question for towing..

[93explobeach]

hey..

Got a question for the towing.. I have 1993 XLT v-6 ohv
with 30x9.50 BFG ATKO tires and rachos rs 5000 shocks.
Now..the real question was could my truck (my baby)pull camper trailer 26 ft. I'm planning to put in 5k lbs hitch and brake reciever. the trailer weight itself about 3k to 3200k lbs. to make the story short. we're planning to go camping in augest in PA for 4 days.. oringinal we go for the tents but since my Wife is bug freak and snake freak ! haha.. so her friend lend us camper trailer it's 26 ft for 4 days ! since I saw her mini van checy (ugh ) pull it she have 3.8 v-6 ohv I was postitive that my baby could do it from Long Island NY to PA in 4 hours..my one concern should i worry abt the tranmission itself ? will it be okay to drive that weight and pull it to there ? other friend say to get tranmission turn over ?? what the heck it is ??
so anyone who have v-6 ohv that could pull that weight with 5k lbs hitch let me know how it goes.. One thing I know the tranmission has to be drive with no overdrive.. other friend say dont worry bec since im putting on reese hitch 5k lbs does the " the work" so any information or reply would be greatly appreactie !

John
keep on 4 wheelinig
Play hard ! drive hard ! ford kicks chevy's rear end !
ha ha !

 

[oharris]

My '94 Explorer ohv V-6, 5sp is a wonderful tow vehicle. I often tow a 3500 lb horse trailer, and once towed a Jeep on a trailer which probably weighed 4500 lbs. It handled the weight much better than I thought it would, and can still pull the long hills at 60 MPH. Also I live in Colorado, elev >6000 ft., so you should have much more power than I do. You don't say whether yours is an automatic, but if so, I wouldn't put it in OD while towing. They generate quite a bit of heat in OD. I normally leave mine in 4th gear unless I'm on a downhill stretch. Good luck.

Oliver Harris

[Edited by oharris on 07-10-2000 at 07:49 AM]

 

[93explobeach]

thanks ~

thanks for the information.. boy sure im glad to hear it sorry harris i didnt mention my tranny.. its automatic so um also friend of mine mention about the tranmission turn over and cost about 25.00.. so does anyone know of it or what does it do ?? I would prefer to ask someone whos experince with towing and have ford explorer !! heh..

thanks for informatiion and reply..

keep on 4 wheeling
lets kick chevy rear end !!

john

 

[David99XLT]

When I had my 93 Explorer, I use to pull my boat and work trailer around all the time. The boat weighed around 3700 lbs and the Explorer had no problem. Pulling it for a long trip was not an issue either. There were many times I would pull it over 4 hours over the mountains here in Washington state and have no problem at all. My new 99 has pulled a 20ft enclosed trailer with my ex's car in it with a weight of over 5500 lbs with no problem.

 

[AgExplorer]

John,

Before you go on your trip, you may want to consider having the transmission and rear end serviced. The extra weight will put some severe demands on the drive train.

As an item of note, for every 20 degrees F that you operate an automatic transmission over its normal operating temp, you will cut the service life of the tranny in half. For example, most tranny's operate around 170 degrees F. If the tranny's service life was 100,000 miles and you operated it at 190 degrees F for an extended period of time, you will cut the life of it to 50,000 miles. 210 degrees, 25,000 miles. Does this make sense? A good auxliary transmission cooler and synthetic ATF will help immeasurably along with synthetic gear lube for the rear end.

Take a look at Dead Link Removed.
The ATF will reduce operating temperatures 20 to 70 degrees F and will reduce temps at the bearing level 70 degrees F.


[Edited by AgExplorer on 07-10-2000 at 03:52 PM]

 

[kilroy]

I don't see a problem with the weight, I would be a little concerned about the length though. A trailer that long and light can develop some nasty sway, especially if the axles are centered on the trailer as opposed to being more towards the rear of the trailer. I would try to get a weight distribution hitch with a sway attachment on it for something that long. My trailer is only over seventeen feet long, but empty weight is 3200 lbs, and that can get swinging a bit when going down the highway if I don't use the WD hitch, but with it it is a lot steadier.


On a side note I drove eighteen wheelers for 2 years, and have seen some of these trailers from behind when being pulled by short wheel based vehicles likehe Explorer, they do tend to sway a bit. You really don't notice it when driving behind one in a car, but get up above like in a truck and you see things in a whole different light, and I do mean a lot of things, WINk WINK

 

[bluescat]

The first thing to see is if you have a trailering package. It gives you the tranny cooler and wiring harness, look in front of your radiator, do you see another one in front of it? Next, your bumper itself can take 300 lbs. You are supposed to make sure your trailer tongue is 10-15% of the trailing vehicle's weight. So for your 3,000-3,500# camper, your tongue weight would be 300-350 lbs. If the trailer tongue weighs more than 300, you must use an installed hitch and not the rear bumper. The Reese Class III, 5,000# hitch is the right one. When you pull with a hitch receiver, your capability goes way up to over 5,000# and maxs out with a weight distributing hitch (something to check out). All this stuff should be in your manual. I pulled a 5x8' Carmate trailer all over the country for 6 years, but it was light (2,500#)so I just used a ball on the bumper.
I have no idea what your friend means when he says to get your tranny "turned over"; definitely get the tranny serviced before you go.

 

[oharris]

I have never heard the term "turned over" applied to a transmission, but a fluid and filter change before you go would definately be in order. That's probably what he's talking about. The price sounds about right too.