Tow Rig Forum

I searched for my STA for well over a year trying to find the right one. My list of must-have's was pretty simple. It had to be a 2010, it had be low mileage, it had to be a V-8, it had to be red, and had to have nav. After a solid 12 months of looking I gave up. I decided that I would just settle for a base ST and didn't care about mileage as I was just replacing a second vehicle. About a week later a buddy of mine who was the sales manager at a local car Hyundia dealership called me to tell me that I wouldn't believe what just drove on his lot. To my surprise a local gentleman was looking to trade a 2010, low mileage, red STA for a Hyundia. In the end it didn't have nav and wasn't a V-8 but the price was great and I pulled the...

Purchased a 2016 explorer AWD V6 back in November and now we are small camper shopping. Ideally I would like a Jayco 154 or 174 bunk house. The 154 is about 2600 dry, 3400 wet, with the 174 about 400lbs more on both. I have the class 3 towing and a weight distribution hitch already, but I need to get a brake controller installed still.... I know I would be within the ratings of the explorer, but how difficult is this going to be to tow still? Anyone tow anything similar with the standard V6? I really don’t want a pop-up camper but may look at shorter options if absolutely necessary. 90% of my towing would be in the very flat Indiana/Michigan area if that helps, but I wouldn’t mind taking a trip to Tennessee or somewhere similar...

I've got this wild idea on making a small utility trailer for my chopped top Bronco2. Since there's hardly no room in the bed due to my 33" spare tire mounted back there on the cage. I'm giving it some thought on making one out of another matching Bronco 2 :confused: Maybe like cutting it in half at the pillar behind the door. Enclosing it off. Them skinning over all side glass and rear hatch glass with metal. Leave the rear hatch operable. And also rear axel. Then extending frame to a point with hitch. I have not even looked at another B2 to see if it is even feasible. I know you guys have seen some old hot rods with matching trailer towed behind. I know it would not hold much, but should be great for camping...

Wondering if you have to disconnet the driveshaft on a 97 explorer sport manual transmission with a tow dolly

Hey guys, I have a 2009 EB 4.6 4x4. I notice that this comes standard with a flat four pin connector. Problem I am having is my 16ft car trailer has electric brakes, a battery and a 7 pin (round plug) connector. I have been looking for a way to change my Explorer over to the 7pin setup so I can have electric brakes and charge my battery while driving. Does anyone make a conversion that is plug and play? I have searched through the forums and can't find anything other than brake controller questions. (I found that under the dash and its hooked up and ready to go) I don't want to cut up the harness, there has to be a nice plug and play somewhere. Thanks for any help you can give me!

Is the suspension the limiting factor regarding towing capacities? I hooked up my mustang/car trailer to the X, and the ass end sits REALLY low!. This has me a bit concerned. I was figuring about 5k pounds between the car and trailer. I was wondering, is the rear suspension worn out? Is it not up to the task? or does it just need some help? I thought about helper springs, but the air seems to be a better solution to that problem. When towing, pump the bags up to help the load, when just driving, lower them back down to keep from effecting ride quality. Any input here is appreciated! I posted a link to show what I was looking at. :salute...

I have an '06 Explorer, without the towing pkg. I can add a larger hitch, an additional tranny cooler. The biggest difference seems to be the rear axle ratio - mine is a 3.55; the trailer pkg has a 3.73. How big a deal is it to upgrade the axle ratio, and is it adviseable? I only am considering it because I love the vehicle. I need to tow a trailer that weighs about 3200 lbs with a 400 lb hitch weight, with a weight distributing hitch.

alright i have been doin alot of towing with my 1996 explorer limited with the 5.0 v8 awd and it's been doin good but it is getting older and alot of kms are gettign on my truck. so what kind of upgrades can i do to my truck to make it have more power/ tow better. i dont want to be spending a hole lot of money at once so what are little things that can build up to make it good..and if anyone knows of any shops aroudn langley b.c that do the work/ sell the parts that will be a great help as well..thank you

I've learned a lot about towing over the last couple of days, and am still uncertain about some things with the wiring. I drive a 1998 Explorer 4D 4WD 4.0L XLT. I am making a one-time haul 1000 miles there and back. The trailer is small and has a 7-round connection. I am not going to connect the brakes nor the power wire to the trailer battery and am only interested in the lights. I am doing this on as much of a shoestring as possible. I do not (believe) I have the towing package. I am still trying to figure out what tranny I have. I have amber rear turn signals. I have read a lot and have visited the Ford dealership and NAPA several times. I have a doctorate (not in wiring) so I'm not exactly dense. I get a little frustrated with...

Is anyone out there aware that UHaul will not rent a trailer if you intend to tow it with a Ford Explorer? They say it's a litigation issue and not a safety issue. I would be interested in any stories on this issue.

OK, so U-Haul does not rent trailers to people using an Explorer as a towing vehicle. However, I have a need for a trailer from time to time and am looking for a company that will rent a small trailer for my use. I have tried Ryder and Budget....seems they don't have this information available on their websites. I have seen these trailers on the road...where online can I get information on renting from them. I need small (5x10 - 6x12) traliers for my uses. Can anyone help me?? :us:

Anyone else get some BS from U-Haul saying that they aren't allowed to rent you a trailer if it's being towed by an Explorer????? I have a 2003 V8 EB with a tow package.... I'm pretty sure I could tow their dinky little trailers no problem.....

I've got a 2006 Ranger 4x4 automatic 4.0 liter with 4.10 axle. Specs say can tow about 5500 lbs. I want to rent a trailer to tow a car. Car weighs 3150 lbs. Empty trailer wt is 2210 lbs. Total = 5360. U-Haul requires the vehicle weigh at least 80% of combined wt of trailer and towed vehicle (80% of 5360 is 4288 lbs). The curb weight of my Ranger, I think, is about 4700 lbs. Despite all that, Uhaul checked their computer and said no. I called an independent trailer rental shop, and they also said no-- would only rent auto transport trailers for a Full Size pickup. The guy said it would burn up my transmission and would be unsafe. So why do the Ford specs say I can pull 5500 lbs?

My wife and son are moving from P.E.I to Calgary, Alberta at the end of summer ( 5500 km track) and I was at the uhaul.ca site and getting a quote for a trailer so it ask what vehicle type, year, model etc.. you have and I filled it in, 99 ford explorer xlt 4x4 using a Class 3 5000 pound and it says this.... "This vehicle is not authorized to tow U-Haul equipment. U-Haul does not rent behind this tow vehicle. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Is there a different vehicle that you can use for towing?" Heres the Trailer we want to rent. 6' x 12' Trailer Capacity Volume: up to 396 cu. ft. Max load: 2,600 lbs. Gross vehicle weight: 4,400 lbs. max Empty weight: 1,800 lbs. So I said ok, and tried...

When I was calling around town for a Hidden Hitch model 70647, just about every dealer told me they could get them in but that I should contact U-Haul. Everyone claimed that U-Haul make a Hidden Hitch clone that is the same thing for a lot less. .... so I called U-Haul and now have a 78166. It's hideous. It will be coming off. My nice black Limited has a 4" black (and silver where it has no paint) pipe hanging below the bumper. It does not tuck up under the bumper like the Hidden Hitch and it does not curve much with the spare tire like the Hidden Hitch. Now I'm going to do what I should have done in the first place. I'm going to order a 70647, rip this eyesore off my X, and put on the far more attractive Hidden Hitch...