Towing report: 06 V8 with 22’ travel trailer.

[Explorer_PL]

We try to go camping somewhere every year with the kids. Usually, we would take our “utility” trailer that I built on my driveway with my kids according to my wife’s design, load it with bikes, kayak, tents, gear and whatever and go some camp ground and have fun.
It looks like this:

This year, we wanted to add some fun for kids so we rented a 22’ travel trailer. I checked the specs on line and it read that a shipping weight is 3680 lbs, which I did not believe much since they tend to underestimate the actual weight. Therefore, on my way to pick it up, I stopped on a CAT scale with just the truck, and I came up with 5480 lbs without me. I know that my car should be around 5000, but since I have the front hitch with plow mount, and a heavy tool box, and other stuff with me all the time, that looked reasonable. On the way back with the TT, I went thru the scale again, and it read 9180, telling me that the TT with fresh water and 1 gas tank was 3700 – incredibly close to the specs on line and on the door. The allowable cargo was about 3500 for the GWV of the TT around 7200 – I was not planning to do that 
With 4 of us in the car, plus the gear in the trailer, I estimate 10,500 for the GCVW. My Exp GCVW is 12,000.
The car handled it with no effort, and I mean it. I knew it was back there, but I was able to accelerate uphill, and pass some slower cars in the right lane. I maintained 65-70 mph. There was no tail wagging, and I feel like the truck could handle maybe a 26-28 footer.
We went from NY/NJ to MA, about 240 miles.
My biggest complaint was the mileage, about 9 mpg, and small tank. You really need to fill up frequently and get the gas when you can, otherwise you are in trouble.

 

[michael loibl]

I'm glad it all worked out for you. Beautiful truck by the way. That was my second choice when I went shopping back in 2006... I got the pearl blue/gold Eddie Bauer..
Keep in mind wind resistance is the main killer of highway fuel economy When towing something with that much frontal area. My camper trailer is 7 feet wide, many are 8, and that probably helps too.
I have the 4.0 v6 and if I stick to approx 60 mph I can get 13 mpg hi way towing

 

[Explorer_PL]

Hi Mike -

saw your camper on the RV forum, nice set up, perfect for your truck. Do you have the tow package on your v6 ?

Looks like the whole family is enjoying

 

[michael loibl]

Saddly, my truck does not have the factory tow package. We searched high and low for a blue Eddie Bauer V6 with the tow package back in spring of 2006, to no avail. I added a 2 inch receiver, under the factory one. All the wiring was there to add the 7 pin connecter, as well as the plug under the dash for the brake controller. I don't really miss the 3.73 axle which would have been part of the package, as it's only 5% change from my 3.55 gears.
There's a 2006 Eddie Bauer V8 HD tow, dark red for sale at Mahwah Ford by us that I am considering adding to my fleet. They asking $9,000 but mint condition

 

[spcole71]

I have a 08 V6 mountaineer with a class II and have thought about adding the 2 inch hitch underneath, but I thought you would still be limited to 3500lbs limit. Looks like you were just over the 3500lbs.

I would love to pull that travel trailer. Looks like your TV is a V8 though.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Michael -

I went to Mahwah Ford when I was looking for mine 9 years ago in 2007. They had pearl white Limited 2006, and back then, they wanted $ 29,999 for it. I found my 2006 Eddie Bauer with the same equipment as Limited in South Jersey for $ 19,999 with 39k miles from a small used car lot. Huge difference in price.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Spcole71 -
There are 4 "levels" of explorers when it comes to towing.

v6 with 1 1/4" receiver = 3500 lbs
v8 with 1 1/4" receiver = 3500 lbs
v6 with 2" receiver = 5400 lbs
v8 with 2" receiver = 7300 lbs

Those are max weights usually for 4x2 trucks with 5 seats
Adding the 2 inch receiver under will not change that number. Tranny cooler, 3.73 gears will but your registered GCWV will still be as it came out of factory.

