Pulling a trailer with a ford explorer

[diskat]

Thought maybe you guys could help. We are thinking about getting a trailer to take the GC camping. We have an explorer and really not ready to invest in a new vehicle and a camper at the same time. I have started to look and the dealer said that the lightweights (smaller ones)would be ok to pull. Does anyone have a camper that you pull with an explorer that could give some things to consider as I look. Any thing would help. Thanks in advance.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Check your owners manual first. Explorers have several engine sizes and axel ratios which will affect your tow capacity. Once you know your tow capacity you can start looking on line for lightweight travel trailers, there are many too choose from, so start looking online first. Once you have narrowed your choices down go out and look at several dealers and ask lots of questions.

My brother had a V8 Explorer that could tow more than our V6 Explorer, I think he had a 25ft Forest River, he could pull w/no problem but ours strugged when we used it.

 

[KingTryton]

^^^As the "white knuckle" driver of the above post I have a few things to add. There is a slight difference in towing with an 8cyl. as I used a Merc. Mountaineer with an 8cyl. Not much difference in handling vs. my 4 dr. V-6.
I had a lot of sway while being passed by semi's on the FL Turnpike with both SUV's. Pulling and stopping were just OK.
The hitch was a load leveling unit without additional sway control. I was not comfortable driving both of these hook-ups.

Additional note: When adding an electric brake to an explorer be sure that the installer follows all precautions! I had mine installed by a well know shop and they botched the job. It caused my main wiring harness to short out and fried several components. (repair cost @Ford dealer $5,000) I found out afterward from Ford that this is common. The installers should have used a relay coupler made by Ford instead of tapping into the brake electric system.

Needless to say I have a new tow unit: Dodge 1500 Quad w/Hemi. So Sweet a ride! Just keep it full of fuel. LOL

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

You should also consider the length of the trailer VS the tow vehicle. Engine size and capacity are one factor to consider but wheelbase has a great deal of effect on the overall stability of the total rig. If your trailer is significantly longer than your tow vehicle you end up with a "tail wagging the dog" situation that no amount of sway control will cure.

Scott

 

[jima53]

You might go to rv.net for a lot of info on all the different types of campers and vehicles to tow them. They have a seperate forum for trailers which will be very helpful for you.


Jim

 

[disneylovinmom]

I would check rv.net too. Lots of knowledgable people there. Our first RV was a truck camper. We bought a 2500 specifically for hauling a camper. The dealer said it was the right truck. Then we bought the camper again the dealer said no problem. My husband picks it up and when he comes home the back end of the truck was hanging very low. If I had been with him we would have ended the deal right there. We added air bags and that brought the camper up but we were still over GVWR and I just didn't feel safe putting my kids in that truck. 2 months later we traded in our 4 month old truck for a brand new 350 duelly. What a difference in carrying capacity. Now I felt save traveling in the vehicle. This time around we wanted a TT and bought a Ford 350 full size van specifically for towing. As it turns out not all 350 vans are created equal because the van is extended we lose 4,000 pounds of towing. We took the van to the scales weighted it and with passengers and equipment we were at 7,000 pounds so that left us with 6,000 pounds towing for a camper and what we wanted we were very close to GVWR so we decided to go for a fifth wheel and have lots of towing capacity with the truck. We liked having the room in the van but it wasn't working with my comfort level. I can't stress the importance of doing your homework and knowing the numbers and not relying on the dealers. Also take your Explorer fully loaded to a scale and weight it with all that you would carry on a trip. Take that number away from your GVWR (or is it GCWR?) that's the real number that you have to work with for towing. Good luck with your search!!! I was doing some reasearch for a friend of my husbands and some of the pop up tent campers are really nice.

 

[loveDmouse]

Look at rvforum.net they have loads of great information. We just purchased our RV, we went with a Class C. We started looking at the travel trailers and turns out it would have really been pushing it towing a 27 foot with our Sequoia even though the dealer said it would be fine. It made me nervous and I didn't want to worry about every little thing I was carrying along with us. I heard some not so pleasant stories on towing. We didn't want to have to buy a new vechile to tow it with.
You will have to see what they say about listening to dealers on the whole trailering issue.
Good luck!

 

[iradi8]

I would not feel safe towing a camper with an Explorer. It's not just the weight you have to think about -- it's the wheelbase of the Explorer.
Also, it's not just about the pulling but the stopping

 

[bama_ed]

Also, when comparing your vehicle's towing capability (with all the people and their stuff) versus a trailer weight don't cut it too close. Leave yourself about 10-25% of margin.

Bama ED

 

[Disney Campers]

Three Words: Don't Do It!! Explorers are less than ideal for towing an rv, the wheelbase is just to short to safely get the job done.

 

[diskat]

Thanks for all the replies. I may just have to wait another year or 2. That just gives me that much more time to look for what we really want.

 

[kmccain]

Not sure what year your Explorer is, but I read that Ford did some re-designing after 1995.

I would not be afraid to tow with one as long as the trailer you are towing is well within the towing limits of the truck.

When you are towing with any vehicle you alway have to try to be one step a head of the situation so you do not have to make the sudden moves that you do when you are not towing.

Good Luck!

 

[csss31399]

Actually, we do tow a 23 ft Jayco Featherlite EXP with our V6 Ford Explorer (wider wheel base). It does fine short distances, but I would not feel comfortable pulling over 100 miles or so each way. You can definitely tell that it could use more power. It works fine for us since we don't go far, but we're skipping it for the POR next month. Hope everything works out for you!

Stacey

 

[diskat]

Hi! Our explorer is a 1998. We also have an explorer sport trac. I may have to think about that also.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I towed our Kiwi with a Sport Trac down to FW many times. Properly equipped, it is safe and effective. I now use an F150 which does the job effortlessly, but the Explorer would do fine with a small lightweight trailer.

 

[drewc]

I think some of the posters here must have assumed you meant to tow a full size travel trailer. The height on a full size trailer causes both wind drag from the frontage, and also the sway (push) from big rigs blowing by (not to mention the fact that even a V8 Explorer can only tow about 7,000 lbs tops).

We have been using our V6 Mountaineer to tow our pop-up (Fleetwood Bayside), and it has worked out just fine. I bought it with the tow package (including the towing axle ratio). With a level hitch and a sway bar, we cruise along at 65 -70 mph with no problems. On steep inclines, you definitely feel the trailer behind you though.

I hope to move up to a Suburban soon. We have 3 kids and the third row seat Mountaineer is great for fitting them in, but leaves very little space for cargo. The alternative is to squeeze the 3 kids in the second row, which is no fun for long distances.

So, you might want to think about a pop-up as a way to get started with your current vehicle.