Did Ranger towing change for 2004?

Compare the cited 2004 figures on this page with the 2003 record. They are stored separately.

What tongue weight should I plan for a 2004 Ranger?

At the cited 5,980 lb conventional maximum, an illustrative 10% assumption produces 598 lb of tongue weight. This is not a recommended percentage or a measurement; follow your trailer and vehicle instructions and measure the actual load. That load counts against payload and the rear axle rating.

Index · Ford · Ranger

2004 Ford Ranger

The highest conventional-hitch rating for the 2004 Ford Ranger is 5,980 lb, the top of 22 rows transcribed from Ford’s 2004 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide. That row is printed for the 4.0L V6 SOHC, Regular Cab, 7-ft, Box bed, 2WD, 3.55 axle, Automatic transmission. Most configurations are rated lower: 21 of the 22 transcribed conventional-hitch chart rows for 2004 are below 5,980 lb. Across 22 manufacturer chart rows for 2004, ratings run conventional 1,520 lb to 5,980 lb; the engine, cab, axle ratio and package on your truck decide its number.

conventional4.0L V6 SOHC, Regular Cab, 7-ft. Box bed, 2WD, 3.55 axle, Automatic transmission.5,980 lb

The build table for 2004 is not transcribed. This page will not multiply trims, cabs, and engines into trucks the order guide did not list.

Hitch	Cited maximum	Configuration	Source grade
Conventional	5,980 lb	4.0L V6 SOHC, Regular Cab, 7-ft. Box bed, 2WD, 3.55 axle, Automatic transmission.	OEM chart

Highest rows among 22 transcribed chart configurations. Most trucks of this model year are rated lower; find your exact configuration in the table below.

Source: Ford, 2004 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide, Trailer Towing Selector, pages 15-17; Explorer Sport Trac towing table, PDF page 19. Includes both the new 2004 F-150 (wheelbase columns) and the carry-over F-150 Heritage.

Spec sheet

6 of 25 fields cited; 1 estimate. Field index

Cited fields may cover selected trims or only part of a measurement. Read the configuration and source beside each value; a cited field does not mean every version is researched.

Towing

Conventional maximum: 5,980 lb. 4.0L V6 SOHC, Regular Cab, 7-ft. Box bed, 2WD, 3.55 axle, Automatic transmission.Ford source
Gooseneck maximum: Not transcribed for this model year.
Fifth-wheel maximum: Not transcribed for this model year.
Tongue or pin load: 598 lb tongue at the 5,980 lb conventional maximum. Illustration at 10 percent conventional and 15 percent in-bed, not a measured load or recommendation. Follow the trailer and vehicle instructions; actual load may be higher.Estimate
Weight distribution: Not transcribed for this model year.
Trailer frontal area: Not transcribed for this model year.

Weights

Payload: Not transcribed for this model year.
GCWR: 4,800–9,500 lb across 22 chart rows that print a GCWR (each row's GCWR is in the chart table and explorer)Ford source
GVWR: Not transcribed for this model year.
Front GAWR: Not transcribed for this model year.
Rear GAWR: Not transcribed for this model year.
Curb weight: Not transcribed for this model year.

Body

Wheelbase: Not transcribed for this model year.
Bed length: 7-ft. Box, 6-ft. BoxFord source
Bed width and depth: Not transcribed for this model year.
Cab-to-axle: Not transcribed for this model year.
Overall length, width, height: Not transcribed for this model year.
Ground clearance and angles: Not transcribed for this model year.
Fifth-wheel clearance: Not transcribed for this model year.

Power

Engine, horsepower, torque: Not transcribed for this model year.
Transmission: Not transcribed for this model year.
Fuel type and tank: Not transcribed for this model year.
Drivetrain: 2WD, 4WDFord source
Axle ratio: 3.55, 3.73/4.10, 3.73, 4.10Ford source
Tow package: Automatic transmission; Ranger Edge; Automatic transmission; Manual transmission; Ranger Edge; Manual transmissionFord source

Bed, tongue weight, and wheelbase

The trailer rating is one limit. The bed has to fit the load, the tongue or pin has to fit in payload, and the wheelbase is the column the chart uses.

An illustrative 10 percent of the 5,980 lb conventional maximum is 598 lb of tongue weight. This is not a measured load or recommended percentage; actual load may be higher.

Bed capacity · Tongue and pin weight · Wheelbase · GCWR, GVWR, and GAWR. Wheelbase is not transcribed for this year. See the spec sheet for the sourced GCWR and its configuration.

Estimate payload margin and bed volume · How these limits work together

Change from 2003

Conventional: 5,960 lb in 2003, 5,980 lb in 2004 (+20 lb).

Generation

Compact Ranger

2004 is year 7 of this generation (1998–2011). The compact U.S. Ranger that ran through 2011. Ford then left the segment until 2019.

2004 towing by engine

Lowest to highest printed rating for each engine across 22 transcribed chart rows. A missing hitch means the chart did not print one for that engine, not that it is zero.

