Looking For Real World Flat Towing Experiences

[Lilrascal]

I realize there are already several threads discussing flat towing the Ranger, but I was hoping to consolidate some real-world experiences into one thread that's a little more focused and easier to follow, particularly from owners who have accumulated some significant towing miles.

I have a 2025 Ranger Raptor that I'm planning to flat tow behind a motorhome. I really like the truck and would prefer to keep it rather than switch to a Jeep for towing.

I've been researching flat towing extensively and have come across reports of catastrophic transmission and transfer case failures on some Ford vehicles, including Broncos, F-150s, and older Rangers. More recently, I read about a 2024 F-150 Raptor that reportedly caught fire while being flat towed.

One theory is that low battery voltage can cause the transfer case to disengage from Neutral Tow. I realize Ford specifically warns about low voltage if the vehicle isn't completely powered off after entering Neutral Tow. l plan on adding a dedicated charge line, but I'm still concerned about the possibility of an electronic or mechanical failure while towing.

I'd really like to hear from owners who are actually flat towing their current-generation Rangers, especially 2024–2026 models and Ranger Raptors.

A few things I'm curious about:

1. What year and model Ranger are you towing, and approximately how many miles have you flat towed it?
2. What supplemental braking system are you using? ( I am planning on Air Force)
3. Do you have a charge line or battery charger installed? Do you actively monitor battery voltage from the motorhome? (Was thinking RVI charger with bullseye monitor in motorhome)
4. Have you experienced any issues entering or exiting Neutral Tow, low-voltage warnings, unexpected disengagement, or other electrical or drivetrain problems?
5. Has anyone received any useful technical information directly from Ford regarding the reliability of the electronic Neutral Tow system?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from owners with thousands of successful towing miles, as well as anyone who has experienced problems. I am trying to get a more balanced picture of how reliable these systems actually are.

I am specifically looking for experiences with flat towing four wheels down. I'm not looking for recommendations to use a trailer or tow dolly. I'm already familiar with those alternatives and their trade-offs, and would like to keep this discussion focused on actual flat-towing experiences.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their setup and experience.

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[ChipFalls]

Thanks for starting this thread. I am also interested in the 5 points you laid out above.

 

[jkloeb]

We have pulled a 26 Ranger Raptor with a Blue Ox and Airforce 1 braking system behind a 45ft Entegra for about 5 months now. Several trips exceed 1500+ miles round trip with no issues. What I will share is if you have a 26 RR nobody seemed to properly know how to put the truck in and out of flat tow mode, including the dealer and nothing in the manual. Flipping to the feature on the dash menu and pushing it doesnt enable the feature.

With that said Here is the actual step by step that must be followed correctly to get in and out of flat tow mode for at least the 26 RR….

2026 Ranger Raptor Flat Tow Procedure

To Engage Flat Tow Mode

1) Start Truck

2) Shift to Neutral and hit the “Manual Button” on side of shifter to put into 30 min temp Nuetral

3) Turn Off Truck

4) Turn on accessory mode only (push start without brake pedal)

5) Toggle to Settings on Dash Menu - Then Neutral Tow

6) Hold Down Brake Firmly and Hold OK button on Steering wheel to engage (Hold until confirmation)

- Confirmation will show 4x4 Transfer and Nuetral Tow Confirmation

- When you turn off you will see a Nuetral Town Enable window in dash

7) You can turn off vehicle and Exit



To Disengage Flat Tow Mode

1) Start Truck fully

2) Turn Off Truck

3) Turn on accessory mode only (push start without the brake pedal)

4) Press Brake Firmly

5) Shift out of Neutral to Park


Truck is now back into normal drive mode……

 

[sbrookssc]

I realize there are already several threads discussing flat towing the Ranger, but I was hoping to consolidate some real-world experiences into one thread that's a little more focused and easier to follow, particularly from owners who have accumulated some significant towing miles.

I have a 2025 Ranger Raptor that I'm planning to flat tow behind a motorhome. I really like the truck and would prefer to keep it rather than switch to a Jeep for towing.

I've been researching flat towing extensively and have come across reports of catastrophic transmission and transfer case failures on some Ford vehicles, including Broncos, F-150s, and older Rangers. More recently, I read about a 2024 F-150 Raptor that reportedly caught fire while being flat towed.

One theory is that low battery voltage can cause the transfer case to disengage from Neutral Tow. I realize Ford specifically warns about low voltage if the vehicle isn't completely powered off after entering Neutral Tow. l plan on adding a dedicated charge line, but I'm still concerned about the possibility of an electronic or mechanical failure while towing.

I'd really like to hear from owners who are actually flat towing their current-generation Rangers, especially 2024–2026 models and Ranger Raptors.

