Newbie Question: Towing a Popup Camper

Hi All! New to the forum here, so thank you for answering my question. I apologize if this has already been asked. I attempted to look through the forums already to find a similar situation.

I am planning on purchasing a used 2015 - 2017 Explorer this summer. Most of the Explorers I have seen do not have the factory tow package. I would like to get a popup camper as well to tow with the Explorer, so I am looking at a trailer weight of about 2,000 lbs before adding people and stuff for camping.

If I add a class II or III hitch with wiring and install an additional transmission cooler, will that be enough to tow? I see that the additional tow a packages have an oil cooler as well. I would be driving in the summer, about 300 miles in Michigan. Is the oil cooler necessary or overkill?

Thanks!

 

[Halford1]

ahhh allmyEXes... I am still active in Popupportal.com as Halford There has been hot discussion about GRVW and stupid "Dry weight". Many of the popup owners bought heavy popups thinking that their van or weak vehicles can tow these. My Explorer with factory installed Tow Package was the reason why I bought to tow my 3500 lbs Coleman Niagara.

Steve is your brother?

 

[allmyEXes]

Bill Gullatt was the originator. Is Steve the guy up north central U.S. ?

 

[allmyEXes]

The History of PopUpPortal
My White '92 Explorer "Dora" was his original tow vehicle. His girls named it ...

 

[Halford1]

Bill Gullatt was the originator. Is Steve the guy up north central U.S. ?

Yup Steve still live up north. I been member since Sept 2011 but not sure if I remember Bill my memory isnt that good...

 

[BenSantos]

Just saw this post and thought I would add my 2 cents. I have spent 10 years as a mechanic working on trucks that are overloaded past their intended capacity and it sucks, we replace transmissions like they were free. My advice, if you haven't already bought the truck, is to match (even overmatch) the truck to the camper that you want (what happens if you want a bigger one later?). Transmissions aren't cheap and the added expense of a more capable vehicle pales in comparison to the stress, time, and expense of dealing with an overworked drivetrain. And if at all possible get a truck that already has a tow package. Adding a cooler and wiring, while possible, is not a small or inexpensive job. The point of having a camper is to have fun, not to stress out. The real question is: how much is your time and peace of mind worth?

 

[Halford1]

Just saw this post and thought I would add my 2 cents. I have spent 10 years as a mechanic working on trucks that are overloaded past their intended capacity and it sucks, we replace transmissions like they were free. My advice, if you haven't already bought the truck, is to match (even overmatch) the truck to the camper that you want (what happens if you want a bigger one later?). Transmissions aren't cheap and the added expense of a more capable vehicle pales in comparison to the stress, time, and expense of dealing with an overworked drivetrain. And if at all possible get a truck that already has a tow package. Adding a cooler and wiring, while possible, is not a small or inexpensive job. The point of having a camper is to have fun, not to stress out. The real question is: how much is your time and peace of mind worth?

from reading handbook, even though you add DIY tow package, the max tow would still be at 2000 lbs, not 5,000 lbs with factory installed tow package. The radiator would need to be replaced with the thicker radiator, the tow button would need to be installed which would move the Max tow weight up to 5,000 lbs. My "Whitney" with factory installed tow package tows my popup beautifully.

 

[gmanpaint]

from reading handbook, even though you add DIY tow package, the max tow would still be at 2000 lbs, not 5,000 lbs with factory installed tow package. The radiator would need to be replaced with the thicker radiator, the tow button would need to be installed which would move the Max tow weight up to 5,000 lbs. My "Whitney" with factory installed tow package tows my popup beautifully.

Please elaborate on the "Tow button", what it does, and how it raises the towing capacity by 3000 lbs.

 

[Mbrooks420]

from reading handbook, even though you add DIY tow package, the max tow would still be at 2000 lbs, not 5,000 lbs with factory installed tow package. The radiator would need to be replaced with the thicker radiator, the tow button would need to be installed which would move the Max tow weight up to 5,000 lbs. My "Whitney" with factory installed tow package tows my popup beautifully.

The biggest difference is that the transmission is a different model in the factory tow package equipped Explorers.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Please elaborate on the "Tow button", what it does, and how it raises the towing capacity by 3000 lbs.

The tow button simply changes the shift points, and power curves.

 

[gmanpaint]

I knew it was more than just adding a button. I am just honestly curious, to the finer details of these newer tech vehicles is all.

Different Transmission, cooling, & PCM program parameter change....Rodger that, these make perfect sense to me.

Any differences in the suspension or frames, or are they all the same?

 

[Mbrooks420]

I knew it was more than just adding a button. I am just honestly curious, to the finer details of these newer tech vehicles is all.

Different Transmission, cooling, & PCM program parameter change....Rodger that, these make perfect sense to me.

Any differences in the suspension or frames, or are they all the same?

There’s also an engine oil cooler, not sure about the suspension, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had different spring rates.

 

[RhinoQuartz]

There’s also an engine oil cooler, not sure about the suspension, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had different spring rates.

I'm going to be confirming with a dealership that added a factory tow package post sale, but the differences are

Transmission - 6F55 for 5k lbs.
Engine oil cooler
4 & 7 pin wiring harness
Class 3 hitch (in bumper)
Tow button
Reprogramming for tow mode

Trans cooler and water cooled PTU optional but preferred.

 

[Halford1]

Tow weight is trailer, GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is the passengers, trailer, and all cargo.

its GCVWR that include passengers, trailer and load. GVWR only focus on how heavy can be towed.

 

[Halford1]

shoot, I was hoping that the GVWR would be only limited to the weight of the trailer

almost. It includes one driver, load and weight of trailer. I tow 3600# popup without any issues.