Engine	Conventional	Chart rows
4.0L V6 SOHC	3,100–5,980 lb	6
3.0L V6	2,300–2,660 lb	12
2.3L I4	1,520–2,240 lb	4

Highest-rated configurations

Trailer	Engine	Cab / bed	Drive	Axle / package	GCWR	Evidence
5,980 lb Conventional	4.0L V6 SOHC	Regular Cab, 7-ft. Box	2WD	3.55 · Automatic transmission^{note 1}	9,500 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 4.0L V6 SOHC 3.55 GCWR 9,500, column Regular Cab 4x2 7-ft. Box, Automatic transmission
5,860 lb Conventional	4.0L V6 SOHC	SuperCab, 6-ft. Box	2WD	3.55 · Automatic transmission^{note 2}	9,500 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 4.0L V6 SOHC 3.55 GCWR 9,500, column SuperCab 4x2 6-ft. Box, Automatic transmission
5,740 lb Conventional	4.0L V6 SOHC	SuperCab, 6-ft. Box	2WD	3.55 · Ranger Edge; Automatic transmission^{note 3}	9,500 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 4.0L V6 SOHC 3.55 GCWR 9,500, column SuperCab 4x2 6-ft. Box, Automatic transmission
5,660 lb Conventional	4.0L V6 SOHC	Regular Cab, 7-ft. Box	4WD	3.73/4.10 · Automatic transmission^{note 1}	9,500 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 4.0L V6 SOHC 3.73/4.10 GCWR 9,500, column Regular Cab 4x4 7-ft. Box, Automatic transmission
5,560 lb Conventional	4.0L V6 SOHC	SuperCab, 6-ft. Box	4WD	3.73/4.10 · Automatic transmission^{note 4}	9,500 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 4.0L V6 SOHC 3.73/4.10 GCWR 9,500, column SuperCab 4x4 6-ft. Box, Automatic transmission
3,100 lb Conventional	4.0L V6 SOHC	SuperCab, 6-ft. Box	4WD	3.73/4.10 · Manual transmission^{note 5}	7,000 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 4.0L V6 SOHC 3.73/4.10 GCWR 7,000, column SuperCab 4x4 6-ft. Box, Manual transmission
2,660 lb Conventional	3.0L V6	Regular Cab, 6-ft. Box	2WD	3.73 · Manual transmission^{note 6}	6,000 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 3.0L V6 3.73 GCWR 6,000, column Regular Cab 4x2 6-ft. Box, Manual transmission
2,620 lb Conventional	3.0L V6	Regular Cab, 6-ft. Box	2WD	3.73 · Automatic transmission^{note 2}	6,000 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 3.0L V6 3.73 GCWR 6,000, column Regular Cab 4x2 6-ft. Box, Automatic transmission
2,580 lb Conventional	3.0L V6	Regular Cab, 7-ft. Box	2WD	3.73 · Manual transmission^{note 6}	6,000 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 3.0L V6 3.73 GCWR 6,000, column Regular Cab 4x2 7-ft. Box, Manual transmission
2,540 lb Conventional	3.0L V6	Regular Cab, 7-ft. Box	2WD	3.73 · Automatic transmission^{note 2}	6,000 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 3.0L V6 3.73 GCWR 6,000, column Regular Cab 4x2 7-ft. Box, Automatic transmission
2,520 lb Conventional	3.0L V6	Regular Cab, 6-ft. Box	2WD	3.73/4.10 · Ranger Edge; Manual transmission^{note 7}	6,000 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 3.0L V6 3.73/4.10 GCWR 6,000, column Regular Cab 4x2 6-ft. Box, Manual transmission
2,480 lb Conventional	3.0L V6	Regular Cab, 6-ft. Box	2WD	3.73/4.10 · Ranger Edge; Automatic transmission^{note 3}	6,000 lb	Page 17, Ranger table, row 3.0L V6 3.73/4.10 GCWR 6,000, column Regular Cab 4x2 6-ft. Box, Automatic transmission

Automatic transmission; Value footnote (1): Available for fleet only.
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission; Footnote (2): Ranger Edge only.
Automatic transmission; Value footnote (3): Also available with Tremor.; Value footnote (4): 5,200 lbs. with FX4 Level II.
Manual transmission; Value footnote (5): 2,740 lbs. with FX4 Level II.
Manual transmission
Manual transmission; Footnote (2): Ranger Edge only.

Chart source: Ford, 2004 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide. The evidence column gives each row’s page and table.

Find your exact configuration (22 rows) →Download 2004 rows as CSV ↓

What changes the number

Engine and transmission
Cab, bed, and wheelbase
Two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive
Axle ratio and tow package
Conventional hitch versus fifth-wheel versus gooseneck
People, options, and cargo, which spend payload the chart assumed was empty

Questions

How much can a 2004 Ford Ranger tow?: The highest conventional-hitch rating for the 2004 Ford Ranger is 5,980 lb, the top of 22 rows transcribed from Ford’s 2004 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide. That row is printed for the 4.0L V6 SOHC, Regular Cab, 7-ft, Box bed, 2WD, 3.55 axle, Automatic transmission. Most configurations are rated lower: 21 of the 22 transcribed conventional-hitch chart rows for 2004 are below 5,980 lb.
Did Ranger towing change for 2004?: Compare the cited 2004 figures on this page with the 2003 record. They are stored separately.
Which configuration hits the maximum?: The 5,980 lb conventional maximum is printed for the 4.0L V6 SOHC, Regular Cab, 7-ft, Box bed, 2WD, 3.55 axle, Automatic transmission.
What tongue weight should I plan for a 2004 Ranger?: At the cited 5,980 lb conventional maximum, an illustrative 10% assumption produces 598 lb of tongue weight. This is not a recommended percentage or a measurement; follow your trailer and vehicle instructions and measure the actual load. That load counts against payload and the rear axle rating.

Compare with

2002 · 2003 · 2005 · 2006 · All Ranger years