A few things I'm curious about:

1. What year and model Ranger are you towing, and approximately how many miles have you flat towed it?
2. What supplemental braking system are you using? ( I am planning on Air Force)
3. Do you have a charge line or battery charger installed? Do you actively monitor battery voltage from the motorhome? (Was thinking RVI charger with bullseye monitor in motorhome)
4. Have you experienced any issues entering or exiting Neutral Tow, low-voltage warnings, unexpected disengagement, or other electrical or drivetrain problems?
5. Has anyone received any useful technical information directly from Ford regarding the reliability of the electronic Neutral Tow system?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from owners with thousands of successful towing miles, as well as anyone who has experienced problems. I am trying to get a more balanced picture of how reliable these systems actually are.

I am specifically looking for experiences with flat towing four wheels down. I'm not looking for recommendations to use a trailer or tow dolly. I'm already familiar with those alternatives and their trade-offs, and would like to keep this discussion focused on actual flat-towing experiences.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their setup and experience.

 

[kickingaz]

I have owned Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators for decades before purchasing my '26 Ranger Raptor in March. One item to note is that the '24 Ranger Raptors were not able to be flat towed, and the changeover took place during '25 so my understanding (don't take this as fact) is that not all '25s can be flat towed. I had a deal signed on a used '24 that I cancelled once I learned about the lack of their ability to be flat towed.

I also purchased the Rival Recovery Points which provided a reinforced recovery point bracket that their recovery point bolts to. I made tow mounts that bolt to these brackets with a d-ring mount that my Sterling All-Terrain Black Hawk 2 Tow Bar mounts to, similar to the way I towed my Jeeps. I assume that most people will use a kit for their mounts, but I still do some rock crawling and I don't like having the mounts so low and vulnerable (i.e. accidentally crushed on a rock where the mount would be damaged). Below is a photo of the tow bar and custom brackets.

One other thing I do, that I also did with my Jeeps, is to video the process including the Neutral Tow confirmation on the dash screen, evidencing that the vehicle is in Neutral Tow. If there is ever an issue where the vehicle switches from Neutral Tow, I have evidence that I followed the factory instructions and did the process correctly. I don't know that it would matter, but at least we can avoid the user error issue at Ford.

Listed below are my responses to your specific questions ("A few things I'm curious about"):

1. What year and model Ranger are you towing, and approximately how many miles have you flat towed it? I have a '26 Ranger Raptor that I recently towed about 2,200 miles last month.
2. What supplemental braking system are you using? ( I am planning on Air Force) I have an older Brake Buddy that I use for braking.
3. Do you have a charge line or battery charger installed? Do you actively monitor battery voltage from the motorhome? (Was thinking RVI charger with bullseye monitor in motorhome). I made a charge line from the RV's 7-pin wiring to the battery using 8-gauge wire.
4. Have you experienced any issues entering or exiting Neutral Tow, low-voltage warnings, unexpected disengagement, or other electrical or drivetrain problems? I found that the instructions on the main screen (infotainment screen) are different than the manual, and that the main screen instructions are the ones to use. Once I followed those instructions, the dash indicated that I was in Neutral Tow each time I opened the door. I had no issues exiting Neutral Tow, again following the main screen instructions.
5. Has anyone received any useful technical information directly from Ford regarding the reliability of the electronic Neutral Tow system? I did not speak to Ford regarding the system.

 

[sbrookssc]

1. What year and model Ranger are you towing, and approximately how many miles have you flat towed it? 2026 Ranger XLT. I just finished setting it up for flat tow, so only did one tow of 10 miles. I also have a 2025 Ford Escape PHEV and I've flat towed it about 8000 miles with no problem at all. I do have a charge line on both vehicles.
2. What supplemental braking system are you using? ( I am planning on Air Force). Demco AF1 on both vehicles.
3. Do you have a charge line or battery charger installed? YES Do you actively monitor battery voltage from the motorhome? No I don't.
4. Have you experienced any issues entering or exiting Neutral Tow, low-voltage warnings, unexpected disengagement, or other electrical or drivetrain problems? None, but just starting on towing the Ranger. I did forget to take the Escape out of neutral tow one time on an overnight stop. The next morning it still had plenty of battery remaining.
5. Has anyone received any useful technical information directly from Ford regarding the reliability of the electronic Neutral Tow system? No

 

[Travler]

I like the detail of the gentleman a few post up from AZ gave , I have used that on my 2021 Bronco Wildtrak SAS since it was new , I use the same setup as he has used since the Bronco was new , we have a Prevost Bus we travel about 15 to 20 thousand miles a year towing , we have never had an issues towing, we just recently traded the Bronco for a 2026 RR , WE PUT THE same system on it that we had on the Bronco , we towed a little over 1800 miles total over a five day period with NO issues

 

[Lilrascal]

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences so far.

 

[kmartin760]

The procedure for entering tow mode without a push button ignition is somewhat easier but most certainly NOT clearly explained in the manual. In addition, since the ignition key is captured, you need a second key or remote to lock the doors

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