I have a 2006 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer V8 - Traveling accross country and plan on towing a 28 FT/5120 dry Travel trailer. Is my Explorer going to be enough to tow it comfortably?
Wow, that's a heavy trailer! My 27ft trailer is about that much loaded.
Most important question has already been asked. Do you have the HD Class III/IV towing package (2" receiver), or do you only have the standard Class II package (1¼" receiver)? If it's the smaller, this is a no-go.
If you have the HD tow package, then you have 7000-7400 lbs max tow capacity, depending on if it's 4x4 and if you have rear A/C (check owner manual). But that capacity gets dropped for every lb you put in the truck beyond the driver. So subtract the weight of your family and any cargo you wan to put in the Ex.
On the other side the 5120 dry weight does not include factory options, dealer options, nor any of your camping gear. You should look for a yellow sticker in a cabinet that will tell you the actual factory-shipped weight, then estimate for battery, propane, water, and gear. You will find that you will easily be around 6000 lbs when loaded.
As you can see you are going to end up very close to your max rating (assuming you have the HD package). My Mounty does a good job pulling around our camper, but again my LOADED weight is 5100-5200 lbs.
