96 Ranger V-6 3.0 extenbded cab (not splash) - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-07-2017, 08:58 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
Quite often, when a thread strays off topic, we all learn something we weren't expecting.
I belong to many online forums covering a variety of topics (appalachian trail, backpacking, backpacking gear, Hyundai repair, vintage volvo maintenance and repair and this one) and more often than not going off topic occurs because people don't read the initial post - they read the last post and the thread title. I agree that it's quite possible to learn something unexpected from off topic comments but when the point of a thread is to learn something fairly specific actually getting information regarding that specific thing is the most helpful.

Also, it's been my experience on all the different forums I belong to that once off topic its very difficult to get the conversation back on topic.
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Old 03-07-2017, 09:02 PM   #22
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The Parkliner seems to foot the bill. Possibly a Casita 16' Liberty might work. The 16' are lighter than the 17'. The liberty can be configured into a king size bed. I believe the standard comes with a front couch. The down side is the head room.

Liberty 16' & 17' | Casita Travel Trailers - America's Favorite Lightweight Travel Trailers!
Parkliner took down the prices from their website, but I've read that they went way up recently. I'm not sure the the product justifies that big increase - don't know I've never seen one in person.
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Old 03-07-2017, 09:29 PM   #23
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I have a 96 Ranger 3.0 auto. I pull a Scamp 19 with no problems. It may be a little slow on some hills but I'm not in any hurry. 16.5 mpg pulling, 20-21 not pulling. I've talked to other Ranger owners who had the 4.0 and they all said the 3.0 will out pull the 4.0 and get better mileage.

Thanks for your comments. You are the only person who responded who is actually using the same truck. There were 3 or 4 pages of ranger truck configurations in the towing section of the manual and some of them had very low maximum allowable loads. The 96 V6 3.0 automatic was among the highest rated. I was surprised when I found that the owners manual shows the max tow load at 4000 lbs, but even more surprised by the HP rating of the 3.0 V6, I believe it was 145 HP which isn't much for a six cylinder.

The owners manual does not provide the payload - you are left to figure it out and I don't have the truck in my possession yet. So I can't look at the door sticker which defines all the necessary parameters to do the calculation. I would guess the payload is about 1400 lbs or a little less.

I was looking at the Scamp 19 on their website tonight and they show it being towed by a ranger extended cab of the same era.

Anyhow, do you have any problem keeping the pin load and your gear within the allowable payload for the truck? It seems to me that the allowable payload is barely high enough to handle a loaded scamp 19.

Have you driven North out of Chattanooga up over Monteagle with your rig? That's pretty characteristic of worst case scenario for steep on the east coast. If so, how did you do speedwise? I only plan to run the truck for 3 years (so I could plan my trips around where I can go) and then I'll get a Colorado or Canyon diesel when I can pay cash for it.
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Old 03-08-2017, 12:31 AM   #24
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John,
I pull our 13' Boler with a 2002 Chevy Blazer 4.3L V6/2WD automatic, 5000 lbs towing capacity, or a 2007 Kia Sedonna 3.8L V6 FWD automatic, 3500 lbs towing capacity. I just rebuilt the Boler from the frame up including a new Dexter #9 2200 lbs axle and a dry weight of 1420 lbs. I have a fair amount of wood inside ours as we gutted it including all the fiberglass cabinets, closet, kitchenette, front bunks and rear benches so we are probably about 200 lbs heavier than a stock Boler not including appliances.

If your Ranger is a 3.0 V6 the gear ratio should be 3.73 to 1 with a 4000 lb tow capacity. You should be able to give any Ford dealer the vin number and they should be able to confirm that. I would recommend adding a transmission cooler if that option is available for that year model even if it is an aftermarket unit.

One thing to note, manufacturers sometimes downgrade the towing capacity due to the factory hitch rating, even thought the power train is capable more, and an aftermarket hitch could increase that capacity if that should be the case.

