First time towing big

In a few months I'm renting a travel trailer and taking the wife and kid out for a week. Thinking about buying a camper, but we want to try it out with a rental first. We're in NJ, picking up the rental trailer, and driving out the PA turnpike to Pittsburgh, about 350 miles. The trailer is labeled a 24 footer (so figure 27-28 tip to tip) and about 4,800lbs dry. The rental is supposed to include a weight-distributing hitch and sway bar(s). Not sure what brand or type.

My Explorer is a 2010 with a V8 and the III/IV tow package. I bought it used last year, and now at 30K miles. Just did some maintenance this past weekend:
* Oil/filter change (Mobil 1 oil & Ford filter)
* new fuel filter
* cleaned the MAF
* cleaned air filter and box (filter still looked clean yet)
* Chevron/techron F.I. cleaner
the brakes looked almost new still, and the tires have plenty of tread. just some light surface cracks where the sidewall meets the tread. checked the date and they're from ~ June '09, so not too old.

Planning to install an older brake controller my dad has.

Is there anything I am missing or should be looking over before we head out? Biggest concern is safety b/c I'll have my wife and little girl on board. I'm not so concerned about handling the weight of the trailer, but the length may sway the truck a little? Even towing a little 5x8 enclosed utility trailer, I could feel it push the truck around a little. What's the longest trailer length we can safely go on our explorers with a travel trailer? I still have time to 'downgrade' to a shorter trailer.

Am thinking about getting some clip on side mirror extensions. Are those necessary for just one week? Keeping in mind I'll probably be trolling in the right lane 90% of the time!

Should I put more than the suggested 32 lbs of air in the tires to tow?

The shop guys at the dealership told me I'd be ok with 87 octane towing. Any reason to run 89 or higher?

Anyone know if the 2010 tow package has an auxilary trans cooler? Or is it just the cooler that's built into the radiator? I think I read somewhere that there's an extra trans cooler on the tow package.

The 2010 has the electronic sway control feature that's supposed to tap the necessary rear brakes to keep the trailer from "wagging" the truck. Anybody here have experience with this feature? Does it work as intended, or do you end up turning it off?

My explorer has the backup warning feature, which is really cool, but a annoying when you're backup up a trailer. I can shut it off, but I think it resets every time I turn the ignition off and restart. Is there a way to disable it so it stays off until I turn it back on?

Thanks for any info guys.

 

[thebrakeman]

I have a 2006 Mountaineer with the same drivetrain as your 2010. I tow a 27ft Surveyor Hybrid bunkhouse. But mine is considered an ultralite. About 3600 dry, 4000 shipped/empty. Haven't weighed loaded (shame on me), but certainly less than 5,000. For your first time out, driving thru the PN Turnpick (hills!), I would definitely move down to a smaller trailer. The unit you are considering is probably 5200 lbs optioned empty weight, and could be pushing 6000 with gear loaded. Your truck will be well over 5000 lbs with the family and a few things loaded. So you are pushing your 12,000 combined rating. Not good when towing thru decent hills.

Regarding your specific questions:
-You must have that WDH. Ask them to set it up for you, and have them compensate for the fact that it won't be loaded when you pick it up.
-You must have trailer brake working. A cheap unit for this trial run might be tempting, but this is probably your #1 safety item. Make sure you get something that is labeled "proportional" and not "time-delay". The units of choice everywhere is the Tekonsha Prodigy, P2, or P3 electronic brake controllers. They are the best, and worth the premium. About $100 new.
-I do not know how well the Ford sway control system works. I have an Equil-i-zer brand WDH, which has integrated sway control. For your trial trip, go with the WDH they provide, and your electronic stuff. If you purchase, get an Equil-i-zer from RVWholesalers.com.
-At 30k miles without any serious towing, your maintenance looks fine. If you purchase a trailer, you will want to change oil more often (in towing season), and do the axle/differential service sooner (see manual).
-If the utility trailer was wagging the dog (the truck), you probably did not have it loaded properly. You need 10-15% of the total trailer weight to be on the ball. I'm impressed with the way my long trailer tows. Could be the Equil-i-zer (?).
-Clip-on mirrors will help...I use them for any trip longer than 30 minutes. If not used for initial trip, just be sure to make lane changes very slowly. Tip: When you want to move to the left lane, but can't see well, move slowly over to the right, then suddenly flick to the left, then back on center (staying in the lane the entire time). When you make that move to the left, you will get a quick view behind the trailer in your side mirror.
-There is no stated length limit. It's all about weight and stability. That said, I don't know if I've heard of any on this site towing into the 30' category. I would not want to, even if the weight was OK.
-Pushing the air a bit is OK. But no need to go crazy. I usually go to 36psi while towing.
-87 octane is fine.
-Class III/IV towing package has all the cooling you need. As you are going thru the mountains, if the trans is hunting (can't hold a gear), pull out of OD. It sucks that this locks out both 5th and 6th, but it's better than overheating something.
-Here is the 2010 Ford Towing Guide Excellent resource.
-PS - I got 8-9mpg on our 1900 miles trip around Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Budget accordingly.
-You have to disable the backup warning system every time you restart the engine. For me, whenever I go to reverse, the dash-system switches to the system function automatically. If the trailer is there and starts beeping, I just hit the "reset" button, which is just forward of my right hand on the shifter. No big deal. You get used to it.

