Does anyone actually pull a trailer

67L48

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Towing my 18' Airstream at 70, I am only getting ~15 MPG, vs ~26 MPG normally. So far, we've made 3 trips of about 350 miles each, one way, so a total of about 1,000 miles. The vehicle tows just fine. No swaying or any hints that the trailer is too heavy. Still has plenty of power for passing. But it does use a lot more fuel.
You're towing a 3,000+ lb trailer with about 450 lbs of hitch weight. Do what you want, but you are advertising behaviors that are incredibly unsafe for you and your vehicle, not to mention the other people on the road with you.

Will vehicles just catastrophically collapse when you overload them? No. We tend to think in binary form. I put the trailer on the hitch and drove it down the road. It didn't explode into a fiery ball, so it must be OK.

Rather, go watch some videos of construction and power equipment failures on YouTube. This is a much better explanation of how overloaded equipment failures look: everything runs just fine ... right up until it doesn't. It's a slow, insidious process of failure where the metal, connectors, flex points, fulcrum points, and so on fatigue over time.

Not only do you not have the structural integrity (suspension, brakes) for such a heavy load, you're slowly damaging your BS as you drive down the road.

Again, do what you want. But this is way off the map for the BS' capability.
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Mark S.

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I just got back from a 900 mile trip from Albuquerque to Bullfrog marina at Lake Powell. I was towing a 13' aluminum boat with a 20 h.p. outboard. At speeds of 70 or less I usually average 28 to 30 mph. With the boat behind me, I averaged 22.5 for the trip. It pulled just fine, with no noticable drag on the Badlands, but it sure killed the gas mileage. I've gotten about 25 mpg pulling my utility trailer. I suspect the utility trailer with a cap on it is more aerodynamic than an open boat.
I've pulled our Aluma flatbed utility trailer several times with various loads. I believe you are correct about the aerodynamics; even with a relatively light load fuel economy drops precipitously when towing our trailer.

As an aside, I wonder if Ford does something with the PCM programming when it believes you are towing. The computer knows, after all, when you connect a trailer, so it wouldn't be that difficult. Towing places a greater load on the engine, which is already set up to provide a tremendous amount of torque at lower RPM. Increasing the mixture when towing would add a margin of safety without sacrificing too much power. This is all speculation of course.
 

Robins21

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Saboga

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You're towing a 3,000+ lb trailer with about 450 lbs of hitch weight. Do what you want, but you are advertising behaviors that are incredibly unsafe for you and your vehicle, not to mention the other people on the road with you. ............

Not only do you not have the structural integrity (suspension, brakes) for such a heavy load, you're slowly damaging your BS as you drive down the road.

Again, do what you want. But this is way off the map for the BS' capability.
The dry weight of my trailer was 1,900 lbs back when it was built in 1958. When I restored it, I added a roof AC and holding tanks, so it's now up around 2,200. But with camping supplies loaded in, it's probably a couple hundred pounds more than that, but still a lot less than 3,000 lbs. The trailer has its own electric brakes.

The Maverick, with the exact same drive train, is rated to tow 4,000 lbs, so the issue is not with the strength of the engine or transmission. It's the short wheelbase and the softer off-road suspension. I'm not worried about the structural integrity, but I am worried that a sudden evasive maneuver could result in a loss of control. So I take it very easy and leave lots of following distance between me and the vehicle in front.

All that being said, I am seriously considering trading the BS in on a Ford Ranger to get the 7,500 lb tow rating. I just can't decide whether to do it now or wait for the 2024 model.

Added: Here is a good article on how vehicle tow ratings are calculated - something I've always wondered about. https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard/
 
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Dennis Kilbride

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I'm towing a 6'6"x10' steel sided trailer at 920 pounds and the ATV at 993 pounds for a 460 mile round trip. I do it about 5 times a year.

I keep it at 60MPH max and it maintains 1700 RPM on the straight. Doesn't seem to shift any different than my F150's I've been driving the last 30 years on the same route.

Ford Bronco Sport Does anyone actually pull a trailer DSC01178pm1


Ford Bronco Sport Does anyone actually pull a trailer 52910452621_0e6d6e6dbd_k
 


EricCif

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Tow a heavy duty bike rack/trailer for my ebikes that weight 100 pounds each (have two). I also own 2020 Ranger Lariat I use for anything bigger so haven't had the need use the Sport.
 

Steelbronco

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All show and no tow...or is it all tow and no show? Maybe tow to show.....

I have pulled this on several trips and absolutely love it! I drive in the Appalachian mountain range with no issues in my Bronco Sport Badlands.

Homesteader 5x8 Enclosed Cargo Trailer with 6" added height.