 

[pjw73nh]

Exp_PL,

I've got an 08 Ltd 4.6 with tow package. I beleive it's rated at #7130 for towing. I tow a 19 ft Bullet Premier (Keystone). There are usually 2 adults in the vehicle. The scale weight for the trailer fully packed with all provisions, gassed and watered is #5380 . Tongue is about #650 . I use the Equalizer 2 hitch, and just this year added a Reese friction anti-sway bar. And yes the bar made a HUGE difference. It tows very well has sufficient power (I don't really push it), and I have the trailer brakes set a little more aggressive than most people.

I get about 9 mpg, but when towing I ALWAYS take overdrive off, and I rarely exceed 60 MPH which is about 3k rpms if I remember correctly.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/P2xRQyHhz1VwF5sxDpjSSqmDyPfOb5oled0EhCawX_Y?feat=directlink

 

[Explorer_PL]

Hey PJW

That is a cool looking set up, I like the limited color scheme.

The GCVW is 12,000, so to tow 7130 the truck with everything and everybody can't be more than 4870. Mine empty weighs about 5000 so I estimate that I can tow in a 6500 range, but would never go that far.
But you probably know all that
5500 is just right for our cars.

 

[Desert_Flyer]

I have an 06, V6, 4x2 with the towing package (coolers, 2" receiver, and 3.73 rear) and Ford lists a 5,390 lb tow rating (10,000 lb combined). Any problems towing a large (8' wide boxy) travel trailer with this setup? Anyone have issues maxing out their rear axle rating?

 

[Flag Gibby]

Never maxed out my rear axle rating, but my trailer weight has never been over 4000lbs. and towing from Tucson to Flagstaff has always been kept under 70 even though the traffic tries to push me faster. However with the V6 you really need to pay attention to the frontal area of the trailer because it makes a huge difference on how hard the engine has to work. I believe that per the ford towing guide the V6 setup you mentioned only recommends 40 sq ft frontal area at max tow combined rating weight. That's the total area of the front of the vehicle and the amount of the trailer that sticks up/out around the vehicle.

 

[Desert_Flyer]

I couldn't find the 40 sf frontal area limitation in Ford's 2006 towing guide. The areas that are listed seem to be a guide for best performance. They list the Ranger at 50 sf. Doing some internet research, it seems this area is the larger area of tow vehicle (TV) or travel trailer (TT), not just the increased area. This makes sense since they are linked together. Obviously due to it's size, a TT frontal area will control. Found an interesting Coefficient of Drag calculator here: http://gtechprosupport.com/support/AeroDragCalc.php

While some websites list the difference in drag force relates to the square of speed, the horsepower loss is relative to the cube of the vehicle speed, V! For example, if you double speed, the force on your vehicle quadruples while the horsepower lost to drag is eight times! The equation is HP = Cd x A x V^3 / 150,000.

If one assumes a '06-'10 Ford Explorer with 34 square feet frontal area and a Cd=0.42, then horsepower lost to drag at 65mph is only 26 hp. Let's hook up a boxy travel trailer, assume 8' wide x 9' net height = 72 sf frontal area and a very flat front with Cd=1.0, then hp lost to drag increases to a whopping 132hp. 165hp at 70mph. Not much oomph left over from 210hp.

Not sure what I'm getting at with all this but aerodynamic shape, speed, and horsepower really matter! Now I wish I had a V8!

 

[Desert_Flyer]

Found another interesting website:
http://craig.backfire.ca/pages/autos/drag

Aero drag force Fd = 1/2 x Cd x A x rho x V^2; rho is air density.

Doing some math (my head hurts) this boils down to: Force = Cd x A x V^2 / 403

Lets assume the Ford's towing capacity was figured with 40sf frontal area (tall pop-up or hi-lo type trailer). At a pretty fast 70mph, Cd=1.0, then Drag Force = 486 pounds. If frontal area is increased to 72sf (travel trailer), then force = 875 pounds. An increase of 389 pounds. Or put another way, decrease towing capacity 389 pounds when going from Ford's 40sf frontal area suggestion to 72sf for a travel trailer. Less than 400 pounds towing difference. A more aerodynamic trailer shape would make this difference even less.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Frontal area plays a huge role in towing. All my trailers I tow are 6-7 feet wide, with aerodynamic nose (pointed). When I towed a flat nosed one, you could tell the difference at higher speeds. How heavy is the trailer ? Single or double axle ?

