Towing Capacity

Jackie

Nothing to it! Easy upgrade

What about a pop up camper? My parents had one that had plenty of space for four that couldn’t have been too heavy.

edited to add a link to one:

https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetai...-rockwood-freedom-2318g-pop-up-10k-HAN1862845

BTW, the tow rating is lower on some four-door models (lower than two-door): Wildtrack, Badlands and Outerbanks all have a lower than 3,500 lbs tow rating. So, OP, your tow rating is actually not 3,500 lbs. It's 3,460, which is still better than the 3,320 lbs of the four-door Badlands.

Has anyone tried towing more weight with a 4 door? I honestly would try towing 5klbs with a 4 door V6 or 4cyl manual trans bronco without too much worry. Especially if SAS and you upgrade your suspension + have a decent trailer brake and maybe a couple modest performance upgrades.

Another option is to turn the whole thing around and pull the Bronco with a motor coach a class A or C should be able to do it if properly equipped.
Just another option. Or pull a small camper and sleep two in the trailer and two in the Bronco.
Or something like this would put you right up to the 3500Lbs. https://www.rvuniverse.com/listing/for-sale/213700691/2022-sunset-park-sun-lite-16bh-travel-trailers

Or this

Jackie

Is there anyway to increase the 3500 lb towing capacity for the 2022 4 door Wildtrax with the Sasquatch package? I would really like to drag an off grid/off-road travel trailer that’s around 5000lbs loaded! I really love my Bronco and want to maximize my enjoyment!

No no no bad move, the 4 door Bronco's average weight is @ 4500 lbs if you attempted to drag a 5000 lb. trailer behind it you are in for a ride, on pavement or even worse in the dirt !!! Do like everyone suggested and size down the camper or hook it to a vehicle that's rated to handle the load. You won't be sorry.

I know this is an older thread, but exactly the information I am looking for. I am not trying to improve the tow capacity, however I would love to get thoughts on towing the above trailer Jakob posted, We are looking pretty hard at on of these:

Sunset Park 16BH. Dry weight 2480 with a hitch weight of 210 lbs seems pretty doable especially if packing light and obviously not pulling it with water.

https://www.kennedalecampersales.co...ew-travel-trailer-kennedale-tx-76060-i3428546

Jarrod

After researching every possible pop up, tear drop, overlander and aussie inspired trailer, I'm considering pulling the trigger on this trailer. Encore makes smaller "intech flyer" style trailers too (that my neighbor owns). Reasonably priced and lower weight (2900-3100 lbs dry). All aluminum construction, walk on roof that's rated for a roof top tent, outdoor kitchen and interior is nice/large enough for the "spousal unit" with full queen size bed, dinette and indoor kitchen. There is no onboard ensuite but attachments for outdoor shower. May not be as "off road" capable as the Aussie inspired trailers (patriot, bruder, opus) but could definitely get you off the grid for a few days. I think it would be easy to change out the hitch and upgrade wheels for more clearance but height concerns me for serious overlanding. Anyone else seen this camper and have thoughts about it?

http://encore-rv.com/rog16rb/

jcampbelldds

I know this is an older thread, but exactly the information I am looking for. I am not trying to improve the tow capacity, however I would love to get thoughts on towing the above trailer Jakob posted, We are looking pretty hard at on of these:

Sunset Park 16BH. Dry weight 2480 with a hitch weight of 210 lbs seems pretty doable especially if packing light and obviously not pulling it with water.

https://www.kennedalecampersales.co...ew-travel-trailer-kennedale-tx-76060-i3428546

Jarrod

Jarrod what is you Bronco's GVWR from the sticker in the door. Take the curb weight and subtract curb from GVWR that should get you the trailer+ payload you can subtract your payload out and that is your total trailer weight you can tow.
The next thing you need to check is the payload for the Bronco you just need to add all the gear you are carrying and the weight of the passengers and any Mods then add the 210lbs for the tongue weight and the weight of the trailer hitch and that should be under your payload weight.
The trailer is 2480lbs dry so it probably has 600-800lbs of cargo for the trailer (assuming a 3500lbs axel) , if we take worse case you are at 3280lbs. if all your numbers from doing the Bronco Calc work out you should be in the clear.
if you are close or behind you can always load the trailer lighter, leave the 14" cast iron Dutch ovens and pans at home. and you can get your numbers where they need to be.
Hope this helps. I know it is a lot but you are right up against the max towing and it would be good to know how much breathing room you have or if you need to go on a diet before you travel. LOL

Krista from the Youtube channel, BuckleukpButtercup did some mods on hers to pull a travel trailer. I don't think she has released all the info yet but that might be something to look at. I only know because I've been look for something like this too.

Broncy_OBX

Krista from the Youtube channel, BuckleukpButtercup did some mods on hers to pull a travel trailer. I don't think she has released all the info yet but that might be something to look at. I only know because I've been look for something like this too.

I just checked out her videos, very nice. I am interested to see what they did to “increase towing capacity’. That’s a heavy trailer at about 3500 lbs dry.

jcampbelldds

I just checked out her videos, very nice. I am interested to see what they did to “increase towing capacity’. That’s a heavy trailer at about 3500 lbs dry.

Ya me too, it is definitely on the heavier side. Watching the two travel videos it looked like it was doing good pulling but again, what work did they do and how much did it all cost.

First post here. I have a 4 door black diamond 2.7L. I habe been towing a long snowmobile trailer. (4 sled capacity). All in with three sleds and gear the trailer and load weighs approximately 3,800 pounds. Not gonna lie, its probably closer to 4,000 pounds. I have yet to feel there was any significant extra effort from the engine to pull it. The bigger issue is the short wheelbase and the LONG distance between the hitch and the trailer axle. It requires attention to balancing the load inside the trailer. Prior to towing the snowmobile trailer I had towed my bass boat. No issues whatsoever, other than requring a hitch extender. Coupler would not fit under the spare tire. I have since added a rough country spare relocation bracket the moved the spare up about 2 inches. Unfortunately, it was about a half inch too low. I switched to a bulldog coupler on the trailer and that solved it. Enabled me to lose the extender, shortening the distance between the hitch and trailer axle.