145 hp doesn't sound like much, but when pulling the gear ratio and torque is a huge factor. That literally mean 145 horses worth of pulling power. Think of it like a garden tractor vs a riding lawn mower, a 10 hp tractor with pulling gear ratios rear end can dig a plow in the ground all day long, but the same 10 hp engine on a lawn mower rear end will either tear the rear end out or sit still and burn up the tires...
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Old 03-08-2017, 02:17 AM   #25
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The ranger is FREE.
Anyhow I can take the free truck and get whatever it is capable of pulling and go camping in that or I can sit in my chair and wait for 3 years until I can afford to buy whatever I want.
JUST GO FOR IT.. your over thinking it, You can pull a Scamp 16 or Casita 16 Both can be found with a side Dine-net that converts to a 3rd bed. The Horse power and Torque were lower about Horsepower: 147 hp @ 5,000 rpm
Engine: 3.0 L V6 Torque: 162 lb-ft @ 3,250 rpm. It ain't gonna be fast but its not the Indy 500. Slow, Safe and Steady the Objective is to have fun with your family. Enjoy the ride.... People put way to much emphasis on WOW my car is so powerful I don't know the trailer is back there.. Guess again you need to remember its back there all the time. I see far to many people driving way to damn fast pulling a trailer regardless of the size of the trailer.

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Old 03-08-2017, 04:18 AM   #26
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Parkliner took down the prices from their website, but I've read that they went way up recently. I'm not sure the the product justifies that big increase - don't know I've never seen one in person.
New Parkliners have jumped out of sight. They've gone to a double wall construction and increased the price, upwards of 30k. But used ones show up from time to time.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...0-a-78758.html

The Happier Camper can also be configured into a large bed.and very easily pulled by your truck.

Happier Camper | Ultra-light Travel and Utility Trailers

Sorry to say no matter what you look at, if it's fiberglass it will be pricey.
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Old 03-08-2017, 06:45 AM   #27
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Originally Posted by Randy B. View Post
JUST GO FOR IT.. your over thinking it, You can pull a Scamp 16 or Casita 16 Both can be found with a side Dine-net that converts to a 3rd bed. The Horse power and Torque were lower about Horsepower: 147 hp @ 5,000 rpm
Engine: 3.0 L V6 Torque: 162 lb-ft @ 3,250 rpm. It ain't gonna be fast but its not the Indy 500. Slow, Safe and Steady the Objective is to have fun with your family. Enjoy the ride.... People put way to much emphasis on WOW my car is so powerful I don't know the trailer is back there.. Guess again you need to remember its back there all the time. I see far to many people driving way to damn fast pulling a trailer regardless of the size of the trailer.

Actually, I'm not overthinking it - I haven't told the whole story. I live in a suburb with covenants and have no place to park the extra truck which means I have to get rid of my 20 year old Volvo station wagon. The wagon gets 30 MPG and I drive nearly 100 miles a day to and from work. The Truck gets 24 or so. Also, the free truck has been neglected so it will require a lot of work to be my daily driver. SO your suggestion of "just going for it" involves me disposing of my perfectly good and reliable daily driver that gets good gas mileage for a truck that has been neglected will probably take 2000 to address these items and gets significantly worse gas mileage. The volvo, BTW, has a notoriously weak transmission and is not recommended for pulling much more than a utility trailer.

I'm not rolling in cash (my daughter will be in college soon) so I am limited to shopping for a used trailer and the free truck plus the cost of addressing the neglected items on each.

The point of this thread was to determine what I could pull comfortably and safely. If its only a 13 footer I 'd rather go backpacking or tent camping.
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Old 03-08-2017, 07:12 AM   #28
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Begs the question... Where will you store a trailer?
That will also be a problem. I can store a trailer at nearby U-store it facility (not a camper storage place) outside for pretty cheap. I really have no options there - have to do it.
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Old 03-08-2017, 07:40 AM   #29
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If its only a 13 footer I 'd rather go backpacking or tent camping.
I tent camped my whole life, nothing wrong with it, but my 13' sure beats tent camping/sleeping on the ground as I get older. Not sure what your requirements in a camper are, but you might find a 13 out there that fits your needs/wants and would be a pretty easy pull. I host the Eggs on the Hiawassee Rally in May and you welcome to come to the open house on Saturday and tour the eggs.
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Old 03-08-2017, 07:41 AM   #30
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This topic has taken so many twists and turns, I'm losing track of that the original issue(s) were...

