who has trailered (towed) a car with there Explorer?

[RAF]

Who here has towed a car on a full chassis trailer with there V8 AWD Explorer?

Im planning on towing my 04 Mustang which weighs about 3500 lbs on a trailer and just wanted to see who else has done it and how well does it work?
My other question is, I have a class III hidden hitch, is this the proper hitch (with trailer brakes) to pull a 3500 lb Mustang and say 2000 lb car trailer?
any input would be greatly appreciated

 

[Electrohacker]

I towed a Taurus by tow strap with a class 3 hitch... but that is different

 

[htrdlncn]

Towed a BMW on an open trailer and my boat on its trailer (around 5500 total weight )
with my V6 Sport and I have towed a 78 Hurst Olds on same trailer with a 4 door Explorer V6 from Miami to Atlanta and back. No problems in any of the cases, I do drive at or slightly below the speed limit when towing regardless what i am towing with though.
Seen too many idiots towing 15-20mph over the limit just because they have a behemoth truck and seen the damage they have caused.
You should have no problem with a V8 and the 4 door Explorer so long as you use common sense.

 

[EBexplorer95]

i towed four cars and two trucks with my 95 EB with the 4.0 and i didnt have any problems. it made me ex squat but nothing more. like hrtdlncn said, u shouldnt have ant problems if u use sense.

 

[Hawkrod]

My record was an 1800 pound car trailer with a 67 Ford F250 on it! The truck weighs 4500+! According to the manual my Explorer has a 7500 capacity (2002 Sport with a stick) so I was close to capacity but she did just fine. It sat awful low in the back though! LOL Gonna have to get some 4 door rear springs pretty soon, I hate the butt squat in a Sport! Hawkrod

 

[Electrohacker]

to help with squat you could get air helper springs or air shocks

 

[gijoecam]

Who here has towed a car on a full chassis trailer with there V8 AWD Explorer?

Im planning on towing my 04 Mustang which weighs about 3500 lbs on a trailer and just wanted to see who else has done it and how well does it work?
My other question is, I have a class III hidden hitch, is this the proper hitch (with trailer brakes) to pull a 3500 lb Mustang and say 2000 lb car trailer?
any input would be greatly appreciated

Depending on whether you have the 3.55 or 3.73 rear gears, your rig is rated to tow either 5620 or 6620 lbs (not including the weight of any passengers or cargo inside the tow vehicle). However, on a trailer weighing 5500lbs like you propose, you will want to have between 550 and 825 lbs of tongue weight (Ford recommends at least 10% tongue weight per the manual. The vehicle requires a weight distributing hitch for any trailer over 3500 lbs. You'll need to check with the trailer manufacturer to determine whether or not the trailer is capable of using a weight distributing hitch as well.

My record was an 1800 pound car trailer with a 67 Ford F250 on it! The truck weighs 4500+! According to the manual my Explorer has a 7500 capacity (2002 Sport with a stick) so I was close to capacity but she did just fine. It sat awful low in the back though! LOL Gonna have to get some 4 door rear springs pretty soon, I hate the butt squat in a Sport! Hawkrod

Umm, you may want to double-check those numbers and read the manual a little closer... The MAXIMUM and '02 Explorer Sport was rated to tow was 5140 lbs, and that was with a 2wd automatic trans. A 2WD with a manual transmission was only rated to tow 3080lbs. (4x4s were rated to tow 4940 and 2880 lbs respectively). If you pulled a 6300lb rig behind it, you were WAY over the maximum weight capacity of that rig.

I don't even want to think about how far over the gross axle weight rating that rig was on the rear axle of the Explorer...

 

[JCat]

I have towed about 6000 with mine. It was a cargo trailer....and I towed it from Detroit to Atlanta several times.

I have also used a tow dolly to tow a minivan from North Carolina to Atlanta.

Although I could feel the weight behind me, I thought my 98 Mounty handled both situations very well.

My 1978 F150 has a 460 in it. When I tow with it, I often forget I even have something behind me.

 

[94xlt4x4]

I've got an '00 5.0 w/3.73s and have used a dolly with it a few times..Buick LeSabre, Cherokee, and a Blazer..did very well with all 3, just give yourself enough room to stop and you'll be fine!

 

[tsilney]

If you have trailer brakes and a weight ditribution hitch you will be fine. I tow my Jeep cherokee and trailer and with a 5.0 AWD and it tows great. Just leave your self room to stop and if it gets windy slow down.
For the sag, I got a set of helper springs from JC whitney for like 50 bucks. The are little springs that fit in between the axle and frame. They work great under the load of the trailers and you can remove them easily when you are not towing. (They are really bumpy when not towing).
I also tow cars with my tow dolly without trailer brakes and it still tows fine just watch your stopping distance.

 

[kert0307]

I've towed a B2 on a 2000lb car trailer with my sport (4X4, SOHC, 4.10 gears). It pulled pretty well, but I could tell there was a load back there when I went up hills.

 

[abomb]

It's doable. I also towed a BMW (3200lb) on a U-Haul car trailer (2000lb). Definately slower to get to speed and had to keep it around 50 to feel secure, although I feel that was due to weight distribution more than anything.

I've grossed in at over 11,000lb a few times at the dump. When the trailer is loaded right it feels great even at 65-70mph. If the trailer is loaded poorly even 45mph starts to get bad.

