Tow Capacity Upgrade

Towing capacity is factored using a lot of different vehicle components like the brakes, the frame, etc.. For the braking issue you could get a brake controller but you'd still have frame and other concerns.

Exceeding it would be very dangerous IMO.. I've personally never heard of rear airbags that can safely or legally increase towing capacity..

Another issue to consider is if in an accident. If in a minor fender bender it would probably go unnoticed. If in an accident where injury or death occurs, you could be in serious trouble with the law and the insurance company..

I dispersed camp (boondocking) all the time in my very small camper. I have a Taxa TigerMoth Overland edition that's like 1500 pounds. My 2.3L Badlands 2dr tows it easily, safely, legally and within the manufacturer specs.

My .02? Don't do it!

Get a smaller camper that meets the Broncos tow capacIty..

Good luck!

TK1215

I agree with @raqball, I would look for something smaller and not push for something that much over rated capacity.

You are asking for problems. Get a different truck or a smaller trailer. my 2¢.

raqball

Towing capacity is factored using a lot of different vehicle components like the brakes, the frame, etc.. For the braking issue you could get a brake controller but you'd still have frame and other concerns.

Exceeding it would be very dangerous IMO.. I've personally never heard of rear airbags that can safely or legally increase towing capacity..

Another issue to consider is if in an accident. If in a minor fender bender it would probably go unnoticed. If in an accident where injury or death occurs, you could be in serious trouble with the law and the insurance company..

I dispersed camp (boondocking) all the time in my very small camper. I have a Taxa TigerMoth Overland edition that's like 1500 pounds. My 2.3L Badlands 2dr tows it easily, safely, legally and within the manufacturer specs.

My .02? Don't do it!

Get a smaller camper that meets the Broncos tow capacIty..

Good luck!

Thank you I hadn't considered the other elements. I'm going to go back to looking at ultra lights. And thanks for the recommendation

MountainOtter

Im looking at going to a boondocking lifestyle for some personal reasons. The trailers I've been looking at are a little under 3500 dry, 4600 fully loaded, less than 500 lb tongue weight.

I know all of this exceeds the stated 3500, but I've seen rear suspension air bags that claim to increase capacity to 5,000 lbs, and alternative bolt on tow brackets claiming a 500 lb tongue weight. 2023 Heritage Limited is what I have.

Is that plan at all realistic or am I needing to look at much smaller ultra-lights and just entirely stay away from trying to upgrade to increase capacity?

Let me know if this in the wrong area, thanks in advance y'all

Airbags do not actually increase capacity, they are more to keep the rear of the tow vehicle level. The towing capacity is linked to several things such as type of suspension (leaf spring/coil spring), wheelbase, braking ability and the strength of the hitch and what it is mounted to are the main concerns. My 2dr w/2.7 towed the Rubicon BH1400 camper just fine but a brake controller made things a lot more comfortable. I then decided to install airbags to limit the rear squat and I never encountered any issues. I have since switched to a NuCamp Tab 320 Boondock Black canyon edition with the upgraded dual BattleBorn 200Ah solar package. I highly suggest it if you camp alone (or really really like your partner). It's compact, tows great and has indoor kitchen, bath and shower. With the 380 watts of roof panels and a quick connection on the side to plug in more portable panels, it is great for Boondocking. It also has a built in rail system to add a side tent for mor space. We also carry along a Bluetti 200L power station but haven't needed it so far. It will probably come in handy this winter. I don't think I even need the airbags with the Tab as I only keep 4lbs of pressure in them to keep their shape. Anything more actually raises the rear when the Tab is all hitched up.

If you can build a plywood box you could build yourself one of these. It’s about 1200lbs loaded. First pic I’m test fitting the 270deg batwing awning I built for it.

