Towing with a 2004 V8. Am I doing this right?

I am interested in buying some sort of RV for my family and I, and I want to get the best bang for my buck, but I'm having a hard time figuring out if I'm calculating what I can tow correctly.

I have a 2004 4.6L V8 4x4 with the 3.55 axle ratio, the owners manual says I have

GCWR: 8000
GVWR: 5984
Maximum trailer weight: 3420 LB

I looked at the tire and load sticker on my door and it says the combined weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed 1230 lbs.

So here is what I've calculated:

Total passenger weight ~ 555 lbs
cargo (clothes, cooler, chairs etc): ~ 300 lbs
Total cargo = 855 lbs
Remaining cargo = 1230 - 855 = 375

So I started thinking that the 375 would be the MAX my hitch weight could be. (And I would have to get a class 3 hitch if I went over the 350 Max weight for my class II).

I read that a trailer generally carries between 10%-15% of its weight on the hitch, so I used those numbers to come up with a weight range, assuming that I would keep the class II hitch and a couple cargo pounds to spare:

350 / .10 = 3500
350 / .15 = 2333

Which I feel gives me a pretty good range of small bumper pull trailers to choose from especially if I can keep the weight at the hitch more towards the 10% mark..

Now my question is, if I add up all my passenger and cargo weight and what I am guessing is the curb weight (I took the GVWR (5984) - the load sticker (1230) = 4754 lbs) I get:

Vehicle weight: 4754
Passengers & cargo = 855
Total = 5609
Remaining GCW = 8000 - 5609 = 2391 lbs

So by going by GCW I max out at 2391 lbs, which puts me in a medium size tent trailer range.

Now my question is, which of these is most reliable? I guess I question why the GCW figure is so low when then GVWR of the truck can clearly carry the additional weight? Am I being too cautious with the GCW rating?

I really like the R-Pod line of trailers which have UVW of 2400 - 2600 so I'm thinking those would be good fit, but I want to be safe and not put too much wear on my vehicle.

I should also mention that I live in ~4000 ft elevation and will be camping / pulling anywhere from 4000 - 8000 ft.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts, I have been researching and agonizing over what I can actually pull!

Thanks

-Aaron

 

[shucker1]

Personally I would go with the Class 3 hitch that mounts directly to the frame.

Better to be safe that have your trailer pass you up on a down hill slope.

Remember to tow your trailer with the Over Drive "OFF".

Over Drive is not intended to tow with and builds up excessive heat that kills transmissions.

 

[AyAyRon]

Thanks for the response, I guess I was thinking the Class II would still be OK because 3500 is pretty much my max towing capacity in general and I believe that is the limit of the Class II weight class anyway. Have you heard of those failing before at less than 3500?

I really want to keep my trailer weight at less than 3000-3200 (fully loaded) if I can even manage to pull that much, but I feel that kind of weight with passengers and cargo is stretching the GCVW quite a bit which is I guess what I'm most concerned about. The 4.8L V8 with the 3.73 axle ratio is rated at 11600 GCVW, so I'm wondering is the axle ratio the only thing that increases the GCVW so much?? Or are there other components that are important? (i.e. does that have a better radiator / brakes / etc?)

 

[thebrakeman]

You are looking at things correctly. Most people with the V8 think they can pull the higher loads. And you probably could, but the high torque from the V8, pulling a heavy load from a standstill, thru the 5-speed and little 3.55 gearing would be over-working the drivetrain, from a durability standpoint.

1. As far as what you put in the truck, some of that can go in the camper, if needed, from a payload standpoint.
2. Remember that whatever you have leftover for the trailer is for the LOADED weight of the camper. Typical popup will be 500-600 lbs of options and cargo.
3. Besides the axle ratio in the gen3 Explorer, it would have 7-pin wiring (for trailer brakes and 12V line), the Class III/IV hitch, and some additional cooling (trans and/or engine, I'm not sure).

