[daveinfl]

I just upgraded my tow vehicle. I upgraded in tow capacity and downgraded in year.

Although my 2011 Mercury Mariner towed our 2619 without a problem 90 percent of the time, it strained on non interstate hills and mountain roads. It also didn't have the pickup I wanted to merge with traffic. So I did a fair amount of research and settled on purchasing a 2006 Ford Explorer with the tow package. The 2006 was a major change for Ford. They made the vehicle larger and changed the manufacturer for the frame. They also added some new stability features and it was nominated SUV of the year. I found several of them available and selected one that looked like it had come right off the new car showroom floor. It was driven less than 10,000 miles per year, clearly garaged, and had a pristine interior with absolutely perfect leather. It had a really good CARFAX with shop records as well. So I am pleased with my choice. Oh ... it has a 3.73 gear ratio and a tow capacity of 5200 pounds.

The only thing that it didn't have for my needs was the brake controller. I contacted e-trailer and ordered a Primus Iq Proportional controller with the Ford 2006 harness adapters. The installation sounds very straight forward. I have not received the controller yet, but I am just wondering if anyone knows of any obstacles I may encounter?

I also had a very expensive weight distribution hitch for my Mariner. It made a huge difference because the vehicle was small. I was told I probably would not need it for the Explorer. What do all of you think? Will it add any anti sway stability? Would I be silly for continuing to use it? Thank you everyone in advance for your comments.

daveinfl