Towing a single place glider trailer with a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10

[[email protected]]

Does anyone have any experience towing a single place glider trailer
with a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10? I am considering purchasing one of
these trucks, but am concerned they may not have enough mass to be
stable while towing a trailer.

[rlovinggood]

A friend of mine used to have an older Ford Ranger and it pulled my
single seat glider in a homebuilt trailer, without brakes, just fine.
His Ranger was the "extended cab" version and had a small V-6 engine
and automatic transmission. Two wheel drive.

I don't remember the year model of the truck. Probably late 80's or
early 90's. But as a tow vehicle, it was fine. No problems. The
only times I could realize the glider trailer was when I looked in the
mirrors. This little truck was not swayed by the glider and trailer.

Of course, your mileage may vary...

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

[BrianC-V6]

I have towed my HP16 with a Schreder Trailer with my father in-laws
Ranger.
It towed just fine. He tows his boat with it all the time. A Ranger
should have no problem towing a glider trailer. I personally don't
care to tow with automatic transmissions but this is just my
preferance.

I haven't towed with the S-10 but Towed one of the Kitfox Factory
Demonstration Trailers (20ft+ enclosed Trailer with a kitfox inside)
with an S-15 from Oshkosh to Boise. it towed great.

Brian

[Bob Whelan[_3_]]

wrote:
> Does anyone have any experience towing a single place glider trailer
> with a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10? I am considering purchasing one of
> these trucks, but am concerned they may not have enough mass to be
> stable while towing a trailer.
>

I towed a number of single-seat gliders (1-26, HP-14, Zuni, others) plus
a 2-32 (in the Colorado mountains) behind a 2600lb Ford Maverick,
3-speed manual, V8, from 1972 through 2008, all over the U.S. Never had
a trailer with brakes. No issues good driver awareness didn't always
easily handle. (It typically got over 20mpg, too, hauling a glider.)

When it came time to retire the Maverick, my preference was a Toyota
4-banger, 2WD P/U, but I was overruled by my wife who insisted on a V6
4WD for her two-horse trailer. The Mav-replacement weighs 3600 lbs, and
(other than a noticeable lack of torque going up hills, compared to the
Maverick's [lower numerically HP/torque values] V8) tows the horse
trailer rock solidly (as did, BTW, the Maverick). Better brakes, too!

IMHO, mass of the towing vehicle is WAY overrated. Much more important
are trailer balance, tongue weight, and stopping power (which the
Maverick never had). The only real incident I ever had w. the Maverick
while towing was yaw instability of a homebuilt HP-14 wooden-trailer
that weighed considerably over 2000 lbs w. HP inside, and came w.
insufficent (20 lbs?) tongue weight. (The previous owner had towed it
behind a school bus, and never noticed anything amiss, so to that extent
I suppose mass of the towing vehicle *does* matter, wry chuckle. Behind
the Maverick, that combo was dangerously unstable above 45 mph.) Moving
the axle aft to get ~70 lb tongue weight permanently cured that issue
with that (godawful) trailer.

Regards,
Bob W.

[John Smith]

A single seater in a decent trailer (like Cobra) can be towed with just
about *any* of todays cars. But this has been discussed before.

http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/uploads/RTEmagicC_c440a0411e.jpg.jpg

[Wayne Paul]

> wrote in message
...
> Does anyone have any experience towing a single place glider trailer
> with a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10? I am considering purchasing one of
> these trucks, but am concerned they may not have enough mass to be
> stable while towing a trailer.
>

I towed my first glider, a Ka-6E, from Kentucky to Idaho with a Bronco II.
The Ranger has a longer wheel base, so I see no reason it wouldn't be fine.

Wayne
http://www.soaridaho.com/

[Eric Greenwell]

John Smith wrote:
> A single seater in a decent trailer (like Cobra) can be towed with just
> about *any* of todays cars. But this has been discussed before.
>
> http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/uploads/RTEmagicC_c440a0411e.jpg.jpg

As incongruous as that looks, I suspect it's very stable. A very
important factor is the distance of the tow ball from the rear axle, and
that's about as short as it can get!

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* Sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[BT]

I have towed both a 1-26 on an open trailer and an LS-4 in an enclosed
trailer with a Ford Ranger across the Nevada desert and mountains. Make sure
you have the 4 Liter V6 in the Ford. A Ford Ranger is the same as the Mazda
B4000. My '97 Ranger was the 4.0 Liter V6 Automatic.

