How much could my 98 sport tow if I had a towing hitch welded on?

[98whitexploda]

I have a 98 Ford Explorer Sport with a 4.0L V6 (no idea if it's OHV or SOHC) with a manual tranny. My bumper has a slot for a trailer ball but I know that wouldn't tow much at all. I was thinking about maybe having a company weld a towing package on the actual frame but is this a bad idea? And if I did have it done, what would I be able to tow? Thinking about getting a travel trailer but contemplating either getting a new truck or just modifying my explorer. I almost think I'd be better off getting a truck with a towing package and the capacity. As far as trailer size I was thinking no more than a 20'.

 

[XLT]

Well i can tell you that your truck has the ohv engine since the sohc for that year wasn't offered with the manual transmission. Check your owners manual which has all the info you need. Depending what gear ratio you have as well will determine what you can pull. Check the door jam for your axle code. Usually the hitch gets bolted to the frame since welding could weaken the frame.

 

[98whitexploda]

Ill check the code tonight after my wife gets home from work. As far as gear ratio goes, its stock

 

[XLT]

For towing with the manual the closer you are to the 4.10 gear ratio the better off you will be. Here is the link to decipher your axle code.

 

[98whitexploda]

Thanks for the link and info

 

[98whitexploda]

It looks like according to this link, because I have a manual and only 2D with 4WD I can't really tow more than 2k pounds? And recommends a weight distributing hitch. How much difference does a weight distributing hitch really make? I'm guessing my back end would be pretty low if i towed more than 2k pounds?

 

[Beargap]

The bumper hitch is rated for around 3000 lbs, which is probably more than your truck can tow. I wouldn't waste money on another hitch. FYI, I have a '97 with the pushrod 4.0 (4-door XLT with manual) and have frequently towed up to about 3000 lbs with the bumper hitch over the last 280K miles. Hitch is fine at those weights. I did have to replace my transfer case a couple of years back with a used one from another Explorer, but that was entirely my fault as I had bad brakes and was over-aggressive in downshifting while pulling a heavy load. It got me where I was going, but the t-case started slipping in reverse loading after that.

 

[RomeovilleIL]

There are some new mid-length featherweight models coming out that are closer to 3000 unloaded, but for an average 20-ft travel trailer you are talking around 5000 pounds. You have to also factor in water/propane/food/gear & people in the truck itself. The GVW will quickly exceed the max for the frame and driveline components.

Frankly a sport is not a good choice to pull a 20 footer. You really dont want to exceed 80% of max GVW printed on the door jam sticker, especially if you will be driving up or down any mountain grades. Pop-ups are definitely doable, 12-15 foot full size travel trailer is probably the safe max.

 

[98whitexploda]

Ya. I think with what im going to do i should just get a bigger truck. I live in texas and the wife and i r plannin to move back to washington sometime next year. We will be fully loaded, no furniture but a lot of books, couple laptops, lots of clothes and some other miscelaneous stuff. Also have a cat and a small dog. May end up living in a trailer temporarily so i dont think pop up would be too good :/