First, the fact that the responses about the towing capabilities of the Ranger are all over the map is par for the course. Few of us have actual experience with the exact vehicle, drivetrain, and trailer combination. On top of that, people have very different expectations about what constitutes "comfortable" towing.

Speaking only for myself, I agree with most of what Randy said. For shorter trips close to home in moderate terrain and low elevations, I believe a 4000 pound rated V6 Ranger will pull a 16' Scamp or Casita "satisfactorily" (whatever that means). Either will give you one large bed (Casita Liberty) or two smaller beds (all others- see their current websites for what is available, hasn't changed in many years) and a small bathroom. A Scamp is a few hundred pounds lighter than a comparable Casita, so that would be my first choice. In the end it may come down to what is available in decent condition.

Second, if you buy well and take care of it, a used molded fiberglass trailer is a relatively low-risk proposition. If it doesn't work out, you can likely sell it for what you paid, possibly more, depending on the timing of buying and selling. The one caveat is that you're entering the market when activity and prices tend to rise with the temperature.

I suspect the same would be true for the Ranger. Since it has low mileage, you're getting it for free, and you can do the work to bring it up to snuff yourself, I'm sure you could resell it for a decent price and get another commuter vehicle if the RV thing doesn't work out for you. But it won't be the Volvo, which brings me to...

Third, only you can decide if you are ready and willing to let go of this vehicle you are clearly attached to. In the end, it's not about logic, it's about the heart.
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Old 03-08-2017, 08:08 AM   #31
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I tent camped my whole life, nothing wrong with it, but my 13' sure beats tent camping/sleeping on the ground as I get older. Not sure what your requirements in a camper are, but you might find a 13 out there that fits your needs/wants and would be a pretty easy pull. I host the Eggs on the Hiawassee Rally in May and you welcome to come to the open house on Saturday and tour the eggs.
-Queen size bed

-Limited tow capabilities by Ranger

-limited funds

-storage issues

Not many degrees of freedom here. Maybe the tent is the best solution for now. Otherwise you could end up spending more time fixing than camping.
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Old 03-08-2017, 08:30 AM   #32
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You can't beat a pop up for the combination of sleeping space and light weight.
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Old 03-08-2017, 08:30 AM   #33
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Originally Posted by Raz View Post
-Queen size bed

-Limited tow capabilities by Ranger

-limited funds

-storage issues

Not many degrees of freedom here. Maybe the tent is the best solution for now. Otherwise you could end up spending more time fixing than camping.
I got the towing, funds and storage part. I was referring more specifically as to the features/options of the camper (headroom, bathroom, propane, appliances, converter, etc.)

I have seen some mods here and elsewhere to make the bed in a 13' Scamp/Boler wider, and one or two I believe were for queen size. If you are handy some of the bed mods are pretty simple. Pinterest is another good place to look, try searching there for "Scamp bed" or similar and you can see lots of interior photos showing the bed layouts.
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Old 03-08-2017, 08:34 AM   #34
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Maybe a small / med size used popup trailer would be a more practical choice . My daughter and her family went camping with us last Summer for 5 days . They purchased a used pop-up trailer and it worked well for her family of 6. Plus the popup trailer could be towed by their family vehicle with a 3500 lb tow rating.
Trying to fit 2 adults and 3 children comfortably in a 13 ,16, 17 ft FG trailer is an unattainable goal in my book
A FG trailer is not the answer in every situation.
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Old 03-08-2017, 08:47 AM   #35
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Originally Posted by Johnny M View Post

I have seen some mods here and elsewhere to make the bed in a 13' Scamp/Boler wider, and one or two I believe were for queen size. If you are handy some of the bed mods are pretty simple. Pinterest is another good place to look, try searching there for "Scamp bed" or similar and you can see lots of interior photos showing the bed layouts.
That's what I had in mind with the "more time fixing than camping" comment.
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Old 03-08-2017, 11:48 AM   #36
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Originally Posted by John_M_1 View Post
Have you driven North out of Chattanooga up over Monteagle with your rig? That's pretty characteristic of worst case scenario for steep on the east coast.
John,

You noted that "So far it seems that all the most negative comments regarding the ranger are from people out West. The Southern Appalachians are nothing like the Rocky Mountains or Cascades."