ChrisFMA

First post here. I have a 4 door black diamond 2.7L. I habe been towing a long snowmobile trailer. (4 sled capacity). All in with three sleds and gear the trailer and load weighs approximately 3,800 pounds. Not gonna lie, its probably closer to 4,000 pounds. I have yet to feel there was any significant extra effort from the engine to pull it. The bigger issue is the short wheelbase and the LONG distance between the hitch and the trailer axle. It requires attention to balancing the load inside the trailer. Prior to towing the snowmobile trailer I had towed my bass boat. No issues whatsoever, other than requring a hitch extender. Coupler would not fit under the spare tire. I have since added a rough country spare relocation bracket the moved the spare up about 2 inches. Unfortunately, it was about a half inch too low. I switched to a bulldog coupler on the trailer and that solved it. Enabled me to lose the extender, shortening the distance between the hitch and trailer axle.

Welcome to the Nation @ChrisFMA Good to know you are not having trouble towing that trailer. I would like to think that that motor would not struggle pulling a 4,000lbs trailer since that same motor in an F150 can tow around 9000lbs. the issue is that the vehicle itself is not rated to tow that weight I am sure Ford has added a lot of fudge factor but if there is an incident you are opening yourself up to take on all of the liability. there is a lot more that goes into the rating of a tow vehicle than just the motor size, HP and torque. Wheel base and suspension play a very big roll in that, as well. I am only mentioning this as a general Note to all looking for information and not trying to tell you what you should or should not do. Pretty good rule of thumb if you are uncomfortable pulling it you are either going too fast or the trailer is too big.

Jakob1972

Welcome to the Nation @ChrisFMA Good to know you are not having trouble towing that trailer. I would like to think that that motor would not struggle pulling a 4,000lbs trailer since that same motor in an F150 can tow around 9000lbs. the issue is that the vehicle itself is not rated to tow that weight I am sure Ford has added a lot of fudge factor but if there is an incident you are opening yourself up to take on all of the liability. there is a lot more that goes into the rating of a tow vehicle than just the motor size, HP and torque. Wheel base and suspension play a very big roll in that, as well. I am only mentioning this as a general Note to all looking for information and not trying to tell you what you should or should not do. Pretty good rule of thumb if you are uncomfortable pulling it you are either going too fast or the trailer is too big.

Thanks for the response! I should have mentioned that I do have access to an appropriate tow vehicle and only haul with the Bronco if I absolutley have to. I was impressed at how well it towed when I did use it to haul.

I am wondering how much of the 3500 lb tow rating is attributed to the bumper mounted receiver hitch that comes as part of the towing package option.
If I get a frame mounted hitch I know the tongue weight and tow weight limits will improve but to what level and it is worth it.

Jakob1972

Another option is to turn the whole thing around and pull the Bronco with a motor coach a class A or C should be able to do it if properly equipped.
Just another option. Or pull a small camper and sleep two in the trailer and two in the Bronco.
Or something like this would put you right up to the 3500Lbs. https://www.rvuniverse.com/listing/for-sale/213700691/2022-sunset-park-sun-lite-16bh-travel-trailers

Or this

Just bought one, the SunLite 16BH, we love it so far (the rant below is more about USA standards than this particular trailer). Tows great in my 7MT Badlands. Gas mileage drops to about 10 MPG though 😬. I got a tongue weight scale to keep the tongue weight where I want it. I need to pack most of the heavier stuff in the shower at the back of the trailer to keep it below the 350 lb limit. The front under bed storage is almost empty. I don’t like how in North America they put the axle farther back on the trailers - in Europe, they trust that people will manage the weight distribution, but here, they make it virtually impossible to be too light on the tongue. Not to mention, the water tank is at the very front, so if you want to boondock, it is even harder to get the weight right. Still love the trailer though.

Crawler Green

Just bought one, the SunLite 16BH. Tows great in my 7MT Badlands. Gas mileage drops to about 10 MPG though 😬

Pulling with gas powered vehicles, for me, always cuts mileage almost in half…

Bluestreak57

Pulling with gas powered vehicles, for me, always cuts mileage almost in half…

Yeah, I got the Sport version too, so it makes the parachute behind me 6” taller.

1timtraci

I am wondering how much of the 3500 lb tow rating is attributed to the bumper mounted receiver hitch that comes as part of the towing package option.
If I get a frame mounted hitch I know the tongue weight and tow weight limits will improve but to what level and it is worth it.

It's largely attributed to the suspension setup. It's built for off-road, not on-road stability while towing heavy loads.

The 2-door is probably about maxed out at 3500 lbs without doing some fairly major redesigns. The 4-door with its longer wheelbase is naturally more stable, and therefore could probably squeeze another 500-1000 lbs out of it with the right suspension setup and some added bracing. But your off-road suspension performance will suffer a bit.

Comes down to priorities really, and Ford prioritized off-road capability with the Bronco. Sure you could add better suspension to the Bronco that would allow you tow more without sacrificing that off-road capability... but then it would cost more. So pick your poison I guess.

But either way, if Ford could get towing up to 5000 lbs I think that would resolve the vast majority of the complaints in regards to the Bronco's towing capabilities (or lack thereof).

IMO...mods or no mods this is a bad idea. You will have situations where the trailer will push the truck. Heaven help ya when you get into heavy cross winds. As stated before these are not built to tow.