how much weight can a 97 X tow | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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how much weight can a 97 X tow

miran587

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newbedford mass
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97 explorer
i have a 97 awd v8 explorer and im thinking about towing my 94 mustang to the track on a trailer but im wondering if it can do it ive been using a tow dolly but i want to use a trailer i beleive that it weights 2000 pounds plus my car that weights about 3300 for a total of about 5300 pounds has anyone done it did you need any special hook ups etc. its a good difference from my house to the track can it be done safely
 



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Ya, um probably not a good idea. Considering that your car weighs, oh i believe 4400 lbs without you in it. That means, what you're wanting to pull, weighs more than your car.

Unless you really want to stress out your engine i don't think it's a good idea.
 






Max towing for the V8 AWD Explorer is 6,400 pounds, so you should be good to go.
 






Check your owner manual for the factory recommeded max tow ratings. Just a guess but I think you would be within the max GCVWR.
 






Originally posted by explorer4x493
Ya, um probably not a good idea. Considering that your car weighs, oh i believe 4400 lbs without you in it. That means, what you're wanting to pull, weighs more than your car.

Unless you really want to stress out your engine i don't think it's a good idea.

As others have pointed out the V8 explorer is rated to pull more than the vehicle weighs. Same thing with a 15000 lb. tractor trailer hauling an 80000 lb. trailer (just smaller scale). There's nothing wrong with hauling a load that weighs more than the tow vehicle as long as the tow vehicle is built to handle the load.
 






has anybody out there done it with there X thanks for responces
 






I have a 97 awd mountaineer (5.0) and I tow my 16' car trailer behind it with any one of my Mustangs and have never had an issue 9all stangs are in the 2800-3300 range.
I have a good aftermarket trans cooler with a fan, and I will be adding an external filter, and a b&m shift controller to help it out.
I will say I like towing with the mounty over my 90 4x4 suburban.
 






mine is V8 and i tow ALOT more weight than you're little Mustang. it will pull it just fine.
 

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i have a class three hitch is that good enough do i need to have electric brakes on the trailer will have any problems up hill the track is about 2 hours from me can it still be done going that distance thanks for responces
 






Originally posted by miran587
has anybody out there done it with there X thanks for responces
You'll be fine, a 5.0 Mountaineer/Explorer (and basically all trucks) can tow more then they are rated for. I think the 4wd and awd versions are rated to tow slightly less, but you shouldn't have a problem at all.

Our 00' 2wd 5.0 Mountaineer has no problem towing our boat, a 29ft Fountain. But it's not that heavy of a boat for it's size, it's an opensport fisherman and Fountains have light hulls (though bullit proof and fast as hell), only weighs as much as some 23ft cabin cruisers. We only tow it maybe once or twice a year though scince we live on the water and it stays on our dock.

I love seeing the people that think they need a Suburban w/ a class 3 or 4 hitch for a little ski boat or tandem waverunner trailer lol:rolleyes:
Originally posted by miran587
i have a class three hitch is that good enough do i need to have electric brakes on the trailer will have any problems up hill the track is about 2 hours from me can it still be done going that distance thanks for responces
It'd be a good idea to have trailer brakes, I thought it was a law? I know you'd get a ticket down here for a boat or waverunner trailer w/o brake lights. I remember the brake lights going out on one of our trailers for our waverunners on the way to our Lakehouse, so I set the cruise to 85mph and hauled to our lakehouse scince it was getting dark and the brakelights didn't work. We have 4 trailers and they all have brakelights, I'm pretty sure it's required by law especially if the trailer blocks the vehicles own brakelights.

EDIT - my bad, just read your post and you said electronic brakes not lights dohhh
pat.gif
Thats what I get for staying up all night........
 






i now i need brake lights i was asking if i need to have electric brakes on the trailer itself thanks
 






it would help, but is not neccesary. my bronc+trailer proly outweighs your car+trailer by 1000lbs. i dont have trailer brakes.
 






Make sure you have trailer brakes. The Prodigy brake controller is great.
 






james t how far r u towing with your X do you have any thing done to your X to help it out towing thanks
 






I've towed a 1965 F100 on our 20' flatbed from L.A. to NorCal (bout 500 miles) with no problems at all. And that was going down the Grapevine! :eek: In the summers I pull a 200gal slurry tank as well. I say you're good to go. Brakes or no brakes... :D
 






will a class 3 hitch be ok thanks
 






We tow my son's CJ7 on a trailer with my 99 SOHC from FL to NC with no problems. No trailer breaks either.
 






Check your state DMV for information as to whether or not you need brakes. Most states require trailer brakes for loads over 2000 lbs. I personally would never consider towing on a regular basis a trailer weighing more than 2000 lbs. without brakes. I did tow my 3000 lbs trailer from Ohio to Arizona without brakes and it did fine. The reason it did fine was because I didn't have to make any emergency stops and I used the brakes very sparingly on downhill grades and used more gear. I could definately feel the trailer pushing me though everytime I stopped. I no longer have that trailer but I do have a 2500 lb. tent trailer that has surge brakes. I can hardly feel my tent trailer at all when I stop.
 






I've got an 18' trailer and pull it with a 5000lb John Deere tractor on it, and various other vehicles. Doesn't hurt a bit. The Class III is a must though. I have electric brakes, and recommend anyone who pulls a trailer with more than 3000-4000lb total to have them. No, you might not ever be in an emergency, but I would hate to know I didn't have them and needed them. Plus they relieve a litle stress off your X while stopping. They are not that expensive and not a hard install, so why not...
 



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miran- when i tow the bronc it is usually to Barnwell Mt. which is about 1.5 hours from here. only mods i have are cut airbox and a catback exhaust. trailer brakes are nice, but i dont think they are neccessary for towing your mustang. if you are questioning it, just tow it the first time with no brakes. if you dont feel safe, then get some. as CobraXP stated, they are relatively cheap. there are even disc trailer brakes out now, and they are fairly inexpensive.
 






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