Will a V6 Ford Explorer tow a 24' Keystone Bullet?

I am about to purchase a 2010 24' Keystone Bullet Ultra-Lite Travel Trailer. The shipping weight of this trailer is 4370 lbs. with a carrying capacity of 2105 lbs.

I own a 2009 Ford Explorer 4X4 with a 4.0 liter engine (6 cylinder). I have an after market heavy duty tow package (3500lb hitch with 350lb tounge) on the back. (Note: The RV Dealer has mentioned that special hitches can be used to distribute weight. There is a great break system with the Bullet and other stablizing/sway features that will make for a smooth ride.) Inside the driver door of my Explorer it lists the GVWR as 6790 lbs.

This Keystone Bullet is marketed as being one of the best light weight travel trailers on the market. Sleek aerodynamic design, twin axle (4 wheels) with 18" tire separation for better stability etc. etc. etc. They claim their Bullet line can be pulled by cars, trucks and suv's. My Explorer is certainly an SUV.

I live in Reno, NV (elevation 4600 feet). The traveling we plan on doing (for the most part) will be in and around this area. No long cross-country excursions. Basically 2 to 6 day trips within a 1 to 3 hour radius of our home (maybe a couple hundred miles).

So my question is . . . while this might not be the "perfect" vehicle to tow a 24' travel trailer . . . what are your thoughts of the expected performance of the Explorer? Can it handle it? Am I doing it any harm? Have newer vehicles such as this and have the newer design of travel trailers (especially those marketed as Ultra-Lite) been a good marriage for a senario such as this?

(Note: I realize my gas mileage might not be great and that I will be going slow up hills. But am interested to know if my Explorer can hold its own on the open road.)

Would love to hear some sound advice and thoughts. Thank you!

 

[angioguy]

Hi , i am in the same situation. I am looking at a rvision 29' @ 4166 #. I was not sure either. My neghibor has a 28' coach man. He suggested I try pulling it before I bought. It weghted 4400#.I have a 06 4.0l xlt.I added a brake controller and a class 3 hitch and weigh distr. hitch also.It pulled fine. The rear end didnt sag and it seemed not to be working too hard. I was able to maintain 60ish on the highway. It felt comfortable pulling it. I hope this helps.

 

[thebrakeman]

1. Your Ford owner's manual is required reading! I also recommend you look up the 2009 (or 2006) Ford Towing Guide here:
https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/2009/2009_default.asp

2. Never trust a dealer to tell you what you need to tow the trailer they are trying to sell you. They will quote empty trailer weights and MAX towing ratings, which are not the full story.

You will quickly find that since neither of you have the factory tow package, your maximum tow rating is 3500 lbs, and your GCVWR (gross combined vehicle weight rating) is only 8000 lbs. I know this because since 2002, the factory tow package includes (among other important things) a 2" class III/IV integrated receiver. You had to add the receiver.

The problem is that you don't have enough transmission cooling, nor the proper gearing, to handle so much weight. Especially driving around the mountains. The hitch, wiring, and even an aux trans cooler aren't hard to retrofit. But the V6 with the standard 5-speed and 3.55 rear end simply will not be durable enough to haul around 5000 lbs of trailer (which is what it will likely be when loaded). By the time you spend $$$ to change the rear end, you might as well just trade in for a V8 with tow package, which will get better gas mileage than the V6 with tow package due to the 6-speed trans and it's ability to retain the 3.55 rear end.

Subtract your empty truck weight (4600 lbs?) from 8000 lbs. This leaves you with 3400 lbs for the loaded trailer and any people or cargo in the truck. The reality is that V6 non-tow package Explorers are good for about a 3000 lbs popup camper, by the time you put 400 lbs of people in the truck.

V6 with tow package gets 5000 max tow rating, and 10,000 lbs GCVWR. That's good for around 4000-4500 lbs of loaded trailer. That's like a 19-footer, maybe some 21s.

V8 with tow package gets 7000 lbs (or more) max tow rating, and 12,000 lbs GCVWR(edit). That's what I have, but my Mounty is about 5100 lbs empty. I'm watching for something that will weigh no more than about 5500 lbs loaded, so I have some cushion for going thru the Smokies (?). But by the numbers, I might be able to do 6400 with the family in the truck, but I would only tow such a combo on flat ground.

 

[Joe Dirt]

The other issue a lot of people can overlook is not the pulling part, but the stopping part... Brakeman is correct about the numbers, trailers are a often mis-quoted part of the package, and trailer dealers are famous for making your small rig sound like a Kenworth in order to sell a trailer...

 

[Larry D]

Thank you all for responding. This is valuable information that I really appreciate. I too am thinking that, with all available information, that this particular trailer option is pushing the limit and ill advised. Thanks again, everyone!