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XLT w/out Tow Package question

Wintrmte

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City, State
Idaho
Year, Model & Trim Level
2012 Ford Explorer XLT
We are adding a Class III receiver to our vehicle as well as the 7-pin harness. Question though is can we pick up the oil cooling unit as an aftermarket item?

I looked on Google and didn't see where there were any units available for the 2012 or 2011 for that matter.

Thanks!
 



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We are adding a Class III receiver to our vehicle as well as the 7-pin harness. Question though is can we pick up the oil cooling unit as an aftermarket item?

I looked on Google and didn't see where there were any units available for the 2012 or 2011 for that matter.

Thanks!

Not sure, but you could check out www.fordparts.com
 












If you are adding the hitch after the fact be careful about the clearance between the hitch and the exhaust pipes. I had the dealer put on the III hitch (not really to tow anything but to use with a bike rack).

It looks and works great but the exhaust pipes rattle against the hitch anytime I hit a bump. Ive tried some temp fixes but nothing seems to work just short of removing the hitch or bending the exhaust slightly to increase the distance between the two.
 






If you are adding the hitch after the fact be careful about the clearance between the hitch and the exhaust pipes. I had the dealer put on the III hitch (not really to tow anything but to use with a bike rack).

It looks and works great but the exhaust pipes rattle against the hitch anytime I hit a bump. Ive tried some temp fixes but nothing seems to work just short of removing the hitch or bending the exhaust slightly to increase the distance between the two.

I purchased the DrawTite from eTrailer.com. I haven't experienced this problem. It fits and performs great. FYI
 






I purchased the DrawTite from eTrailer.com. I haven't experienced this problem. It fits and performs great. FYI

I have no idea what they put on mine. It looks good and is solid as a rock but it is a tight fit.
 






I have no idea what they put on mine. It looks good and is solid as a rock but it is a tight fit.

The DrawTite shipped with replacement exhaust hanger hardware, specifically relocating where the two mufflers hang.
 






Thank you all for the replies. After buying our vehicle, we decided that camping in something other than a tent would be fun.

So, we picked up a 2600 lb. tent trailer for a great price.

We are getting the Class III hitch installed by our ford dealer and will ask about the transmission overdrive lockout as well.
 






If you are going to tow anything above the 2000 lb limit imposed by not having the factory towing package, then an equally important issue is the transmission overdrive lockout, in addition to the oil cooler. As I understand, this can be retrofitted by the dealer.
Yep.

I haven't seen anything on here about retrofitting. Not to say it can't be done - has to be a software setting somewhere. The trick is triggering it.
 






I don't think the oil cooler will be a HUGE issue. Just make the switch to a high quality full synthetic oil, and shorten your oil change interval to maybe 4-5,000 miles during your towing season. In other words, cut your oil change interval in half during the tow season.
 






Ok one more question. We do have the select shift feature. Is it feasible to say that if we drop it out of drive and down shift that it would effectively disable o/d?

Lastly, since our trailer is really 600lbs over the 2000 limit, are we putting that much extra strain on the tranny even with o/d on?

I do plan on getting a tranny temp gauge installed as a precaution too.
 






Lastly, since our trailer is really 600lbs over the 2000 limit, are we putting that much extra strain on the tranny even with o/d on?

I don't know anything about the towing limitations with our Explorers, but if you are saying our limit is 2,000 pounds, and you will be at +2,600 pounds, that should be the deal breaker for you. Why are you even considering this over the safety of your truck and family?
 






Yep.

I haven't seen anything on here about retrofitting. Not to say it can't be done - has to be a software setting somewhere. The trick is triggering it.

It's on here somewhere. IIRC, all that is needed is the shifter knob with the switch. The harness is already in place.
 






Trailer Towing

I looked through the Trailer Towing section in the Owner's Guide and did not see anything that said the vehicle with a class III is limited to towing 2000 lbs if not equipped with the factory towing package.
The Guide has a table for FWD and 4WD trailer towing weights. It shows a 2000 lb limit for class I and 5000 lb limit for class III.
In all cases I assume that the addition of all other towing equipment options would still be required.
 






I looked through the Trailer Towing section in the Owner's Guide and did not see anything that said the vehicle with a class III is limited to towing 2000 lbs if not equipped with the factory towing package.
The Guide has a table for FWD and 4WD trailer towing weights. It shows a 2000 lb limit for class I and 5000 lb limit for class III.
In all cases I assume that the addition of all other towing equipment options would still be required.