Ford Bronco Sport Does anyone actually pull a trailer 20220418_162509
Ford Bronco Sport Does anyone actually pull a trailer 20220418_162449
 

Mulhern

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The dry weight of my trailer was 1,900 lbs back when it was built in 1958. When I restored it, I added a roof AC and holding tanks, so it's now up around 2,200. But with camping supplies loaded in, it's probably a couple hundred pounds more than that, but still a lot less than 3,000 lbs. The trailer has its own electric brakes.

The Maverick, with the exact same drive train, is rated to tow 4,000 lbs, so the issue is not with the strength of the engine or transmission. It's the short wheelbase and the softer off-road suspension. I'm not worried about the structural integrity, but I am worried that a sudden evasive maneuver could result in a loss of control. So I take it very easy and leave lots of following distance between me and the vehicle in front.

All that being said, I am seriously considering trading the BS in on a Ford Ranger to get the 7,500 lb tow rating. I just can't decide whether to do it now or wait for the 2024 model.

Added: Here is a good article on how vehicle tow ratings are calculated - something I've always wondered about. https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard/

The lower tow capacity for the BS BL is the Advanced AWD system adapted from the Focus RS. It is apparently an engineering/design limitation of the drivetrain. That is why the Maverick Tremor has the same pathetic towing as the BSBL while the non-Tremors can do 4k Tow with the regular AWD system. It is also the Achilles heel of the Tremor and why they aren't the #1 selling Maverick trim, IMO.
 

Mark S.

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The lower tow capacity for the BS BL is the Advanced AWD system adapted from the Focus RS. It is apparently an engineering/design limitation of the drivetrain. That is why the Maverick Tremor has the same pathetic towing as the BSBL while the non-Tremors can do 4k Tow with the regular AWD system. It is also the Achilles heel of the Tremor and why they aren't the #1 selling Maverick trim, IMO.
Can you share your source for this claim? Aside from the twin-clutch rear end, the drivetrain in the Badlands is the same as a 2.0L equipped Ford Escape, which has a towing capacity of 3500lbs.

I believe towing limit on the 1.5L Bronco Sport is related to engine power, not the 4WD system (see the towing guide cautions regarding trailer frontal area), and the limit on the Badlands--and the Maverick Tremor--is related to the suspension. Both the Badlands and Maverick Tremor sport softer, taller springs and different dampers to support offroad driving. A softer, longer-travel suspension on the rear axle poses significant hazards for towing, thus the limitations.
 
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Robins21

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Here is the trailer with my wife's motorcycle we towed from southern Virginia to southern NJ & back.

Ford Bronco Sport Does anyone actually pull a trailer 100_2118.JPG
 


jkeaton

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Can you share your source for this claim? Aside from the twin-clutch rear end, the drivetrain in the Badlands is the same as a 2.0L equipped Ford Escape, which has a towing capacity of 3500lbs.

I believe towing limits on the 1.5L Bronco Sport is related to engine power, not the 4WD system (see the towing guide cautions regarding trailer frontal area), and the limit on the Badlands--and the Maverick Tremor--is related to the suspension. Both the Badlands and Maverick Tremor sport softer, taller springs and different dampers to support offroad driving. A softer, longer-travel suspension on the rear axle poses significant hazards for towing, thus the limitations.
It’s the internet! We don’t need to provide sources for claims we make! Heck! Look what we tow with ours! :crazy:🤣

Ford Bronco Sport Does anyone actually pull a trailer IMG_1585
 

Mulhern

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Can you share your source for this claim? Aside from the twin-clutch rear end, the drivetrain in the Badlands is the same as a 2.0L equipped Ford Escape, which has a towing capacity of 3500lbs.

I believe towing limit on the 1.5L Bronco Sport is related to engine power, not the 4WD system (see the towing guide cautions regarding trailer frontal area), and the limit on the Badlands--and the Maverick Tremor--is related to the suspension. Both the Badlands and Maverick Tremor sport softer, taller springs and different dampers to support offroad driving. A softer, longer-travel suspension on the rear axle poses significant hazards for towing, thus the limitations.
I can't speak to the 1.5 as that may very well be an engine limitation but for the BSBL and Mav Tremor it is the twin-clutch that's the limiting factory (engineering limitation) as it wasn't designed with towing in mind. I don't have the source handy but it is legit. That's why for the Mav Tremor, it is an achilles heel being a truck with neutered towing capacity. Otherwise, it would easily outsell the FX4 config. No way Ford neutered the towing on the Tremor for suspension.
 

Xzavior1818

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I pull a 5x10 steel trailer that weights around 600 pounds. I use it primarily for getting misc things for the house that you can't fit in a car. Furniture, appliances, wood, yard of soil, lawn mowers and yard equipment. It's pretty much turns my lil Bronco into a Tonka truck. I will say the times I've reached the tow rating by - 20%/+20% I've kept my tow distance within 30 miles or so. Also avoiding highways
 
 




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