- First Name
- Michael
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2020
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 111
- Reaction score
- 371
- Location
- Monterey, CA
- Vehicle(s)
- Bronco Sport Badlands, Fiesta ST
- Thread starter
- #1
A while back I added a Curt receiver and trailer wiring to our Badlands as there had always been an intention to be able to do light towing with it. I posted about the wiring work back in October:
Trailer Wiring Install for Bronco Sport Using Factory Power Circuit (Part Two – Installation) | 2021+ Ford Bronco Sport Forum - Broncosportforum.com
The big motivation to get it all done before winter set in was that I accepted a new job in the Monterey CA area, which meant a 2,000+ mile move from the Midwest. After examining the options, the most cost-effective choice was to have our less-critical items shipped via container while the must-have stuff got hauled in our BS plus a U-Haul Trailer.
Based on the 2,200lb limit for the Badlands model, the largest trailer U-Haul will let you book is their 5x8 model, which has a 900lb empty weight and a 2,700lb GVW.
For the hitch mount I went with a Curt Class III mount with a 4”drop. For the 2” ball I decided to try the Curt 7,500lb Rockerball as I’d seen good reviews on its ability to reduce driveline shock when towing trailers with no trailer brakes. Since the Rockerball adds an inch to the overall hitch height, this worked out to an approximately 3” drop from the receiver height on the Badlands with the Curt unit. In addition, the ball mount was further secured with an anti-rattle clamp.
Amazon.com: CURT 45050 Class 3 Trailer Hitch Ball Mount, Fits 2-Inch Receiver, 7,500 lbs, 1-Inch Hole, 4-Inch Drop, 2-In Rise : Automotive
Amazon.com: CURT 40047 RockerBall Cushion Hitch Trailer Ball 7,500 lbs, 2-Inch Diameter, 1-Inch Shank : Automotive
That setup, once the trailer and BS were all loaded up, gave me an almost perfectly level pitch on the hitch. The Curt Rockerball was a pleasant surprise as it really does work as advertised, when combined with the anti-rattle clamp it reduced the jerking/shock through the driveline to an almost negligible level. I would highly recommend it.
My estimation is that there was probably about 1,000-1,200lbs loaded into the trailer (for an estimated GVW of 1,900-2,100lbs), with another 700-800lbs in the Badlands itself (wife, myself, English bulldog, misc. household items), so this was towards the high-end of what Ford would recommend for it.
If anyone was keeping tabs on the weather last week, we saw just about every road condition imaginable, from calm and flat (Missouri, Kansas, last part of California), to high-elevation, near blizzard conditions (I-70 trhough Glenwood Canyon and Loveland Pass), to 60+ mph winds (Colorado, Utah, Nevada) to rain (on and off throughout). FWIW our Badlands handled it all exceptionally well, with only a couple of brief nerve-racking moments during the descent on the west-side of the Continental Divide on I-70 when conditions were near-white out and there were a few inches of snow on the pavement. But even with a trailer hanging off the back in some really poor road conditions I never felt like the vehicle was over-extended. Indeed, with the GOAT mode set to slippery plus anti-sway and lane-keeping assist on, it was quite possibly the most poised vehicle I’ve driven while towing. In some ways it was almost too poised as I could see it encouraging someone to push it harder/faster than they probably should and getting bitten hard by physics if they weren’t careful.
Fuel mileage suffered big-time, which really should be no surprise, with a total trip average of 15.9 mpg, on generally 91 octane fuel. Similar to my Fiesta ST, the 2.0l EcoSport motor is very sensitive to the quality of gasoline, with best MPG and responsiveness using 91 octane with no added ethanol (which yielded something closer to 18mpg) to the one tank of 87 octane with 10% ethanol getting me only about 14 mpg. Being that thirsty though meant fuel stops around every 200 miles, so we saw a lot of travel plazas:
Final numbers:
2,165.6 Miles from Springfield IL to Marina CA.
38.09 Hours trip time (with overnight stays, etc.… about 4 days overall)
56.9 average MPH.
15.9 average MPG
Overall I’m delighted with the capability of our Badlands when it comes to towing and while I’m sure Ford had their reasons limiting it to just 2,200lbs, it is an incredibly competent and confidence-inspiring vehicle pretty much right up to that limit. Power from the 2.0l 4 was very good, ride and handling were excellent, and fuel mileage wasn’t horrible. Coming out of the experience I think the only thing I would have loved to have seen is a somewhat larger fuel tank as I could picture scenarios where pulling a camper into the back-woods with only a 200-225 mile tank range would make me want to make sure I was fully fueled before leaving civilization. Other than that, this thing can definitely tow.
