shieldskg
New Member
- Joined
- August 1, 2013
- Messages
- 4
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Virginia
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2013 Ford Explorer 4WD
Last year my husband and I fell in love with and bought our 2013 Explorer. We didn't buy it with any intention of wanting to buy a camper, but now here we are a year and a half later, looking at travel trailers. Needless to say we did not get the tow package, but I've been told by the dealer the Class III tow package can be installed after market without any differences (is this true?) From my research, I think we did okay by selecting the 4WD 3.5L Ti-VCT V6 engine, it seems like this is the one that the tow package gets added to anyway.
So, my question is... With the Class III tow package installed, our max loaded trailer weight is 5,000 lbs. But when I read any of the travel trailer specific forums, everyone says that it is a bad idea to pull a full size trailer with a small SUV. But why? They never say why. Yes, I get that the air drag is going to effect the Explorer's ability to "go" but isn't it the same with a larger SUV (like an expedition)? What I want to know is, is it going to kill my awesome new Explorer if I get a 3,500 lb dry weight hybrid travel trailer (and yes I know it will have effects on the life of the Explorer but to what extent?) My calculations:
Explorer GCWR (with the tow package installed) = 10,160 lbs
Explorer GVW = 4557 lbs
Family of four (eventually, just one baby right now!) = 600 lbs
Dogs = 130 lbs
Tank of gas/Hitch/battery/propane etc. = 250 lbs
Cargo loaded into trailer = 600 lbs
10,160 - (4557 + 600 + 130 + 250 + 600) = Max dry trailer weight of 4,023 lbs.
So if we keep our dry weight below 3,500, then we're giving ourselves a good 500 lbs buffer. And I think I was rather generous with my estimates above (especially since our family weight right now is actually only 355 lbs.)
All of my math calculations say I can do it. Of course the RV dealers say we can do it. But I want to know from other Ford Explorer owners out there who have travel trailers, how do you feel? Do you ever regret buying a full size trailer instead of a pop up? I know we could pull a pop up no problem but the pop up's are the same cost as the hybrids, and the hybrids are so much easier and nicer! I don't want to settle with a pop-up because a bunch of people with their big old trucks told me my small SUV couldn't do it. I definitely think we will either rent or at least get a dealer to let us take a camper for a test pull before we pull the trigger, but that's not going to give us any idea of the long term effect of pulling a trailer multiple times.
A little more background:
We live in Virginia and would probably camp as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as Florida. We'd probably never venture anywhere past Tennessee to the west. I'd say the majority of our trips will be within a 4-5 hour radius of Virginia though.
Thanks for your input!
So, my question is... With the Class III tow package installed, our max loaded trailer weight is 5,000 lbs. But when I read any of the travel trailer specific forums, everyone says that it is a bad idea to pull a full size trailer with a small SUV. But why? They never say why. Yes, I get that the air drag is going to effect the Explorer's ability to "go" but isn't it the same with a larger SUV (like an expedition)? What I want to know is, is it going to kill my awesome new Explorer if I get a 3,500 lb dry weight hybrid travel trailer (and yes I know it will have effects on the life of the Explorer but to what extent?) My calculations:
Explorer GCWR (with the tow package installed) = 10,160 lbs
Explorer GVW = 4557 lbs
Family of four (eventually, just one baby right now!) = 600 lbs
Dogs = 130 lbs
Tank of gas/Hitch/battery/propane etc. = 250 lbs
Cargo loaded into trailer = 600 lbs
10,160 - (4557 + 600 + 130 + 250 + 600) = Max dry trailer weight of 4,023 lbs.
So if we keep our dry weight below 3,500, then we're giving ourselves a good 500 lbs buffer. And I think I was rather generous with my estimates above (especially since our family weight right now is actually only 355 lbs.)
All of my math calculations say I can do it. Of course the RV dealers say we can do it. But I want to know from other Ford Explorer owners out there who have travel trailers, how do you feel? Do you ever regret buying a full size trailer instead of a pop up? I know we could pull a pop up no problem but the pop up's are the same cost as the hybrids, and the hybrids are so much easier and nicer! I don't want to settle with a pop-up because a bunch of people with their big old trucks told me my small SUV couldn't do it. I definitely think we will either rent or at least get a dealer to let us take a camper for a test pull before we pull the trigger, but that's not going to give us any idea of the long term effect of pulling a trailer multiple times.
A little more background:
We live in Virginia and would probably camp as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as Florida. We'd probably never venture anywhere past Tennessee to the west. I'd say the majority of our trips will be within a 4-5 hour radius of Virginia though.
Thanks for your input!