Thread: Gotta Ford Ranger, You might want to watch this.

Originally Posted by Got-ya

The old manual v auto towing debate.

10 years ago I was firmly in the manual camp. If using an older Cruiser or Nissan etc, or up to about 2010 ute of any brand then I still would be. However, auto's have come a long way with way better engine breaking and reliability. Choosing now would come down to other features the vehicle had and probably not the transmission.

Agree, although one thing that really affects things is the cooling ability for auto's. Some auto's are crap even with an uprated cooler - this is one of the main culprits with the Ranger auto issue I think. The newer common rail diesels suffer from a distinct lack of engine braking across the board, I have often thought a simple bolt on electromagnetic retarder kit coming with a shortened rear driveshaft would be a bloody good thing at 3500Kg towing. The TB-class electric brakes are good, but not as good in some ways as the hydraulic override couplings that on a downhill natively apply the brakes on the trailer as it leans on the towing vehicle and starts to push. TB-class you almost need to wind the proportioning controller back, rest your foot on the brake pedal and have the brakes on the trailer riding while the towing vehicle is coasting under engine retarding. Not easy to do with some of the electric systems, not set up to do that (brakes either on or off...).

The other thing that used to be good with the 4x4's is being able to leave the front hubs disengaged and going to 4L when backing or moving the trailer in tight areas. Real handy. I asked about an interrupt switch for the PX series rangers just isolating the front diff servo, seems with CANBus that idea isn't a starter as the computer is looking for a feedback signal from the servo and if it doesn't get it with 4wd selected it goes into panic mode like a true hypochondriac.