Towing with 2005 Sport Trac?

[clarkgriswold]

I'm thinking of towing a travel trailer with my 2005 Sport Trac. The owners manual states it has an approx 5050 lb tow rating and I know I have an open 4.10 rear axle (based on door sticker).

What's the general feeling about my towing ability as far as towing something in the 4000 lb range? I would think that the low (4.10) rear end would be good for towing purposes.....opinions?

 

[LONO100]

does your trac have the tranny cooler? its the "little" radiator looking thing in front of your radiator behind the grill. if so, then that's a good start. then what kind of hitch do you have? and 4.10 is def better for towing than the 3.73's i would think for towing. i used to drive a truck around with a 19' trailer on it, but i havent pulled anything huge with my trac yet, hopefully someone else who has more knowledge can chime in. but if you have 4.10's and the tranny cooler youre off to a good start.

 

[Team Chepsk8]

I tow a 2300 lb sports car on an open trailer. I added a tranny cooler, have the transmission serviced (fluid and filter) every 50K miles, and keep everything in great shape. Class 2 hitch and electric trailer brakes a MUST!

Be nice to your truck when towing. No hard starts, light smooth gas pedal inputs. NO OVERDRIVE!!!!!!! Keep it under 70, as the brakes are only adequate with heavy loads. As well, the trailer will start to push the truck at higher speeds anyway, so slow down and enjoy the ride.

 

[clarkgriswold]

does your trac have the tranny cooler? its the "little" radiator looking thing in front of your radiator behind the grill. if so, then that's a good start. then what kind of hitch do you have? and 4.10 is def better for towing than the 3.73's i would think for towing. i used to drive a truck around with a 19' trailer on it, but i havent pulled anything huge with my trac yet, hopefully someone else who has more knowledge can chime in. but if you have 4.10's and the tranny cooler youre off to a good start.

I'm not with the Sport Trac at the moment but I was going to check on the cooler first thing. If it doesn't have one I'll be putting one on it. Was the 19' trailer you pulled a travel trailer or flat trailer?

 

[clarkgriswold]

I tow a 2300 lb sports car on an open trailer. I added a tranny cooler, have the transmission serviced (fluid and filter) every 50K miles, and keep everything in great shape. Class 2 hitch and electric trailer brakes a MUST!

Be nice to your truck when towing. No hard starts, light smooth gas pedal inputs. NO OVERDRIVE!!!!!!! Keep it under 70, as the brakes are only adequate with heavy loads. As well, the trailer will start to push the truck at higher speeds anyway, so slow down and enjoy the ride.

Any reason you went with a Class II hitch other than cost?

 

[Team Chepsk8]

Class 2 was on the truck when I bought it

 

[LONO100]

it was a flat trailer. i didnt pull it with my X though. thats why i was hoping someone with experience pulling something that long could chime in. but in terms of towing, its all about keeping the tranny happy and not wearing your breaks down in my opinion. also, it would be a good idea to make sure you get a break controller for your X. ive got one on mine.

 

[clarkgriswold]

it was a flat trailer. i didnt pull it with my X though. thats why i was hoping someone with experience pulling something that long could chime in. but in terms of towing, its all about keeping the tranny happy and not wearing your breaks down in my opinion. also, it would be a good idea to make sure you get a break controller for your X. ive got one on mine.

Yes, we've towed before and I'd never even think of towing w/o a brake controller. Also, if the xmission stays cool you're usually good for the life of the vehicle.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

I've pulled my Show truck on a open uhaul car trailer and didn't have any issues. I would defintely suggest getting a good trans cooler, not just a cheapy. The transmissions on these trucks are very tempermental.

Here's a link to what Todd did to his trac. I plan on doing this when I do my SAS, SOA do help with the added stress of the bigger tires and drivetrain.

http://www.mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1041916&REPLYCOUNT=18&sitename=mysporttrac&LAST=3/10/2008_11:38:52_AM

 

[JohnnyO]

4000 lb will be fine. Towing requirements vary by state but once you're over 2000 lb I think every state requires trailer brakes of some type.