Good Trailers that weigh 3500 lbs or less.

[klr650goldwing]

Our brother-in-law is looking to buy a trailer he can pull with his Ford Edge. Ford says the Edge has a towing capacity of 3500 lbs. We're wondering if anyone can recommend a brand/model of a trailer that you have personal experience using. Thanks.

[vermilye]

sky_free wrote:
Escape 17B. With options and full fresh water about 3,000 lbs. Having said that, most people prefer to not tow quite so close to the limits.

I towed an Escape 17B (loaded weight 3010 lbs) 77,000 miles with a 2010 RAV4 Sport (V6 & Tow Package), including mountains in both the East & West. I do stick to secondary roads when possible, and generally do not tow over 60MPH. Love the trailer, and if you are ordering new, an available option is a upper bunk in front - 2 kids are not a problem. There is one problem - they are quite popular - the factory is back ordered for a year...

[Jebby14]

popup. towing capacity doesn't mean anything. read the millions of posts and learn how to calculate all the numbers. payload and frontal area being the main concerns.

[JAC1982]

I upgraded my Edge to an Explorer Sport (with the 3.5 EcoBoost), mostly so I can tow a small trailer (NOT our Toyhauler :)) The capacity is only 5,000lbs with not much for payload but your brother in law should be able to do a small travel trailer with it.

[PAThwacker]

Wow 2000lb pups. 10ft and under. Other than towing,you carry tons of gear in the truck. Been there done that with a 3500lb pup

[cooperrobt]

I think that you are going to be limited to tent trailers at around 2000 pounds.

[APT]

Most Explorers sold have the naturally aspirated 3.5L - again, a bit limiting for most people's expectations. The 3.5L Ecoboost would tow wonderfully. However, maybe point out page 13 which lists all frontal area limits for all Ford models. Explorer again according to Ford is not designed to tow any high walled RV.

[klr650goldwing]

I've given all of your ideas to my brother-in-law. He was hoping to pull more of a trailer than most of you are recommending. He is now considering an Ford Explorer as his tow vehicle. Thanks for your help.

[APT]

Ford's Towing Guide says the frontal area limit essentially excludes ay high walled RV.

If you have the naturally aspirated V6, I do not think performance will be acceptable to most people. The 2.0L Ecoboost would be good performance wise.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

T@B
A-liner
Little Guy
Scamp
Casita

[SilverEscape]

My guess is the Edge has a low frontal area limit so a travel trailer is likely out of the question. Get him to check the allowed frontal area in the manual. A pop up or hard sided folding trailer is the way to go.

[Steve_B_]

Check out the Casita line.

My Santa Fe is rated for 3500 lbs, came with tranny cooler and HD cooling. My trailer is about 2000 lbs, plus whatever I take with me. Don't even notice the trailer behind me. It's been a good pairing. My previous Saturn Vue V6 was much the same.

[JAC1982]

I had an Edge and I wouldn't pull any kind of travel trailer with it. That's the main reason I recently upgraded to an Explorer, so I could pull a utility trailer with a RZR in it without worries.

Also I believe the 3,500lb limit is only with the factory tow package, otherwise it's 2,000lbs with the V6, 1,500 with the 4.

[profdant139]

If you are never going to tow in the mountains, you can probably push the limits of the vehicle. But in steep terrain, you need beefy brakes and transmission.

[djsamuel]

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