92 Ford Ranger 4-Down

[Ross]

Has anyone towed a manual transmission Ranger 4-down?  I always thought that they were towable no problem but the manual says that both auto and manual transmissions can only be towed 50 miles at 35MPH.  Any more that that and the drive shaft has to be disconnected.  Is this just a case of Ford being overly cautious?  The manual transmission does not have a pump in it like an auto does it?  If there is no pump, it should be towable it nuetral....right?

Thanks...Ross

[Busted Knuckle]

Ross,

I don't know the technical status of towing Ford Rangers 4 down, but as an experienced tow truck driver I know first hand when towing 1 any distance at all with out a tow truck it ruins the bearings because of lack of lubrication. I also know the 5spd transmissions are very weak and prone to problems under normal use, I have a '92, my dad has an '86, my uncle had a '95 (4X4), all of these had transmission prooblems and had to have the tranmissions replaced. Also when I was towing full time we towed more manuals to the transmission shops than the automatics, which with most cars is the opposite! FWIW!

Don't get me wrong I love Fords, & I drive/own them but this has been one of my personal peeves about the Rangers I've had any experiences with!
BK 

For safety sake I'd get a driveshaft disconnect or pull it myself!

[captain ron]

If it has the larger cab it also has a carrier bearing. I don't know if this is any significance

[Busted Knuckle]

If it has the larger cab it also has a carrier bearing. I don't know if this is any significance

Good point Ron, all of the ones in our family are extended cabs! But not all of those I tow were! BK 

[Ross]

It's an extended cab, but why would that matter?  I bought it at an auction for $625 in excellent shape with 83,000 original miles.  Worse case is that in has to have a Remco driveshaft disconnect.  Just hate to pay more for a driveshaft than I paid for the truck.  I'm pretty sure people here have reported towing them with no problems.

Ross

[NJT5047]

Does the cluster gear turn when the truck is towed?  Problem probably has to do with the bearing in the front input shaft.  High speed operation generally has the input and output shaft locked together (high gear), or very close in speed if in OD.  The tiny little input shaft/output shaft bearing wouldn't be well lubricated when towing. 
A 4X4 transfer case could be bought cheap, I reckon.  They are cheap for  S10s....typically $75 bucks.   Not sure what a Ford uses or how common they are. 
A 4X4 case spins the chain when in neutral and being towed, so it is lubricated.   Nothing in the transmission is turning when the transfer case is in neutral.   This is true of American transfer cases...imports have various methods of lubricating toad transfer cases. 
Anyone feel free to correct my thesis, but the manual transmission cluster gear will not be turning when towed with the transmission in neutral, thus no oil slinging going on inside the case...?   And, the output shaft will be spinning inside 1rst thru Reverse gears with no lube.  Not good.   
I wouldn't think the driveshaft carrier bearing would be a problem at all.   You need a donor extended cab 4X4 for a transfer case and driveshaft.  Don't need the front axle stuff, just use 2 high for driving, and neutral for towing. Be cheaper than a Remco disconnect, and not a lot more work. 
Towing the manual gets  two thumbs down!  May tear up something big when the trans locks up from lack of lube.  You could pull it around behind a pickup and see what happens?   
That's my dos centavos... 
Best, JR

[rayshound]

On the standard I have no info but I have a 1999 Ford Explorer 4wd automatic which is the same as a Ranger,  it can be towed 4 wheels down with an optional under the dash switch and a software down load from Ford to the gem module. when the switch is flipped it puts both front and rear out of gear and can be towed. It's in the owners manual.  Ray

[gg04]

Have pulled an 88 model 4cyl 5spd  4down since it was new. Never have had any problems from towing. Never any trans problems either, and in its current configuration it has 375rwhp..have been going to change to a t5 trans for the last 10 years to get a better 1st gear but the old factory box still works perfectly so no swap yet lol...gg

[bobofthenorth]

375 HP out of a Ford 4-banger?  Is that a typo?

[Eagle]

Ross call Remco and they will tell you if it can be towed with out the drive shaft disconnect. 

[TomC]

Our truck delivery driver had a Ford Ranger with an automatic that had the Remco driveline disconnect installed.  He had numerous problems with the disconnect, mainly from the constant use, and he had a driveline vibration that always bothered him.  He traded it in on a new 2007 Ford Ranger with the 5 speed manual and was told by Ford that towing 4 down was fine.

On another front, we also have an outside company that does truck delivery for us and they too use Ford Rangers with automatics.  They just allow them to idle for the entire 300 mile trip to the state line for delivery!  Good Luck, TomC

[gg04]

Not a typo just responding to the weakness of ranger trans...the autos are weak if factory but good  autos are only around $500... in 15 years of high hp usage have still not destroyed the factory 5spd..turboed, intercooled,big cammed,lots of fun...gg