Towing advice

[Glock40cal]

After reading the forums i think i got all the info I need, thanks to all those who asked before me. just wanted to make sure I'm not missing something, and would love any feedback so thanks in advance.

Heres what i have.
2000 XLS 4.0L V6 OHV 4dr 4x4 77k miles
No towing package from what i see.
Axle code on door: 46 - 3.73 non-limited slip
There is a connector under the back drivers side tail light with a red cap on it.

Heres what i bought.
Class 3 hitch from u-haul
tranny cooler
wiring harness, splice in kind, they didn't have the one that just plugs into the connector hanging down from the tail lights and i cant find it in stock at any auto parts stores or the dealer, and this one has a box that also runs to the batt. On my X do i need this power box or not?

Heres what I will be towing.
Rock wood pop up camper, not sure how much it weighs but its about 15' from the tip of the tongue to the back. I will be towing it under 100 miles one way a few times a year(whenever we go on vacation).

I know to turn the OD off when towing.

Will my gearing be sufficient for this application?

Am I missing anything, is there any information i need to know?
Thanks

 

[GreenMando]

Pop up trailers are usually very light. I think you have a great set up planned.


I towed one for camping a few thousand miles and could barely feel it behind me. I did use my OD but only on flat roads already at speed.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

You won't need the powered adapter thing- a dealer has the plug that connects to the drivers side tail light for ~$15- its the only way to go. I don't like cutting on factory harnesses.

The cooler and hitch are exactly what you need- sound like you have it all worked out.

 

[aldive]

I would suggest a secondary transmission filter as well as a transmission temperature gauge.

Also, synthetic transmission fluid.

 

[section525]

You won't need the powered adapter thing- a dealer has the plug that connects to the drivers side tail light for ~$15- its the only way to go. I don't like cutting on factory harnesses.

x2. I burned up two of those things before I figured out about the dealer's $10 plug. Ooops.

 

[Glock40cal]

Wow, Thanks for all the great replies so far, makes me feel a lot better about my setup and what i will be towing.

Installed the hitch tonight. Took about 20 min, preexisting holes lined right up and everything fit great. Seems like a pretty strong, sturdy hitch. Started looking the lighting system over and decided not to use the u-haul harness, I hate to splice into wires if i don't have to. Also i have a connector hanging down behind each tail light, drivers side and passengers side. The one on the drivers side is Grey with a red rubber dust cap and the one on the passengers side is black with a red rubber dust cap. The one on the passenger side has what looks like 6 active pins inside.

Talked to the dealer and he said the harness i need is ~40 bucks but in not sure if he has the right part so I'm confused about that. Think ill go down there on Monday and talk to them in person.

Haven't set up the tranny cooler yet but it looks pretty straight forward. Question, is there a special adapter i need to get? There is a universal quick connect that comes with the kit but the instructions say that the Explorer requires a different one. U-haul didn't try to sell me one but i don't really trust places like that to know everything about everything.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I'd try Torrie at fastpartsnetwork.com for the wire you need- He'd probably be more reasonable.

 

[Glock40cal]

Another question about the tranny cooler. Can i mount it any way i want, or does it need to be mounted a certain way?

Example: Mounted with the lines pointing down.
With the lines facing left or right
With the lines facing up

I wasn't sure if it required it to be a certain way for functionality or if it was OK to mount it for the best way to run the lines to the radiator cooling lines.

Also, Is the cooler supposed to sit against the AC condenser? Like metal to metal, or is that what the foam pads are for?

 

[Boss X]

Don't forget to practice backing up with a small trailer. It will give new meaning to the term FUBAR. You eventually get used to it but the learning curve is anything but fun.

 

[Dirtisgood_1984]

couple things -

when you back up - place your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. The direction you move your hand will be the direction the rear of the pop up will go.

www.popupexplorer.com has a lot of stuff on it

as for the cooler, you want the lines pointing up and you want to tap the return line to the transmission.

as for towing with or without od, check your manual. I have a 2005 with a 5 spd auto tranny and in 4th gear the revs were 2800 at 65 mph. Which I feel is a good rpm. You don't want to lug your engine.

