A Ford Ranger is rated to tow up to 7,500 lb, and that number has held for every model year from 2019 through 2026. It takes the Trailer Tow Package. Without it, Ford's towing guide limits you to 3,500 lb off the rear bumper.
Ford Ranger Towing Capacity by Year and Configuration
At a glance
- Most it can tow: 7,500 lb, every year from 2019 to 2026, with the Trailer Tow Package.
- Without the package: 3,500 lb, towing from the rear step bumper.
- Raptor: 5,510 lb, less than a regular Ranger, with the package fitted as standard.
On this page (9)
- How much can a Ford Ranger tow, year by year?
- Can a Ranger pull a camper?
- Which 2026 Ranger tows 7,500 lb
- What changed in the 2024 redesign
- The Trailer Tow Package, and whether your truck has it
- Hitch, trailer brakes and weight distribution
- Finding your own Ranger's figure
- How the Ranger compares with other midsize trucks
- Common questions
How much can a Ford Ranger tow, year by year?
Find your model year in the table. The top figure is the same in every year Ford has published a Ranger table, and it is the figure with the tow package fitted.
| Model year | Most it can tow | Engine |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 7,500 lb | 2.3L EcoBoost |
| 2020 | 7,500 lb | 2.3L EcoBoost |
| 2021 | 7,500 lb | 2.3L EcoBoost |
| 2022 | 7,500 lb | 2.3L EcoBoost |
| 2023 | 7,500 lb | 2.3L EcoBoost |
| 2024 | 7,500 lb | 2.3L or 2.7L EcoBoost |
| 2025 | 7,500 lb | 2.3L or 2.7L EcoBoost |
| 2026 | 7,500 lb | 2.3L or 2.7L EcoBoost |
Each year comes from that model year's own Ford document: the RV and Trailer Towing Guide for 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, starting with the 2019 guide. For 2021 the figure comes from Ford's 2021 Ranger technical specifications, because no 2021 towing guide was found on a Ford site.
Every 7,500 lb figure above needs the Trailer Tow Package, option code 53R, except 2021, where the spec sheet says only "when properly equipped" and does not name a package. In the 2024 to 2026 guides the Raptor is a separate row at 5,510 lb.
Tip: The 3,500 lb bumper limit is not a soft suggestion. Ford's guides list the Trailer Tow Package as required equipment for trailers over 3,500 lb and state that the New Vehicle Limited Warranty may be voided if you tow without it.
Can a Ranger pull a camper?
Yes, within its payload, which is usually what decides the trailer rather than the 7,500 lb rating. Tongue load counts against payload, along with passengers, gear and anything in the bed.
Ford's maximum payload figures for the 2026 Ranger, from its technical specifications:
- 2.3L EcoBoost, 4x2: 1,767 lb
- 2.3L EcoBoost, 4x4: 1,763 lb
- 2.7L EcoBoost V6, 4x4: 1,513 lb
- Raptor 3.0L EcoBoost V6: 1,373 lb
Those are maximums for a lightly equipped truck, and options cut them. Ford also states that payload and towing maximums are independent attributes that may not be achieved simultaneously.
Here is the check with Ford's own rule that tongue load is 10% of a loaded conventional trailer over 2,000 lb. A 6,000 lb loaded travel trailer puts 600 lb on the ball (6,000 x 0.10, calculated). On a 2.7L 4x4 at its 1,513 lb maximum payload, that leaves 913 lb (1,513 minus 600, calculated) for everyone and everything else in the truck.
No published payload maximums were found for 2024 and 2025 Rangers. For those years, read your own truck's figure off the sticker in the driver's door jamb. Trailer height matters too: Ford caps trailer frontal area at 55 sq. ft. with the tow package and 30 sq. ft. without it, which rules out many tall travel trailers on a package-less truck.
Tip: A 7,500 lb trailer loaded to Ford's 10% rule puts 750 lb on the ball, which is exactly the printed maximum tongue load for the Ranger's factory receiver. There is no margin left at the top of the rating.
Which 2026 Ranger tows 7,500 lb
Both regular engines reach the full rating, and the Raptor does not.
| Engine | Most it can tow | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| 2.3L EcoBoost I-4 | 7,500 lb | Trailer Tow Package, 4x2 or 4x4 |
| 2.7L EcoBoost V6 | 7,500 lb | Trailer Tow Package, 4x4 only |
| Raptor 3.0L EcoBoost V6 | 5,510 lb | Package standard on Raptor |
Figures from the 2026 Ford RV and Trailer Towing Guide, Ranger page. Since 2024 the Ranger is built only as a SuperCrew, and Ford prints no two-wheel-drive row for the 2.7L. Every non-Raptor row uses the 3.73 axle, so the axle ratio does not change the answer: engine and drivetrain do. For the full selector, with the combined weight ratings for each row, see Ford's own guide.
Ford's maximums assume a properly equipped truck with required equipment and a 150 lb driver and passenger, and nothing else aboard. The combined weight of truck and trailer cannot exceed the listed combined rating, which runs 12,370 lb to 12,745 lb for 2026 and 11,465 lb for the Raptor.
Tip: The Raptor is the one Ranger that tows less. Its combined weight rating is about 1,000 lb lower than the 2.7L's, its receiver is rated to 5,510 lb and 550 lb of tongue load, and its base curb weight of 5,363 lb eats into what is left for cargo.
