2011 Ford Explorer

[scrubjaysnest]

Almost sounds like a way to meet some mileage standard

[Mr. Adventure]

I remember my dad, somewhere back in the 60's, remarking that a big six and a small eight have very similar performance. The 6 in the Adventuremobile has more power than the small and middle sized 8's of those good old days. More to the point, the low profile of a TrailManor is a lot easier on the powertrain than the full height travel trailers they were thinking about when they rated our tow vehicles.

Some are concerned about the new Explorer having enough transmission durability for towing, even though the rated specs look OK. It's hard to anticipate durability in a new vehicle, especially for towing (a use most owners don't do much of).

If I was looking right now, my list would include the 2010 (and later) Toyota Highlander and 4 Runner, which are rated to both carry a payload and tow a 5000# trailer at the same time. These offer good fuel economy for towing as well as for the driving we do most of the time.

[T and C]

Originally Posted by thebbqguy

I have a 2004 Explorer that has worked well as a tow vehicle. I have towed a 23 ft cargo trailer loaded with lots of equipment (6,000 lbs) 1,000s of interstate miles without issue. it's getting higher mileage at this point and as we plan for a future TM purchase, I need to consider my next TV. The TT will definitely outlast the usability of my 2004 TV.

At 5,000 lb towing, 290 hp, and 255 torque rating I am considering the 2011 Explorer. It's perfect for me as a family vehicle and seems to fit the bill for the 15% of the time I'll use it for towing. It's not the 7,000 lb rating in my 4.6L 2004 model, but with a lighter trailer I think it will fit me well.

I will be interested in hearing first impressions from TM owners who get the 2011 Explorer. I can't seem to find it now but recall that the maximum hitch weight is 500 lbs and it's somewhat higher with weight distributing hitch.

Bbqguy,

It has been noted on this board that you can move a TM with a power lawnmower. However, there is no way that you could move one uphill with one. So, one of the things we have to think about in tow vehicles is where we will be towing. You live in Florida, so your weekend camping is not likely to involve climbing mountains. It looks to me like the Explorer V6 would (just) do the job for that kind of towing.

However, if you are contemplating any long distances and mountains, that setup is pretty marginal. I checked the Ford website for the Explorer V6. It lists the HP, as you said, at 290. But that is Ford's projected hp rating at 6500 rpm!!! 6500 rpm is just about flat out! That may be important for that motor in a Mustang...but for towing, not so much.

The torque rating is 255 at 4400 rpm. In my 2010 Ford p/u with the 4.6 V8 three valve motor the torque rating is 320 @ 3000rpm. In my 96 Ford 5.8 the torque rating is 325 @ 2500 rpm. Torque is the "grunt" power of a motor, so it is much more important for evaluating the towing ability of a vehicle.

One final factor is the axle ratio. Ford says the axle ratio for a two wheel drive Explorer is 3.16, and 3.39 for a FWD. Those are both pretty high for towing. My 2010 truck has the 3.55 ratio and Ford has a 3.73 ratio availiable for really heavy towing. In a recent trip up both sides of the Sierra Nevada I never saw my tachometer go above 4000 rpm and that only a couple of times when it kicked down to low gears. That was when I was towing my 3023 up mountain grades.

So, if Ford says the Explorer will tow 5000 lbs, no doubt it will. However, if you encounter long grades expect to be really winding up the motor in your lowest gears while sucking a lot of gas and building up a lot of heat.

The final decision, of course, is yours. Only you know just how much commuting versus towing you will do and what your priorities are. Another issue, and one on which opinion varies, is the GVWR and CGVWR ratings of the vehicle. There is a lot of info on that question on the board.

All the best.

Tom

[T and C]

Mr. Adventure,

I remember my dad, somewhere back in the 60's, remarking that a big six and a small eight have very similar performance. The 6 in the Adventuremobile has more power than the small and middle sized 8's of those good old days.

He was right. However, remember that he was talking about the in-line six. Those enginges were usually built for two reasons: economy and light trucks. The reason they were used in light trucks was that a long stroke six makes a lot of torque at low rpm, which is good for getting your load moving from a stop.

Ford used to make a 300cid/4.9 liter six for p/u use. I met some folks who used one to tow a 5th wheel TT. They had a 5 speed manual transmission and a 4.11 axle ratio. They were happy with it, but said they had to be patient on long uphill grades.

The modern V6 overhead cam motors are short stroke, high rpm, low torque motors. The Explorer's even has variable cam timing. They are a very different breed from the in-line flathead and pushrod sixes of the 60's and before.

Tom

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by T and C

Mr. Adventure,



He was right. However, remember that he was talking about the in-line six. Those enginges were usually built for two reasons: economy and light trucks. The reason they were used in light trucks was that a long stroke six makes a lot of torque at low rpm, which is good for getting your load moving from a stop.

