Looking for recc for strong towing / hitch bumper

[Oregon Sport Trac]

Hey all -

I've got a 2001 sport trac, and bought a new travel trailer that weighs in at 4346 lbs. I had a u-haul 2" square hitch installed below the stock rear bumper, but on my second outing, the whole thing looks to have dropped by nearly an inch below the bottom of the tailgate. I'm interested in ditching the stock rear bumper, and getting a super strong rear bumper with an integrated hitch receiver. Due to the age of the truck, I know options are a bit limited, but I'd love any good recommendations. Thanks in advance!

Fwiw - Sonoma 1670BH | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes

 

[koda2000]

That's a lot of weight and I don't recall what the max tow weight is for the ST, but look at etrailer.com for possible choices. They sell a variety of receiver hitches, as well as all kinds of towing related stuff, and have great prices.

2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Trailer Hitch | etrailer.com

 

[Oregon Sport Trac]

That's a lot of weight and I don't recall what the max tow weight is for the ST, but look at etrailer.com for possible choices. They sell a variety of receiver hitches, as well as all kinds of towing related stuff, and have great prices.

2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Trailer Hitch | etrailer.com

Hi Koda -

Thanks so much for the response! ETrailer confirms what I had read, which was that max weight for the 2001 was 5,000 lbs (trailer comes in at 4,300) with a tongue weight of 350lbs (Max 500 lbs) - so you're right, I am def bumping into the upper limit, there. I see a couple of receiver options on their site - thank you so much for the recommendation!

 

[koda2000]

Hi Koda -

Thanks so much for the response! ETrailer confirms what I had read, which was that max weight for the 2001 was 5,000 lbs (trailer comes in at 4,300) with a tongue weight of 350lbs (Max 500 lbs) - so you're right, I am def bumping into the upper limit, there. I see a couple of receiver options on their site - thank you so much for the recommendation!

No problem. I suspect your U-Haul hitch (which is probably a Draw-Tite) dropped an inch because of that high tongue weight. If it was installed by U-Haul they may have botched the install, or not have tightened the bolts enough. I once sent my wife to U-Haul to have a hitch installed for a move we were making (I was out of town) and they made a real mess out of the install on her brand new minivan. I have a Draw-Tite hitch on my EB and it's very stout so I doubt the hitch is was the problem.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Hopefully you didn’t bend the end of your frame rails. That trailer is likely too heavy. Even if it pulls it okay you are asking to roast that weak 5r55e. Unless your trips are short, and flat, I’d find another tow vehicle.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’m not guessing your frame rails are bent, I used to carry extreme tongue weights and never hurt anything, but it’s also unlikely you bent a hitch. Best bet is to crawl under and see it the rails are still flat, and if anything looks out of shape.

If you are going to tow that, I’d add a secondary HUGE transmission cooler. A bypass filter setup would be a good idea as well.

 

[Oregon Sport Trac]

I’m not guessing your frame rails are bent, I used to carry extreme tongue weights and never hurt anything, but it’s also unlikely you bent a hitch. Best bet is to crawl under and see it the rails are still flat, and if anything looks out of shape.

If you are going to tow that, I’d add a secondary HUGE transmission cooler. A bypass filter setup would be a good idea as well.

Thank you very much. I figured with a 5,000 lb capacity, keeping around 4,300 would be safe, but the rig does have 167k miles, so there are bound to be weak points. I'll ask my mechanic for an estimate to add a transmission cooler and filter, as that's a whole part of the puzzle I hadn't even thought that much about. :/

 

[Mbrooks420]

The max trailer weight is more about stopping ability and the ability to get the truck out of warranty.

I towed a 5,000 pound truck 10 miles and smoked the transmission in my V6. It probably wasn’t the healthiest, but it had under 70,000 on it at the time.