What changed in the 2024 redesign
Between Ford's 2023 and 2024 guides the Ranger table changed shape, but not at the top.
Through 2023 the Ranger came as a SuperCab or SuperCrew with one engine, the 2.3L EcoBoost, in 4x2 or 4x4, rated 7,500 lb with the tow package and 3,500 lb without. From 2024 the guide lists SuperCrew only, with three engines: the 2.3L, a new 2.7L EcoBoost V6 that arrived in spring 2024, and the Raptor's 3.0L EcoBoost V6.
The headline figure stayed 7,500 lb. The combined weight ratings rose, from 12,150 lb to 12,500 lb in the older trucks to 12,370 lb to 12,745 lb now, and the Raptor joined the table at 5,510 lb. Ford's guides do not say why.
The Trailer Tow Package, and whether your truck has it
Option 53R is what the 7,500 lb rating hangs on. Ford's order guide lists it as optional on XL, XLT and Lariat, standard on Raptor, with the usage line "Tow Capability up to 7,500 lbs". It includes:
- A 4-pin and 7-pin wiring harness
- A Class IV trailer hitch receiver
- Tow/Haul Mode, which is standard across the range
A brake controller is not part of 53R. It comes with the Advanced Towing packages, 67P and 67G, which also add Pro Trailer Backup Assist, or as free-standing option 66D, which itself requires 53R. Any of 53R, 67P or 67G gives the full rating, because each one contains 53R.
Ford's documents do not describe a way to read the option code off the truck. What they do say is that the factory receiver is included with 53R, that its capacity is shown on a label on the receiver itself, and that an XL without the package has 4-pin wiring and ball-mounting provisions in the bumper but no receiver at all. Your door label and window sticker, or a dealer, can confirm what the truck was built with.
Hitch, trailer brakes and weight distribution
These are the numbers Ford prints for the Ranger, and one place where two parts of Ford's own guide pull in different directions.
The rear step bumper is rated 3,500 lb with 350 lb of tongue load. The factory receiver with the tow package is rated 7,500 lb weight-carrying with 750 lb of tongue load, and the Raptor's receiver 5,510 lb with 550 lb. Ford prints no weight-distributing rating for the Ranger receiver at all: in the 2019 guide those columns hold dashes.
On weight distribution, Ford says both things at once. The guide's general hitch pages say a weight-distributing hitch is required for all Class IV applications, meaning trailers over 5,000 lb, while the Ranger page rates the receiver weight-carrying to 7,500 lb and the weight-distribution setup table lists the Ranger's correction factor as "Not Required". Ford's class text adds "refer to specific vehicle pages", and the Ranger page sets no weight-distribution threshold.
For brakes, Ford prints no Ranger-specific threshold. The guide notes that many states require a separate braking system on trailers loaded over 1,500 lb and recommends a functional brake system on any towed vehicle; NHTSA's towing page covers the federal safety side. Adding a receiver or trailer wiring to a truck that left the factory without the package is structural and electrical work: have a Ford dealer or a qualified hitch shop do it.
Finding your own Ranger's figure
Your truck's weight limits are on the Safety Compliance Certification Label, on the left front door lock facing or the door latch post pillar, and that label also carries the two-digit axle code after the word AXLE. Match your engine and drivetrain to the row for your model year in the table above, then confirm the specific truck with a Ford dealer, since Ford states the towing guide is not VIN specific and its online towing calculator covers only F-Series pickups.
How the Ranger compares with other midsize trucks
Based on the published specifications, 7,500 lb puts the Ranger at the top end of what midsize pickups are rated to pull, and no maker lays its tables out quite the same way. The figures for the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, the Toyota Tacoma, the Nissan Frontier and the Jeep Gladiator each come from their own maker's documents, one page per truck.
Common questions
How much can a Ford Ranger tow?
Up to 7,500 lb, in every model year from 2019 through 2026, with the Trailer Tow Package (53R) and the truck otherwise properly equipped. Without the package, Ford limits bumper towing to 3,500 lb. The Ranger Raptor is the exception at 5,510 lb.
Can a Ford Ranger really tow 7,500 lbs?
Yes, as Ford's guides print it: a 2026 Ranger SuperCrew with the 2.3L EcoBoost (4x2 or 4x4) or the 2.7L EcoBoost V6 (4x4), the 3.73 axle and the Trailer Tow Package. The rating assumes a 150 lb driver and passenger and nothing else aboard, and the combined weight of truck and trailer must stay under the listed combined rating of 12,370 lb to 12,745 lb.
How much can a Ford Ranger Raptor tow?
5,510 lb, for the 2024 through 2026 Ranger Raptor with the 3.0L EcoBoost V6, 4.27 axle and a combined weight rating of 11,465 lb. The Trailer Tow Package is standard on the Raptor, and its receiver is rated for 550 lb of tongue load.
Can a Ford Ranger pull a travel trailer?
It can, as long as the trailer fits the payload and the frontal-area limit. On a 2026 Ranger 2.7L 4x4 with Ford's maximum payload of 1,513 lb, a 6,000 lb loaded trailer puts 600 lb on the hitch by Ford's 10% rule, leaving 913 lb for passengers and gear (calculated from Ford's figures). Ford also caps trailer frontal area at 55 sq. ft. with the tow package, which excludes many tall travel trailers.