towing capacity question

[the_don]

So looking through the book, i noticed the first gen 4dr explorer with the a4ld has a rating of #5 ,400 while the m5od will only carry #2 ,700, i always thought manuals do better am i wrong or is there something deeper going on here?

 

[wifes2011xlt]

Deja vu!

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424884

 

[Wolfie_85]

I personally wouldn't tow anything heavy with my Explorer. Maybe a few thousand pounds tops for a short distance. The auto having the higher capacity does nothing to reassure me of it not failing or overheating.

Not to say it isn't capable, but I try not to give bad luck a chance.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Keep the trans cool, change the fluid, don't tow in overdrive, have larger gears (3.73+) or at the very least don't have larger-than-stock tires. Aside from that, the transmission shouldn't really matter, it's more about the engine, gears and distribution.

It can get a little complex, check out the Owner's Guide I have posted:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/464376/vehicles/1991 Explorer/OwnersGuidePart1.pdf
PDF page 79-83 (book page 146-155)

The jist of it seems to be that the automatic does have slightly more towing rating but the rear gear means the most. With 3.73 in the rear, the AT trans is listed as having a GCWR rating of 9,500 lbs. With the same gear, the manual is rated at 7,000 lbs.

My guess is that this has something to do with the torque converter adding more torque to pull greater loads or perhaps the factory auxiliary cooler for the automatic trans helps beef it up in their eyes.

 

[Anime]

Manuals "do better" with regard to performance, mileage, and being able to have direct control of the gears and shifts, but have never really been "better" with regard to towing capacity.

Automatic transmissions generally have LOTS more towing capacity, and a manual transmission attached to the same engine usually has anywhere from a third to a fourth of the towing capacity, sometimes even less.

 

[nitris]

So looking through the book, i noticed the first gen 4dr explorer with the a4ld has a rating of #5 ,400 while the m5od will only carry #2 ,700, i always thought manuals do better am i wrong or is there something deeper going on here?

i recently just did a post on this same question, my truck has the 3.73 gear setup and after doing the math and subtracting my weight from the truck... my max tow is 5,995 lbs.... i doubt i would every try to pull that much and it seems unreal for our trucks... but if you do the math and subtract the any added weight from the cab... you can figure out what your max tow should be... check the discussion out here... it has a few pics.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=425223

 

[2stroke]

I've towed 8,000 pounds with mine for 20 miles. I would never tow that much a long ways, but its not that big of a deal. You don't know the power of the 4.0 OHV until you hook something heavy to it.

 

[arco777]

The 4.0 has the torque to lug heavy loads, and the A4LD can handle occasional towing. I wouldn't do heavy loads regularly. Don't tow in overdrive, invest in an auxiliary trans cooler (or at least monitor trans temp on short tows), and the closer your rear end gears are to 4.10s the better.

Keep in mind trailer weights vs vehicle weights as well, to avoid the trailer taking control, and also keep your brakes in mind.

 

[the_don]

i am looking to pull a 20' double axle camp trailer a few times a year 250 miles at the most each way, now i did the m5od swap a few months back, getting ready to do the 96 ranger brake swap since the exploder needs both lower ball joints, roters and calipers. I got a screaming deal on a prodigy P3 brake controller, and the 3.73 gears. i was just wondering if i was just insane for even thinking about trying this or if it might be doable?

 

[arco777]

You probably could, but you'll want to do everything you can to keep the A4LD happy. I'd install an upgraded cooler, temp gauge, and a shift correction kit. Do a band adjustment too.

Just in case I hope that you have the spare cash to replace/rebuild the trans (PATC in Texas has a neat unit for a great price) or for roadside assistance.

 

[FR-425]

Yep, insane. .. . ..

Jeez spend the money on an old F-150 or something to yank the trailer.

20' tandem

 

[FR-425]

Sorry, too much?

 

[wifes2011xlt]

I wouldn't say it's insane. Heck, it might even be doable but if you have any long term aspirations for your tow vehicle, you may want to start putting a slush fund together for it now.

 

[rodb]

Which trans fluid would be suggested for towing ?

 

[2stroke]

Which trans fluid would be suggested for towing ?

Fresh fluid. It doesn't matter much, but I run valvoline maxlife ATF.

As for the 20' camper, no way. You can tow a lot of weight with an explorer, but they don't like big wind sails. I would rather tow a car on a car trailer (about 5000 pounds) than tow a 1,200 pound camper. I wouldn't want to tow that 20' with an F-150 either. Its not that you cant, its that something enclosed like that physically throws you around like a ragdoll. An F-250 has a much more solid setup, and would be the best for towing that. To be honest, I think campers that use a ball hitch are stupid.

 

[nitris]

Which trans fluid would be suggested for towing ?

Redline or royalpurple are hands down per my own experience the best fluids on the market.... they really bring things back to life... I had a ruff shifting Trans on 2 cars and put redline in... 4 years later it still shifts smooth as butter... the added cost is WELL worth it

 

[the_don]

midterm plans are to rehome a power stroke or a cummins, something older with a mechanical fuel pump to make the one-way trip to alaska. Im just thinking about using the exploder to drag the trailer home and to take it out a few times before i can find to truck i really want.

 

[wifes2011xlt]

As for the 20' camper, no way. You can tow a lot of weight with an explorer, but they don't like big wind sails. I would rather tow a car on a car trailer (about 5000 pounds) than tow a 1,200 pound camper. I wouldn't want to tow that 20' with an F-150 either. Its not that you cant, its that something enclosed like that physically throws you around like a ragdoll. An F-250 has a much more solid setup, and would be the best for towing that. To be honest, I think campers that use a ball hitch are stupid.

All that F250 is going to give you is a false sense of security because sway can happen with any truck/trailer combo. Bigger, faster, stronger, doesn't much matter if a trucker passes you at 65+mph and your tow vehicle is pulling overloaded, not properly set up or driver is distracted. I would pick an F150 properly set up along with anti-sway hardware over an F250 without anti-sway hardware with a hitch ball picked up at Menards that is only rated for 3500lbs any day of the week.

Campers act as wind sails when they are taller than the truck cab. As far as I can tell, a stock F250's height is less than 2" taller than a stock F150 and that height difference is measuring from the ground to the top of the cab, NOT from the hitch ball. So for all we know, the cab height between the two trucks could be exactly the same. In any case, I doubt the height discrepancy is going to make an appreciable difference when it comes to mitigating sway.

And while they may look stupid to you, hitch ball travel trailers are a camping industry necessity. They allow campers to start out at a lower price point, allow campers to decide which floor plans, creature comforts, design styles, etc. they favor before trading up. They also allow campers to get towing miles under their belts with a less stable set up than a 5th wheel so they learn how to account for those inherent trailering woes. When/if they trade up, 5th wheel will seem much easier to handle.