2007 4.6 V8 Hitch Upgrade

[Glasssplinter]

New to the Sport Trac and like most bought it thinking the hitch upgrade would be no big deal. Well here we are with a 1 1/4" hitch and a V8. I have seen a few threads on this but not much resolution or facts on it. Some claim that the chassis was different for the 2", the vehicle can't tow over what the original hitch installed said (yet you could purchase a bolt in kit directly from Ford to increase the tow cap to the max stated in the manual which is around 7K for a WD hitch) etc etc. Someone also said there's a sticker in the door indicating max tow for the vehicle and cannot locate that either (truthfully never seen that in any vehicle, just the owner's manual). Also made no sense since I see alot of the V6's running around with a 2" while I have a V8 with the smaller hitch and supposedly the V8 had a bigger trans cooler already. So it seems it was just the receiver size difference for the V8.

So here's where I am. I found a 2" hitch and it was cut off from the same year Sport Trac. So does anyone really know what the differences are for this? I'm planning on having a highly qualified welder remove the 1 1/4" (the whole bar back to the frame) and weld in the 2" onto the frame. Possible plates attached but that will be based on the welder's call. Anyone with experience on this? For me mostly the 1 1/4 just introduces alot of slop and hassle with the adapter since most things I have are for 2". I may go over the 3500 original limit but it's not a dedicated tow rig either. More like once in a great while over 5K tow.

 

[Paul Fithian]

See 07 ST Hitch

 

[Glasssplinter]

See 07 ST Hitch

That's awesome, thanks for the info! Sure that will be easier for a weld shop to do than remove the entire member. Going to check thickness on the 2 to confirm and will report back on it.

 

[Mbrooks420]

New to the Sport Trac and like most bought it thinking the hitch upgrade would be no big deal. Well here we are with a 1 1/4" hitch and a V8. I have seen a few threads on this but not much resolution or facts on it. Some claim that the chassis was different for the 2", the vehicle can't tow over what the original hitch installed said (yet you could purchase a bolt in kit directly from Ford to increase the tow cap to the max stated in the manual which is around 7K for a WD hitch) etc etc. Someone also said there's a sticker in the door indicating max tow for the vehicle and cannot locate that either (truthfully never seen that in any vehicle, just the owner's manual). Also made no sense since I see alot of the V6's running around with a 2" while I have a V8 with the smaller hitch and supposedly the V8 had a bigger trans cooler already. So it seems it was just the receiver size difference for the V8.

So here's where I am. I found a 2" hitch and it was cut off from the same year Sport Trac. So does anyone really know what the differences are for this? I'm planning on having a highly qualified welder remove the 1 1/4" (the whole bar back to the frame) and weld in the 2" onto the frame. Possible plates attached but that will be based on the welder's call. Anyone with experience on this? For me mostly the 1 1/4 just introduces alot of slop and hassle with the adapter since most things I have are for 2". I may go over the 3500 original limit but it's not a dedicated tow rig either. More like once in a great while over 5K tow.

There’s nothing you can do to actually increase your tow rating. The weight rating of the truck should be wherever they put the stickers that are on the door of second gens. Almost all cars have these.

 

[Glasssplinter]

Can you explain and have you seen this? The door sticker that I have only has the following weight ratings:
GVWR 6248 lbs
Front GAVR 3240
REAR GAWR 3340
Based on those numbers alone and a title weight of 4793 lbs that allows for 1455 based on 5 passengers and payload. Or 1190 lbs based on the sticker that says tire and loading information. Close enough to make sense with fluids etc. So based on that info where do you come up with the tow capacity based on a sticker? There is no GCVW sticker indicator on the vehicle. Looking through junkyard auctions I find only 2 numbers for the vehicle, 6248 for the V8 and 6160 for the V6. These are the actual door jamb stickers showing that, no other differences and a mix of the 1 1/4" and 2" receivers.

Based on the manual I have an undersized hitch for the vehicle max tow rating. Are you saying if you buy a F-350 truck with a class 1 hitch that's all it can tow? I have no intentions of exceeding the max number in the manual and will probably not even hit 5K, however the 1 1/4" is just a pain when everything is setup for 2" and 3500 is not much overhead when you're guessing how much a trailer weighs. So is the manual incorrect or what?

 

[Mbrooks420]

Can you explain and have you seen this? The door sticker that I have only has the following weight ratings:
GVWR 6248 lbs
Front GAVR 3240
REAR GAWR 3340
Based on those numbers alone and a title weight of 4793 lbs that allows for 1455 based on 5 passengers and payload. Or 1190 lbs based on the sticker that says tire and loading information. Close enough to make sense with fluids etc. So based on that info where do you come up with the tow capacity based on a sticker? There is no GCVW sticker indicator on the vehicle. Looking through junkyard auctions I find only 2 numbers for the vehicle, 6248 for the V8 and 6160 for the V6. These are the actual door jamb stickers showing that, no other differences and a mix of the 1 1/4" and 2" receivers.

