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Anybody tow their Bennington with a Ford Ranger(2019 to current model)?

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DewMan1964

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Wasn't exactly sure which forum to post in so I'm posting it here! Question is,...anybody tow their Bennington with the current models of Ford Ranger(2019 to current)? The Bennington I want is the S20 L-bench. Since I don't own lake property I will be towing my pontoon to wherever I decide to go boating. Pontoon/motor/trailer package with full tank of fuel in boat is going to weigh around 3,250 lbs. approximately. Ford says that the Ranger with the trailer tow package can tow 7,500 lbs. Will I be okay weight wise? 80% of 7,500 lbs. is 6,000 lbs. The Ranger I want to also upgrade to would be a 2021/2022 Ranger XL Super Cab 4x4 WITH trailer tow package. My current 2015 Ford Escape isn't going to tow that pontoon!
 
Disclaimer: I don’t tow my Bennington. Others can share their more personalized experiences. You should be fine from a mechanical perspective. Some potential challenges: In adverse weather, a pontoon is a massive square body that gets pushed and pulled significantly by wind. Is the Ranger up to handling that kind of push/pull/sway behind it? Combine that with any sort of topography challenges.

That said, these mid-sized trucks are pretty dang big themselves these days. Kinda like full size 20-30 years ago. What kind of geography are you towing in: fairly flat? Will you use it typically when conditions are decent? Those could be factors, since the truck should mechanically handle it with no problem.
 
Weight wise you'll be fine. Make sure to check the truck's payload capacity as that is generally much more of a limiting factor than tow weight ratings. You should be fine there as well. Normally, you want 10-12% of total towed weight as your trailer tongue weight to minimize sway. Most boat trailers will still do ok in the 5-7% range. Pontoon trailers are generally pretty easy to adjust the tongue weight by moving the load forward or axles back if you need extra tongue weight for stability.

By far your biggest concern will be frontal area on the boat if you're pulling at interstate speeds. You're going to know it's there for sure, especially if you have a head wind. I've got an F150 powerboost and an M22. It pulls fine but definitely drags hard, a lot more noticeable that my Mastercraft did and it was about 8,200 with fuel, gear and trailer.

One tip for towing with turbocharged engine. Monitor your boost gauge and lock out your upper gears until it's pulling in a gear where you only need boost to get up an incline, pass, etc. It will circulate more coolant, the engine will stay cooler, lower EGT and catalytic converter temps. Many times it will also get slightly better mileage this way.
 
No experience towing with a midsize truck but it should be fine at least for short distances. The new Ranger is pretty capable by all accounts so towing your smaller toon should be more than fine. It's probably better than full sized trucks from 20 years ago.

My old truck frame Sequoia (2006) tows my 5000lb 23 SSBXP fine but it's not comfortable, definitely white knuckling at times on the twisties and the old V8 wheezes on long inclines. I wouldn't want to tow it more than a few hours and only on highways or two-lane roads. I did upgrade the trailer to disc brakes on both axles to help out. Plan is to get a full size truck to replace the old mule so I can get the floating family room to further destinations.

Towing is one area I don't like to screw around, too many idiots out there.
 
I just purchased a 2026 F-250 4X4 Crew Cab with the 7.3 (430 hp) gas V8 and it is an absolute bull. I did not need to spend the extra $13K for the 6.7 diesel which I would never need for my applications despite this thing can tow up to 19400#. It is a very nice heavy duty truck. Give this truck a look if your starting to look around. I ordered mine exactly the way I wanted it and it only took 2 1/2 months to get it. I've been a GM guy my whole life but I really like this truck.
 
You'll be fine with a Ranger on a 20 foot boat. I towed my 2011 2275 RCW for years with a midsize Jeep Gladiator with Max tow package which was rated at 7700lbs capacity.

You just need to be smart. Give yourself extra room for vehicles in front you. Make sure you trailer has surge brakes (and if you want added braking power, get a trailer with electric brakes and put a controller in the Ranger)), and don't run 75mph down the road.

Does the boat come with a single or tandem axle trailer? 20 footer is usually a tandem but its right on the edge for single too. I would make sure you get a tandem trailer.

Don't forget you might add another couple hundred pounds with coolers, ice, beverages, food, water toy's, etc. I don't think (but I could be wrong) is Bennington's dry weight doesn't include any accessories you might have added to the base build. Ski tow pylon, dual batteries, front gate seat, propane grill, etc. Then again, you might have some of those things in the bed of the truck, so some might not apply.

Good luck with your Benny purchase and make sure to post pics when you get it.
 
You didn't mention if you're towing with a bunk trailer or a scissor (narrow) trailer. Anything longer than 10 miles I'd go for the bunk trailer - I've seen pontoons flipped over on the side of the road and it's always the skinny trailers.

Our setup is an Audi SQ8, which has the same towing capacity as the Ranger. We tow from storage to the launch and that's it (less than 15 miles per year) but the Audi tows like a dream with it's air suspension and V8. I don't think I'd run long distances however.

Screenshot 2026-05-11 at 1.04.01 PM.png,
 
I tow my 22' Bennington with my Toyota Tacoma short distances to and from the boat launch, twice a year. The Tacoma looks like a toy truck when I have the pontoon hooked up to it. The Tacoma can easily tow it; just a little slow when starting from a dead stop.

IMG_6134.jpg
 
What's more important than being able to pull a trailer is the ability to stop a trailer. If I were driving one of the smaller tow rigs, I'd be focused on maintaining a very safe distance to the vehicle in front of me. You never know when something bad is going to happen in front of you.
 
I towed my R series with my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I could tell it was there but took it easy and no problems
 
Great advice above - if your Benny, Trailer, Cargo, and Payload are under the vehicle capacities - no issue (tow capacity, pin capacity, payload capacity). Make sure you have the right hitch - helps when you get the tow package installed by the factory. However, often the trailers are NOT properly designed, putting the axels in the wrong spot and/or the ladder bumper spot in the wrong spot - resulting in too much or too little pin weight (10 to 15%, some suggest 20% of gross trailer weight). So, if you can get adjustable axels or a boarding ladder or front bumpers, it can help you dial in the proper pin weight if you are towing longer distances. As noted, the main issue is stopping - definitely get a trailer with brakes, ideally on all wheels - no matter what anyone tries to tell you (unless you are towing with a big truck short distances - then maybe not).
 
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CLDave said:
You didn't mention if you're towing with a bunk trailer or a scissor (narrow) trailer. Anything longer than 10 miles I'd go for the bunk trailer - I've seen pontoons flipped over on the side of the road and it's always the skinny trailers.

Our setup is an Audi SQ8, which has the same towing capacity as the Ranger. We tow from storage to the launch and that's it (less than 15 miles per year) but the Audi tows like a dream with it's air suspension and V8. I don't think I'd run long distances however.

View attachment 37700,
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Props for having a hotrod twin turbo tow your rig! I'm sure that Audi rips!
 
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