anyone else haul wood in a Ford ranger?

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PLMCRZY

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Sunday I'm going to cut I figured I would fill the bed up,with dead oak. Was thinking about bringing a little trailer to. Anyone else load there rangers pretty good? Need to know what my limits are haha.
 
I am sure your Ford Ranger would be great for hauling wood..
Check your owners manual for the GVWR and stay within the limits..
If you have to make an extra trip, your safety is worth it..
 
yes i do its my daily driver i got a 2000 4by and load it to the hilt haven't gauged how much it would hold but would guess a half cord maybe a little less ? i usually go after the big rounds and heft them in first the fill in the rest. i do however need rear shocks now, i put in an extra leaf in the rears and that helped a lot
 
When it's running :D (awaiting me to replace a blown brake line).

1/4 cord green is about it. 1/3rd if I'm really pushing things.

Not sure about out here, but if I lived a bit closer to the cities I probably could have a nice specialty business selling wood by the quarter cord for a premium for folks who just want enough wood for romance and occasional power outages / supplement cold mornings.
 
When it's running :D (awaiting me to replace a blown brake line).

1/4 cord green is about it. 1/3rd if I'm really pushing things.

Not sure about out here, but if I lived a bit closer to the cities I probably could have a nice specialty business selling wood by the quarter cord for a premium for folks who just want enough wood for romance and occasional power outages / supplement cold mornings.

Well I'm in Austin, Tx so that's exactly what my plan is lol.

My truck has a bumper mounted hitch. Should I use that to haul a trailer or should I go ahead and buy a frame mounted hitch?

sent from my galaxy tab 2
 
I'll leave that to someone else to answer, I've never towed enough with the Ranger to have a good idea.

I would be getting concerned about stopping though...when I have a 1/3rd cord green in it you definitely know it (the way my property is laid out, I go 1/2 mile by public road from my woodlot to my house). Quarter cord I'll run down and get a grinder or go visit my mom with a load in it. And I'd be concerned you could balance the load so the truck springs are happy, and the trailer is happy, but the brakes would scream for mercy when you go to stop.

Of course, delivering to customers it should be seasoned so 1/3rd of cord may be the same weight as a 1/4th of green.
 
Well I'm in Austin, Tx so that's exactly what my plan is lol.

My truck has a bumper mounted hitch. Should I use that to haul a trailer or should I go ahead and buy a frame mounted hitch?

sent from my galaxy tab 2

Towing a trailer full of wood - Frame Mounted Hitch..
 
Now that is sayen something. Must be alot of work getten all that wood on there.
 
At your age, all the props. I am only 40. I can only pray to do that when I'm 50.
 
1/2 cord dry was the limit, but that was with dry pine mixed in. 1/3 cord is a good benchmark.

Back when I was helping the FIL with scrap, I definitely exceeded the weight recs. I'd draw the short card and be stuck on iron before I got smart enough to travel to sites with buckets and barrells to hold lighter loads of almum. brass/bronze, and copper. But yea, they'll lug. Just take it slow and leave time and space for breaking.
 
No problem so far with well over 1/3 cord of just-cut red oak, on a 2011 2.3l 2wd automatic.

I do bias the load towards the front, so as to not torture the rear springs.

And ... check tire pressures beforehand. Since new, it's handled many such loads, what with the recent hurricanes and soggy snows. In excess of 30 loads, but who's counting?
 
I use a 2003 Ford Explorer SportTrac, which is based on the Ranger chassis. Kind of small bed, but no problem filling it with green white ash. I pull a 22' RV with it too, but not at the same time as hauling firewood. :msp_tongue:
 
Yes, that's what I've got so I haul wood with it. I put some Roadmaster helper springs on it, not so much to haul more but to reduce the wagging when full. 230k on it now, been a great little truck, good on gas. I figure what I lose in having to make an extra trip hauling wood (just for myself, I don't sell it) I gain in mid-20s mpg everywhere else I drive.
 
1990-96 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 4x4's are 1 ton trucks with a big clutch and 3.0 that gets 20 mpg. Pretty basic trucks but they can usually be found for around $2,000. I've got a 90 and a 91 and routinely haul 2500 lbs. of stone, just have to be careful when braking (downhills, wet roads, etc.). Great vehicles.
 
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