towing question 1999 Ford Explorer V8 AWD

I don't know what size wheels you have, but you might consider putting LT (Light Truck) tires on it. At least on the rear. Passenger tires are just too soft in the sidewalls for any towing stability.

We pulled a TrailManor 3023 with a 1998 V-8 AWD Explorer for a year. Honestly, our 1999 Ranger with the 4.0L 160hp V6 performed better. The suspension was always soft and the 3.73 gears and the auto tranny just didn't put it into a good spot in the power band. We used a Equalizer hitch on both combinations.

I'd suggest staying the the smallest trailer you can. No more than 21' preferably. Use a good WDH and keep your tires at max sidewall pressure. Add a trans cooler and keep on top of maintenance. Make sure to use a good brake controller, properly adjusted. If you choose according to your vehicles abilities it can be a capable tow vehicle. FWIW I'd consider replacing the rear springs on the Explorer. Even with minimal towing ours had weak springs, sagging on one side when we traded it last year.

Remember you will likely need to run a charge wire and trailer brake wire from the front to the rear.

Good luck.

Im not sure if its a factory installed tow package, i will have to check. But this gives me a great starting point. I love my explorer, so want to make it work if at all possible, but it has to be safe. We never travel real far, maybe 2-3hrs tops but with a TT that may extend our trips now. Getting to stiff in the joints for all this tent camping :) I will start looking at trailers with a dry weight of under 4k. Thanks for the great input

Chris

I towed a 23' Rockwood 2304s (7.5' wide TT) with our 2000 Mountaineer 5L V8 for a couple of seasons. Towing the TT home on just a hitch ball, the rig felt scary. I put an Equal-i-zer hitch on it and it became very stable feeling. But! This TT was listed as about 3400 lb dry weight with about 385 lb on the hitch (IIRC); yet somehow it bent a rear spring on the truck from the weight! I never checked the actual hitch weight. Fresh water 30 gallon tank was up front, and sometimes I'd get it close to full. Plus the weight of the Equal-i-zer itself, and LP and battery... the hitch weight really creeps up fast on you.

Performance-wise, the Merc did reasonably well. I towed that TT into Colorado, including north to Telluride and Ridgeway, using 2nd gear and 35-40 mph on the long grades. The tranny fluid smelled a little scorched afterward, but I changed the fluid and it's been working fine ever since (8-9 years later). We still have the truck, my wife won't let go of it. Towing MPG was about 10-10.5, but in a strong headwind it would fall to 9 MPG.

I think a loaded weight of 4000 lb is about all you'd want. And be very careful with your hitch weight. 25' is probably the absolute max TT length, but shorter is better. If doing it over I'd probably stay 20' or less.

It's not so much the size as it is the weight. But the longer they are, the worse the wind will be on you.

Personally, I would look under 5000lbs. More around 4000-4500lbs. In the pop up world, the rule of thumb is 75-80% of your tow capacity. Meaning if your capacity is 5000lbs, then stay at 4000lbs loaded. It gives you some flexibility and room for error.

Just because you have "X" amount of towing capacity doesn't mean you need to go all the way to, nor should you.

We towed our first TT, a Pioneer 19T4 with our '99 Mountaineer V8 with tow package. Despite upgrading the tires and adding SuperSprings we found we were always pushed around whenever something bigger passed us. I don't remember how much it weighed but it was only 19' long. It was under the tow rating for the SUV. It was a miserable towing experience. I sold the Mountaineer (which I loved) and bought a '99 F250 with the V10. It was an entirely different towing experience. It pulled better, it stopped better, and no more getting pushed around by other rigs, even semis. This great experience continued when we upgraded to a 26' Cougar TT with a slide. After experiencing a proper setup I realized how unsafe my towing setup was with the Mountaineer. For the record I had a weight distribution hitch and the TT was not overloaded. It just felt like the Mountaineer was always at its limits weightwise, lengthwise, stabilitywise, and powerwise(I know, they are not real words) when towing. It was only my wife, me and a small dog in the SUV.

From my experience the '99 Explorer is only capable of towing a pop-up or VERY small lightweight TT despite the weight rating. I remember what an older and more experienced TT puller once told me,"You'll be much happier if you pull the little thing with the big thing rather than the other way around."

I agree with Bikendan. Don't get anything bigger than 5000#. Even at that you won't like the pull. My first RV was a TT and my TV vehicle was rated to pull 8000# and the TT was rated at 7000# GVW and sold the TT after 1 season because didn't want that experience anymore.

does it have the factory tow package?

if it does, check the 1999 Ford Towing Guide, pg. 14:

http://www.hillerford.com/resource_library/RV_towing_guides/1999_towing_guide.pdf

it says 6520lbs. for the 4x4 and 6740lbs. for the 4x2, IF it has the factory tow package.

for that range, i wouldn't tow anything bigger than a 25' TT, with a dry weight of around 5000lbs.