Suggestions for any additions I might need

My wife and I have a 2001 4X2 XLS 4-door. We kept it after buying a newer fuel efficient vehicle to tow a travel trailer. I know the trailer should be within the rated towing capacities. We live in NC. Most trips will be 150-300 miles one way and a small percentage will be in the mountains. I am wondering if there are any vehicle upgrades I should consider?

I am going to pay to install the hitch receiver. For the rest I am planning on doing the wiring, brake controller and trailer side hitch installations myself to save some money over the dealer prices. Due to this I would appreciate any suggestions on wire routing, additional materials, etc..

Vehicle: Automatic transmission with 4.10C rear axle. About 130K miles.

Trailer: Total dry weight 2440 LBS., GVWR 3665 LBS, Hitch dry weight 165 LBS, Overall length 18 FT.

I am planning on installing a class III hitch receiver (I want 2" receiver). For the brake controller I was looking at the Prodigy P2. I am also looking at a weight distribution hitch (undecided on brand) not so much for the weight balancing but for the better sway control.

Thanks in advance for the assistance.

 

[thebrakeman]

Owner's manual should tell you have your tow rating is, but with 4.10 gearing, you should be OK (check it!).
Prodigy P2 will be the best bang-for-the-buck controller you can get. I have the original Prodigy for the last 10 camping season, 2 trailer and 3 tow vehicles, and still going strong.
As for WDH, you will not get any sway reduction unless you get a kit that specifically includes integrated sway control. For that, the best bang-for-the-buck are the Equal-i-zer brand, or the Reese/Drawtite Dual-Cam systems. I can only recommend the Equal-i-zer as that's what I have.
You can get the Equal-i-zer and Prodigy for about the best online price at RVWholesalers.com.

Good luck!

 

[thebrakeman]

By the way, with a trailer that light (if you confirm you have enough tow capacity for the fully loaded trailer), you may only have about 400 lbs of TW. You might consider skipping the WDH, and just using a friction sway controller. You can get a Reese/Drawtite or other big name for around $90, or an offbrand (check Harbor Freight) for under $50. They are pretty much a commodity. No need to spend more for the same thing.

 

[keith_h]

Thanks for the response. I appreciate the hitch suggestions. One of the problems with search engines is you get excessive hits many of which are sub-par.

Should be plenty of capacity. The GCWR is 10,000 Lbs according to owners manual and Ford factory spec sheets. As I will be doing some driving between 3K-5K feet this gets lowered to 9000 Lbs. The factory spec sheets show a max towing weight of 5940 Lbs. The vehicle curb weight is between 3845 and 4060 Lbs depending upon the sheet I look at. Figuring up the weight of my wife, myself and the type stuff we take (we are minimalists) we should be well under the GCWR in the flats and still have some buffer in the mountains.

I am planning to add anti-sway regardless of hitch type. I'm looking at the load leveling hitch as they don't really cost all that much compared the advantages they bring. I think it is easier to do it up front than find out I need it on our first trip. While I don't have any practical experience the hitch manufacturers claim they also help control sway. Any help in controlling sway can't be bad as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Explorer0204]

Thanks for the response. I appreciate the hitch suggestions. One of the problems with search engines is you get excessive hits many of which are sub-par.

Should be plenty of capacity. The GCWR is 10,000 Lbs according to owners manual and Ford factory spec sheets. As I will be doing some driving between 3K-5K feet this gets lowered to 9000 Lbs. The factory spec sheets show a max towing weight of 5940 Lbs. The vehicle curb weight is between 3845 and 4060 Lbs depending upon the sheet I look at. Figuring up the weight of my wife, myself and the type stuff we take (we are minimalists) we should be well under the GCWR in the flats and still have some buffer in the mountains.

I am planning to add anti-sway regardless of hitch type. I'm looking at the load leveling hitch as they don't really cost all that much compared the advantages they bring. I think it is easier to do it up front than find out I need it on our first trip. While I don't have any practical experience the hitch manufacturers claim they also help control sway. Any help in controlling sway can't be bad as far as I'm concerned.

For your setup you only NEED a sway hitch....

that being said it can't hurt to use a weight distributing hitch with sway. It will only prolong the life of springs, bearings, and increase stability and you seem to be willing to spring for the extra money which is good.

I would add more but it seems like good stuff has been covered and you seem to have a good idea of what to do...nothing I would disagree with.

 

[thebrakeman]

Right. It sounds like you understand the benefits of both. If you're already leaning toward WDH and sway control, just get the Equal-i-zer, so it's integrated. Quicker setup and better durability.

 

[keith_h]

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I've found a number of things on the site that have been helpful. I went with the Equal-i-zer. Not so much for the WD but for the built in sway control.

When I picked up the base trailer with a standard hitch the back end of the Explorer dropped a 1/2" at the most. Driving the 130 miles home in mixed traffic it handled well and I didn't notice any sway even while being passed by 80 mph semi's. The Explorer seemed to do well up and down some of the larger hills we have here in the Piedmont. This makes me feel good about future trips we have planned that will take us up into or over the Appalachians.

I looked into using a typical sway control bar but with the trailers 3" frame I would have had to modify the mounting plate and use less than the spec'ed 6 bolts. While I'm sure it would have worked and been safe I just don't like voiding warranties or the potential of being considered negligent should something occur. So I ordered the Equal-i-zer which fits the frame well without modification and has the advantage of built in sway control. Also in the event that I need to carry something heavier than planned I can always use the weight distribution function to balance things out. Once I get everything finished I'll take some picks and add them to the let's see em thread.

I'm still not sure if beefing up the existing transmission cooler and adding an engine oil cooler is worth it at this point. As I need to replace the hoses, water pump and possibly radiator on my truck I'm going to wait until I see how things go this summer.