 

[RAF]

If you have trailer brakes and a weight ditribution hitch you will be fine. I tow my Jeep cherokee and trailer and with a 5.0 AWD and it tows great. Just leave your self room to stop and if it gets windy slow down.
For the sag, I got a set of helper springs from JC whitney for like 50 bucks. The are little springs that fit in between the axle and frame. They work great under the load of the trailers and you can remove them easily when you are not towing. (They are really bumpy when not towing).
I also tow cars with my tow dolly without trailer brakes and it still tows fine just watch your stopping distance.

I will install trailer brakes before towing for sure
my truck is a 2000 5.0 AWD with towing package so Im assuming 3.73 gears

did you tow with a class III hitch?

 

[BBQ Bandit]

Need to keep in perspective on the weakest link of the combined towing needs.

Class I — rated to 2,000 pounds (907 kg)
Class II — rated to 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg)
Class III — rated to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg)
Class IV — rated to 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg)

Watch the weight ratings on:
the bolt-on hitch capacity,
the ball mount,
trailer hitch pin,
and the ball size.

Regardless what the bolt-on capacity limits... the vehicle is the deciding factor.

You may end up with a 2-5/16" (Class IV) tongue on the trailer requiring a weight distribution/Brake controller and have a Class III (undersized 2") hitch or under-rated hitch pin... possibly causing a hazzardous combination.

May require a Class IV hitch to acommodate the weights safely.

 

[5.0B2]

Just remember to lock out your overdrive

 

[jhowell]

Kert0307 posted a pic, and it looks like he has the same trailer that I have. I towed a Porsche 928 (3400lbs + 2000lb trailer) from TN to MD. My trailer had brakes and the Explorer was fitted with a brake controller. I've got a '96 V8 AWD. It has a class III hitch. When I got to TN, I had to find a RV dealer that had the tools, time, and equipment to install a weight distribution setup, as there was no way I was going to try to drive back through the mountains with an extra 3400lbs behind me, unless I had weight distribution. The empty trailer was enough of a handful on the trip down.

The weight distribution setup helps a lot, but unfortunately, Ford was probably a little more concerned with ride quality then towing ability, and my rear springs sag. I've since added some helper springs, but I mainly see them as a band-aid measure.

The big problem I had with that style of trailer is the design of the trailer causes excessive tongue weight which the weak springs on the Explorer are ill equipped to cope with. I definitely consider the Ford guideline to add weight distribution on anything over 3500lbs to be good advice.

A lot of people have towed heavier loads without trailer brakes, brake controller, weight distribution, successfully. Just because they didn't have an accident doesn't make their actions safe. And most people are simply too cheap to rig their vehicle to properly tow heavier items.

Helper springs: $30
Brake controller (for trailers fitted with brakes that require a brake controller): $75 (install yourself)
weight distributing hitch: $300 (install yourself.)

So you're looking at roughly $400 to go from being over the limit, to increasing the limit and being well beneath it.

 

[tsilney]

I will install trailer brakes before towing for sure
my truck is a 2000 5.0 AWD with towing package so Im assuming 3.73 gears

did you tow with a class III hitch?

I do have a class III hitch. I installed the Brake controller and the 7 pin connector myself from looking at information on this site.

These are the helper springs I used. They are awesome and you can take them on and off very easy by jackinig the truck up from the hitch and they both will come off.

http://www.jcwhitney.com/QUICK-CHAN...2001;0;100001;ProductName;0;0;0;0;2005887;0;0

 

[Hawkrod]

Depending on whether you have the 3.55 or 3.73 rear gears, your rig is rated to tow either 5620 or 6620 lbs (not including the weight of any passengers or cargo inside the tow vehicle). However, on a trailer weighing 5500lbs like you propose, you will want to have between 550 and 825 lbs of tongue weight (Ford recommends at least 10% tongue weight per the manual. The vehicle requires a weight distributing hitch for any trailer over 3500 lbs. You'll need to check with the trailer manufacturer to determine whether or not the trailer is capable of using a weight distributing hitch as well.



Umm, you may want to double-check those numbers and read the manual a little closer... The MAXIMUM and '02 Explorer Sport was rated to tow was 5140 lbs, and that was with a 2wd automatic trans. A 2WD with a manual transmission was only rated to tow 3080lbs. (4x4s were rated to tow 4940 and 2880 lbs respectively). If you pulled a 6300lb rig behind it, you were WAY over the maximum weight capacity of that rig.

I don't even want to think about how far over the gross axle weight rating that rig was on the rear axle of the Explorer...

Yup, looks like your right, the book has two ratings and I missed that. It has a combined gross rating and trailer gross rating. Oh well, she did fine. Hawkrod

 

[Hawkrod]

to help with squat you could get air helper springs or air shocks

Thats just a cheap fix. The better fix that many people with a Sport use is to put 4 door springs on it. The Sport springs are just too light. Hawkrod

 

[jhowell]

The springs on the 4 door are really too light for doing any serious towing with the 4-door. This goes back to the Firestone issue where they told people to run the tires at 26 PSI, because they were worried about the ride quality. They put in super soft springs, probably for the same reason. That's why almost every one I see, is suffering from sagging springs.

Ford put in a pretty rugged drivetrain, but they seem to have dropped the ball in a few critical areas to improve ride quality. I figure 90% of these things have never towed anything and they never will, but they should have at least upgraded the springs for those who opted for the tow package.