Trailer Wiring Install for Bronco Sport Using Factory Power Circuit (Part Two – Installation) | 2021+ Ford Bronco Sport Forum - Broncosportforum.com
The big motivation to get it all done before winter set in was that I accepted a new job in the Monterey CA area, which meant a 2,000+ mile move from the Midwest. After examining the options, the most cost-effective choice was to have our less-critical items shipped via container while the must-have stuff got hauled in our BS plus a U-Haul Trailer.
Based on the 2,200lb limit for the Badlands model, the largest trailer U-Haul will let you book is their 5x8 model, which has a 900lb empty weight and a 2,700lb GVW.
For the hitch mount I went with a Curt Class III mount with a 4”drop. For the 2” ball I decided to try the Curt 7,500lb Rockerball as I’d seen good reviews on its ability to reduce driveline shock when towing trailers with no trailer brakes. Since the Rockerball adds an inch to the overall hitch height, this worked out to an approximately 3” drop from the receiver height on the Badlands with the Curt unit. In addition, the ball mount was further secured with an anti-rattle clamp.
Amazon.com: CURT 45050 Class 3 Trailer Hitch Ball Mount, Fits 2-Inch Receiver, 7,500 lbs, 1-Inch Hole, 4-Inch Drop, 2-In Rise : Automotive
Amazon.com: CURT 40047 RockerBall Cushion Hitch Trailer Ball 7,500 lbs, 2-Inch Diameter, 1-Inch Shank : Automotive
That setup, once the trailer and BS were all loaded up, gave me an almost perfectly level pitch on the hitch. The Curt Rockerball was a pleasant surprise as it really does work as advertised, when combined with the anti-rattle clamp it reduced the jerking/shock through the driveline to an almost negligible level. I would highly recommend it.
My estimation is that there was probably about 1,000-1,200lbs loaded into the trailer (for an estimated GVW of 1,900-2,100lbs), with another 700-800lbs in the Badlands itself (wife, myself, English bulldog, misc. household items), so this was towards the high-end of what Ford would recommend for it.
If anyone was keeping tabs on the weather last week, we saw just about every road condition imaginable, from calm and flat (Missouri, Kansas, last part of California), to high-elevation, near blizzard conditions (I-70 trhough Glenwood Canyon and Loveland Pass), to 60+ mph winds (Colorado, Utah, Nevada) to rain (on and off throughout). FWIW our Badlands handled it all exceptionally well, with only a couple of brief nerve-racking moments during the descent on the west-side of the Continental Divide on I-70 when conditions were near-white out and there were a few inches of snow on the pavement. But even with a trailer hanging off the back in some really poor road conditions I never felt like the vehicle was over-extended. Indeed, with the GOAT mode set to slippery plus anti-sway and lane-keeping assist on, it was quite possibly the most poised vehicle I’ve driven while towing. In some ways it was almost too poised as I could see it encouraging someone to push it harder/faster than they probably should and getting bitten hard by physics if they weren’t careful.
Fuel mileage suffered big-time, which really should be no surprise, with a total trip average of 15.9 mpg, on generally 91 octane fuel. Similar to my Fiesta ST, the 2.0l EcoSport motor is very sensitive to the quality of gasoline, with best MPG and responsiveness using 91 octane with no added ethanol (which yielded something closer to 18mpg) to the one tank of 87 octane with 10% ethanol getting me only about 14 mpg. Being that thirsty though meant fuel stops around every 200 miles, so we saw a lot of travel plazas:
Final numbers:
2,165.6 Miles from Springfield IL to Marina CA.
38.09 Hours trip time (with overnight stays, etc.… about 4 days overall)
56.9 average MPH.
15.9 average MPG
Overall I’m delighted with the capability of our Badlands when it comes to towing and while I’m sure Ford had their reasons limiting it to just 2,200lbs, it is an incredibly competent and confidence-inspiring vehicle pretty much right up to that limit. Power from the 2.0l 4 was very good, ride and handling were excellent, and fuel mileage wasn’t horrible. Coming out of the experience I think the only thing I would have loved to have seen is a somewhat larger fuel tank as I could picture scenarios where pulling a camper into the back-woods with only a 200-225 mile tank range would make me want to make sure I was fully fueled before leaving civilization. Other than that, this thing can definitely tow.
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