Explorer ST - Towing Capacity question

[blwnsmoke]

Guys, towing weights are generally limited by suspension/braking capability. Takes a whole lot more to stop something quickly than it does to get it rolling.

For what it's worth, the Touareg with the 3.0L diesel was one of the best towing rigs for medium to light loads of any vehicle I've ever had. It was also really fun to drive with excellent performance and handling. Then VW "fixed" it's EPA diesel problem and turned a $64,000 car into a piece of sh*t.

That's how I got the Explorer I have now.

Brakes are important but I disagree to an extent. When you are towing 5,000lbs that trailer will have its own brakes. Those brakes are supposed to be sufficient enough to stop the trailer and not rely on the tow vehicle. I have a 40ft 5th wheel that is almost 14,000lbs and when I brake with my truck, I don't feel the trailer.. nor do I feel that the trailer is ever trying to push me. Trailer brakes needs to be setup properly with the proper settings and regardless of tow vehicle, if setup right, you should not be white knuckled when trying to stop.. it should be smooth and effortless.

Now if we are talking a trailer that doesn't have its own brakes (which would be significantly less weight), that's a different story.

 

[Zeeb]

I've got a 34' fifth wheel which I tow with a Chevy one ton diesel dually, and towing a fifth wheel is a whole 'nuther ball game from a bumper pull.

Do a little research on something more than your own experience which is far from a scientific approach. Go back to when Ford and GM were having these load towing wars and what went into those determinations. That information which is factual and scientifically obtained, beats your personal experience by a long shot.

Retired Paramedic who's been forced to clean up the Freeway messes created by inadequate tow vehicles. In this case my experience trumps yours.....

Remember me, "your answer is two posts up". You got a real ego problem......

 

[blwnsmoke]

I've got a 34' fifth wheel which I tow with a Chevy one ton diesel dually, and towing a fifth wheel is a whole 'nuther ball game from a bumper pull.

Do a little research on something more than your own experience which is far from a scientific approach. Go back to when Ford and GM were having these load towing wars and what went into those determinations. That information which is factual and scientifically obtained, beats your personal experience by a long shot.

Retired Paramedic who's been forced to clean up the Freeway messes created by inadequate tow vehicles. In this case my experience trumps yours.....

Remember me, "your answer is two posts up". You got a real ego problem......

I guess the 23ft travel trailer (bumper pull) that I upgraded from after pulling that for 10 years doesnt count.

Ego problem? Do you get all bent out of shape because someone disagrees with you? People are entitled to disagree with another person.

That's my opinion and I believe everything I said was factual. I've been a member of 2 different RV sites for 10+ years and have read and educated myself a lot over the 13 years of towing.

PS, I don't care who you are and I did not remember you. However since you reminded me, your answer WAS 2 posts up.

 

[Zeeb]

That is why I am trading my Touareg in for a new car. Just got it fixed (so they say) and it is not the same car anymore.

Wait 'till you see how much DEF it'll go through now. Mine used to go between oil changes at 10,000 miles without needing to be refilled. I'd gotten mine refilled when they did the reprogramming and went to my other home about 300 miles away. As I got on the Freeway to come home, I got the warning that my DEF must be refilled in 1000 miles. Okay I thought, only 300 miles home, no big deal. By the time I'd gone about 60 miles, it was reporting that I only had 650 miles left. By the time I got to about 85 miles, it said I only had 550 miles left. At that point I'm out in the middle of no where, where do I find DEF fluid here? I decided to go on to the next town which I knew had several big diesel service stations and it was about 35 miles away.

When I got there, the thing said only 500 miles until the DEF was gone. So in the distance of 110 miles, it had used half of the remaining DEF. Wasn't any way it was going to make it the other 175 miles without a refill. So instead of going about 10,000 miles between refills of the DEF, it would not make even 800 miles. Now there are lots of places out West where I live that gas stations who would have DEF are few and far between.

For those of you who do not know; if a diesel VW runs out of DEF, it quits.

I took it to the dealership and spent most of my day there while they ran tests. When the service manager found me he said there was nothing wrong. I explained my concern about running out of DEF and asked if the settings on my VW could be incorrect; answer no. Could the gauge be reset to more accurately reflect the remaining DEF fluid; answer no.

Their "fix" made it run a lot louder like an old farm tractor. The power was down significantly as was the mileage especially towing my little utility trailer for my model airplanes.

I left the VW dealership and went straight to the nearest Ford dealer, I wanted one of those nifty Eco Boost V-6 engines. They didn't have exactly what I wanted so I went to the next closest dealer. They didn't have what I wanted either but said they could get one from a dealer in a nearby State.

I signed the papers, got a loaner from the dealer and about a week later had my new Ford Explorer Platinum, now I'm waiting for my Aviator Hybrid. No more VW's for me nor anyone else I tell my experiences to......

 

[Zeeb]

I guess the 23ft travel trailer (bumper pull) that I upgraded from after pulling that for 10 years doesnt count.

Ego problem? Do you get all bent out of shape because someone disagrees with you? People are entitled to disagree with another person.

That's my opinion and I believe everything I said was factual. I've been a member of 2 different RV sites for 10+ years and have read and educated myself a lot over the 13 years of towing.

PS, I don't care who you are and I did not remember you. However since you reminded me, your answer WAS 2 posts up.

