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2011 Ford Ranger Tows 160 Tonne Steam Train: Video

The towing stunt is nothing new for manufacturers, but that didn't stop Ford Australia showing the world just what its all-new 2011 Ranger can accomplish.

Powered by Ford's 3.2 litre Duratorq diesel engine, the new Ranger used nothing more


The towing stunt is nothing new for manufacturers, but that didn't stop Ford Australia showing the world just what its all-new 2011 Ranger can accomplish.

Powered by Ford's 3.2 litre Duratorq diesel engine, the new Ranger used nothing more than 470Nm of torque, its automatic transmission with low-range transfer case, and a chain to haul a classic Victoria Rail R711 steam locomotive from its shed.

Officially, the 2011 Ranger, with its 3.2 litre diesel, offers a towing capacity of around 3000kg.

Now, a 160-tonne train is no 480-tonne Boeing 747 plane, but then the 2011 Ranger isn't packing the V10 diesel Volkswagen Touareg R50's 850Nm of torque, either. When all is said and done however, the team's towing feat is no small thing.

Ford Australia vehicle integration supervisor Roger Lewis said that the R711 is usually shunted by a T-class diesel-electric locomotive weighing 70 tonnes and delivering more than 700kW of power and “heaps of torque."

“So if you don’t have a T-class,” Lewis joked, "you can always use the all-new Ranger.”

To learn more about the new Ford Ranger, click to see TMR's coverage of its unveiling at last year's Australian International Motor Show.

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