In my opinion, I would not be overly concerned if you found a popup camper (even a highwall model) that put you a bit beyond your 3500 lbs max tow rating, especially if you add an aux trans cooler. I wouldn't have a problem if you pushed GCVW to 8500 or so. The biggest problem comes in when someone with your truck wants to pull a full-height camper. The wind resistance is a much greater factor, compared to a popup that remains low as far as frontal area. Just take it easy when pulling away from a stand-still, so you're not overly-stressing the driveline.

 

[AyAyRon]

Thanks so much for the reply brakeman:

In my opinion, I would not be overly concerned if you found a popup camper (even a highwall model) that put you a bit beyond your 3500 lbs max tow rating, especially if you add an aux trans cooler. I wouldn't have a problem if you pushed GCVW to 8500 or so. The biggest problem comes in when someone with your truck wants to pull a full-height camper. The wind resistance is a much greater factor, compared to a popup that remains low as far as frontal area. Just take it easy when pulling away from a stand-still, so you're not overly-stressing the driveline.

Do you have any recommendations on an aux trans cooler or brand? Is that something that is fairly easy to install yourself (ie. I can change my oil, but don't have alot of know-how/tools, but can watch youtube) or is that something to take to a mechanic that could be installed fairly cheap?

And if I'm reading your post correctly, you think the truck would perform better with something like a Rockwood Highwall say with GVW 3749 than something like the R-Pod with GVW at like 3200? or do you think it would be an even match?

We looked at some of the high walls and really liked them for their space, amenities etc.. but I kind of discounted them based on the GVWR being on the higher end.

 

[shucker1]

Another thing to remember is to plan your trips with plenty of time in mind.

I wouldn't blow down the highway at 70-75 with an Explorer pulling a camper.

Perhaps with an F-250?

That's just an invitation to destroy a drive line.

Like @thebrakeman said:

it would have 7-pin wiring (for trailer brakes and 12V line),

Consider adding electric brakes to the trailer as a safety option.

 

[AyAyRon]

Yeah I have just the 4-pin connector now and was thinking electric brakes was mandatory because GCW > GVWR of the TV

 

[thebrakeman]

Yes, good point. If actual GCW is greater than GVWR of the TV, you really should have functioning trailer brakes.

R-Pod vs High-wall popup?
Put it this way. From a wind-resistance standpoint, a 3200 lb popup would tow easier than a 3200 lbs R-Pod, for sure.
Probably a 3500 lbs popup is still easier than 3200 lbs R-Pod.
3700 lbs popup??? I'm not sure where your break-even point is. The R-Pods look pretty aerodynamic, but they are still pretty tall...much taller than the Explorer.
But then the dead weight is 500 lbs more than the R-Pod. Probably a wash.

Trans cooler? You can get these at an autoparts shop. If in doubt, round up on capacity. But get a look at where the unit gets installed (youtube video etc). Only you can decide if you have the skills. I've never done it. All of my tow vehicles already had them. But it should be a simple procedure for any trans shop, or decent mechanic.

 

[AyAyRon]

Thanks again for all your replies, I have read and re-read carefully and will take all your advice. I looked into some youtube videos of what is involved with a trans-cooler.. Looks not too bad if you can keep track of what you took apart, but I'll probably just take it to a mechanic to be done professionally

 

[AyAyRon]

Me and the wife found a used 2015 Jayco 154BH unit that we liked (with a solar panel!), with unloaded weight at 2500lb and GVWR at 3200lbs and went ahead with a sales contract on it! In the end we thought for the price/weight/features we got what we wanted and should be able to tow it without too much difficulty! In hindsight with the deal I should have tried to get them to include the 7-pin wiring into the deal but... that ship has probably sailed.

Now, I need to figure out the brake controller setup.. I found some videos online from etrailer that looked like you needed to route several wires to get 12V power and brakes to a 7-pin connector (mine only has the 4 pin) Now when I looked at the rear bumper where the current 4 pin is hooked up/routed, I can see a blue line going into the wiring wrap which makes me think everything is already pre-routed for the brake line, and I pulled the glove box down and found where you would hook in the brake controller, i see a blue line going out of the connection point there.