Based on the manual I have an undersized hitch for the vehicle max tow rating. Are you saying if you buy a F-350 truck with a class 1 hitch that's all it can tow? I have no intentions of exceeding the max number in the manual and will probably not even hit 5K, however the 1 1/4" is just a pain when everything is setup for 2" and 3500 is not much overhead when you're guessing how much a trailer weighs. So is the manual incorrect or what?

Your tow rating is set at the manufacturer. It can’t legally be raised. Your tow rating is 2,000.

 

[Glasssplinter]

You got some facts to back that up? In all the literature there is never a mention of 2K pounds. I literally have a 3500 lb hitch installed from the factory, the manual says roughly 7K with proper equip and you're coming in with a 2K figure. That's the GVWR which is vehicle plus payload in the door jamb, not GCVWR. GCVWR is GVWR + trailer.

Here's a 4.6 limited with a door sticker in the pics:

2008 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC LIMITED for Auction - IAA

2008 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC LIMITED for auction at Englishtown (NJ) branch location. Current Bid: $0 - - Mileage: 157,991 mi (Actual) - Color: BLACK - Transmission: Automatic - Stock: 36900493

www.iaai.com

2" hitch installed on it which by the manual and the sticker on the hitch means 6K+.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Okay, your truck is rated at 3500.

Again. You can not legally change that. Sorry it’s not what you want to hear. Put a class 5 on it, your rating is still whatever it rolled out of the factory with.

 

[Glasssplinter]

I didn't want this thread to end up a dead end with no facts. Just saying "from the factory" and legal doesn't equate to anything without a single thing to back it up. Please explain part number 7A2Z19D520K directly from Ford. A bolt in replacement / upgrade for the smaller receivers. The installation requires the old hitch to be cut out and the new one bolted in. If I had this vehicle back in the first few years of release I could have walked into a dealership and had that part installed to upgrade it to a class iii.

2007-2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Hitch Plate 7A2Z-19D520-K | Blue Springs Ford Parts

Save Big On This OEM Hitch Plate, Part #7A2Z-19D520-K for 2007-2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Wholesale Prices, Fast Shipping, Order Online or Call 1-800-248-7760.

www.bluespringsfordparts.com

Again, I want facts on this not opinions. Frame differences, build differences etc. Can you show me your vehicle tow sticker?

​

 

[Flashflood]

I didn't want this thread to end up a dead end with no facts. Just saying "from the factory" and legal doesn't equate to anything without a single thing to back it up. Please explain part number 7A2Z19D520K directly from Ford. A bolt in replacement / upgrade for the smaller receivers. The installation requires the old hitch to be cut out and the new one bolted in. If I had this vehicle back in the first few years of release I could have walked into a dealership and had that part installed to upgrade it to a class iii.

2007-2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Hitch Plate 7A2Z-19D520-K | Blue Springs Ford Parts

Save Big On This OEM Hitch Plate, Part #7A2Z-19D520-K for 2007-2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Wholesale Prices, Fast Shipping, Order Online or Call 1-800-248-7760.

www.bluespringsfordparts.com

Again, I want facts on this not opinions. Frame differences, build differences etc. Can you show me your vehicle tow sticker?

​

2nd gen sport tracs are very heavy vechiles especially with a v8 yes you can change the hitch but that doesn't mean it magically pulls more. It has to pull the rest of the vehicle too. Pure and simple like mbrooks stated 2000s for v6s 3500 for v8s depending on the trans if it had the 6r80 which wasn't until the last two years you may of had a class 3 with higher tow radius.

 

[Mbrooks420]

There’s no towing sticker. I was under the impression the regular second gens had all three ratings.

The 2,000 pound rating is for the unibody generation where the most people come on here assuming they can just get the bigger hitch, and get the 5,000 rating. I was mistaken about the vehicle we were discussing.

 

[Glasssplinter]

Directly from the owner's manual:

 

[Glasssplinter]

Thanks Mbrooks420, it appears you were partially correct on that. The vehicle doesn't have the sticker but the manual does list GCVWR. 4WD 4.6 with the proper hitch is 11600 or 0-6580 trailer weight.

I just didn't want the thread to be a bad source of info since their aren't that many out there.

 

[Glasssplinter]

Yes they are pretty heavy, was surprised at that when I saw the title. But no, those ratings are incorrect based on the owner's manual. The 07 never even listed 2000 as a max tow per the manual. The 4x4 takes a small hit but for both 4x2 and 4x4 with the proper hitch and both able to tow over 6K.

 

[Flashflood]

Here some info

There we go sorry didn't mean to post it three times

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Yes they are pretty heavy, was surprised at that when I saw the title. But no, those ratings are incorrect based on the owner's manual. The 07 never even listed 2000 as a max tow per the manual. The 4x4 takes a small hit but for both 4x2 and 4x4 with the proper hitch and both able to tow over 6K.

at least in 2nd gens, some v6 ones didnt come w trans coolers, so capacity was 2000 or 3000. get the tow package which has the cooler and some other stuff it shoots up to 5550 iirc for v6 4wd sohc etc etc not sue if that holds true for STs.