I stand by my comments, all you have to do is go back a bit an look at some of your snarky comments which is bad enough, but when you do not indicate that it's 'your opinion" with nothing to back it up, that's wrong.

 

[James R Potts]

Zeeb that is precisely why I am getting a new car. My Touareg is OK on the Ad Blue with just regular driving, but whenever I pull anything it sucks it down in a heart beat and it doesn't have the power it used to have.

 

[evilgeek]

When I was on my test drive, I asked the salesman why the tow rating is so low compared to other SUVs of similar curb weight and wheelbase, and he said "nobody knows but the Ford engineers".

But if you think about it, many of the SUVs that can pull over 7000 lbs are being produced by companies who don't make trucks, so if they don't build their SUVs with that towing capacity, they lose out on customers who need it. Ford, on the other hand, doesn't feel the need to beef up the towing capacity of their SUVs because they have a whole line of trucks for that.

 

[Mbrooks420]

When I was on my test drive, I asked the salesman why the tow rating is so low compared to other SUVs of similar curb weight and wheelbase, and he said "nobody knows but the Ford engineers".

But if you think about it, many of the SUVs that can pull over 7000 lbs are being produced by companies who don't make trucks, so if they don't build their SUVs with that towing capacity, they lose out on customers who need it. Ford, on the other hand, doesn't feel the need to beef up the towing capacity of their SUVs because they have a whole line of trucks for that.

That and they are afraid their lighter and lighter duty SUVs won’t make it out of the warranty periods towing heavier weight.

 

[James R Potts]

My concern is that Ford put a lighter weight transmission that only supports 5,600. I have had a SUV transmission go out while pulling and I don't want that again. If you look at the HP and torque vs my Touareg, the Explorer ST should have a tow limit of at least 7,000 lbs. It is longer and wider than my Touareg and according to the specs, just a bit lighter.

 

[blwnsmoke]

My concern is that Ford put a lighter weight transmission that only supports 5,600. I have had a SUV transmission go out while pulling and I don't want that again. If you look at the HP and torque vs my Touareg, the Explorer ST should have a tow limit of at least 7,000 lbs. It is longer and wider than my Touareg and according to the specs, just a bit lighter.

Could be that they dont want to be too close to the Expeditions tow rating (9,200lbs 4x4) and hurt sales.

With the Toureag gone in the US, the Atlas is the best you can do with 5,000lb towing, so although not the highest, the Explorer is competitive.

 

[James R Potts]

The Durango V-8 has a 7,300 lbs limit and is a little less than an equally equipped Explorer. The Audi Q7 also has over a 7,000 lbs limit, but they are quite a bit more than either car.

 

[blwnsmoke]

The Durango V-8 has a 7,300 lbs limit and is a little less than an equally equipped Explorer. The Audi Q7 also has over a 7,000 lbs limit, but they are quite a bit more than either car.

What is the big brother to the Durango and Q7?

 

[James R Potts]

Tow capacity issue solved. Ford only puts a Class III Hitch on the Explorer. You can get a Class IV hitch on the Aviator which ups the tow capacity to 6,700 and up the tongue weight by 100lbs. The Jeep and Durango both come with a Class IV. So the Explorer ST has plenty of power to pull more, but is limited by its Hitch, which sucks since Ford is forcing you to go up to the Aviator is you want to tow more.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Tow capacity issue solved. Ford only puts a Class III Hitch on the Explorer. You can get a Class IV hitch on the Aviator which ups the tow capacity to 6,700 and up the tongue weight by 100lbs. The Jeep and Durango both come with a Class IV. So the Explorer ST has plenty of power to pull more, but is limited by its Hitch, which sucks since Ford is forcing you to go up to the Aviator is you want to tow more.

Class 3 hitches can pull up to 10k so that's not the issue.

 

[James R Potts]

Depends on the type of Class III, some are limited to 6,000 lbs. The hitch has to be it, that is the only difference from the Aviator and the Explorer.

 

[Nossy]

Tow capacity issue solved. Ford only puts a Class III Hitch on the Explorer. You can get a Class IV hitch on the Aviator which ups the tow capacity to 6,700 and up the tongue weight by 100lbs. The Jeep and Durango both come with a Class IV. So the Explorer ST has plenty of power to pull more, but is limited by its Hitch, which sucks since Ford is forcing you to go up to the Aviator is you want to tow more.

Couple years late but this isn’t the case, the sticker on my hitch on my 2020 ST lists 6700lbs.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Hitch rating and vehicle rating can differ.

 

[peterk9]

Couple years late but this isn’t the case, the sticker on my hitch on my 2020 ST lists 6700lbs.

Welcome to the Forum.
It isn't the hitch that determines the towing weight but the vehicle's capability. The following is from your Manual, page 291.

Peter

 

[Nossy]

Welcome to the Forum.
It isn't the hitch that determines the towing weight but the vehicle's capability. The following is from your Manual, page 291.

View attachment 423922

Peter

Yes, I’m aware of this. My response was to the theory that the hitch is the only difference between the Navigator and the ST - that does not appear to be the case, at least on my particular ST.

 

[Dale5403]

Yes, I’m aware of this. My response was to the theory that the hitch is the only difference between the Navigator and the ST - that does not appear to be the case, at least on my particular ST.

The towing capacity for the 2022 Aviator has been reduced. 2022 Aviator Towing Capacity Reduced