Hey everyone! This is my first post, but I have been reading this forum for years, and have been able to save THOUSANDS of dollars by following the advice of my fellow ranger owners. I live in Florida and we were just SLAMMED by Irma. I was lucky enough to have my ranger and was able to help a lot of people drive trough high water and remove debris. The ranger is no longer my daily driver and I mainly just use it to go hunting or on the weekends. I come to you guys because I want to make it the ultimate rescue ranger. Before anyone starts saying that I need a bigger truck and that the ranger doesn't have enough power...... I'M KEEPING IT AND IT'S WHAT I GOT LOL. What are some things that would allow the ranger to serve as a better rescue vehicle in situations like hurricanes where you have to deal with high flood waters, hauling debris, pulling other vehicles and delivering resources to affected areas. I want to hear everyone's ideas no matter how crazy lol. I plan to do this over the next year or so. The only modifications I have is a 3 inch body lift and a few off-road lights. I would like suggestions on tires, wheel, winches, and anything else . I have an extended cab, so some suggestions on how to utilize that extra space would be great Too! Thanks You!!! 1999 Ford Ranger. 4.0 liter 4x4
Join RangerForum.com Today - It's Totally Free! Are you a Ford Ranger fan? If so we invite you to join our community and see what it has to offer. Our site is specifically designed for you and it's a great place for Ford Ranger Fans to meet online. Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your Ford, and have a great time with other Ranger fans. Whether your an old timer or just bought your Ford you'll find that Ranger Forum is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally free! Join RnagerForum.com Today!
Where you're at, the biggest problem you'll likely have to address is flooding. First off, if you don't already wear some, tall tires will help the truck stay dry as long as possible...maybe some Narrow TSL's? (skinny tire will put less stress against steering parts but added height will increase fording depth) Taller tires will "trick" the engine into thinking its running up against a taller axle ratio, so you might wanna look into proportionally shorter gears, too (mph x effective ratio x 336 / height of tire in inches = engine rpm at given mph. To run that formula backwards, engine rpm x tire height in inches / 336 / effective gear ratio = mph for given engine rpm). To help seal up the truck, one thing you can do is to run rubber hoses to all the vents for the axles, tranny and transfer case. Run those hoses all to a central manifold and run a single hose from there, up to some place protected that's near the top of the cab. Same goes for the air intake and breather lines for the engine. ...also, re-route the exhaust. Maybe a set of trucker style "stacks". Anything that will keep the exhaust out of the water (less stress on the engine). Seal all electronics and make sure door seals will either keep the water out or create a drain system that won't let water in, but will drain it out, should any get into the cab. A canopy is not a bad idea, but maybe something that will also allow you to have an open bed...one of those accordion style covers, something like that. After that, a good durable set of wiper blades and you should be set. Dean
If you have power windows and door locks you should keep a small window breaker so you can exit the vehicle if you lose power in deep water. If Dean didn't already cover it, an intake snorkel
