Why isn't the Ford Ranger a popular expedition vehicle?
- Thread starter winkosmosis
- Start date
winkosmosis
Explorer
I'm guessing that's what the rest of the world gets as the Ranger.
I don't understand why Ford split the platform and made two different ones. Wouldn't it be cheaper to sell the same platform worldwide?
4Rescue
Expedition Leader
A friend's dad has had somehting like 7 rangers over the last 20 years... He has a painting co. and uses them as both his DD and his company truck. Having driven ALOT of these rangers, both 4x4 and 2wd I gotta say that while they're certainly stout trucks, the ergonomics and driving comfort is, to me, a 1 out of 10. The Clutch engagenment is atrocious and the general lack of smoothness in the drivetrain makes them really uncomfortable IMO. They get REALLY bucky off-road. Now I'm SURE there are more then a few things you could do to fix these things, but stock for stock, they're not nearly as well built or sorted out as a comparable Toyota or Nissan. As folks have mentioned they're EVERYWHERE out in the dessert. Last time we went surfing down in Baja, we must have run across no less then 100 of them zipping all over the place and they looked like FUN to me. Put in some nwe seats, swap in a good manual transmission and beef up the under-pinnings and they'd be great. Clearly Safari Pacific has built up one SWEET ranger, but it hasn't been without a LOT of work and engineering. Still, I'd guess that the SP Ranger is one of THE nicest out there...
Cheers
Dave
EDIT: WichdoctorOZ's truck looks to be UNBELIVABLE!!!!! What an awesome design and amazing craftsmanship... Well done mate. But I gotta say, I like the old 5-spoke wheels you had. Still that is one IMPRESSIVE build you have going. Nice rig.
Cheers
Dave
EDIT: WichdoctorOZ's truck looks to be UNBELIVABLE!!!!! What an awesome design and amazing craftsmanship... Well done mate. But I gotta say, I like the old 5-spoke wheels you had. Still that is one IMPRESSIVE build you have going. Nice rig.
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Ferr3t
New member
I love my Ranger and am sad that Ford is discontinuing the line...but I'm hoping that another company may soon step up to fill this gap. I've been patiently awaiting the small Mahindra diesel trucks to enter the North American market but they've had all sorts of trouble getting them on the road here. I think that small, economical diesel trucks (compact, like the Ranger) would sell quite well for both commercial fleet vehicles and for those of us who don't need/want a full size truck. I'm amazed that we don't have them in the US yet.
I love my Ranger and am sad that Ford is discontinuing the line...but I'm hoping that another company may soon step up to fill this gap. I've been patiently awaiting the small Mahindra diesel trucks to enter the North American market but they've had all sorts of trouble getting them on the road here. I think that small, economical diesel trucks (compact, like the Ranger) would sell quite well for both commercial fleet vehicles and for those of us who don't need/want a full size truck. I'm amazed that we don't have them in the US yet.
+1 +1
Witchdoctor Oz
Adventurer
Thanks for the kind words 4Rescue.
The factory 5 spoke wheels failed during our last desert expedition with three cracks in one wheel & two cracks in another. Ford would not come to the party with replacements, but i could buy them at $600 a pop, so we imported five eagle ones for under $600 landed in Oz.
I love my little Courier 4x4.
Cheers
David
The factory 5 spoke wheels failed during our last desert expedition with three cracks in one wheel & two cracks in another. Ford would not come to the party with replacements, but i could buy them at $600 a pop, so we imported five eagle ones for under $600 landed in Oz.
I love my little Courier 4x4.
Cheers
David
59bisquik
New member
I think the older TTB Ranger would make a great Expo rig. I am converting my Bronco II into a expo rig. The Ranger is the same rig but just a few inches longer. The TTB with a small lift, extended radius arms and some bigger tires would fit the bill. Has a bed for a camper shell, came with the 4.0 V6 and the chassis has a pretty good aftermarket. Around here the 2WD version with long travel and glass is really popular. However, my 4wd Bronco II is pretty unique and they arent seen fixed up all that often. I think it will make a good expo rig, but the Ranger with a bit more room would be a better choice!
Plannerman
Wandering Explorer
This thread ha been a fantastically nostalgic read for me. My Rangers were the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned. In fact, my '87 (with the 2.9L) was an incredibly solid vehicle, even after 250,000 hard neglectful miles. I that truck had had 4wd, I'd still have.
If Ford ever brings the new ranger over, I'm buying one.
If Ford ever brings the new ranger over, I'm buying one.
There are plenty of aftermarket suspension systems for the Ranger, both TTB and A-Arm. A lot of the dezert guys go with the lighter Ranger, because the suspension doesn't get beat as "much" as it would on a fullsize...relatively speaking.
That picture is actually a full size Bronco that I'm pretty sure was built by Mark at Southwest Performance. But, Autofab does build a kit to bolt-on a full size F150/Bronco D44 TTB like the one above on a Ranger/Explorer/Bronco II. And yeah, it can work incredibly well in the rough. I think the TTB would be well suited for Overland travel. It'll never perform like a solid axle, but it'll get you into almost as much trouble!
The TTB's weak point is the center/crossover u-joint. But, if set up right (appropriately placed bump stops and limit straps), it can hold up very well. For high-speed use, the center joint is a non-issue as desert racers do not generally run in 4wd.
The 2wd A-arm Rangers aren't great foundations for hard-use without a lot of modifications. There are a few good kits for the 4wd trucks, though. If I was building a 4wd A-Arm Ranger I'd look at Dixon Bro's first... not high on bling, but high on function. I'm a beam guy myself, though, so I'd go with a TTB truck.
