Towing Limit....

The Explorer says that it has a 5,000 pound trailer limit, and a remarkably small 200 pound tongue weight limit. What is it that limits this? I have a 7,500 pound tractor and trailer that I tow around with my Ram 2500, and I wondered if the Explorer could handle it.

Why would I ask about something clearly over the limit??? Because my truck is only rated to tow something like 10,000 pounds on the hitch, but I have regularly towed 14,000 without any problems, or cracks, and I have had the tongue weight of 4,000 pounds on it, which is clearly way over the limit, especially without a weight distributing hitch, and then had another 2,000 pounds in the bed.

My point being is that things are generally way under-rated. My only concern would be that the Explorer, weighing only 5,000 pounds would need trailer brakes, where my 8,000 pound truck does ok without them.

 

[92exp4x4]

I've wondered that myself. I wonder if maybe the smaller footprint of the vehicle has a lot to do with how they rate them? Brake force capacity has a lot to do with it. I had a 97 F250 powerstroke ext cab 4wd rated at 10k. I put 7500 lb F350 springs under it with helpers. It was a single wheel. I think at that time an F350 was rated around 13k?

Now my tow rig is a 93 F-superduty short wheelbase with a 15.5 k rating. With the same load, same trailer, the super duty is much more stable. I attribute it to the dual rear wheels and it's effectively larger footprint. It feels like 3 times the truck with only about 2k difference in rating.

The Explorer is a narrow but fairly heavy vehicle and I think a decently large load would shake it around so bad it would be easy to loose control. Just my empty trailer behind one is very noticeable. I've not hauled a heavy load with any of them maybe 4k max, but I felt like I was taxing it. Maybe I'm just used to bigger trucks. My work vehicle used to be an F750 crane truck!

 

[Keith W]

My only concern would be doing damage to the Explorer. I frequently move stuff around short distances on gravel roads, so it isn't as though I would be trucking down the highway at 70.

My father has an old '71 Mercury Monterey that was a highway patrol pursuit car, and he has used it many times to pull an 1845 Case skid steer around. I am sure that handily exceeded what it was rated for.

Considering what the Explorer cost, I will just keep it relegated to hauling the family, but just to tempted every time I look at the tow button.

 

[wifes2011xlt]

Pretty sure that 200lb is without WDH. With WDH, tongue weight limit is 500lbs. Actually, the only way to get to the 5,000lb towing max is to use WDH.

 

[92exp4x4]

My only concern would be doing damage to the Explorer. I frequently move stuff around short distances on gravel roads, so it isn't as though I would be trucking down the highway at 70.

My father has an old '71 Mercury Monterey that was a highway patrol pursuit car, and he has used it many times to pull an 1845 Case skid steer around. I am sure that handily exceeded what it was rated for.

Considering what the Explorer cost, I will just keep it relegated to hauling the family, but just to tempted every time I look at the tow button.

Sweet, that still was a full size car, probably would shake the load better than say a Fairlane or meteor if we sticking to Mercurys. There is a guy on here building a tow rig based on a Galaxy, I think it's a 68.

Kind of like comparing an ex to an F150. I think the pickup's wider stance makes it a better candidate for a higher tow rating.

I agree though, as capable as they could be, as long as I have my superduty it will do the heavy hauling!

 

[Keith W]

When I ordered my Ram 2500, I spaced it to be a 3500, minus the duals. I just couldn't stand to give up the drive thrus, but I have heard many people say that having duals greatly helps with stability while towing. I put on wider wheels, and while it only makes the stance about 6 inches wider, it made the truck corner noticeably better, so I can only imagine what duals would do.

I just found that Galaxy tow rig. I have to say I am impressed with all the detail, and modifications.

 

[92exp4x4]

I love my SD. It's well worn at 289k, but it hauls anything I need it to. I'm hoping for next year it will be getting a 7.3L powerstroke that's been sitting on the garage floor for a while. She has a very worn out, and original 460 installed right now.

 

[thebrakeman]

500 lbs is where Ford requires using a WDH, according to the Ford Towing Guide. You can certainly use one with less TW, but more than 500, and its required. Why? Because any more than this, and the TW will be removing too much weight from the front axle for good stability.