I think Cory has answered this question before is the addition of all the other parts that allow you to tow the 5000lbs so without the tow package from the factory your missing those parts.

So even if you add a aftermarket class III hitch you will still be missing the other parts (oil cooler & etc...) to be able to utilized the 5000lb max towing weight.
 






I think Cory has answered this question before is the addition of all the other parts that allow you to tow the 5000lbs so without the tow package from the factory your missing those parts.

So even if you add a aftermarket class III hitch you will still be missing the other parts (oil cooler & etc...) to be able to utilized the 5000lb max towing weight.
Yes, I agree. That is why I added that the additional options would still be required. Perhaps I should have been a little clearer on that. Thanks.
 






Class III hitch, oil coolee and thicker radiator is all required. The tow package Exs have a bigger radiator.

Best of luck, it will cost a fortune to retrofit.

PS- if you do not retrofit completely, your vehicle will not meet the required specs to be rated more then 2,000lbs and if you tow and get caught, you could be ticketed for towing more then what is rated and liable if in an accident.
 






I don't know anything about the towing limitations with our Explorers, but if you are saying our limit is 2,000 pounds, and you will be at +2,600 pounds, that should be the deal breaker for you...
I looked through the Trailer Towing section in the Owner's Guide and did not see anything that said the vehicle with a class III is limited to towing 2000 lbs if not equipped with the factory towing package...
I think Cory has answered this question before is the addition of all the other parts that allow you to tow the 5000lbs so without the tow package from the factory your missing those parts...
Hey everybody,

The 2012 Explorer 3.5L 6–passenger & 7-passenger Class I both have a maximum trailer weight of 2000 lbs. Models equipped with the available Trailer Tow Package - Class III from the factory feature a maximum tow rating of 5000 lbs. I can’t recommend towing any more than the recommended weight. The towing chart can be found on page 257 of the 2012 Explorer Owner Guide 2nd Printing.

If you’d like to download a free copy of your Owner Guide, go the URL: http://Owner.Ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/OwnerGuidePage and choose your vehicle from the drop down boxes.

Cory
 






I am about to order the Curt Trailer Hitch for my base 2012 For Explorer. I was wondering if it would be possible to just get the 7 Pin Wiring Harness from Ford and use that instead of an aftermarket harness. Also, I saw mentioned above about the Overdrive Lockout and that it could possibly be added via a shifter knob replacement (harness already in place). Does anyone have any information about either of these?
 



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2011 Explorer XLT without Tow package-what can I tow?

Hi everyone,

We are currently in the market for a new-to-us car and we've narrowed it down to the Ford Explorer.

In our price range, there are several 2011 Ford Explorer XLT's that we are interested in. However, the one we drove today did not have a tow hitch on it.

Now, towing is *NOT* going to be something that we do all the time. However, we are in the military and are getting ready to move from Texas to Massachusetts this summer. It would be really great to have an extra trailer behind us to pack some items in that our movers will generally not move (firearms, paperwork, etc.) We have three small dogs that will be occupying the backseat, so the cargo area in the back with the third row folded down would basically just be for some dog food and our suitcases for the driving trip.

From what I can tell, the tow package option also adds an oil cooler to the car to assist in towing, so if I got a simple hitch installed, I would not be able to tow the total of 5000 lbs. However, if I do get a hitch/wiring installed, I could tow maybe 2000 lbs?

The uhaul trailer I have been looking at is a 4x8 and weighs about 800 pounds, so that would leave me with about 1000 pounds left to tow. We will be nowhere near that weight limit. I would estimate maybe another 300-400 pounds worth of items in the trailer and maybe 200 pounds in the rear cargo space.

The dealership we were just at said they could install a trailer hitch no problem and it would be fine with hitching a trailer onto it and making the drive. However, they are salesman and I wanted to get other's thoughts on this.

With that being said, we are wondering about the following:

1) How much would it cost to install a trailer hitch/tow package on a 2011 XLT?
2) Would this be adequate to tow a trailer with maybe 1300 pounds TOTAL (including trailer weight) from Texas to Massachusetts?

Right now, we've got two cars in mind at different dealerships. One is 4wd with the tow hitch for $30k, and the other is a 2wd without tow hitch for 26k. I just don't want to spend money on things I don't need.
 






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