Towing Help

[MarcusWillshire]

Hi I’m Marcus and am new to this forum and I am seeking help. Lol. So I have the 2016 explorer, 3.5L v6 without the tow package and I want to buy a travel trailer. The specs say I have a max GCVWR of 7100lbs, and can pull 2000lbs. and from My understanding from the dealership, I have transmission coolant in the condenser. If I put an after market tow package, hitch, weight distribution bars, brake control and all the fixin’s, could I pull a trailer with the dry weight of 3556lbs? I plan on travelling light, with no water til I get there and some camping gear, with my family, wife and 4 kids(maybe 2 dogs). I’ve had three different Ford dealers tell me something different. “Yes you’ll be fine”, “No you can only pull 2000lbs because the axel ratio is only 3.56(what ever that means), and another saying “ I looked at everything and you can pull a max of 4500 lbs. So I’ve been confused with the whole situation and been debating on buying a cheap truck just to start hauling and go camping with. So if someone can please enlighten me and let me know some experiences you all have and confirm what I can and can’t pull with and how this all works I would be super thankful for your help. Thanks again guys!

 

[Mbrooks420]

Your tow rating will always be 2,000. Nothing will change that. Been discussed on here many times before. Quite sure the biggest issue is that you have a different transmission than a towing package equipped vehicle.

If you plan on towing ALWAYS buy the factory tow package. Will it pull it? Sure. Will there be a problem? Who knows. I assume there’s a reason they rated it so low in the first place (possibly to upsell towing packages, although it makes the Explorer look wimpy compared to all of its competition.).

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Marcus.
As mentioned above, the legal tow rating will always be 2000 lbs. It can not be changed once the vehicle leaves the factory. The towing weight list similar to the one you posted is also in your Owner's Manual on page 241 of the 3rd printing.
If I recall correctly, with the tow package you get a bigger radiator, a different transmission (6F55), an air duct to cool the PTU, oil cooler, trailer sway control and a tow/haul mode to change the transmission shift points. I don't remember if the wiring is already there on all Explorers regardless of the tow package.

Peter