The Ranger Manual says:
Frontal Area is the total area in square feet that a moving
vehicle and trailer exposes to air resistance.
The maximum trailer frontal area that must be considered for
a Ranger/trailer combination is 30 sq. ft. without Trailer Tow
Package and 55 sq. ft. with Trailer Tow...
I had a 2012 F150 3.5 Ecoboost, which could not take a front hitch receiver because of the turbo cooler. I'm thinking that may be part of the reason why the Ranger can't take them.
I had that happen a couple of times with my 2024, 2.3, XLT. No explanation on that. I held my foot to the brake when it revved. I actually don't know how I stopped it, I was so surprised, just kept my foot on the brake.
I have a 2024 XLT, 2.3. Yesterday, the transmission shifted into neutral all by itself. I stopped at an intersection, and when I started to pull ahead, the transmission had shifted to neutral. The only way I could move was to go to the manual mode and shift manually. Reverse didn't work either...
In the middle of September Ford started to install the brackets, They are different from the ones that had to be dealer-installed. If you search here you may find the reference to those and photos.
It depends on when your Ranger was built. If it was built before the middle of September 2024, it will need the brackets. Anything over 88 pounds needs them. There are lots of posts here that address that subject.
I didn't realize the Ranger was still in production until I started shopping for a new F150. My 2012 F150 was a bit more than I needed, so I opted for the Ranger after discovering it was still being around.
I just had a Leer cap installed on my Ranger XLT. Leer furnished the shims but the holes on the bed, shims, and the cap didn't line up. My dealer had to ream out new holes to get everything lined up. I don't know anything so simple could get screwed up. The cap was bolted down with bolts, lock...
I have a 2024 XLT and getting a Leer cap installed tomorrow. Their only stipulation was that I have the load box braces installed to prevent the truck and Leer warranties from being voided.