Tow Beast II - How bout a Mountaineer?

[SeaMasterZ@aol.com]

Any thoughts on the Mountaineer? One that I am looking at has the SOHC V 6, five speed auto trans, 92K on the clock and loaded<br /><br />Im guessing that at 215 horses, shell pull ok, and as a high tech six with a five speed auto should have a decent return on a gallon of gas<br /><br />welll ... maybe not stellar, but high teens<br /><br />Turns out the explorer / mountaineer is the only one I am comfortable in, even the early 90's burbs are scrunchers for room<br /><br />the 97 TAHOE now, oh brother, fits me like a limosine, but that thing would dollar me to death at the pumps, and the initial price is a ton to boot<br /><br />oh yeah, mountaineers come with trans coolers, so they should survive towing ok<br /><br />(up to 7000 pounds I understand, holy SeaCraft lugger!)<br /><br />

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: Tow Beast II - How bout a Mountaineer?

To bad you can't find something with a Powerstroke.<br />You'd get the pulling king and still get 18MPG of turbocharged pressure-fired V-8 intercooled stump yankin' #2 oilburnin' grunt master.

 

[JB]

Re: Tow Beast II - How bout a Mountaineer?

Ought to do just fine CR.<br /><br />Moving to Trailers.

 

[DJ]

Re: Tow Beast II - How bout a Mountaineer?

CastawayRay,<br /><br />I currently tow with an '03' Mountaineer. Granted, I have the 4.6L V-8. It doesn't know anything is back there. Mine is also the AWD. The wife, didn't like the Navigator for everyday driving.<br /><br />My father in law tows a 19' Sea Nymph Center Console with an '03' Explorer with the 4.0 SOHC. Towed load is right at 3500 pounds. Power is NOT an issue, nor is braking.<br /><br />The five speed transmission (auto) is as slick as they come. You can barely feel it shift.<br /><br />The tow package (opt. code 535) comes with a trans cooler, upgraded axle ratio, limited slip, wiring and a hitch receiver.

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: Tow Beast II - How bout a Mountaineer?

I tow a Wellcraft 196 Eclipse on Tandem axle trailer with brakes with a '98 4.0 SOHC v6 Explorer, My rig come in close to 5000lbs loaded , Explorer does a good job do not use overdrive and still achieve good fuel mileage running at a steady 60mph.

 

[MrBill]

Re: Tow Beast II - How bout a Mountaineer?

I'm surprised to hear that rig is rated to tow 7000#, make sure that doesn'y include vehicle weight. My F150 Supercrew with big V8 Triton, 4WD, and tow package which includes over-sized radiator, etc is only rated to tow 7100# in addition to vehicle weight. Pulling may not be the BIG issue, stopping is!

 

[SeaMasterZ@aol.com]

Re: Tow Beast II - How bout a Mountaineer?

Still hunting, looking at a 97 suburban with a 350, I mean, Vortec 5700, if its anything like the 99 yukon I was in, I WANT IT I WANT IT!!!<br /><br />still tho, that mountaineer is an explorer in make up, and I had a blast driving my GF's 97 Explorer Limited, we were down in Myrtle Beach and I went to get us some hot dogs, and I saw this beach access area, sandy lot heading to the beach, bunches of 4 wheel drives by the water<br /><br />I sat there for a few mins, pondering ...<br /><br />hmmmm, shell never let me do this if shes with me<br /><br />if I get stuck, im flucked in a big big way<br /><br />hmmmm, nice size michelins and a 302 with AWD, yeah yeah yeah go go go!<br /><br />so I go, and instantly feel the thing start to sink<br /><br />OH FLUCK!<br /><br />I give it more gas and that V8 starts growling,(great sound, gutty, STRONG) sand flinging up everywhere, and the truck is lunging ahead, tracking like it was on dry land, I was WAY impressed<br /><br />brushed off the truck as best I could, but still sorta got busted<br /><br />this sand just gets EVERYWHERE, doesnt it darlin?<br /><br />I noticed I didnt get sent out again tho, lol<br /><br />

 

[ED21]

Re: Tow Beast II - How bout a Mountaineer?

My 98 Explorer w/ SOHC V6 pulls my 16' alum boat w/ no problem. If it wasn't for the bow in my rear view mirror, I would hardly know it was there. With the tow package & the bumper hitch it is rated at 3500 lbs.