2002 Ford Explorer with V8 question

[jgilliam1955]

8)I am picking up my 2004 TM 2619 Sat. (Finally) My 2002 For Explorer
came with a V8 & towpackage. ( Class 3 hitch) Will I need a W.D. Hitch?

[Windbreaker]

I can't say for sure but a buddy of mine runs that combo and he said he would never try pulling without one. Hope that helps.

What does the book say it will take? If it says something more than 500# maybe not, just try it and see.

[Happytrails]

I would say, and I'm by no means an expert on it, lol, I just stayed at a Holliday Inn.......If the rear end of your Explorer dips more than 2 inches when applying the extra weight, you DO need one, besides, just having the peace of mind means a lot to most people...........Just my .02

Happytrails......

[Bill]

The answer is Yes, you need a WD hitch.

If you don't use a weight-distributing hitch, your vehicle is rated to tow 5000 pounds with a 500-pound max tongue weight. Your 2619 will weigh somewhere around 3200-3300 pounds when you are ready to hit the road, so you have a bit of margin there. However, the tongue weight will be 425-450 pounds, so you have almost no margin here. If you put stuff in the way-back of the Explorer, you will eat up this margin and more.

We have your exact vehicle, with a slightly heavier TM. By the time we load up the TM, and load up the way-back of the Explorer, there is quite a bit of rear-end squat. If uncorrected, this squat will cause all sorts of instability, since as the rear end squats, the front end rises. When weight is removed from the front wheels, steering and stability are changed - and the result is a very queasy feeling as you drive. Sudden or emergency maneuvers become quite dangerous.

My advice - don't risk it. Your tow vehicle and your TM - not to mention your life - are too valuable to risk for a couple hundred dollars.

BTW, if you haven't found it already (the site is hard to navigate), you might check the Ford website for this info and more. Go to http://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/non-html/2002/campercd.pdf

Bill

[Brightsu]

I would suggest a sway bar if you are going to be towing the TM in the mountains and winding roads. I live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and there is virtually no sway at all using the sway bar when I tow through the mountains. Also if you have an overdrive transmission I have found out that on level gound it is all right to use your transmission in overdrive. When climbing steep grades and descending them I take my Mountaineer out of overdrive and it does great. I tow with a 2000 V8 Mercury Mountaineer.

Buck

[jwmarine]

I agree with the use of the W/D hitch. We towed from Rhode Island to Maine and then P.E.I. with a 2002 Explorer V-8 and a 2720, over every sort of terrain imaginable. We started out down the road with too much weight forward in the TM, and too much weight aft in the Explorer. After some on-the-road adjustments, we made out just fine. The W/D hitch provided that extra measure of grab in the front end to make the ride comfortable - and secure. We were not in overdrive for the whole vacation (Maine being what it is), and still got about 13-14 MPG. John W.