Towing Help

[BigBlueJake]

I own almost the same rig and let me tell you that your explorer will do it...but your tranny will not last. I am on my third rebuilt trans and if you do not work on them yourself I would not recommend using an explorer to pull that boat...or any boat for that matter. Save yourself the grief and get an F150 or something comparable, the explorer is nothing more than a giant stationwagon with 4 wheel drive.

[Col Forbin]

I pulled a Triton tr-20 with that same truck for 2 years. My explorer was a 2000. Granted the triton quite a bit lighter than that nitro, but I had no problems with it. However, I rarely towed it more than 20 miles, and most trips were only about 10 miles, I did pull it on a few, several hour trips. I did notice it was back there, but it was not a big issue. I played with several hitch configurations until I got the height right. As long as the trailer has breaks, and don't mind slowing down a bit (not that it won't go as fast as you want - but just not to over stress the engine) you should be fine. If I lived any farther away from the lake, say maybe an hour or so each way, I would look into something that is made more for towing/hauling.

[creeker]

I asked essentially the same question to several different guys at work who tow trailers nearly every weekend for their race teams. What they all told me is that tow rating of a vehicle has nothing to do with moving the load forward. Its all based on getting it to stop. They also said that it has nothing to do with how fast you'll be able to go when pulling the load--that yes, you could tow the max rated load, but just don't expect to go as fast as you would with a lesser load.

[lroberts]

Those guys you talked to are correct....in a way. Stopping distance and capabilities are one of the main things about towing capacity, but there are other considerations. Like tongue weight, suspension capability, gear ratio, transmission issues (cooler or no). Trailer capacity of the truck also does not take into account if the trailer has breaks, or if you have a weight distributing hitch (many trucks that tow large campers have one), or sway control bars. I had a 2006 1500 4x2 chevy with a 4.8L v8 and towed a 27 ft camper....with a weight dist. hitch. The weight was within its limits and it towed it ok......but eventually I would have torn up the truck. I now have an 06 F150 5.4 with the towing package and it does MUCH better....handling, power, and stopping are much easier! Tires on the towing vehicle are also important...i always check with my trusted local tire dealer when cheching out the capacities of tires. You can basically take the load of your trailer, divide it by four, and see if each tire can support that weight. This is usually not an issue while towing boats, but FYI.

[Embrey]

I own almost the same rig and let me tell you that your explorer will do it...but your tranny will not last. I am on my third rebuilt trans and if you do not work on them yourself I would not recommend using an explorer to pull that boat...or any boat for that matter. Save yourself the grief and get an F150 or something comparable, the explorer is nothing more than a giant stationwagon with 4 wheel drive.

****, you didnt beef it up any after the first one blew up??