Do not install III hitch

[Essex4x4]

A warning to all of you guys and gals who want to upgrade from the Class II hitch to the Class III hitch:

I was talking to a mechanic at ford yesterday and he said with the stock II hitch our explorers are only capible of towing 3500 lbs, this we already know right. Well here is what most people don't know, if you upgrade to the III hitch and don't upgrade the gearing in your differential, get the ford certified trans cooler, and oil cooler you could void your warrenty.
Basically if your engine explodes because you decided to tow a 5,000lbs trailer which a class III hitch is rated for, you can damage your trany, and your rear differential, and as we all know life with out our Ford Explorers would be :mattmoon: :bsnicker: :thumbdwn: :roll:

 

[Glen4X4]

Well you would want a trans cooler towing that much weight around.

 

[Essex4x4]

My Ex came with the class II and i upgraded to the Class III only for the purpose of using my cargo rack for camping and because my bike rack is a 2" and will not fit into the standard class II, I do have a "A Frame" popup trailer, but it only weights 350lbs with a toungh weight of 50lbs so i am no where near the max of the standard tow capacity I was at ford the other day and figured i would ask if i could tow more.

 

[Glen4X4]

Oh ok.

 

[410Fortune]

Ford certified trans cooler, of course! Likely $500?

I love Ford techs

Forget the $80 B&M RV cooler or similar, its not Ford certified!
You do not HAVE to regear your differentials to tow more weight, yes towing 5000# with an explorer often will hurt the transmission.
A transmission tempature gage (or OBD interface that reads out trans temp) is a great idea when towing that much

There are alot of simple upgrades you can do to prepare your truck for towing 500# trailers, Ford is the last place I would ask about it though...gets real expensive real quick

What engine is in your 06 truck?

 

[CDW6212R]

Check your gearing and cooling features.

 

[Essex4x4]

I only have a V6 4.0

I looked on the sticker on drivers side door and all it says under the word Axel is the number 45, i don't know what that means though.

Oh, another reason the Mechanic at ford said what he said was because the newer Ex's have independent rear suspention, and mine is 4x4, does this really matter?

 

[CDW6212R]

The gearing and cooling systems are the real keys. Bigger gear ratios make it easier on the trans, and extra cooling is very important for the trans. I don't know what you ratios are, but that they are numbers tells you that it doesn't have a limited slip diff. The LS models have letters for that gearing code.

 

[Essex4x4]

I don't know my gearing ratio, but i do know that i don't have a limited slip differential

 

[m4dc0w]

45 - Conventional - 3200 lb. Capacity - 3.55 Ratio

-mc

 

[Glen4X4]

Yeah, I was going to say teh 45 tells you what your gearing is. And yeah by seeing what it says under your name I think your vehicle does have the IRS

 

[AndyInFlorida]

The V6 should have the 3.73s.

 

[Essex4x4]

So what does all of that mean?
What is the maximum to capacity of my 06 with the Class III hitch installed?

Don't know if it matters but my hitch was welded on, its not one of those cheapo bolt on kits you buy online.

 

[JDraper]

The V6 should have the 3.73s.

They came with various gears. Some had 3.55's, some had 3.73's. IIRC, the towing package gives you the 3.73's over the 3.55's

So what does all of that mean?
What is the maximum to capacity of my 06 with the Class III hitch installed?

Whatever your manual says it is with a Class III hitch. It should be in there somewhere.

 

[Essex4x4]

Answered my own question, i looked at the ford spec sheet on there home page http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/explorer/features/specs/ where it says that i can only tow 3,500lbs because my Axle ratio is 3.55, and not 3.73. Thanks anyways guys

Guess the only way of towing my boat and trailer with a combined weight of 6150 is to sell my 06 and buy a 08-09 V8 with the trailer package:

 

[JDraper]

Or do what I did and upgrade to a F-150SCrew. I went from an '01 Explorer to an '05 SCrew (test drove the '05 Explorer too) and this thing is FAR better than the current Explorers are (IMHO). I can get almost 20 mpg on the highway if I baby it and get 15-16 around town. Towing capacity is 9900 or so.

 

[Essex4x4]

Or do what I did and upgrade to a F-150SCrew. I went from an '01 Explorer to an '05 SCrew (test drove the '05 Explorer too) and this thing is FAR better than the current Explorers are (IMHO). I can get almost 20 mpg on the highway if I baby it and get 15-16 around town. Towing capacity is 9900 or so.

2006 XLT 4x4
City mileage: 16-18
Highway: 20-26 with a maximum of 28.5
Got that 28.5 last month going up to Mammoth Lakes in NoCal

 

[JDraper]

And you can tow how much with that mileage?: Upgrade to the V-8 and you won't see that mileage....

I've pulled our '66 Mustang on a trailer through the mountains of central PA and can still get around 12-13 mpg out of it.

The F-150 rides better, is quieter inside, has more room, and is more comfortable. I've got the 4x4 Lariat Package with the 5.4 and love it!

 

[Essex4x4]

:bsnicker:HA HA HA HA HA Oh sorry but i found it so funny that you thought i got that mileage towing. I only get the mileage indicated when its me and me alone in the ex. I don't tow a trailer enough to get a mileage to give ya. The one time i got 28.5 i was going 65mph with my snow boards and a small suitcase in the back, nothing else.

Wish i could own an explorer and a truck, money is tight for me right now so one car only, can't afford a truck and a 4x4 suv, the insurance alone would kill me.

 

[JDraper]

I know you weren't getting that mileage towing....that's kinda obvious.:shifty_ey

What I meant is you can have your existing vehicle getting the mileage you do, or if you want to tow more, you're going to have to sacrifice some of that mileage for a vehicle that is capable of towing what you want.