 

[2010Eddie]

Thanks for all the info! I was more concerned with the length, but sounds like I need to keep an eye on the weight. I'm guestimating 4,800 on the trailer dry, 4,700 for the truck, and another 1,000 for people and cargo, so about 10,500. Sadly, the next size down trailer wasn't much lighter, just a bit shorter.

Good advice having the cargo in when they set it up. We're picking up the trailer about an hour into the trip, so we'll have all our cargo in crates/bags/suitcases with us in the truck. I guess it's best to move as much cargo as we can into the trailer when on the road? over the axles....biased toward the front.

I like the idea for lane changing. If I buy a trailer, I'll end up getting the mirrors and the Tekonsha brake controller. We're hoping to buy something a little smaller/lighter than this rental - maybe a hybrid. How comfortable are the beds on those hybrid campers?

Was hoping to crack 2 digit MPG while towing but sounds like that won't happen. My dad's old E150 vans (an 87 and a 98) both got about 8mpg towing a 5,000lb trailer.

Guess I'll get used to turning off the backup warning system every time. One thing I do love on the explorer though is the sync system because using our phones, my wife can direct me when I back up a trailer and I hear her through the audio system. Easier and cleaner sound than walkie talkies etc.

I'll let you know how my experience goes, thanks again.

 

[thebrakeman]

You should not guess. Ask (or look yourself) about the weight from the renter. There should be a sticker in one of the cabinets that lists:
-"Dry Weight" - This is the absolute lowest weight that model can weigh, coming from the factory, with no factory options (and obviously no dealer options)
-"Shipped Weight" - This is the actual weight as delivered to the dealer, including any factory-installed options/packages

You should ask for both. If they only tell you 1, you won't really know which one they gave you. And just because they work there, doesn't mean they know jack.

Once you have the "shipped weight" ask them about any other options they added at the dealership. LP tanks, battery, etc. Or you might get lucky, and they may have an actual weight of the thing as it sitting in their lot.

1000 lbs for 2 adults, 1 child, luggage, and all your stuff is very aggressive. Conservative estimating would be 1000 for options and stuff in the trailer (over the "shipped" weight). Then add all the knowns in the Explorer.

For a rented unit, you probably won't go crazy with stuff. But when you purchase, you will load it up more.

 

[2010Eddie]

Following up with my experience as promised. Got back from my vacation a couple of weeks ago. The explorer (2010 4.6L) towed our rental trailer pretty well...a little better than I expected. The trailer was approx 28' and 5,000 lbs. The dealer had a WDH with 1 sway bar attached. If it was something I'd purchased, I would have taken more time to fine tune the WD bars, and the ball height because it got squirrely a few times on a curve going over a bridge with a crosswind, or a passing truck. But overall, fairly stable with a relatively large trailer behind it. I never felt the electronic sway control kick in (not sure if you're supposed to be able to feel it).

The explorer handled the weight no problem though. I was expecting it to struggle more. But I wasn't pushing it too hard either - slowed to 50 on a couple really steep hills on PA turnpike. Averaged about 60-65 mph. Afterward, I read in the owner's manual that you're supposed to take it easy and keep it under 70 for the first 500 miles of towing as the drivetrain needs to break-in under towing conditions. It really had more power than I thought, and once I passed a truck going up a hill, and it had the power, but at the expense of fuel....could see the average MPG meter dipping down into the 7's!

I had an ELM327 OBD2 with torque app. The ELM is a PITA to get synced and working. But once it was, I could see the engine and trans temps stayed in the lower 200's. Both peaked around 220 on a few bad hills. Taking it easy overall, I got about 10 mpg towing. Ran 87 fuel no problem...pinged just a few times on a downshift. Locked the trans out of O/D a few times, but overall, the trans seemed to know what it was doing.

Right before the trip, I ditched the original Michelins (18" wheels) and got Goodyear Assurance fuel max. They worked fine...no problems despite a few people griping about them on the internet. They're supposed to add maybe a 1/2 mpg. I haven't driven it enough without a trailer yet to see if the MPGs are any better.

 

[NickPick]

Your set-up look like exactly like mine, you could see pics here:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3168862&postcount=188

Everything went fine on my first trips exept for the gas gauge but that, it was expected!
Good camping season to you and your familly!

Nick

 

[2010Eddie]

Indeed, that's the setup I had. Except your's is nice and level. I could've dropped my ball height a notch or two...the front of my trailer was really high. It's amazing how tall the trailers are....they tower over the explorer!

I see you have a slideout...my rental did too. When the trailers have a side slideout they're usually taller than a non slideout trailer due to the frame and mechanics of the slideout I guess. My parents had a non slideout trailer years ago and the exterior height was maybe 6" to 12" shorter. The height kills the MPGs. But once you enjoy the open floorspace of a slideout, you can't go back!

 

[NickPick]

For the MPG, I'm looking for a wind defletor for my explorer, it's supposed to help, will see...

Nick

 

[2010Eddie]

That would be great if you can find a wind deflector that attaches to the factory roof rack - easy install. Keep us posted.....

 

[thebrakeman]

Glad you had a good experience!
PS - Your trans temp numbers are the same as mine. Cruising, I'm 190-205 depending on ambient temperature. If going thru decent hills, I've hit about 224 max. Even without the trailer, once cruising, it's over 180.
Historically, that's a bit high for most automatic transmissions. But anyone I've heard from with the Ford 6-speed gets these numbers. A good reason to be sure to stick to synthetic trans fluids.