Maverick, Santa Cruz, and towing

[pxpaulx]

Ok, I've seen a few of the Santa Cruz videos out on YouTube now and I have a question for others who have experience towing.

It seems like even though rated for 2k and 4k towing, that the Maverick's hitch integration is well thought out. It appears integrated as part of the frame, and at a proper towing height.

I just watched the tfl Santa Cruz accessories video. The hitch looks to be 12 to 14 inches off the ground, very low and very much an after thought. It was also mentioned the hitch can come from the factory or be dealer installed, meaning it is a bolt on and not part of the frame.

Do those things give later or concern about their tow rating? We have a dedicated pdf with all the towing details for the Maverick. I kinda doubt there is an equivalent rating sheet for the Hyundai.

I'm either scared for Santa Cruz buyers, or feel like ford is being overly conservative and maybe not wanting to have a tow rating close to the ranger.

At the end of the day I trust the numbers from ford as a truck company over those from Hyundai.

Thoughts?

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[Abraxis]

I highly doubt the hyundai won't live up to it's numbers... Hyundai already went through a whole ordeal with number inflation and I doubt they're wanting to go through that again. My suspicion is that ford is uder rating the numbers for maverick to create better separation between it and ranger. Would i personally tow above the rating? Absolutely not. If anything were to happen, the insurance company would be quick to screw you.

 

[slashy42]

Just to be clear, I think your terminology is off, here. Neither the Maverick or Santa Cruz have a frame. Additionally most hitches are just bolted on and can usually be installed by dealers. Non of that is a concern.

I'd be surprised if they didn't both meet their tow rating.

 

[JimParker256]

Ok, I've seen a few of the Santa Cruz videos out on YouTube now and I have a question for others who have experience towing.

It seems like even though rated for 2k and 4k towing, that the Maverick's hitch integration is well thought out. It appears integrated as part of the frame, and at a proper towing height.

I just watched the tfl Santa Cruz accessories video. The hitch looks to be 12 to 14 inches off the ground, very low and very much an after thought. It was also mentioned the hitch can come from the factory or be dealer installed, meaning it is a bolt on and not part of the frame.

Do those things give later or concern about their tow rating? We have a dedicated pdf with all the towing details for the Maverick. I kinda doubt there is an equivalent rating sheet for the Hyundai.

I'm either scared for Santa Cruz buyers, or feel like ford is being overly conservative and maybe not wanting to have a tow rating close to the ranger.

At the end of the day I trust the numbers from ford as a truck company over those from Hyundai.

Thoughts?

I know this is an old thread... But both the Maverick and Santa Cruz hitches are bolt-on components. For that matter, so was the hitch on my Chevy 2500 HD. As long as the hitch attachment points were designed-in as part of the tow package engineering, having a bolt-on hitch would NOT a reason to avoid either vehicle. Hitch height is another matter to me. You can easily lower the attachment point, but if it's too low, there will always be a "drag point" going over speed bumps, etc.

Max towing limits consider many factors, including axle load ratings, suspension capability (sag), braking capacity, engine / transmission load and cooling, among others. Without access to Ford and Hyundai engineering data, we may never know exactly which one of those factors "maxed out" first, but we know that those limits were set for a reason.

For myself, I'm more interested in the fact that my RV can tow the Maverick than I am with pushing the Maverick hybrid's 2K towing limit. Ford actually planned for RV towing with the Hybrid, and the manual explains how to do it. And since we moved from our country "ranch" to the suburbs, I no longer have to haul a heavy tractor back and forth for service, or loads of hay bales, or even fencing materials and oversized gates. Thus my Chevy HD 2500 was sold (for $300 more than I paid new, despite 47K+ miles and being 5 years old), and the Maverick(s) is(are) on order. Appliances (one at a time) are probably the largest thing I'll ever need to haul, and the Maverick can handle both the size and the weight with ease.

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