Towing a 2008 2720sl with a ford ranger?

[Rdurston]

We are considering buying a 2008 TM 2720sl and towing it with our 2003 ford ranger, extended cab. It has a 4 liter v6 automatic transmission and towing capacity is rated at 5,800 pounds. It is a 4x4 xl version of the ranger. Everything I have looked at says this should be okay? Any suggestions? Thanks, Richard

[bheisser]

Originally Posted by Rdurston

We are considering buying a 2008 TM 2720sl and towing it with our 2003 ford ranger, extended cab. It has a 4 liter v6 automatic transmission and towing capacity is rated at 5,800 pounds. It is a 4x4 xl version of the ranger. Everything I have looked at says this should be okay? Any suggestions? Thanks, Richard

i dont know the specifics on a 2003 ranger. but i tow a 2005 2720sl with a 2014 4liter tacoma. rated 6800 no issues...u might consider a wdh. (weight distribution hitch)
you will also need a 7 pin connector and a brake controller

[br2_wdc]

Originally Posted by Rdurston

We are considering buying a 2008 TM 2720sl and towing it with our 2003 ford ranger, extended cab. It has a 4 liter v6 automatic transmission and towing capacity is rated at 5,800 pounds. It is a 4x4 xl version of the ranger. Everything I have looked at says this should be okay? Any suggestions? Thanks, Richard

Looks like you are OK based on this chart for 2003 Rangers, and hopefully it has the tow hitch/towing package already installed. Enjoy!

[Padgett]

Agree you should be fine, that has a larger tow capacity and a bigger engine than my Jeep which has no trouble atoll.

[Craigrrr]

Yep, that 4.0 Liter will do fine. I had a 2001 but the 6 spd auto tranny was the weak link in my 4x4 ext. cab ranger. I even had the factory tow package

[davlin]

Originally Posted by Craigrrr

Yep, that 4.0 Liter will do fine. I had a 2001 but the 6 spd auto tranny was the weak link in my 4x4 ext. cab ranger. I even had the factory tow package

At the root of this question is "Do you have an auxillary transmission cooler?" If you don't that could be trouble over the long haul. (No pun intended)

Dave

[Craigrrr]

Dave, I did have the extra trany cooler in front of the radiator. That 6spd had been known for being a problem ......only thing I did not know about it until I bought it. Dealer replaced the tranny once then did a solenoid and servo rebuild. it was never the same after that. I sold it to a car lot when reverse and 1st. and 3rd went out.

[Padgett]

Not finding info. Is this transmission a lockup ? In that case keeping it locked even if a lower gear is needed dramatically reduces the trans temp.

[br2_wdc]

Originally Posted by Craigrrr

Dave, I did have the extra trany cooler in front of the radiator. That 6spd had been known for being a problem ......only thing I did not know about it until I bought it. Dealer replaced the tranny once then did a solenoid and servo rebuild. it was never the same after that. I sold it to a car lot when reverse and 1st. and 3rd went out.

Richard: I hope you have better luck with your transmission then (Craig and) I did. My 2008 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer V8 w/6-spd auto did a fantastic job for us and was an excellent choice to pull our TM, but after about a year it started having transmission issues. At first it would just die out occasionally, but it became more frequent until one of the last times I was commuting to work and it died and I had to wrestle it to the curb with no power steering. After about 10 minutes, it finally did restart and I was able to drop it at my mechanic.

With the codes it was throwing it was difficult to diagnose, but it turned out to be the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), sort of the "brain" for the engine/transmission, and a common failure. Also at $1500 it was just the first step to a possible trans rebuild (at least $3000) if replacing it doesn't fix the issue.

When my mechanic went to order the PCM, it was on a "National back order" so apparently I wasn't alone with this issue. So I was looking at 30 day wait to replace PCM, which may or may not fix the issues! I decided to take my lumps, trade it to Carmax, and look for another TV option.

I am happy to say I found a 2005 Lexus GX470 in excellent condition, and I'm crossing my fingers that this one will give us no major issues (knock wood!) for a long long time!

[Shane826]

As a former Ford technician I can say Fords aren't especially known for their transmissions being very reliable. My father in-law was just told he needs a new transmission for his 2010 Explorer (94,000 miles) at the bargain price of $4,000. And the intergalactic backorder was a problem with lots of parts.