Ford Explorer for towing

There has been a debate that has been going on for YEARS in Touareg forum about the ban on weight distribution hitch and tongue weight. Neither sides quite won out that debate. All I know is that I am pretty happy with my setup.

V10 Diesel Touareg weights 6,000 pounds Because of the heavier iron block engine upfront, it is front heavy. By adding 300 pounds to the back, it can have 50/50 balance front and back. What I mean by this is first 300 lb of the tongue weight actually makes my SUV achieve perfect balance. After adding two adults on front seat (400 pounds or so) and putting on additional 410 lb of tounge weight, I think my Touareg is pretty well balanced. Therefore, I don't think there is any need for WDH when each tires are getting more or less even load and tow vehicle and trailer are perfectly level.

VW actually prohibits weight distribution on the Touareg. You must use Their drawbar and Their ball in Their specified position. Better hope that your trailer matches the specified ball position. 616 lbs tongue wt max, weight carrying.

moose44 wrote:
call me crazy but I might upgrade to 33 ft. trailer. why do I need WDH when my trailer is perfectly level and my tongue weight is 13% of the trailer weight ( per scale ) and that 13% of the weight and all in vehicle does not exceed max veh load.

The above is all well and good but that is not what determines the need for weight distribution or not.

As mentioned, your receiver is rated for a certain amount of tongue weight without and with weight distribution. Take a look at the sticker on it and see what it is.

In addition, when you place a load on the truck four or more feet behind the rear axle, you are going to unload the front axle and possibly cause handling and braking problems. The WD will restore the weight removed from the front axle of the truck and make the rig tow much more safely and comfortably.
Barney

moose44 wrote:
call me crazy but I might upgrade to 33 ft. trailer. why do I need WDH when my trailer is perfectly level and my tongue weight is 13% of the trailer weight ( per scale ) and that 13% of the weight and all in vehicle does not exceed max veh load.

I am pretty sure that your owners manual for the TV will say a WDH is required for towing over 5000lbs. Also, it will male your front end lighter and make your setup dangerous going down the road.:h

call me crazy but I might upgrade to 33 ft. trailer. why do I need WDH when my trailer is perfectly level and my tongue weight is 13% of the trailer weight ( per scale ) and that 13% of the weight and all in vehicle does not exceed max veh load.

moose44 wrote:
I have Passport 30 ft trailer that weights 5,000 lb I did tow it with Toyota Tundra 5.7L briefly but just did not want to drive a truck. What I ended up with is VW Touareg. I can not only keep up with traffic but I am the guy passing them on the left. Mine is 2006 model with V10 twin turbo diesel. It has 560 lb ft of torque. It actually weights more than Suburban. You should check out VW Touareg. They are pretty capable tow vehicles. Bonus is that mine has self leveling air suspension so I don't even have to have WDH.

Can you let us know when you are traveling, and the route. I will be sure to plan a different route.

Hauling a 30ft trailer and passing others without WDH has me taking a different route.

I have Passport 30 ft trailer that weights 5,000 lb I did tow it with Toyota Tundra 5.7L briefly but just did not want to drive a truck. What I ended up with is VW Touareg. I can not only keep up with traffic but I am the guy passing them on the left. Mine is 2006 model with V10 twin turbo diesel. It has 560 lb ft of torque. It actually weights more than Suburban. You should check out VW Touareg. They are pretty capable tow vehicles. Bonus is that mine has self leveling air suspension so I don't even have to have WDH.

Explorer works well for my needs, however I wouldn't go any larger.

Nissan Armadas are great Tow vehicles for the money with a nice payload without forking the extra money for a Yukon or Suburban. They are built on the Titan frame.