Ford used to make a 300cid/4.9 liter six for p/u use. I met some folks who used one to tow a 5th wheel TT. They had a 5 speed manual transmission and a 4.11 axle ratio. They were happy with it, but said they had to be patient on long uphill grades.

The modern V6 overhead cam motors are short stroke, high rpm, low torque motors. The Explorer's even has variable cam timing. They are a very different breed from the in-line flathead and pushrod sixes of the 60's and before.

Tom

Tom,
I'm pretty sure that if I lived in Colorado, as an example, I'd want a tow vehicle with more power and a bit more ground clearance because of all those cool places to go on the other side of the mountain. Maybe I'd even own a rifle rack (for my fly rod) and a pickup truck, just to be one of the guys out there. But as a visitor, I'm not likely to travel far from the top destinations and major roads, and I probably won't leave the paved roads except to back into a campsite.

Compromises are part of life, and one of those might be having to use more of the gears in extreme situations. Higher RPM-lower torque engines provide us with lighter powerplants and better overall fuel economy. Heavy trucks (the official definition is those above 26000#, I think) usually do not come with enough power to climb hills at the speed limit with a full load, and neither do lots of RV's (motorhomes and fifth wheel RV's come to mind).

When I had a full sized Ford van towing a 29'TT (allegedly 5300#), there were hills on I95 between Washington and Fredricksburg where we couldn't hold the speed limit. Once, just off the interstate in Pennsylvania, there was a 1/2 mile or so climb up a steep hill on the way to a campground that had that rig all the way down through the gearbox to 22mph in first gear (and still dropping) when we finally reached the top (yikes). The Adventuremobile and TrailManor have a much better power combination that runs in overdrive most of the time (my Toyota owners' manual allows towing in the normal "Drive" setting, but recommends dropping out of overdrive when it's downshifting a lot). I don't remember a hill on an Interstate highway yet that takes us down to second gear, but I'm sure they are out there among our adventures to be.

It's OK to use the gears because that's why they're there. Winding up engines built to be wound up isn't a problem, it's the solution. Having to climb a pass at 45mph once in awhile isn't a big deal, and you won't be the only RV in the right lane if you do.

It would be easy for me to be smug about Toyota Highlander transmission failure rates vs those of heavier rated vehicles made by other manufacturers. But towing a 4000# trailer is a use that one Highlander in hundreds ever sees (so no one can really know how well the stats apply to towing), and I'm just grateful that the transmission I care most about is doing really well with towing so far, at almost 100,000 miles.

[T and C]

Mr. Adventure,

It's OK to use the gears because that's why they're there. Winding up engines built to be wound up isn't a problem, it's the solution. Having to climb a pass at 45mph once in awhile isn't a big deal, and you won't be the only RV in the right lane if you do.

I guess that my perspective on this is is influenced by the time period when I became interested in cars and hot rodding. That was in the 1950's. In those days we all said, "The only substitute for cubic inches is MORE cubic inches".

It does seem to me that a long stroke, slow turning engine is going to suffer less wear and tear per mile than a high revving smaller motor.

Speaking of 45 mph in the right lane: On my recent trip we stayed in the KOA in Flagstaff, AZ. There I saw a VW Vanagon with a class three reciever sticking out of a hole cut in the rear bumper. The trailer in that site was a 50'-60's style "canned ham" travel trailer about 17 feet long.

If he tows that trailer with that VW, 45mph is probably at the "in your dreams" level.

Tom

[Bill]

Originally Posted by T and C

Mr. Adventure,
It does seem to me that a long stroke, slow turning engine is going to suffer less wear and tear per mile than a high revving smaller motor.
Tom

It is also torque-ier. (Love that word?)

Bill

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by T and C

Mr. Adventure,

I guess that my perspective on this is is influenced by the time period when I became interested in cars and hot rodding. That was in the 1950's. In those days we all said, "The only substitute for cubic inches is MORE cubic inches".

It does seem to me that a long stroke, slow turning engine is going to suffer less wear and tear per mile than a high revving smaller motor.

Speaking of 45 mph in the right lane: On my recent trip we stayed in the KOA in Flagstaff, AZ. There I saw a VW Vanagon with a class three reciever sticking out of a hole cut in the rear bumper. The trailer in that site was a 50'-60's style "canned ham" travel trailer about 17 feet long.

If he tows that trailer with that VW, 45mph is probably at the "in your dreams" level.

Tom

Tom,
Those old 50's and 60's cars don't have many good lessons to offer about durability. As I can recall, they were getting long in the tooth well before today's cars when measured in either miles or years.

There has to be lots of data on your proposition for durability with low vs high rpm engines, but I certainly can't offer you any encouragement from my own experience.

The VW bus as tow vehicle: The good news is that they probably won't be doing this very long!

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

The VW bus as tow vehicle: The good news is that they probably won't be doing this very long!

Regarding the VW bus, I think it was Tom and Ray (Click and Clack) who observed that "In an accident, your knees are your first line of defense."

Bill