Trailor Towing

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Brad Penn - 12 Jul 2005 02:37 GMT

Hello All,

I have a trailor towing question. I have a 2000 EB Explorer, 5.0L AWD. I
bought the vehicle used about 2.5 years ago. It appears to have come with a
towing package as it has the trailor towing light connector and mounting
bracket in the strorage compartment in a plastic bag.

I am thinking of trying to tow a travel trailor with the Explorer. I've been
doing a lot of research online. I have some questions:

1) How can I tell which axle ratio I have. It appears that the 3.73:1 is
recommended.
2) How can I tell if I have a heavy duty tow package.

I am getting some information from the attached website.

http://www.rvsafety.com/ford2K.htm

I'm just trying to figure out how much trailor I can tow safely and if I
have enough vehicle..

Thanks for any input,

Signature

Brad

"When I die I want to go quietly like my grandfather, not screaming like his
passengers."

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Bob - 12 Jul 2005 06:22 GMT

> 1) How can I tell which axle ratio I have. It appears that the 3.73:1 is
> recommended.
> 2) How can I tell if I have a heavy duty tow package.

Check out this site. It describes the axle codes, and then just look at the
label on the driver's side door jamb. I forget which field is the axle, but
it's pretty easy to figure out.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Axles.html

If you have the 7 pin (round) electrical connector and the 2" receiver then
you most likely do have the towing package (and the 3.73 rear end).

From what I've seen, the stock tow equipment (if there at all) is the 1.5"
receiver and the hitch is rated as Class II (as opposed to what Ford calls
the tow package's hitch as a Class III/IV).

There is also a tag on the differential itself that tells what it is (if all
else fails).

Bob

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Brad Penn - 12 Jul 2005 23:43 GMT

Bob,

Thanks very much for the information. I will check out the old axle code
tonight. This vehicle I purchased used had no receiver installed. Don't know
if it ever did.

Thanks again,

Signature

Brad

"When I die I want to go quietly like my grandfather, not screaming like his
passengers."

>> 1) How can I tell which axle ratio I have. It appears that the 3.73:1 is
>> recommended.
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> Bob

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Ulysses - 14 Jul 2005 18:56 GMT

> Hello All,
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> I'm just trying to figure out how much trailor I can tow safely and if I
> have enough vehicle..

Well, personally I wouldn't tow anything bigger than about a 17 foot travel
trailer with an Explorer and that would only be because I had to move it and
my pickup didn't run or whatever. Maybe a nice popup tent trailer would
suit you instead?

Did you try posting your question on rec.outdoors.rv-travel? I'm pretty
sure you could get lots of opinions there.

> Thanks for any input,
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> "When I die I want to go quietly like my grandfather, not screaming like his
> passengers."

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Bill Jeffrey - 15 Jul 2005 16:08 GMT

Brad -

Rummage around at http://www.fleet.ford.com/. There used to be a rather
comprehensive section on camper/trailer towing, though it looks like
they've pulled a lot of it down recently.

Based on my 2002 Explorer (4.6L, factory tow package, and a larger
vehicle than the 2000 Explorer) towing my 3500-pound camper, I think
Ulysses has it about right. The Explorer is not a heavy-duty tow
vehicle, and the factory's tow ratings are wildly optimistic (my
Explorer is rated for 7300 pounds, and in the mountains it struggles
with half that). Part of the question depends on where you intend to
tow, obviously - the plains of Nebraska is quite different from the
12,000 foot passes in the Rockies and the high Sierras. But the
relatively short wheelbase will be a limiting factor, especially on
curvy downhill grades.

Regardless, I don't think you will want to exceed about 4000 pounds of
loaded trailer weight. And that is a pretty small travel trailer.

Bill
----------------------

>>Hello All,
>>
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
>
>>Thanks for any input,

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RVenable - 30 Jul 2005 05:43 GMT

I had a 2000 Explorer XLT V6 (Recently traded for a brand new Sport Trac)
and towed my 3000 lb boat just fine with it for 3 years with the ball on the
bumper. You definitely know the extra weight is there and your gas mileage
is almost cut in half but it handled it just fine.

Rick Venable

> Brad -
>
[quoted text clipped - 56 lines]
>>
>>>Thanks for any input,

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