My question is, can I just plug a brake controller in there and everything is already pre-routed through the vehicle? I am mostly concerned about braking and if a 12V line is pre-routed that would be a major plus too, but does anyone have any insight on this?

So my 2 questions are:
1) Can I just plug in a brake controller to the wiring connector near the glove box
2) Is a 12V supply routed anywhere and how would I check that

 

[AyAyRon]

I did some digging in the wiring section of the Chilton manual for my vehicle and found the connection point for the trailer wiring where the current 4-pin is going to. It is C405 and it looks like everything is already routed to that connection point (12V supply/brakes/reverse light) so that makes me happy! Now I guess I need to know if the wiring going to the 4-pin has the blue and orange wires I need and they are just not connected up or if I need to get a new connector with all the wiring for the 7 pin.. I was thinking i would just cut the sheathing back around the 4 pin connector and see if the wires are there or not. The C405 connector is tucked up behind another connector and is not very easy to access (I think they are both connected to a white mounting bracket that looks like it is connected to the frame.

 

[thebrakeman]

That's probably the lightest full-height trailer you are going to find. Single-axle, make sure you use a friction sway controller (~$50 at Harbor Freight). You won't need a WDH, so no sense in talking about integrated sway control.

If you see a blue wire in the glove box area, that is very promising, as that's where it's located for 3rd gen. Get a Tekonsha Prodigy P2 or P3, plus the Ford-specific harness and it's plug and play up front.

For the rear, from what I understand, if it's prewired, trace the 4-pin wiring back, and you should run into a split, with a plugged, round connector. If you find that, etrailer should have a kit to add the 7-way. They have good customer service. Give them a call.

 

[AyAyRon]

I purchased a Tekonsha P3 and the Ford wiring. Should be coming tomorrow.

I traced the 4 pin connector back to where it is connected and only see a blue wire going out (and the standard other colors), no orange like I was hoping.. I pulled out the 4 pin at the hitch, cut and peeled back some of the tape and pulled back the plastic conduit and sure enough found a capped blue wire tucked in and taped around the other wires, but no Orange.. Now I'm thinking a 12v connection isn't hooked up

 

[AyAyRon]

Well, I guess I'll complete this thread with my experience.

I really wanted the 12v charge line hooked up, so I took it to my mechanic.. They were able to tap into the connector I identified for the 12v and just used that blue line already running for the brakes. Guess Ford couldn't afford the extra 1$ to run all the lines from the connection point They mounted the 7 pin to my class 2 hitch.

I picked up our TT today, the prodigy P3 worked awesome (feels very natural braking). I will say the trailer "feels" like I am definitely glad I did some research on weight.. Trying to pull more than what we have would definitely be scary.. The truck does seem well matched at this weight and I was able to pull up a pretty good hill at 40 mph with no problems.. Definitely needs a slower acceleration time and braking time.

Overall very happy with the truck and unit we got.. The kids and I are driveway camping as I write and testing out all the appliances! Thanks for everyone's input on this!

Aaron

 

[Mark1950]

Thanks so much for the reply brakeman:



Do you have any recommendations on an aux trans cooler or brand? Is that something that is fairly easy to install yourself (ie. I can change my oil, but don't have alot of know-how/tools, but can watch youtube) or is that something to take to a mechanic that could be installed fairly cheap?

And if I'm reading your post correctly, you think the truck would perform better with something like a Rockwood Highwall say with GVW 3749 than something like the R-Pod with GVW at like 3200? or do you think it would be an even match?

We looked at some of the high walls and really liked them for their space, amenities etc.. but I kind of discounted them based on the GVWR being on the higher end.

 

[Mark1950]

I have 2005 explorer with 4.0 engine and some performance things. I was working on Plug for trailering. I check everything as I installed them. I installed tail light. I installed tail lights and check at plug and it was good. When I finish all I turned on light, no tail lights. I have brake lights, turn signals. Using test light I have check but having no luck. The right tail and left lights are on different circuits Any help ??