Engines: The 2.3L and the later 2.5L are both great engines. The 2.3L is one of the most reliable engines ever. Especially after the converted to the roller cam. Still, by the time you add some lift and big tires, they really start to run out of power. Keep things modest with 31" tires and it'll be fine.
My choice would be the OHV 4.0L. It makes really great low end torque, plenty of power to motivate the truck even with larger tires (as long as it's geared). Best of all, it'll net at least 20mpg on the freeway. Even after several hundred thousand miles. I've owned at least 4 trucks with this engine and each of them had at least 230,000 miles and still ran great when I sold them.
The later OHV engines make great power but their fuel economy sucks no matter what you do. I don't think the extra power is worth the loss of economy. A full size truck can get just as much fuel economy and also give you more payload, towing capacity and overall room.
On a related note, I think an Explorer would also make a decent Overland rig. It uses all the same suspension components but has 4 doors, plenty of interior space, fold down seats, etc., etc. I'll be building another 4WD 4 Door TTB Explorer once I get tired of my current Bronco.
My old Autofab equipped Explorer (same suspension as a Ranger):
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velojunkie
New member
I've got a 2000 Ranger, that I originally bought for expo/camping. It's 4WD, 3.0L V6 and 5-spd manual. Hand crank windows and all that. Been pretty reliable for the 35,000miles I've had it.
Downsides:
Pathetic power output from the 3L, I can't even pull a 7% grade at sea level with no load in the back in 4th gear, I have to drop down to 3rd and buzz along at 3-4000rpm (maybe this isn't an issue as I'm used to V8 that don't need ot buzz)
Bed sheet metal is flimsy, the bed sides bow out towards the back end
No 4wd std cab longbed
Torsion bar suspension hangs down really low, I've gotten high centered on the skid plate under their rear mounts
Torsion bars also make it more difficult to convert to solid axle, unless I do leafs
Electric shift t-case, but I've only had one problem where it wouldn't shift out of 4-Lo (better than not going into 4-lo I suppose)
6' bed is BARELY long enough for me to sleep in and I'm 5'9'
Upsides:
OK fuel economy, 17/20 town/highway, but my neighbors 2001 F150 5.4L 4x4 gets about the same
Big enough for 1-2 people and a couple medium dogs in the cab (good enough for me)
1/2 the cost of a tacoma with more miles ($5k @ 120k vs $8-10k @ 200k) at least here in CA
small so you can pick different lines on the trail
small so have maneuvering room on 1-lane roads with logging trucks coming the other way
rubber floors and manual locks and windows
If the engine had decent power and/or the torsion bars didn't hang way down I'd probably keep it, but I don't know that I want to do an engine swap and axle swap on it. Thinking about switching to a fullsize truck so I have more space. But the mileage and possible range of the ranger keep it as a possibility.
Downsides:
Pathetic power output from the 3L, I can't even pull a 7% grade at sea level with no load in the back in 4th gear, I have to drop down to 3rd and buzz along at 3-4000rpm (maybe this isn't an issue as I'm used to V8 that don't need ot buzz)
Bed sheet metal is flimsy, the bed sides bow out towards the back end
No 4wd std cab longbed
Torsion bar suspension hangs down really low, I've gotten high centered on the skid plate under their rear mounts
Torsion bars also make it more difficult to convert to solid axle, unless I do leafs
Electric shift t-case, but I've only had one problem where it wouldn't shift out of 4-Lo (better than not going into 4-lo I suppose)
6' bed is BARELY long enough for me to sleep in and I'm 5'9'
Upsides:
OK fuel economy, 17/20 town/highway, but my neighbors 2001 F150 5.4L 4x4 gets about the same
Big enough for 1-2 people and a couple medium dogs in the cab (good enough for me)
1/2 the cost of a tacoma with more miles ($5k @ 120k vs $8-10k @ 200k) at least here in CA
small so you can pick different lines on the trail
small so have maneuvering room on 1-lane roads with logging trucks coming the other way
rubber floors and manual locks and windows
If the engine had decent power and/or the torsion bars didn't hang way down I'd probably keep it, but I don't know that I want to do an engine swap and axle swap on it. Thinking about switching to a fullsize truck so I have more space. But the mileage and possible range of the ranger keep it as a possibility.
NC_IslandRunner
SE Expedition Society
The county my brother works for bought a bunch of Rangers, 10,000miles later they were replacing the rear end. So in short they are FORD i.e.-junk
ExplorerExplorer
Adventurer
And our company Rangers out last the full size Chevy's we had... Doesn't mean Chevy is junk... Just means that their trucks didn't last as long... Besides if you're having to replace the 8.8" after 10,000 miles that's some serious abuse (I know how company trucks are driven)... I don't really know any truck that will survive very long as a fleet vehicle (especially if 4WD is used regularly)...
life_w_vagabonds
Explorer
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/9FD02D3EF59FF5EBCA2578620009BB04
Check out the cousin. Maybe we will get the Ford version. Minus the diesel of course, who would want that :snorkel:
Check out the cousin. Maybe we will get the Ford version. Minus the diesel of course, who would want that :snorkel:
I had a Ranger Pickup while offroading in Laos and Thailand. I`too drove Fortuner, and hilux there.
The Ranger does his job very well. Nice and cheap car. When i drove with a Pickup, and to look after the money, the Ranger would be 1st joice.
And he has a good load index, for a "small" Pickup.
With more money, i would go with the VW Amarok, more space
The Ranger does his job very well. Nice and cheap car. When i drove with a Pickup, and to look after the money, the Ranger would be 1st joice.
And he has a good load index, for a "small" Pickup.
With more money, i would go with the VW Amarok, more space