car accessories Archives - Page 2 of 8

Buying and Installing Your Ford Ranger Hardtop or Truck Bed Cover

Hardtops, or a truck bed cover as they are sometimes called, are huge plastic shells that can be placed on the bed of a truck. Hardtops are commonly placed over the bed of a truck to create more protected space to haul, or store things in the back of your vehicle.

If you are in the market for a ford ranger hardtop, than it is good to do your research on hard tops before purchasing one as you want to be sure to find the perfect one. Ford Ranger truck covers can be used for many things. If you have equipment like drums, or electrical equipment like lawn mowers, than having a hard top is a great idea. The truck covers are made from a hard plastic material, and are weather and rain resistant, so it will keep your fragile equipment safe and sound. Hard shells are also useful storage place for extra luggage, and camping equipment. Whether you leave the equipment in the hard shell for several hours, or several days, you know it will be safe and well protected from weather and burglars when you return to it.

Truck covers or camper shells are a great replacement for a tent too. Many truck covers have built in windows, and can be a great replacement for a tent if you do not have one. If you are unsure of where to purchase your ford ranger truck cover, than a great place to start looking is at your local car parts shop. Car parts shops often have new and used truck covers lying around, and if you don’t find what you are looking for, they often have classified ads up on the wall, where you can find all sorts of things for your vehicle including hard tops. The internet is another place to search for your hard top.

There are hundreds of websites that specialize in selling car accessories, and often when you purchase big items online, they will include free shipping straight to your home. Once you have received your ford ranger truck cover, installing it on the back of your ford should not be a hard task, and easy for most people to do. If you struggle to fit your ford ranger hard top to your vehicle, there are always instruction booklets you can find online.

In several simple steps you could order and install your ford ranger hard top, all you must do is decide the one you like the best.

The 5 Trailer Hitch Classifications

If you’re new to the world of trailer hitches or just need a little reminder, here’s your quick guide to the trailer hitch classification system:

Trailer hitches are classified into 5 categories based their weight tolerance. The two most important weights are Gross Trailer Weight and Tongue Weight.

Gross Trailer Weight (GTW) is the total weight of the hitch, the trailer, and any and all cargo that is on or in the trailer.

Tongue Weight is the measure of the downward pressure on the trailer hitch–usually the weight of the trailer tongue or whatever hitch accessory you have attached to your trailer hitch.

A class I hitch is considered light duty, generally recommended for any vehicle. The maximum GTW for a class I hitch is 2,000 pounds with a max tongue weight of 200 lbs.

A class II hitch is a little stronger, generally recommended for mid-size vehicles (or larger). It’s max GTW is 3500 lbs with a max tongue weight of 350 lbs.

Class I and II receiver hitches have 1.25″ square receivers.

Class III hitches are considered heavy duty hitches. You’ll find them on full size cars, mid-size trucks, and SUVs. Maximum GTW for a class III hitch is 5000 lbs with 500 lbs max tongue weight. These are common for a lot of small camper trailers.

Class IV hitches are also heavy duty with a max GTW at 7500 lbs and tongue weight at 1000 lbs. LIke the class III hitch, class IV hitches are appropriate for full size cars, mid-size trucks, and anything larger.

Finally, the class V hitch has a GTW of 10,000 lbs and a max tongue weight of 1200 lbs. Class V hitches are recommended for full size trucks, vans and SUVs.

Class III, IV, and V hitches all have a 2″ hitch receiver.

It’s very important to note that the load your vehicle can pull is not solely determined by the size of your trailer hitch. First and foremost, check your vehicle’s owners manual to determine it’s towing capacity. Overloading a vehicle with excess trailer weight can seriously hinder your ability to drive safely–the vehicle’s acceleration, braking, and steering mechanisms are designed to function properly at a set weight and will fail if overloaded.