Rough Ride Tolerance? New Ranger?

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I currently have a Ford F350 and a Ranger.  Both are rated to tow an Oliver LE II, but I’m not sure which I want to use.  The F350 has a very stiff ride, to the point of me adding an Air Safe air bag between the truck and the Airstream to reduce the popped rivets in the interior skin.  How well does an Oliver tolerate a rough ride?  
 

The Ranger is rated up to 7,500 pounds, but at that point, I suspect the Eco Boost is going to be all Boost and no Eco, and I don’t like over taxing a vehicle.  Does anyone on the forum have real World experience with the Ranger?  Thoughts?

While on the towing topic, hitch recommendations?  I currently use an Equal-I-Zer, which does a good job, but I’m not overly fond of the set up.

Thanks in advance.

[topgun2]

No comment on the tow vehicles but I used to own an Equal-I-Zer WTH.  I think that you will find that the Andersen WDH is generally easier to work with and is less "dirty".  Besides - it is the only WDH that is compatible with the Oliver.

Bill

[Ollie-Haus]

From my time researching the forum, there are numerous people towing the LE2 with the Ford, Chevy and Dodge 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. I would say they are actually optimum tow vehicles for the LE2. On the other hand you would be running the Ranger at its full capacity all the time and would simply wear it out quickly. You would also be at the trucks limit as far as braking and controlling the trailer in less than optimal conditions. I would chose the Super Duty hands down. It's always better to have a significant margin of safety if at all possible. The F350 will not even know the Ollie is back their. 

PS - You won't need the weight distribution hitch with the 350 and hitching and unhitching will be a breeze. 

[ScubaRx]

Don't leave home with the Ranger towing an LEII. It would be a pretty good tow for an Elite.

[John E Davies]

Unless you need the very high payload of your F350 you could modify the rear suspension with something from the aftermarket to soften it up. Plus you don’t need 80 psi in all the tires when towing. I ran 50 front and 55 in the rear of my 2006 Ram 3500. And it still beat us up, even with Corbeau suspension seats, so I got a Land Cruiser.

What year and trim is your Ford? How old are the shocks? How much load do you normally have?

https://carlisuspension.com/product-category/ford/f250-f350/?product_orderby=price&product_order=desc&product_view=list

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[taylor.coyote]

 When our F250 6.7 is fully loaded and hitched, we weigh between 8,700-9,300 lbs. We have found running our tires (Copper TA3 XLT  275 70 18) at 65LBS gives us good tire wear/ handling with a pleasant ride on paved roads. We "air down" when running long distances off road. We love towing with a big truck and would hard for us to go back to a 1/2 ton.  Our truck is not used as a daily driver because it has a turning radius of a bus and beats our brains out without a load. Lots written about choices of tow vehicles throughout this forum. Mostly you will find two camps. One that love a high payload 1/2 ton using a weight distribution hitch and the other are running 3/4 ton+ trucks.  It's my option the biggest issue when choosing your TV is to truly understand your payload needs. Unless you travel as a minimalist, many 1/2 trucks will limit your ability to bring all the gear you like to have for your adventures. 

[Ollie-Haus]

Another thing you can do to reduce wear and tear on the trailer is use a shock absorbing hitch. There are numerous versions available, usually a little pricy, but if they accomplish the task it's the quickest and cheapest way to get the job done. Not needing a WD hitch makes the choices wide open. Just make sure the one you choose matches your tongue weight. Gen-Y, Shocker and Curt are all popular brands. 

[SeaDawg]

On 4/22/2023 at 5:42 PM, Wandering Sagebrush said:

The Ranger is rated up to 7,500 pounds, but at that point, I suspect the Eco Boost is going to be all Boost and no Eco, and I don’t like over taxing a vehicle.  Does anyone on the forum have real World experience with the Ranger?  Thoughts?

The Ranger has been on our radar for a replacement for my 2005 Silverado, when the time comes, but we tow a single axle Elite I,  just under 4000 pounds.

I/we like that old axiom of 20 per cent margin in tow rating. With our trailer weight, the Ranger could be good.

Back in the day, we towed a few times with our 2004 t5 Volvo xc90, tow rating of just under 5k. It was a fine experience flat land, less than stellar on big hills/mountains. (We're not fond of dogging it in the slow lane, nor holding our breath doing on-ramps, without sufficient get-up-and-go/long 0 to 60 time.)

And, we're not keen on dealing with a wdh.

But, we're possibly "old school."

Still, I'd guess the Ranger would best be a TV for a trailer under 5500 or so pounds, loaded for camping, certainly in the south, mostly flat country. Pretty sure I'd be comfy with it in the Appalachians, but not sure about the Rockies.

Do you already own both trucks? 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Quote

 

Just catching up…

 

I do have both a F350 and a 2019 Ranger.   I’d probably prefer to tow with the F350, as it’s a crew cab w/8 foot box, but will need a decent rock guard.  My tires pick up a lot of rocks.  The Eco Boost Ranger is either Eco or Boost.  MPG plummets when towing.  I avg 22 empty, but it drops quickly with a load.  Highway empty is as high as 26.  

My highest complaint about the Ranger is about controls.  Can’t easily see/find buttons, so use the screen… which means eyes not on road.

Where are you located?

steve

[Patriot]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:42 AM, Wandering Sagebrush said:

Just catching up…

 

I do have both a F350 and a 2019 Ranger.   I’d probably prefer to tow with the F350, as it’s a crew cab w/8 foot box, but will need a decent rock guard.  My tires pick up a lot of rocks.  The Eco Boost Ranger is either Eco or Boost.  MPG plummets when towing.  I avg 22 empty, but it drops quickly with a load.  Highway empty is as high as 26.  

My highest complaint about the Ranger is about controls.  Can’t easily see/find buttons, so use the screen… which means eyes not on road.

Where are you located?

steve

@Wandering Sagebrush
Yes I highly recommend towing with the F350, we do and we are very happy with long distance comfort, safety and cargo capacity. No splitting  hairs on cargo capacity you can carry like our former 1/2 ton 5.7 liter Tundra. The Tundra served us well, but not our choice for the optimal TV for long distance travel.
As for Rock Stoppers we ordered these from www.livelymachine.com. They are well made and work extremely well and don’t sail at highway speeds. All aluminum tubing and stainless hardware and well made in my experience using them. The fit and finish is close to OEM. They are closer to the rear wheels than the other after market options. Just another option.

Patriot🇺🇸

[MAX Burner]

On 4/22/2023 at 6:16 PM, Ollie-Haus said:

The F350 will not even know the Ollie is back their.

True statement!  You'll not need to be concerned about reaching your TV's max load capacity with the 1-ton, unless you bring a bike along....

[bugeyedriver]

I guarantee you that there will be NO popped interior rivets on your Oliver.  Ever.

[SeaDawg]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:42 AM, Wandering Sagebrush said:

Where are you located?

Home is Florida.  Camping property in western North Carolina, summer base in the mountains. From there, it's wherever we decide to go...