Towing question.

Hi,
I'm leasing a 2011 Explorer. It has a class 3 hitch. My kendon motorcycle trailer weighs about 450lbs and a few dirt bikes total less than 1000lbs. No problems here. If I try to use my friends enclosed trailer (950lbs) with 2 full size street bikes (another 900 lbs) plus gear and stuff (another 200lbs) - totaling about 2000lbs, the truck constantly shifts between 4th and 5th gear on the highway. Fuel usage (about 22-23 mpg with 4 adults, no trailer, 17-18mpg with 4 adults and the lighter of the 2 trailers (1000lbs), drops to 11mpg with the heavier trailer (2000lbs)! Why is the truck having so much difficulty with 2000lbs when the towing capacity is over 5000lbs?
Steve

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread into the towing section. Which engine do you have?

 

[steve01]

I have the 3.5L V6 4WD

 

[thebrakeman]

It's not just the weight. It's the increased wind resistance from the trailer's "frontal area". An enclosed trailer (or a camper) is like pulling a barn door thru the wind.

When I hear "constantly shifting between 4th and 5th", my ears perk up, as this is the definition of "hunting". This is what builds heat in a transmission and could lead to premature fluid breakdown. I'm not familiar with the trans layout of the new Explorer, but if a transmission is "hunting" for the right gear, you need to force it into the lower gear.

Is there an OD lockout, or does this transmission let you hold certain gears? When towing, you need to accept that you will get less gas mileage. It's just part of the game. Take comfort in the fact that you only tow about 5% of the time, right? The other 95%, you can leave it in OD. Your overall average is not really affected by towing unless you tow a LOT.

 

[steve01]

Thanks for the quick response! I will check, but I do not believe there is an OD lockout. You CAN shift manually. I tried this, but when the transmission got into 5th gear, I had no power to maintain speed. Unless driving on completely flat roadway, the truck would quickly lose momentum, forcing me to downshift anyway. I suppose I could just manually shift and leave it in 4th gear, but I really dislike the high pitch whine. It simply never occurred to me that the truck wouldn't have enough horsepower to maintain speed in OD. I don't recall having this issue with my 2006 Explorer.

 

[JDraper]

If you have the towing package you should have a "tow" button on the left side of the dash down low. This alters shiftpoints, lockout, etc. That will help you immensely. I tow about 5k behind my Explorer and it's been a great tow vehicle.

 

[thebrakeman]

2006 was a truck.
2011 is a crossover.

That does not mean the 2011 is not a capable vehicle. But the 2006 was intended to support up to 7400 lbs when properly equipped. The 2011 tops out at 5000 lbs. Again, I'm not slighting the new Explorer. But Ford made a decision to abandon the over-5000 crowd. So it should not be a surprise that towing the same amount with the 2011 feels different than when towing with the 2006. Or in other words, towing 5000 lbs with a 2011 feels like towing 7400 lbs with a 2006.

But back to your original post, like someone said, put your tow/haul button and the computer should help things out. Or if it's hunting, manually shift down a gear or 2 and hold it there. Sorry if you don't like the sound. That's just the price you pay to tow toward the limits of any vehicle. When I towed a 3000 lbs popup with a minivan, I occasionally had to pull it down to 3rd. No big deal, and it was necessary if the trans was hunting.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/2011/2011 RV and Trailer Towing Guide.pdf
...it appears that without it, you only get the 4-pin flat wiring at the back. With the package, you get the 7-pin round connector. If your truck did not come with the 7-pin round, you do not have the factory package. You won't have that tow/haul button, and you won't have adequate cooling (see guide page 17).

Without the factory towing package, max tow rating is only 2000 lbs, as is the case with most crossovers and minivans.

Be careful!