As far as trailer brakes, in my professional opinion, they are recommended anytime possible, and required if the combined weight of both vehicles exceeds the GVWR of the tow vehicle. Why? Because the stock brakes are designed to handle the tow vehicle up to it's GVWR and nothing more. So if you have an empty truck, and the trailer weight equals your available payload, you are at the GVWR limit. Any more, and the brakes will be overloaded, and the trailer should have supplemental brakes.

As far as the general proposition in the OP that OEM limits are just generalizations, that's nonsense. Yes, factors of safety are included. But nobody here has that information, and the factors of safety are intended to cover manufacturing defects and other unknowns that you don't know about.

Do not exceed any ratings.

 

[Keith W]

500 lbs is where Ford requires using a WDH, according to the Ford Towing Guide. You can certainly use one with less TW, but more than 500, and its required. Why? Because any more than this, and the TW will be removing too much weight from the front axle for good stability.

As far as trailer brakes, in my professional opinion, they are recommended anytime possible, and required if the combined weight of both vehicles exceeds the GVWR of the tow vehicle. Why? Because the stock brakes are designed to handle the tow vehicle up to it's GVWR and nothing more. So if you have an empty truck, and the trailer weight equals your available payload, you are at the GVWR limit. Any more, and the brakes will be overloaded, and the trailer should have supplemental brakes.

As far as the general proposition in the OP that OEM limits are just generalizations, that's nonsense. Yes, factors of safety are included. But nobody here has that information, and the factors of safety are intended to cover manufacturing defects and other unknowns that you don't know about.

Do not exceed any ratings.

Well, in that case my truck has a payload of about 800 pounds if you follow the manufacturer ratings. The brochure claimed my truck only weighed about 6,600 pounds, yet the certified scales I weigh it on say it is about 8,000 with me in it, and it only has an 8,800 lb GVW. So I basically have a one ton truck, with 800 pound payload capacity?

I question this because the rear axle is rated by the manufacturer, not Dodge, at 11,000 pounds, yet the rear of my truck only weighs about 3,000. The springs, and the tires are certainly not the weak points, so why would they rate it so low????

 

[thebrakeman]

A brochure can only state a certain weight of some certain truck, with some/none options, etc.
Any options or gear eat into your payload capacity. I would not expect things to swing from 6600 to 8800 lbs. I would certainly question the brochure and/or the scale there.

As far as how the axle is rated, you need to use the lesser of the axle manuf, and the vehicle manuf. For example, you could attach a hitch-receiver rated for 10,000 lbs to a truck. But if the truck is only rated to tow 8,000 lbs, you are limited to 8,000 lbs, regardless of what the hitch says.

I'm not exactly following your thoughts, but my comments were more in general.

 

[Keith W]

A brochure can only state a certain weight of some certain truck, with some/none options, etc.
Any options or gear eat into your payload capacity. I would not expect things to swing from 6600 to 8800 lbs. I would certainly question the brochure and/or the scale there.

As far as how the axle is rated, you need to use the lesser of the axle manuf, and the vehicle manuf. For example, you could attach a hitch-receiver rated for 10,000 lbs to a truck. But if the truck is only rated to tow 8,000 lbs, you are limited to 8,000 lbs, regardless of what the hitch says.

I'm not exactly following your thoughts, but my comments were more in general.

Just that I feel the car companies have ulterior motives when putting out specs on cars. I remember at one point they would under rate car horsepower, and later fessed up to it. If I buy a car rated to tow 1,000 pounds, and tow 2,000 pounds with it for 200,000 miles, without excessive maintenance, was it really rated appropriately? You see over the road trucks with GVW of 80,000 on the side, but the truck is actually speced to carry more than that, but because of licensing, and laws, they limit it to 80,000.

 

[Mountinheer]

Pulled my loaded open car trailer the other day and she pulled great (2001 Mounty, 5.0AWD 31" tires and 3" lift). Trailer is right around 5000lbs total, and I used to pull it all day w/ Astro van (rated 6000). Absolutely needed the brakes for the van, but didn't have a conroller in the X yet, so I took the risk. It did awesome.

I don't know if the brakes are upgraded, or the bigger tires helped with stability (just bought it), but it was solid as a rock. The hitch had a bit of an angle on it when purchased, and didn't look thrilled about the tounge weight i had on it. If i'm going to pull more i'll get a hitch with a better rating.

