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Originally Posted by sneekbox
Hi,
New to this forum, interested in a TM 2720sl, great for the wife and I.
I have a 2003 Ford Ranger Supercap 4X4 w/ 4.0 liter, 4.1 gears,tow package,
class III hitch. My max tow wieght is about 5600 and GCWR 9700lb., I think I'm good to go but only having pull small trailors before I keep thinking I either don't know something or have forgotten somthing!!! Anyone have any input, It would be welcome. Thanks!
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There are several factors that determine the suitability of a vehicle for towing....the salient ones are sufficient GCWR, sufficient wheelbase, sufficient torque (at the rear wheels), and tow package parts like heavy duty radiator and transmission cooler (if an automatic).
Depending on options and how much stuff you put in it, a loaded 2720SL will weigh between about 3200 and 4000 lbs. With a GCWR of 9700 you'll probably be OK on weight unless you really load the truck down.
The various specs I found show a supercab has a WB of 126 inches. That's more than sufficient to fully control a
properly loaded 20 foot long 2720SL....just don't be hanging any bicycles or other heavy items off the trailer's rear bumper.
The specs also show you have 238 ft-lbs of max torque (a much more important number than max horsepower) and the engine produces that torque at a remarkably low 3000 RPM. Combined with 4.10 gears you'll have the ability to readily handle any mountain grades outside of the Colorado & Utah Rockies and the higher passes in the Sierra Nevada. The Colorado/Utah Rockies (and the Sierra) are different because they have both long steep grades
and very high altitudes. You'll still be able tow over the high western mountains, it's just that your speed will be down to around 35-45 mph on the higher & steeper grades.
And with the tow package, you should have a heavy duty radiator and automatic tranny cooler...if not, get both installed.
The one thing to keep in mind is that a loaded 2720SL has a tongue weight of around 550 to 650 lbs (the numbers on TrailManor's website are dangerously low). That'll put a real sag into your truck's rear suspension and, even worse,
will substantially unweight (like around 300 lbs) the truck's front suspension. The unweighted front suspension greatly reduces your margin of safety for braking and steering...you may/may not notice it in conservative driving but if you ever have to make a panic stop or emergency maneuver the reduced braking/steering margin will become readily apparent. Furthermore, the unweighted front suspension will make the front "floaty" and prone to "bounding" on rough/uneven roads. The
only safe solution to both the rear sag and unweighted (or lifted) front suspension is a Weight Distributing Hitch. You
won't need to have an anti-sway device on the WDH (properly loaded TrailManors are inherently very sway resistant) but you
will need spring bars with at least a 750 lb rating and 1000 lb bars are not overkill.
If you didn't need a brake controller on your previous trailers, you certainly will need one for a TM 2720SL. By far the best are the Tekonsha Prodigy (or identical model sold by Drawtite) or Jordan Ultima. These provide truly proportional trailer braking under all road grade conditions and at high or low speed. Don't buy (and immediately replace) any low cost "time-delay" type controllers.
So get the WDH (any name brand will work fine) and high quality Brake Controller and happy towing.