Tow Plan - Good or Bad? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Tow Plan - Good or Bad?

Hello everyone,
New soon-to-be owner here looking for some advice. I'll be taking this unwanted Explorer off of a family member for some occasional towing usage.

What I (Will) Have:
2004 Explorer Limited
4.6L V8
4x4
NO tow package
3.73 open diff (axle code 46)
100k miles
Located the trailer brake controller plug behind the glovebox (Thanks to this forum!)

What I'm Towing
~18ft ~5000lb double-axle trailer
Once every 1-2 months

What I'm Planning
Junkyard swap or after-market 2" receiver
Aftermarket trans cooler
Wiring extension for 7-pin RV plug conversion
Load distributing hitch (type undetermined)
Trailer brake controller

I have enough resources (time, skill, money) to basically upgrade myself to the tow package, minus the LSD function of the diff. Does this seem like it'd be okay for my limited usage, or am I better off spending my time elsewhere?
 



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Sounds like you have have the smaller 1¼" receiver, so like you said, you don't have the HD towing package. I'm pretty sure that 3rd generation trucks w/o the HD tow package all had 3.55 axles. If you do have the 3.73 gearing, then your plan is solid, and should be good to tow up through around 7,000 lbs loaded trailer weight (minus any passengers and cargo in the truck). If you find that you actually have 3.55 (which is likely), you are technically limited to 3500 lbs. Adding trans cooling will reduce the risk of a problem, but assigning a new safe rating (somewhere between 3500 and 7000) is impossible.

1. What is making you think/know it has 3.73?
2. Is 5000 lbs the empty weight, or loaded weight?
 






Thanks for your input! I know I have the 3.73 open diff because of A) The axle code on the door tag and research on this forum to confirm it's meaning and B) the window sticker (which I confirmed matched the truck) showing an optioned 3.73 diff.

The 5000lb trailer weight is fully loaded.
 






I don't think you need a load distributing hitch for that small of a load with only 18' of trailer length
I only get mine out when I haul 28' or longer trailers that are much much heavier.
I think your planned setup will be fine!
 






If you have 3.73 gearing, a previous owner must have swapped out both front and rear. That's a good thing for you, if you actually have that gearing.
RV & Trailer Towing Guides | fleet.ford.com
According to the Ford Towing Guide for 2004 (see attachment, and select 2004), you should have 3.55 axle (see pages 14 & 20). 3.73 axle ratio was part of the 53G Towing Package. With that, you got over 7000 lbs tow rating, which would never come with only the 3500 lbs rated class 2 hitch you have.

And I do believe you should use a WDH. At 5000 lbs trailer weight, you tongue weight should be 10-15% or 500-750 lbs. Ford Towing Guide (page 25) shows even with the Class III/IV receiver, you top out at 500 lbs without a WDH. With a WDH, you can go up to 770. Even if you were able to load things perfectly at 500 lbs TW, that is a lot of TW for this vehicle, and will remove a lot of weight from the front wheels. Even if you don't consider it a requirement, it is a strong recommendation, and will give you much better stability and traction by getting all lost weight back on the front wheels.
 






I know it seems strange (and I agree) but I DO have 3.73 gears on a Limited V8 without a tow package. I double-confirmed not only that the matching window sticker has an optioned 3.73 diff, but also that the door tag with axle code 46 confirms it's a 3.73 open diff. Based on the docs provided and my forum research open vs limited slip doesn't seem to matter for tow ratings, only the ratio. This is a one-owner car my grandparents bought new, and I'm 100% certain no differentials were ever swapped.

And I do believe you should use a WDH. ...it is a strong recommendation, and will give you much better stability and traction by getting all lost weight back on the front wheels.

That's exactly my thinking. Even if i don't "explicitly" need the WDH, it wouldn't hurt to use one for safety and stability reasons. I'm new to trailing & towing, but I'm doing my research :)
 






I agree with you that it won't hurt to use a WDH, "need" it or not. It can just add to the stability and peace of mind.
Research is a wonderful thing!
 






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