Maybe a load leveler hitch is a good idea, but I think you could pull 7500 without issue if you're hooked to frame well and have a brake conroller. I mean... I would do it, but I'm an idiot.

Towing is more about the driver than the rig. A stock explorer with std tire pressure, a 3500 u-haul and moron at the wheel (not idiot, they are ok), could easilt get blown off the road by a truck and flip and roll.

Good luck, idiot.

 

[crunchie_frog]

I have pulled a ~5,000 lb load with my 99 5.0 AWD Mountaineer for many years and feel I am experienced in pulling a trailer. On Friday of this past week, my son (who has 2000 5.0 AWD Mountaineer) called on his way home for Christmas and his Mountaineer was overheating. We tried troubleshooting over the phone and using stop leak but the leak was too big (I found out when we got home it was from the side of radiator) so I took off to get him (500 miles away) with a U-Haul auto transport trailer. The trailer weighed 1,900 pounds and the vehicle ~5,400 so I was towing ~7,300 compared with the 6,620 lb Ford published rating. The trailer had force activated brakes which were working.

Anyway, 500 miles of towing 7,300 lbs and I had no issues. I stopped every hour or so the first part of the trip to check the trans fluid and all of the fittings and connections from the frame to the trailer. I was surprised to see how much power I had. I will say I was nervous about pulling over the load limit and would not have done this had it not felt safe while driving or had my trans showed symptoms of overheating. I also have heavy duty brake pads, LT tires and the vehicle is well maintained and in good condition (albeit w/200K miles). If I had felt unsafe while towing, my back up plan was to get an auto dolly instead of the auto transport to reduce the trailer weight and then remove the rear drive shaft from my son's AWD Mountaineer.

Anyway, these 5.0 AWDs are beasts if you ask me.

 

[boominXplorer]

Oh yeah I can agree. Not that I condone towing over max weight, as long as the tounge weight isn't crazy it will pull it. I pulled a 3500lb trailer all over VA and NC with 35" tires and my only was a broken carrier. I tried to take off from a light to get around a car and it went BANG and I moved about 4 ft. Split the carrier in half. This was because I was towing on 35s with 4.88 gears as it shouldn't be an issue with close to stock gearing and tires.

Also a 2nd Gen V8 truck only weighs about 4300 lbs empty just fyi. Your probably spot on with your trailer weight as my 16' car trailer weighs 1940lbs

 

[crunchie_frog]

Oh yeah I can agree. Not that I condone towing over max weight, as long as the tounge weight isn't crazy it will pull it. I pulled a 3500lb trailer all over VA and NC with 35" tires and my only was a broken carrier. I tried to take off from a light to get around a car and it went BANG and I moved about 4 ft. Split the carrier in half. This was because I was towing on 35s with 4.88 gears as it shouldn't be an issue with close to stock gearing and tires.

Also a 2nd Gen V8 truck only weighs about 4300 lbs empty just fyi. Your probably spot on with your trailer weight as my 16' car trailer weighs 1940lbs

thanks Boomin for the correction on the curb weight of the 2000 AWD Mountaineer. I had just looked at the sticker inside the door when I put it on the trailer and saw the 5400 lbs so as you say, I was just below my the limit at probably around 6,400 lbs. Still, I was amazed at how easily the 5.0 handled towing it. I mean it was towing about 1.5 times its own weight and it handled it no problem.

 

[Josh P]

Exceeding the tongue weight by a lot, I've seen a 6x12 uhaul trailer fold the back of a car at the wheel wells.

 

[Halford1]

I towed a 96 Coleman Key West popup GVWR was 3500lbs max pulled by 98 Explorer Sport (added tranny cooler and Trembren suspension and of course with brake controller). But i had problems towing the camper uphill and mountains!

When my Sport died, I bought 2014 XLT and got a better popup which maxes out at 3500 lbs gvwr. I only added brake controller to my XLT that has tow package. It pulled the popup up mountains with no problems. I am thankful for brake controller when I tow downhill.... I always have confidence in towing with my Explorer XLT with tow package. Always make sure that your Explorer has tow package if you plan to do heavy towing..