I’m pretty sure the only thing that’s limiting the Bronco’s towing capacity is the soft suspension. Look at how much a Ranger can tow. All heavier trailers have their own brakes. It’s a law.
I put Bilstein 6112’s on my 2dr Sasquatch and it’s a whole different animal.

extra toasty

I’m pretty sure the only thing that’s limiting the Bronco’s towing capacity is the soft suspension. Look at how much a Ranger can tow. All heavier trailers have their own brakes. It’s a law.
I put Bilstein 6112’s on my 2dr Sasquatch and it’s a whole different animal.

There is much more to it than that..

• Payload
• Vehicle frame
• Braking (could be overcome with a brake controller)
• Vehicle torque
• Axels
• Gears
• Engine cooling

I also believe there is a set of standardized test that must be met like can it pull the trailer up a defined grade percent for a certain distance in high heat. Can the parking brake hold both the vehicle and trailer on an defined grade percent and some other standards that must be met.

When I was researching campers I actually went pretty deep into this stuff. I even emailed the NTSB, they never wrote me back.. LOL

The best practice, legally and safely, is to stay within the manufactures specs.

extra toasty

I did a bit of research for my own curiosity. Bronco’s hitch mount strength , and the soft suspension are its limiting factors.

Yes, the suspension is also a part of it but it is by no means the end all, be all that's used when manufacturers place a towing capacity on a vehicle.. There are a lot of different factors that go into it. A lot....

Adding airbags like the OP asked, or changing shocks, does absolutely nothing to change the Broncos tow rating.. The manufacturers tow rating is what insurance companies and Law Enforcement will hold you to.. Failing to abide by them can put someone in serious financial (denied claim) and / or serious legal trouble if something bad happens..

MountainOtter

Im looking at going to a boondocking lifestyle for some personal reasons. The trailers I've been looking at are a little under 3500 dry, 4600 fully loaded, less than 500 lb tongue weight.

I know all of this exceeds the stated 3500, but I've seen rear suspension air bags that claim to increase capacity to 5,000 lbs, and alternative bolt on tow brackets claiming a 500 lb tongue weight. 2023 Heritage Limited is what I have.

Is that plan at all realistic or am I needing to look at much smaller ultra-lights and just entirely stay away from trying to upgrade to increase capacity?

Let me know if this in the wrong area, thanks in advance y'all

I went with the InTech Flyer Chase. I wanted to make sure not to exceed the limits plus I didn't feel I needed the kitchen/bath etc. No water tanks to worry about. Basically just a place to sleep. The most important part was it has A/C. My MPG only dropped 1-2 mpg pulling at 65. I was surprised.

Jakob1972

If you can build a plywood box you could build yourself one of these. It’s about 1200lbs loaded. First pic I’m test fitting the 270deg batwing awning I built for it.

Your home built trailer is absolutely awesome! You should make them and sell them!

tomoliver1752

I wanted to make sure not to exceed the limits plus I didn't feel I needed the kitchen/bath etc. No water tanks to worry about. Basically just a place to sleep. The most important part was it has A/C. My MPG only dropped 1-2 mpg pulling at 65. I was surprised.

Same here. I dispersed camp so having an A/C unit would do me no good. I have a high powered, high battery capacity rechargeable fan, that works great --- for the most part.

On my trip earlier this month I did need to cut it short because the heat was unbearable. It was not bad during the day because I was in the Bronco wheelin' trails with the A/C blasting but trying to sleep at night was brutal, even with my fan..

tomoliver1752

I went with the InTech Flyer Chase. I wanted to make sure not to exceed the limits plus I didn't feel I needed the kitchen/bath etc. No water tanks to worry about. Basically just a place to sleep. The most important part was it has A/C. My MPG only dropped 1-2 mpg pulling at 65. I was surprised.

yes AC is a must in Texas. Mine has Ac and Kitchen in the rear, accessed from outside.

mfreel

Hard lesson I learned as a younger man is the towing capacity is at sea level. If you're in CO, WY etc you can derate your capacity by 20% or so. Airbags won't help if you can't keep the engine from melting up a mountain pass.

Good info! I've read that towing capacity drops like 5% for every 1000 feet above sea level. Not sure how accurate my number is as I didn't really dig too deep into it since my camper is only 1500 pounds..