posted above is probably the reason, but I would lkie a Ford drivetrain expert to confirm or not the reason for the speed resrtriction.
As for THAT western state mentioned above , the 55 mph isn't just for RV's towing, its any vehicle towing, including the likes of a Honda Goldwing towing a small trailer. Any vehicle towing, regardless of what, is to travel the posted 55mph. That's why from Blythe to Palm Springs, we often detach, drive separately, to speed up to 62-64. Any faster in the coach, and our mileage of 5.6-6.1 mpg drops drastically to under 5 mpg