More than enough mass for stability, with the open trailer on the 1-26 I
could feel the wind drag resistance but I never had stability issues. I was
not towing in "high wind conditions" prevalent across the desert in the
spring with winds of 20G60.
BT

> wrote in message
...
> Does anyone have any experience towing a single place glider trailer
> with a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10? I am considering purchasing one of
> these trucks, but am concerned they may not have enough mass to be
> stable while towing a trailer.
>

[Pete Smith[_3_]]

this is a joke right?

various cars i have used to tow a single seater

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_205 1.4 petrol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Saxo 1.1 Petrol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Punto 1.9 diesel

All towing at 60mph+


At 04:23 29 April 2009, BT wrote:
>I have towed both a 1-26 on an open trailer and an LS-4 in an enclosed
>trailer with a Ford Ranger across the Nevada desert and mountains. Make
>sure
>you have the 4 Liter V6 in the Ford. A Ford Ranger is the same as the
>Mazda
>B4000. My '97 Ranger was the 4.0 Liter V6 Automatic.
>
>More than enough mass for stability, with the open trailer on the 1-26 I

>could feel the wind drag resistance but I never had stability issues. I
>was
>not towing in "high wind conditions" prevalent across the desert in the

>spring with winds of 20G60.
>BT
>
> wrote in message
...
>> Does anyone have any experience towing a single place glider trailer
>> with a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10? I am considering purchasing one of
>> these trucks, but am concerned they may not have enough mass to be
>> stable while towing a trailer.
>>
>
>
>

[JC]

On Apr 29, 9:00*am, Pete Smith > wrote:
> this is a joke right?
>
> various cars i have used to tow a single seater
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_205*1.4 petrolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Saxo* 1.1 Petrolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Punto*1.9 diesel
>
> All towing at 60mph+
>
> At 04:23 29 April 2009, BT wrote:
>
>


I don´t think it´s joke.. Probably not ideal but if you are careful
you can tow with just about any car. I have a 1.3L
Fiat Uno and it can handle most single seaters. The hitch is very
close to the rear axle so that together with pumping the tires to 35
psi helps with stability. Proper tongue weight makes a big difference
too.
A Ranger/ S 10 or any small truck is great for soaring!! Plenty of
room to throw dollies and assorted junk in the back and good ground
clearance to get into fields.. I wish I could afford to get one for
flying!...

Regards,

Juan Carlos

[Eric Greenwell]

Pete Smith wrote:
> this is a joke right?

Perhaps you are unaware that Americans tend use large vehicles not
particularly well designed for towing?
>
> various cars i have used to tow a single seater
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peugeot_205 1.4 petrol
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_Saxo 1.1 Petrol
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Punto 1.9 diesel
>
> All towing at 60mph+

In defense of our proclivity towards oversized vehicles...

I'm not sure which part you think is a joke, but what would be humorous
would be the adventure you'd have with the Peugeot crossing Nevada (350
miles in the short direction) in the summer (10,000 foot density
altitude) at 90-100 deg F temperatures (typical). If the Peugeot doesn't
have air conditioning, that "60+ mph" would make the trip seem like a
lifetime in Hell.

If the original poster is planning on towing his glider around Florida,
there are many choices that would be suitable, but for Nevada - not so many.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* Sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

[John Smith]

Eric Greenwell wrote:

> I'm not sure which part you think is a joke, but what would be humorous
> would be the adventure you'd have with the Peugeot crossing Nevada (350
> miles in the short direction) in the summer (10,000 foot density
> altitude) at 90-100 deg F temperatures (typical). If the Peugeot doesn't
> have air conditioning, that "60+ mph" would make the trip seem like a
> lifetime in Hell.

I crossed the alps more than once with comparable cars towing a single
seater. Admittedly not at 37°C and without air conditioner. And neither
at 100km/h, at least not uphill.

While a Peugeot 205 may be a little bit on the edge, any reasonably
modern car in the 2L class does the trick pretty comfortably, most even
with a two seater attached.

[sisu1a]

On Apr 29, 10:54*am, John Smith > wrote:
> Eric Greenwell wrote:
> > I'm not sure which part you think is a joke, but what would be humorous
> > would be the adventure you'd have with the Peugeot crossing Nevada (350
> > miles in the short direction) in the summer (10,000 foot density
> > altitude) at 90-100 deg F temperatures (typical). If the Peugeot doesn't
> > have air conditioning, that "60+ mph" would make the trip seem like a
> > lifetime in Hell.
>
> I crossed the alps more than once with comparable cars towing a single
> seater. Admittedly not at 37°C and without air conditioner. And neither
> at 100km/h, at least not uphill.
>
> While a Peugeot 205 may be a little bit on the edge, any reasonably
> modern car in the 2L class does the trick pretty comfortably, most even
> with a two seater attached.

Also, speeds in excess of 80mph/129kph are not terribly uncommon (by
some) here on interstates etc...