 

[Glock40cal]

Just an update. Got everything hooked up and took the family camping on memorial weekend. The pop up pulled pretty good but i did notice a bit of sway, definitely knew it was back there. Looking at friction sway control's now, and new shocks i think, just because they are about due and i love to do "fun" work on my vehicles. What kind of shocks would you all recommend.

Dirtisgood_1984-Why should the lines be pointed up? I mounted the cooler in front of the AC condenser with the lines pointed down and drilled holes through the plastic dust shield so i could run the lines through them. I did connect the cooler to the return lines. Just got my remote filter in the mail today from summit, gonna install it this weekend, to the lines coming out of the tranny>the radiator.

I found out a few things about the wiring. Everyone i talked to tried to sell me the $40 splice in harness but could not tell me if the $15 dollar one that just plugs in to the plug behind the tail light would work. Even the ford service techs didn't know, they all thought it was weird that the plug was even there and i didn't have the factory tow package. My conclusion is that Ford Probably didn't have 2 different sets of wiring when they built these trucks, and just installed 1 universal one. Then advertised the ones with the tow package as having trailer wiring prep. or maybe my truck just got that wiring "just because". Anyway i bought the $15 dollar 4 way flat that just plugs into the factory plug and it works just fine. got the one from etrailer since i have one close to me.

Thanks for the tips on backing up. The pop up responds very quickly when maneuvering in reverse, but is one of the easier trailers Ive had to back up

 

[aldive]

and new shocks i think, just because they are about due and i love to do "fun" work on my vehicles. What kind of shocks would you all recommend.

I am quite fond of the Rancho 9000x shocks. Their complete adjustably make them a good choice for towing.

Good luck ....

 

[Dirtisgood_1984]

Glock -

As for pointing up if you have a plate cooler, I believe it is designed to work with the lines up. If the fluid is cool, the fluid goes straight and doesn't hit the cooler. Once the fluid gets hot, it will go down into the cooler.

As for trailer swaying, it is possible that the tongue did not have enough wieght on it. It should wieght 10% of the total trailer weight. Your trailer should not normally sway, it is not that big. i

I am glad you had a good time.

As for working on your vehicles, go to the website I mentioned and go to the section, "this ain't stock" There is a ton of stuff you can do to the Pop up.

 

[99SportX]

If it helps any, the factory secondary trans cooler has both of the lines pointing downward. I honestly don't know which way is best.

 

[Glock40cal]

Glock -

As for pointing up if you have a plate cooler, I believe it is designed to work with the lines up. If the fluid is cool, the fluid goes straight and doesn't hit the cooler. Once the fluid gets hot, it will go down into the cooler.

.

Thats what i was wondering, How is it designed to work? The instructions didn't mention anything about the direction in which to mount it and reading through the forums didn't provide any answers either. I've seen some pictures on here of forum members setups and for the most part i think all the hoses are pointing down. So far i dont see any negative effect mounting it this way, the out is cooler than the in and the trans feed line is definitely hotter than the line out of the cooler so i believe it is working OK. But then again without a temp gauge on the line out of the trans and a gauge on the out of the cooler i have no way of knowing exactly how much. Mounting it with the hoses down was the best way for me to route the lines.

That website is pretty cool, thank you for recommending it. i stumbled on one like it right after i bought the pop up, popupportal. learned a lot from both of them.

aldive- Those are ones i am considering. Anyone else have a favorite shock?

 

[joecrna]

I use Bilstein. Happy with them towing and off-road. The sway is likely poor weight distribution with that small of a trailer. As mentioned earlier, tongue weight should be 10 to 15% of trailer weight. I find 15-18% is best. A friction style anti sway device will do a terific job too but please address weight distribution first.