Long Distance Towing Report

[JDraper]

Since there have been a lot of questions about how well the new Explorers can tow, I thought I'd post up about the trip we just took. We just ran our 2011 Explorer approximately 1100 miles round trip towing our boat and trailer which weigh have a combined weight of about 3800lbs. The trailer is a two axle steel trailer with a momentum brake setup on both axles. I do NOT have a weight distribution hitch. We went from central PA to northern NH and back, climbing up over the Pocono Mountains and into the White mountains. The vehicle was also fully loaded with luggage and 3 people.

We averaged about 12.5 mpg for the whole trip and the Explorer towed beautifully. I swapped between using the tow mode and running the transmission manually depending upon the road conditions, and found that manual mode gave me better mileage and significantly better ability to hold speed on the hills and accelerate away from stops.

The only area we found to be slightly problematic was accelerating off the line immediately after coming to a a complete stop. When the transmission was left in Tow mode, it seemed to hesitate for a second before it gave full power. In manual mode, it didn't have that delay.

The lack of a weight distribution hitch did not seem to affect towing at all.

Overall, I'd give the Explorer's ability to tow a moderate load an A-. More power would be better for pulling on the long upgrades, but it wasn't an issue that caused problems. The single largest climb was from the Delaware river on 84 going into NY, which is about a 1000' climb over 4 miles. I left the vehicle in tow mode and it selected 4th gear and it climbed happily at about 55-60 mph. No issues with overheating for the engine, transmission or PTO.

Pix of the tow rig:

 

[Rick]

Sounds like a success. Would be nice if there was a diesel option to bring the towing MPGs way up though. One of these years American auto manufacturers will see the light

 

[wifes2011xlt]

Glad it went well and thanks for the report. We were contemplating adding a tow package when we bought our boat but decided on buying a tow vehicle to save on wear and tear, not to mention the dealer wanted $2300 for a $570 option. Just wondering, how did you arrive at the trailer weight?

 

[04mach1]

Happy to hear it went well !!

 

[dco43054]

Thanks for that info.

The gas usage is not that bad for pulling that much weight.

I was in the Ozarks last weekend and used manual mode while climbing and descending. It was great on the downhills to stay off the brakes as much.

 

[JDraper]

Glad it went well and thanks for the report. We were contemplating adding a tow package when we bought our boat but decided on buying a tow vehicle to save on wear and tear, not to mention the dealer wanted $2300 for a $570 option. Just wondering, how did you arrive at the trailer weight?

I'm actually probably a little heavier than I listed. Forgot about the fuel load in the boat. Boat is about 2700 lbs dry, add 40 gallons of gas and gear, and you have around 3000 lbs. Trailer weighs about 1000 lbs.

 

[wifes2011xlt]

Cool…it looked heavier in the pic (the tandem axles were throwing me). I just didn't want you selling your tow vehicle short.

FYI…for more accurate weights, truck stops, scrap metal yards, landfills, etc. that have scales will let you weigh your rig for a small fee (10 bucks in my area).

 

[JDraper]

Cool…it looked heavier in the pic (the tandem axles were throwing me). I just didn't want you selling your tow vehicle short.

FYI…for more accurate weights, truck stops, scrap metal yards, landfills, etc. that have scales will let you weigh your rig for a small fee (10 bucks in my area).

Yep..know all about that, regularly take stuff to the scrapyard and landfill. Just don't need to know the exact weight of my boat and trailer...

 

[Holligl]

Just towed my daughter's belongings from Virginia to Illinois, 915 miles, with the larger U-Haul Trailer. Estimate the total tow was 3000 lbs. (1800 trailer and 1200 contents) I used the tow mode most all the time. Averaged 14.4 MPG and about 65 mph. Load in the Ex was probably 500-600 lbs. Rough Roads in Ohio and Indiana did toss the load around a bit, but the Explorer rode great. Some minor torque steer on uphill climb downshifts.

http://www.4shared.com/photo/IX3Lpeq5ba/20140812_130459.html

Handling: A
Ride: A-
Handling in mountains (Up and Down speed maintenance): A
Acceleration: C

 

[xder345]

Just towed my daughter's belongings from Virginia to Illinois, 915 miles, with the larger U-Haul Trailer. Estimate the total tow was 3000 lbs. (1800 trailer and 1200 contents) I used the tow mode most all the time. Averaged 14.4 MPG and about 65 mph. Load in the Ex was probably 500-600 lbs. Rough Roads in Ohio and Indiana did toss the load around a bit, but the Explorer rode great. Some minor torque steer on uphill climb downshifts.

http://www.4shared.com/photo/IX3Lpeq5ba/20140812_130459.html

Handling: A
Ride: A-
Handling in mountains (Up and Down speed maintenance): A
Acceleration: C

Wait, WHAT? How did you get a U-Haul with an Explorer??? All the U-Haul places around me won't let me touch one of their trailers with the Explorer...

 

[wifes2011xlt]

Wait, WHAT? How did you get a U-Haul with an Explorer??? All the U-Haul places around me won't let me touch one of their trailers with the Explorer...

because…...

 

[xder345]

Something to do with the older Gen explorers flipping uhaul trailers. Basically ford and uhaul got into a pissing match over some lawsuit. It sucks because the newer explorers are in no way related to the older body on frame models.

http://blog.upack.com/posts/why-u-haul-wont-rent-a-trailer-for-a-ford-explorer


Forgive brevity and typos. iPhone response.

 

[xder345]

Okey Dokey. Goes to show you the last time I tried to rent from U-Haul...it was middle of 2013. According to the article I just linked to they've made amends with the 5th gen as of April 2014. I just tried to rent a trailer from their website and I was successful, whereas in the past all I got was a curt goodbye...this makes me happy, I guess.