You can map route profiles on the web site Veloroutes.org. That site is designed for bicyclists, so it will provide you with the maximum grade in percent. It appears that the highway around Monteagle is about 9% grade.

I believe that 9% is much steeper than the two routes I cited in my reply to your earlier thread concerning the Escape 5.0. If you'd like to validate this, one route was between Seattle and Portland on I-5. The other concerned a stretch of Highway 16 near Gig Harbor. Neither of these routes is at high altitude nor in the Cascades.

Your question at the start of this thread was "What would be a trailer weight that it could COMFORTABLY pull?" One answer would be to look, as you have done, at the manufacturer's recommendations.

Beyond that, comfort is a very subjective standard. Some people can tow at low speeds on busy roads with what seems to be complete peace of mind. Personally, I like to be able to at least "nearly" keep up with traffic's normal pace as other drivers sometimes exhibit frustration that gets played out in their maneuvers on the road.

Other than that, I'll second (third?) Shelby and Steve in the mention of a pop-up trailer. While I don't know all your parameters, the tent versions do offer a tremendous amount of room in a very lightweight package with low wind resistance. Similarly, the A-frame (hard shell) ones also seem to serve a lot of folks very well.

I'll also second Steve in his note that "If you wait till everything is perfect , a lot of good memories will be never happen". Good luck in your quest here.

Regards,
Mike
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Old 03-08-2017, 12:02 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by Raz View Post
-Queen size bed

-Limited tow capabilities by Ranger

-limited funds

-storage issues

Not many degrees of freedom here. Maybe the tent is the best solution for now. Otherwise you could end up spending more time fixing than camping.
Attached is my preferred method of camping. 10 miles down the trail swinging from a hammock. Unfortunately my wife won't come along.

I'm a design engineer and I solve problems for a living. You are correct about too many constraints for a good solution. Actually last night I came up with a pretty good solution. Although, I'm not sure I want to go that route because it will take a good deal of effort.

Drop a Ford 5.0L V-8 and transmission (there are zillions of them out there) into the Ranger and sell the 3.0L V6 (lots of people want a low miles Vulcan V-6) that is taken out to pay for it. There is actually a kit available to do this for a few hundred dollars. Beef up the suspension and brakes a bit. This could all be done quite inexpensively if I do my own work (I'm a pretty decent mechanic - that's why I've got a 20 year old volvo still chugging along). Not having room in the driveway is still a problem until I could get the Ranger in service.
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Old 03-08-2017, 12:07 PM   #38
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If a camper is for only a once or twice a year vacation, and considering the OP's space and storage limitations and number of people to accommodate sleeping, maybe the best solution is to fix up the free truck a little, sell it, and rent a Cruise America class C motor home that easily will sleep 5. Otherwise for a family of 4 or more a pop-up is a good solution. We owned one since 1977, until last summer when we gave it to our son for his young family of 5.
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Old 03-08-2017, 12:08 PM   #39
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Somewhere in this thread must be the answer you were looking for when you started it.
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Old 03-08-2017, 01:05 PM   #40
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Actually, I'm not overthinking it - I haven't told the whole story. I live in a suburb with covenants and have no place to park the extra truck which means I have to get rid of my 20 year old Volvo station wagon. The wagon gets 30 MPG and I drive nearly 100 miles a day to and from work. The Truck gets 24 or so.
Information is important the decision is yours in the end. I see on allot of lists people buying a nice trailer they never get to use it because of sudden health issues, deaths etc. you never know whats gonna happen tomorrow. I am a just go for it person sometimes it works out sometimes not. Getting there is half the fun better to live life than have no life at all.

Looking back on your life... Remember when has a much Better ring to my ears that I wish I would have.
But that's just me ...

Good luck with your decision.
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