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Old 01-11-2011, 06:36 PM   #1
thebbqguy
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Default 2011 Ford Explorer

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.
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Old 01-12-2011, 06:24 AM   #2
scrubjaysnest
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Default tow capacity

You might want to look at some of the threads here that have actual measured weights of TM's and look at the various threads discussing tow ratings. IMO towing a 4000 lb trailer with a 5000 lb tow rating is a little marginal. I just didn't like the way things felt when I have done this in the past. The WDH will make your hitch ratings higher but that 5000 lb tow capacity may be a factor.
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Old 01-12-2011, 08:34 AM   #3
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Tow ratings are figured differently among different vehicles and manufacturers. Some vehicles come with ample support for the rated tow, and some have no reasonable way to achieve the rated tow numbers without emptying the gas tank and hiring a racehorse jockey to do the camping for you. A 6000# tow rating that makes you subtract the 1000# you're going to put in the tow vehicle can be the same thing as a 5000# tow rating that really means you can tow a 5000# trailer.

The very first thing I would do is carefully read the Ford towing information on the website, check the Explorer owner's manual section about towing, and read the driver's side doorpost stickers. I would value actual owner experience very highly.

Ratings are guidelines. Safety is caused by cautious and attentive towing practices, not by ratings or sales brochures.

A TrailManor has less wind resistance than the conceptual trailer the manufacturer is rating, and the low center of gravity makes it much more stable on the road. Most people who own TrailManors use tow vehicles with no more than 5000# ratings:
http://www.trailmanor.com/WebDocs/Ca...-vehicles.html

Violating ratings can have warranty implications, and a fair amount of the vehicle manufacturer rating process is about marketing things like the potential warranty costs of failed transmissions (there's no safety concept associated with the rear axle ratio that improves a vehicle's tow rating).

Your trailer will weigh less if you don't haul 400# of water around.

Some have been concerned over the last 20 years about unibody vehicles being able to provide suitable trailer hitch mounts. But so far, these fears have not been substantiated in practice, and so far they exist only on message boards in the minds of the owners of light trucks whose frame rails have been getting lighter over the years, too. Unibodies are here to stay because they provide greater strength with less weight, and the new Ford Explorer is a good example of how towing an RV trailer is changing.
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Old 01-12-2011, 08:42 AM   #4
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Wondering if the new Explorer has a built-in brake controller? And how it works ...

There's some great opportunities to improve trailer braking with a built-in controller if manufacturers make the effort. They have vehicle speed and ABS info that can be factored into the electric signals sent to the trailer brakes.

For me, a sophisticated built-in brake controller would outweigh many other considerations, as trailer braking is the least safe part of the whole trailering experience.
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Old 01-12-2011, 09:56 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brulaz View Post
Wondering if the new Explorer has a built-in brake controller? And how it works ...

There's some great opportunities to improve trailer braking with a built-in controller if manufacturers make the effort. They have vehicle speed and ABS info that can be factored into the electric signals sent to the trailer brakes.

For me, a sophisticated built-in brake controller would outweigh many other considerations, as trailer braking is the least safe part of the whole trailering experience.
I have a built in brake controller. I like it much better than the after market add on. It is much smoother.

I think it taps into the hydraulic brake line.

At any rate, when the ABS system engages, the controller will pulse the electric current to the trailer brakes. Apparently this helps reduce trailer over braking.

But it is a GM product. I have no experience with Ford products.
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Old 01-12-2011, 10:07 AM   #6
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Thanks for your insight. I had a F 150 but for the 15% of time I will tow its no longer practical for a commuter vehicle.
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Old 01-22-2011, 08:36 PM   #7
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My suggestion would be a 2011 Chevrolet Traverse or GMC Acadia.
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Old 01-23-2011, 09:02 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brulaz View Post
Wondering if the new Explorer has a built-in brake controller? And how it works ...

There's some great opportunities to improve trailer braking with a built-in controller if manufacturers make the effort. They have vehicle speed and ABS info that can be factored into the electric signals sent to the trailer brakes.

For me, a sophisticated built-in brake controller would outweigh many other considerations, as trailer braking is the least safe part of the whole trailering experience.
What I have found when I have checked into Ford's factory installed controller, at least for the 2010 F150, is that controller either comes with or is optioned with what Ford calls the "Max Tow Package" - not the "Standard Tow Package" - and that means, I think, you would have to have the "Super Duty" truck. Maybe the 2011 Explorer would have such an option?

Secondly, the Ford factory installed controller, at least for the 2010 models, were "Tire Delayed" (pulse) controllers and I think that most posters here speak more favorably about "Proportional (such as Prodigy) controllers. I have read, however, the the factory installed version of of the pulse controller is smoother than after-market products due to tie-in's with ABS, etc..
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Old 01-23-2011, 09:05 AM   #9
T and C
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Bbqguy,

Does the Explorer you are considering have: 1. Factory tow package? 2. Six speed tranny? 3. V-8 engine? If so, which one?

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Old 01-23-2011, 09:53 AM   #10
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The V-8 engine is no longer available for the Explorer. The choices are now a V-6 (standard) or a turbo-charged 4-cylinder engine.

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