Since Explorers do not have rear solid axle, be careful when taking a sharp turn at a good speed, the lateral stress on rear bearings is huge then since the tongue is pushing the tail of the car perpendicular to the bearing line of action.
The rear bearings are not the strongest, and they go out frequently even under normal driving. Replacing them is a PITA.

 

[Flag Gibby]

Desert Flyer, The square feet frontal area is listed in the 2007 and up guide, it must have been over site that the explorer specs. were not listed in the 2006 guide, but it is stated as only 40 sq ft for all models of explorers on all of the other years guides. Your math proves quite nicely what I have experienced and why I was mentioning taking into consideration the total frontal area.

 

[RJ]

I have an 06, V6, 4x2 with the towing package (coolers, 2" receiver, and 3.73 rear) and Ford lists a 5,390 lb tow rating (10,000 lb combined). Any problems towing a large (8' wide boxy) travel trailer with this setup? Anyone have issues maxing out their rear axle rating?

You'll need a heavy tongue with no WD to max out the rear, and since our chassis is design to tow 7000+ lbs, it's highly unlikely to max it out in a V6 truck.

A quick trick to gain valuable rear axle payload is move as much weight off the truck and into the trailer. I've removed both my spare and 3rd row seats, freeing up 150 lbs dead weight (~155 lbs at rear axle once you factor in the fulcrum effect).

My guess is that the Cd of a travel trailer WITH an SUV in front of it is a bit better than 1.0. The stagnant / turbulant air between the truck and trailer may form some sort of a cone, directing the air over the trailer easier than heading into the wind all by itself.

Most cfd models show a regular (non optimized) semi to be around 0.75. We have a bigger gap than they do, but our trailer is a lot cleaner underneath - they have a 45" gap with fully exposed trailer axles.

 

[RJ]

Desert Flyer, The square feet frontal area is listed in the 2007 and up guide, it must have been over site that the explorer specs. were not listed in the 2006 guide, but it is stated as only 40 sq ft for all models of explorers on all of the other years guides. Your math proves quite nicely what I have experienced and why I was mentioning taking into consideration the total frontal area.

Does the manual say 40 sq ft absolute, or equivalent?

i.e. A trailer with 80 sq ft frontal area, but 0.5 Cd, has an equivalent 40 sq ft drag area.

 

[Desert_Flyer]

The 2006 towing guide states, "Frontal area is the total area in square feet that a moving vehicle and trailer exposes to air resistance. The chart shows the limitations that must be considered in selecting a vehicle/trailer combination. Exceeding these limitations may significantly reduce the performance of your towing vehicle. Selecting a trailer with a low-drag, rounded front design will help optimize performance and fuel economy." It lists the frontal areas as "limitations/considerations", and not as an absolute or equivalent. That is why I believe these guidelines can be exceeded with full knowledge of reduced performance, not with danger of some kind of failure.

Of course, my using a Cd of 1.0 was a worst case scenario...like pushing a flat panel board through the air without benefit of rounded corners, wind tunnel shaping, etc. Plus, as you point out, the combination of truck and trailer helps to break into the wind lessening the Cd. I have never seen such Cd values printed for truck and travel trailer combinations so I just used 1.0. Your 0.75 is probably closer to reality.

My main point is that by exceeding the 40-sf area "limitation" to a 72-sf travel trailer reduces towing capacity by only 400 lbs at most at 70 mph, at which speed none of us should ever exceed with trailer tires anyway. 400 lbs is not much of a big deal and due to actual Cd being lower the "hit" is even less. The bigger deal is horsepower. Given a V6 only produces 210 HP, I would doubt it could even pull a flat fronted trailer/brick up to 70mph since you use 165 hp in just wind resistance alone. But that seems like it would put a heck of a strain on the engine and probably not smart in the long run.