-Paul

[Andrew Mugleston]

My 1.8 TDi Ford Focus tows my Standard Cirrus quite happily, and returns 38
MPG whilst doing it

At 17:54 29 April 2009, John Smith wrote:
>Eric Greenwell wrote:
>
>> I'm not sure which part you think is a joke, but what would be
humorous
>> would be the adventure you'd have with the Peugeot crossing Nevada
(350
>> miles in the short direction) in the summer (10,000 foot density
>> altitude) at 90-100 deg F temperatures (typical). If the Peugeot
doesn't
>
>> have air conditioning, that "60+ mph" would make the trip seem like a

>> lifetime in Hell.
>
>I crossed the alps more than once with comparable cars towing a single
>seater. Admittedly not at 37°C and without air conditioner. And neither
>at 100km/h, at least not uphill.
>
>While a Peugeot 205 may be a little bit on the edge, any reasonably
>modern car in the 2L class does the trick pretty comfortably, most even
>with a two seater attached.
>

[Del C[_2_]]

At 12:00 29 April 2009, Pete Smith wrote:
>this is a joke right?
>
Probably not! The people on the West side of the Altlantic are reluctant
to tow with anything that doesn't weigh at least 3 tons with a huge V8
engine! No wonder we are suffering from global warming!

Makes you wonder how we cope with the small cars we have in the UK and
Europe! I tow with a 1.6 litre turbocharged diesel estate BTW, including
big heavy two seater K21 and DG1000 trailers.

Derek Copeland

[Doug Hoffman]

Del C wrote:
> At 12:00 29 April 2009, Pete Smith wrote:
>> this is a joke right?
>>
> Probably not! The people on the West side of the Altlantic are reluctant
> to tow with anything that doesn't weigh at least 3 tons with a huge V8
> engine!

Not all of us. I tow a LAK-12 with factory trailer behind my little PT
Cruiser (2.4L 4-cyl non-turbo). 2000 pound trailer + 800 pound glider +
200 pounds of stuff = about 3000 pounds total. Although I will admit to
not having tried serious mountain towing and I try to keep it under 70 mph.



> No wonder we are suffering from global warming!

Right! During the last ice age we had to do a *lot* of towing with our
V8s to get those darn glaciers to melt some.

-Doug Hoffman West side Atlantic dweller


> Makes you wonder how we cope with the small cars we have in the UK and
> Europe! I tow with a 1.6 litre turbocharged diesel estate BTW, including
> big heavy two seater K21 and DG1000 trailers.
>
> Derek Copeland
>

[Van Deutsch]

> Not all of us. *I tow a LAK-12 with factory trailer behind my little PT
> Cruiser (2.4L 4-cyl non-turbo). *2000 pound trailer + 800 pound glider +
> 200 pounds of stuff = about 3000 pounds total. *Although I will admit to
> not having tried serious mountain towing and I try to keep it under 70 mph.

OMG!!! You tow a LAK-12 trailer with a PT cruiser!! I briefly owned
a LAK-12 and I gotta say that trailer is an ornery beast due to single
piece wings on a 20 meter ship. The trailer is as big as a
racquetball court. And what a beautiful ship the LAK-12 is. The
trailer has a very high profile I think so it can navigate polish
muddy farm fields and is so long that it dwarfs other trailers at the
airfield. I'd be afraid it would get a mind of it's own on tow and
decide it was going to make the decisions about where it was going.
But with an attentive driver going slowly, aware of winds etc. you
could tow just about any ship I'd think...

[Raphael Warshaw]

It's worth noting that for a fully loaded semi, the tractor weighs
only ~ 18% of the total (15,000 lbs vs 80,000 lbs). Stability comes
from the fact that the weight of the trailer is carried just ahead of
center between the two drive axles insuring weight on the steering
axle for directional control and braking.

All things being equal, proper weight distribution and good vehicle
dynamics are more important than the overall heft of the tow vehicle.
All things are rarely equal though and a heavy tow vehicle will
compensate, to some extent, for lousy weight distribution and poor
vehicle design. This is why I choose to tow with a V8 pickup. I do
feel guilty about the fuel burn but, so far, the perceived advantages
of the heavy vehicle win out. Did I mention that the pickup is paid
for......

Ray Warshaw
1LK

[[email protected]]

I can hardly tell that my 1-35 on an enclosed trailer (1350 lbs) is
behind me with my Subaru Legacy. My wife's Toyota Corolla pulls it
just fine, but it's a bit slow on 3% hills.

A twin Grob in a Cobra trailer is noticable however, especially in
crosswinds, since the passenger car radial tires let it develop a
sway. I wouldn't think of trying it with the Toyota.

AGL