Trailer Towing.. What Do Ya Think????

[jimeeh1]

Thinking about purchasing a 4400# 26' Sunline travel trailer and towing it with my 97 XLT 5.0. Anyone out there tow a similar trailer with success or ... unsuccess. Anyone have any tips or good advice? Does anyone have an accurate tow capacity for this vehicle? It has 3:73's and I think I looked it up once and it was around 6300#.

 

[IAmTodd]

As long as you have the appropriate hitch you should be fine.

 

[MONMIX]

I would toss on a tranny cooler and fliter just to CYA

 

[IAmTodd]

BTW- Where at in PA are you located?

 

[prozachappy]

I tow a 22' 4000lbs camper w/ my '94' 4.0 sport. Handles it fine...65mph all the way. Towed it from San Diego to Dallas once too. Like above, if you've got the auto tranny you'll need a HD tranny cooler w/ that kind of weight. Might think about upgrading to a supercool radiator, so it doesn't run as hot! Make sure you've got a strong hitch...I had mine welded to the frame just for ease of mind. Maybe some Hellawig helper springs for your leafs...and duel stabilizer bars. This set up has worked well for me. Don't know the max tow cap. for the 5.0 but the 4.0 is I think 3200 or so. With a few upgrades though..you'll be fine.

 

[97BlackX5.0]

I pulled a 16 foot enclosed trailer 900 miles in 2 days with my 97 5.0 awd that probably weighed close to 6000 pounds.... full of furniture and moving stuff..... other than having good brakes and electric brakes it wasnt that bad cept for a few hills.....this trailer catches ALOT of wind....its about a foot taller and a foot wider on each side than my truck. just turn off overdrive when you need to and keep the speeds sane..... Oh yeah and if your gonna catch alot of wind or hills be prepared for some really bad mileage....i was in the 8 range pulling that thing.....i did get 10 once but that was going like 55 with overdrive on cause it was totally flat..... As long as i didnt have to go up hills i wouldnt be afraid to pull twice that much for a short distance. Your real limiting factor is going to be seeing around that thing.... get some good tow mirrors... i did alright with some round mirrors that stick on to the originals.... also fresh oil changes in engine and tranny give good piece of mind when your going long distances.... i also try to drive when its cooler out or at night so that its not quite as hot out.... im betting anything over 100 would be real tough for the cooling system although my temp guage never moved and i was pulling in the 80's-90's

 

[97BlackX5.0]

how big a profile does the trailer have... is it a popup or a fullsize.... if its a fullsize i would suggest staying off the highway with it because when i picture a 26 foot trailer i picture it about 12 foot tall.... and that would be absolute horrid wind resistance......youll have trouble keeping your speed above 65 on even the slightest of grades....i mean youll get there... but youll be a turtle.... somewhere online i seen a formula for trailer foot frontage.... and drag.... but if you just have to go to the local campground... have-at-er.... youll get alot of funny yet impressed looks.... that trailer will make the X look tiny....

 

[jimeeh1]

Thanks for your input guys,

I'm hoping the factory tranny cooler will do. The trailer is < 10' tall and 8' wide and is aerodynamically styled.PROZACHAPPY, what kind of trailer was it? I AM TODD, Pardeesville, Pa, just outside Hazleton.

 

[prozachappy]

I have a Coleman Travel Trailer... tongue to rear it's 24', standard 8' wide...closer to 12 high. You'll be fine...expecially if you go with the dual stabilizer bars i.e. weight distribution bars...this will keep you from swaying. Tell ya what, I pulled it through Az. and New Mexico with hell a cross winds... but seriously if you use the weight dis. kit, which will cost you $200- $300 you won't feel any resistance at all. Sometimes I would forget it was back there. It is money well spent..epecially with that size rig. I use to pull a little 5x8 Wells Cargo with just straight tongue and ball...the winds would Kill and I got lots of sway... After getting the dual stabilizer bars..shoot I'm spoiled. Some states..like California.. now require stab bars and break aways to travel the interstate anyways. Like above you'll need to wire up a 7way equipped with electric brakes. No way you'll wanna try and pull that with just your stock breaks. The trailer will come equipped with brakes..all you have to do is buy a brake controller to mount on your dash and wire the trailer into your brake system. Not to hard...but for less than $ 100 you can get it done for you.

 

[jimeeh1]

One question for ya Pro-Z. Where did you mout your brake control? My 97 seems to have no place where it can be inconspicuos (<spelling???) or get the **** knocked out of it getting in and out. Anyone else have any thoughts?

 

[prozachappy]

awhile back.. I took out my shifter boot base and covered my center floor piece with diamond plate aluminum. Just used the shifter boot base to trace and cut a hole for my shifter and then reattached my boot to the alum plate. Anyways, to make a short story long...I mounted my brake controller to the alum. plate, up in front of the shifter..along with a custom toggle switch box.

 

[tttower]

Hi all,
Just joined the site. I purchased a 22ft 4,300 lb travel trailer about two months ago. I tow with an 02 explorer with the 4.6 v8, I have had no problems pulling up down the biggest hills in PA. on rt 78 and keeping at 65 but this is at the price of mpg. I can average as low as 8.8 and as high as 11 depending on headwind and hills. My set up is 10 ft high and 8 ft wide. There is no way I would even think of doing this without a good hitch set up and break controller, I use the Equal-i-zer hitch with 1000 lb weight distributing bars and the prodigy break controller that is mounted to the right of the steering column by my right knee, no problem with any knee interference and I am 6 feet. I did quite a bit of research and the set up seems to work fine for me.
I am, however, at the limit of my length vs. my wheel base. The common figure I have seen suggests that you should have at least 110 inches of wheel base for the first 20 feet and then another 4 inches of wheel base for each additional foot of trailer...this figure eases as wheel bases get beyond 130 inches, so, if you use that figure you may be a bit undersized with regard to wheel base.
When I replace my tires I will get LT tires to stiffen the ride a bit and may think about some helper springs. Hope this was some help to you.
PS. If anyone knows where to get some good mirrors for trailering with the explorer please feel free to shout out, I use the CIPA strap on mirrors and they suck in so many ways I do not even want to start.

 

[prozachappy]

Welcome to the site! Guess you've found the search tool..if you've got a question about the X this is where you'll find um.
On the tow mirrors, I'd check Explorer Express pretty sure they sell the extended screw on version...vs...those cheap strap ons. You can find their link under 'LINKS' on the main page. Also try your local RV supply dealer, they should also sell towing mirrors for the X. I got mine at United RV, and their the direct fit bolt on's...that slide right over your factory sideview. Think they were around $40 or so for the pair. Hope this helps

 

[jimeeh1]

Did you guys need a converter for your tail lights? I have the 4 wire harness at the rear bumper, running light, left signal & right signal which is combined with the break light and ground. I know I need the break wire and charging wire which I have already run. Is this converter used to isolate the brake wire from the turn signals?

 

[stubborn1]

I know it can be done, but I would be leary of towing a 26' travel trailer for any kind of distance with a mid sized SUV. The X just doesn't have the wheelbase for something that large.

I would suggest towing the trailer for a few miles before you finalize the purchase.

 

[prozachappy]

You'll need the 7 wire RV connection...It comes with all the wires you need i.e. brake, tail, power, ground, and the wire for the electric brakes.