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Old 06-02-2016, 11:08 PM   #1
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2016 Ford Explorer with 5000lb rating

Hey guys, anybody towing with this vehicle? I am looking into a smaller trailer and would love feedback as to what people are pulling and their experiences.
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Old 06-03-2016, 09:40 AM   #2
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i towed a 25' hybrid with a 2005 v8 Explorer for a season and would not do it again. The 2005 was built on a truck frame and the new ones no longer are.
Some problems will be tires as the sidewalls won't be stiff and vehicle weight and length.
A popup or teardrop should be ok but I'd be hesitant to tow anything larger.
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Old 06-03-2016, 12:46 PM   #3
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The 5k rating is quickly reduced by passengers, gear, food, drinks, ad nauseum. What really matters is the tongue weight of the trailer at it's full GVWR, and the cargo capacity of the tow vehicle (which is eaten up by all of the things I mentioned you would normally take with you, and the tongue weight of the trailer).

Max trailer tongue weight, and tow vehicle cargo capacity. If the tongue weight is gonna be OK with your wet and loaded tow vehicle, then the trailer GVW will more than likely be towable by the vehicle.

Whether you'll actually enjoy driving it is a personal thing, and you won't know until you drive the trailer off the lot, which will be too late if you've made a mistake with the weights or any other component. If you'll be driving your family around, too, please consider that their safety is paramount, not that you have an explorer and a 5K trailer.
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Old 06-03-2016, 10:14 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DazBritUS View Post
I am looking into a smaller trailer and would love feedback as to what people are pulling and their experiences.
The 2016 Explorer has a tow rating of 5,000 pounds only if it has the factory-installed Class III Trailer Tow Package and either the 3.5L EcoBoost engine with 3.16 axle ratio, or the 3.5L normally-aspirated engine with 3.39 or 3.65 axle ratio. And the rig must be tied together with a weight-distributing hitch.

The trailer tow package option is required because it includes increased transmission cooling. Without that increased cooling capacity, you'll burn up the tranny trying to tow a 5,000-pound trailer.

But that 5,000 pounds tow rating is misleading, because it assumes nothing is in the SUV except a skinny driver and a full tank of gas. And it assumes no heavy options on the SUV other than the engine and axle ratio required to achieve that tow rating.

Your actual limiter is the GVWR of the SUV minus the wet and loaded weight of the SUV before you tie onto the trailer. The answer is the max payload you have available for hitch weight. Divide that max payload available for hitch weight by 0.13 and the answer is the approximate max travel trailer weight you can tow without being overloaded.

If you have the wonderful 3.5L EcoBoost engine, then you'll have no problem PULLING a 5,000 pound trailer over hill and dale and mountain pass. But if you HAUL any passengers or pets or tools or anything more than a toothbrush in the SUV, you'll probably exceed the payload capacity of your SUV when towing a 5,000-pound trailer.
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Old 06-04-2016, 11:40 AM   #5
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I had a Honda Ridgeline with a 5,000 lb tow rating. I tried towing my 1st 5,000 trailer with the Ridgeline. After 1 season I had a F-150.

I would stay around 2,500 - 3,000lbs with that type of vehicle.
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Old 06-04-2016, 06:33 PM   #6
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I tow my 23' 4,000 lb travel trailer with a 2016 Explorer. It handles the trailer OK around the Midwest. I would not use this vehicle to tow through the mountains.
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Old 06-04-2016, 06:43 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokeyWren View Post
If you have the wonderful 3.5L EcoBoost engine, then you'll have no problem PULLING a 5,000 pound trailer over hill and dale and mountain pass. But if you HAUL any passengers or pets or tools or anything more than a toothbrush in the SUV, you'll probably exceed the payload capacity of your SUV when towing a 5,000-pound trailer.
Before I got my Class A, I towed a travel trailer (about 5,000 lbs or so) with a 3.5L EcoBeast powered F-150 4x4. I was able to tow the trailer up a 6% grade at 65 mph with some accelerator pedal left. Really awesome engine!!!
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Old 06-04-2016, 07:02 PM   #8
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http://www.canamrv.ca/blog/post/hitch-hints-defined-style-434/

The article is about Flex which is very similar to your vehicle. And as with any unibody SUV, everything starts from right hitch reciever. I had more than enough advices about "teardrop or popup" in my time, as well as "nothing but a heavy duty diesel truck". Luckily, I did not follow them.
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Old 06-04-2016, 10:58 PM   #9
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Thanks for all the replies. The trailer I'm looking at is 3100 lbs and my Explorer does indeed have the factory tow package and the 3.5l "normal" V6.
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Old 06-05-2016, 06:00 AM   #10
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My wife has a 2013 explorer that we've pulled a Microlite 21 FBRS. The car pulls the load with minimal issues. My main issue was the gearing. I didn't have the tow package just added the needed components.
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Old 06-06-2016, 01:00 PM   #11
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My wife has a 2013 explorer that we've pulled a Microlite 21 FBRS. The car pulls the load with minimal issues. My main issue was the gearing. I didn't have the tow package just added the needed components.
And thats a 4000lb UVW TT. Good to know.
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Old 06-06-2016, 05:49 PM   #12
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We're towing a 17' Minnie Winnie with a 2016 Ford Explorer, regular V6, no eco boost, 4 wheel drive. Max loaded weight on the Minnie is 3800 lbs. We have the factory tow package, Equalizer WD hitch and brake controls. She tows just fine, even through mountains. It's a stable ride and we're averaging 14 mpg at 60 mph. We don't generally do more than 60 mph because the CHP here really like to ticket if you go over 55 and the tickets aren't cheap. I don't know that I'd go much over 4000 lbs though, I'm not trying to run my Explorer into the ground or put my family at risk.
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Old 06-06-2016, 11:34 PM   #13
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Thanks, this is the type of example I was hoping for.


Quote:
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We're towing a 17' Minnie Winnie with a 2016 Ford Explorer, regular V6, no eco boost, 4 wheel drive. Max loaded weight on the Minnie is 3800 lbs. We have the factory tow package, Equalizer WD hitch and brake controls. She tows just fine, even through mountains. It's a stable ride and we're averaging 14 mpg at 60 mph. We don't generally do more than 60 mph because the CHP here really like to ticket if you go over 55 and the tickets aren't cheap. I don't know that I'd go much over 4000 lbs though, I'm not trying to run my Explorer into the ground or put my family at risk.
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Old 06-14-2016, 08:32 PM   #14
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I have an Explorer with the standard 290 hp 3.5 engine and front wheel drive only. It's a great family road vehicle @ 25 mpg at 75 mph.

All of the front wheel drive SUV's in the retail market are very good vehicles. But they all have to be very heavy to keep the structure from flexing and maintain rigidity. At 4500 lbs., they just don't have the suspension to handle much more than themselves and a normal load of 7 people.

There's not a single FWD or AWD SUV on the market that will tow that heavy of a trailer. Lightly loaded, they may be okay for a bass boat--but no more.

You'd have to go to an Expedition, Tahoe or other rear wheel drive SUV to tow from 4000 lbs. to maybe 7000 lbs. Above that, it's a 1/2 ton pickup truck to about 10,000 lbs. with the factory trailer tow package.
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