wondering about towing

[megansx]

hi im new,i just bought an 02 explorer xlt,4.6 v8 4x4. ive got the 1 1/4 inch reciever hitch and wondering if that will be a problem pulling my 14'fishing boat, or my pop up camper?

 

[corkey]

they should be under the rating that is posted for the vehicle, so everything should be okay,

 

[megansx]

thanks, ive always had the 2 inch reciever in the past so im not familiar with these smaller hitches

 

[corkey]

there should be a weight posting on the hitch somewhere to tell you what the max tongue and trailer weight should be.

 

[thepotroast]

You'll be fine with that size load on a Class II hitch

 

[da2962]

The fishing boat shouldn't be a problem, but I would check the weight on your pop up. Some of them can be pretty hefty. Also consider the terrain your towing on (hills, flat roads etc.) I just got an 03 with the 4.0 with the class II and its rated to tow 3500. There are quite a few factors in that though, such as loading the popup with food and supplies, if it has AC and a full propane tank they need to be factored in also. From what I have read, the suggestion is to keep the weight around or under 80% of listed capacity.

 

[explorer02rob]

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[thepotroast]

je4rdftgyujikoe34rwf5grtyhthujr5t6gybhujikqaderzfdqtfagyhujewrsdfxcedrwsfxtgq

Cat on the keyboard?? LOL! :

 

[jrford]

thanks, ive always had the 2 inch reciever in the past so im not familiar with these smaller hitches

should be fine with what you got but if interested, your in luck, with an '02 the hitch is bolted on with 6 bolts. You can swap hitches with any '02-05 Expl/Mounty that's a ClassIII, and keep all of your previous accessories. A used bigger ClassIII hitch ive seen from $50-100 from a junkyard. Tow rating doesn't change because it involves different gearing.

I've have small 12 footer you forget its back there, the pop-up no problem but turn the O/D off if it starts hunting gears in hills.

 

[Claus]

The class II vs class III hitch classification only specifies the max capacity for the hitch. It doesn't indicate at all how much your vehicle can tow. What your vehicle can tow is depended on a lot of things. Even the tow rating in your owner guide or other Ford supplied documentation doesn't include all the facts and assumes that you tow with an empty car (only driver, no luggage). This is rarely true. So adding a class III hitch actually lowers your tow capacity since you are adding weight to the tow vehicle. To truly get a handle of your tow capacity you need to do the math. Here are my notes back when I did it a few years ago. http://niesens.com/hobbies/cars/2003-ford-explorer/towing-capacity.en.html

Remember:
1) It's not about what your tow vehicle can pull but about what your can stop and control safely.
2) If the trailer starts swaying you're in trouble.
3) Rarely do people pay any heed to how much they can safely tow.

 

[EasyRhino]

If you are going to tow anything with an '02 Ex (5R55W Tranny) I recommend that you do some homework (try searching) on actions to take to make the tranny last. You'll thank me later.

 

[merc187]

I have an 03 XLT that I have used to haul a 25' trailer as well as a car trailer and a boat. The only issue I had was the rear pinion seal went out halfway between KC and the White River in Arkanas. Pain in the a$$ but we made it there, home and in 30 minutes at the cost of about 8 dollars the problem was fixed. Under the rear panel in the cargo area I now carry an extra seal and a bottle of 80/90 just in case.

 

[skeeter123]

Check out:

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/2002/2002_default.asp

 

[zerodevil]

if not, you could easily pick up and mount the class 3/4 hitch for fairly cheep im sure(or am i wrong).

 

[Jayness@psn]

there is CHEAP classIII here in WI in the boneyards or even U-Haul. I saw some in the 50.00 range.