Advice about Towing.....

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

Hey guys, i have a few questions and you guys never fail to let me down and i thank you for it....I have a 96 Xlt 4x4 V6 with about 200k all highway miles and i was considering doing some towing for my girlfriend and her horse to local shows. She has a 2 trailers one a gooseneck and one a bumper pull she was wanting me to pull the bumper one, so she doesnt have to run around and get her truck and hook it up to the gooseneck and so on and so forth, i know my Ex has the capability to pull the trailer because i think its only about 600 lbs and the horse is maybe 1000lbs, my question is do you guys think its wise to do so with the high mileage.....i know the motor is ok its the tranny im worried about since they are a weak point in our vehicles.....what kind of upgrades should/can i make to ensure that it will be ok? I know of tranny coolers and temp gauges but also suspension...i have the shackels add a leaf and tortion twist along with decent shocks but maybe helper springs? Idk im new at this towing stuff, any advice would be wonderful, thanks guys!

Oh and my Ex has a K&N filter, throttle body spacer, bbk headers, mangnaflow cats and a flowmaster muffler to help aid in power.

 

[97sprt4x4]

The helper springs would help keep the ass end level, but not really help as far as towing as far as i can tell. it will allow you to carry more, but 1600 should be well within your limits. The temp gauge will be the biggest factor in preventing you from destroying your trans, if you do that, and the extra if you have a tranny cooler, if you don't add two.

Good luck
Justin

 

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

yeah i was thinking the helper spring just to help with the suspension aspect, maybe ill go with just one big cooler or just get a new tranny come tax return time hahah, thanks though man, i'll keep that in all in mind, is there a place that makes/sells a deeper pan for the tranny? and should i consider regearing or is that too much, i have 373's right now?

 

[97sprt4x4]

people tow with the 373s, i mean if you're planning on lifting it, then you could don't want to regear more then once cus you have to do both front and rear. if you're planning on going up and putting bigger tires, then i would go 4.56 that will put you in 33/35 range, but if you're going to stick with 31s it won't be that bad.


Justin

 

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

ah i forgot to ask, do you know the max towing capacity by chance?

 

[97sprt4x4]

http://www.explorerforum.com/ntrprize/spec1997.htm it's a 97.. but should be the same

 

[BBQ Bandit]

Just a FYI on towing a horse trailer... a horse trailer with a live, unsecured load (horse)with a high center of gravity will cause a great amount of sway.

Have you considered a Weight Distribution Hitch?

 

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

the weight distribution hitch was actually one of the first things i was looking at and am thinking i should definitely get one......thanks for the refresher though i almost forgot about that!

 

[gijoecam]

Your Explorer is rated for either 1814lbs or 2267lbs of towing capacity depending on whether it's got the 3.55 or 3.73 gears in it. If the trailer is *only* 600 lbs and the horse is *only* 1000 lbs, it should be do-able, but you're not doing the truck any favors.

The biggest issue with a stock trailer is usually the tongue weight. They're generally tongue-heavy when loaded, so a weight-distributing hitch is almost a must. Anything more than 300 lbs of tongue weight will usually put an Explorer over on the rear gross axle weight rating (you'd be surprised how little they can actually carry once you do the math).

At any rate, I'd say it's not quite the right tool for the job... It'll *probably* be OK with a little time and money, but there are other tools out there better suited to the job.

Also, this assumes the trailer alone is only 600 lbs... I suspect that number is optimistic at best.

 

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

man thats a buzz kill, but i guess its the truth, i was really hoping it would work out but it seems it would do more harm, maybe ill look into a different vehicle, but i love my damn Ex, ya know? we'll see what happens

 

[cheeech]

Def sounds like too much.

i have an '08 Ram 5.7L that does all my towing/hauling. My 97 4.0L Explorer barely gets out of it's own way compared to my Ram. I would never even think of pulling anything other than a small fishing boat or a little pop-up.
Cetainly not a horse trialer or a horse. Those are heavy beasts and I would worry about flipping the SUV over due to the high center of gravity and the narrow wheelbase.

 

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

got ya got ya, just another quick question, what about the 5.0 explorers? i would imagine theyd have better towing capabilities.....just throwing that out there.

 

[hazmat456]

6000# 23' camper,750# tounge weight,1000# curt w/d hitch and 31" tires the extra tranny filter from napa adds a additional quart to help keep things cool

 

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

i take taht as a yes the 5.0's are much better hahah

 

[Mbrooks420]

The 5.0 would tow better, due to more power, and more importantly a transmission that won't explode. I'd call your ins before towing any expensive animals to make sure they would be covered. The horse trailer is almost certainly not 600 pounds, I would guess at LEAST 1000.

 

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

its actually 785lbs according to the stamp on the hitch. thanks for the advice guys! maybe ill pick up a 5.0 now!

 

[BBQ Bandit]

its actually 785lbs according to the stamp on the hitch. thanks for the advice guys! maybe ill pick up a 5.0 now!

Look for the '97 AWD with the 5.0 motor... properly equipped will pull 6400 lbs. (total payload)... plus a WDH is less nerve racking.

Just for comparrison:
The little trailer is a 5X8... just under 1,000 lbs empty.
The bigger one is a 7X16... just over 3,000 lbs empty.
(Brake controller, rear leaf spring helpers, and WDH used for the bigger trailer)

 

[Mbrooks420]

I'd get Air Springs in the rear over helper springs. How far are the local shows?

 

[xxxchevelle69xxx]

Thanks for all the help guys, this has all been very helpful, i will be keeping my eye open for the 97 5.0's and the shows are maybe 20-25 miles from her house......i hope you all had a great holiday! thanks again

 

[Mbrooks420]

The 5.0 doesn't have to be a 97. 97-01 would all be good.