Will my Ford tow this?

[zafrobird]

Hi All,

Need your expertise.

I have a 2010 Ford Explorer XLT. It's a V6.

We have a 1996 Bayliner Ciera 2355 that is going to be put on a trailer. From what I find on the internets, the boat weighs almost 6,000 pounds (the title doesn't have this info).

My question to you all is, does my Ford have the muscle to pull this?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pacoson71]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

5375Lbs is the maximum tow capacity for that SUV. This means your breaks, suspension and drivetrain will take a bad beating moving that set up. Or fail and cause damage, harm or deaths.

If the boat weighs that much, add the 1k for the trailer, 100 (at least) for fuel, supplies, food....... your over the safety rating of the SUV.

 

[zafrobird]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

I think the weight I found online might be off. I have found 3 different weights ranging from 4500-6500.

Does anyone know where I can find accurate information regarding the actual boat weight?

 

[JB]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

You might as well find out the exact tow rating of your vehicle, as equipped, too. Tow rating varies a lot with differences in drive trains and optional tow packages.

I see almost no chance that your vehicle can safely tow that boat but it is an educational exercise to find out exactly why.

My first take is that you need a vehicle rated to tow not less than 7,000#, but guesses and estimates need to be replaced by exact numbers.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

I think a better question would be "Will my Ford Stop this"?

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

I'd borrow/rent a truck and pull the boat, trailer, goodies loaded up to a truck scale and have it weighed. Most gravel pits, recycling centers, and truck stops have certified scales that you can weigh the boat and trailer on. Only then will you know.

If it comes in near or over the tow rating of your vehicle, don't chance it. Will it get it rolling - sure. Will it stop it safely in a panic situation - nope.

Good luck with it and be safe.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

How far are you towing? That is almost more important than the actual weight in this case. Are you moving it 3 blocks to a local ramp on weekends? Or going down the highway at 75 mph 300 miles? The answers are VASTLY different depending on that info...

(3 blocks, absolutely, not a problem, I've seen far smaller vehicles tow far more. 300 miles on the highway? Cheaper to buy a 3/4 ton, because you will be replacing your tow truck by the end of that trip.)

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

You also have the issue of the short wheel base on the explorer, limiting your towing ability. I don't think you want to pull a boat that size behind that vehicle even if you squeak under the weight.

As Smokingcrater says, no problem as a "yard dog" or under 25 mph and under a mile w/ no cross traffic. But that's not really "towing" in the sense of the typical question.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

Does anyone know where I can find accurate information regarding the actual boat weight?

Yeah, at a weigh station. Hook up to a truck with adequate tow rating, pull the boat on the scale, and you'll know for sure.

My Ranger pickup is rated to tow about #6000. My boat and trailer and misc. come in well under that. Probalby by at least a third.
Yet I can still really feel the boat back there, and if I had to tow a lot or a long way, I'd get something with a bigger engine, etc.
I only pull the boat a few miles a few times a year, and at relatively low speeds. So with your boat on on my truck- absolutely not.
And I"m guessing my truck and your explorer are very similar in that regard

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

I think the weight I found online might be off. I have found 3 different weights ranging from 4500-6500.

Does anyone know where I can find accurate information regarding the actual boat weight?

Only real way is to tow it to a scale and weigh it without your vehicle on the scale. Then you'll know without a doubt.

If iwere in your shoes, I'd get an 5.4L F-150 or 250 to tow it.

 

[444]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

I agree, you need to find out the real weight of what you're towing and how far you will be towing it. Just a few miles at a slower speed you don't need to stress over it as much as a long trip on the interstate.

 

[reel clownz]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

regardless of what vehicles maxium tow rating is..for the mean time. That is way to small of a vehicle to pull that with. You need a 3/4 ton to pull that. Heres why. I had a 4500 lb starcraft islander on the trailer with all my gear and what not. I had a half ton gmc extended cab. Rated at 7500 lbs or something around there. Now im way under my limit there but i was towing this 250 mile round trip to lake erie. After 2 yrs of towing with that setup my suspension was shot. The motor had plenty. What they fail to tell you is that there tests are done 300 ft of level road. Not including the rigors of backing down the boat launch. Pulling that out of the water on a grade. You get my point. If your towing 3 miles to a marina you might be okay. Im just saying thats prob to much boat for that vehicle. Just my opinion...I would rather have more than i need just incase. It makes me feel safer.

 

[LEAKITIKI]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

Thats alot of boat for that truck. I had a 2450 sunbridge and would not want to tow more than 50 miles with a 1/2 ton V-8. Hard on the motor and even harder on the brakes.

 

[gozierdt]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

I had an earlier Explorer V6 with a tow capacity of 5600 lbs. I had a 16' travel trailer at that time that weighted right around 5200 lbs, so I figured I
was good to go. Short story, I just about had to change underwear after towing that trailer about 100 miles. Would it go in a straight line- sure. Would
it go around corners OK, yeah, sorta. Would it stop in a straight line- well, sorta-sorta. Would it slow down when braking into a corner- that's when the
shorts needed changing. I think it's WAY to much boat for that tow vehicle. Sorry to rain on your parade, but safety needs to come before fun in my
book.

 

[infideltarget]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

It depends on what you mean by "tow". Pull across the yard? Sure. Quick example: Dad and his Exploder Sport. One small U-Haul trailer. Not even close to going over the 'advertised' tow rating, but still plenty heavy. Long story short...55mph, trailer sway, rolled three times, Exploder in median of road in 10,000 pieces, U-Haul trailer 150ft farther down road in same amount of pieces. Dad and his ***** wife injured badly, and his ***** wife's Chihuahua is road kill ( ). Moral of the story...don't trust a Chihuahua in an Exploder. No...wait. Don't tow ANYTHING with an Exploder. Yeah...that's what I meant.

 

[Joshua Nichols]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

***** wife's Chihuahua is road kill ( ). Moral of the story...don't trust a Chihuahua in an Exploder. No...wait. Don't tow ANYTHING with an Exploder. Yeah...that's what I meant.

Infidel... Gets me laughing everytime..Your dad married one of those too huh?

My truck has plenty of balls to pull my boat.. Still sometimes feels like the boat is driving the truck..You for sure know it's back there and I would haul more than a 100 miles in it

 

[ebrich2]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

i have a 1998 dodge ram regular cab short bed pick up pulling an 18ft ranger bass boat, not even enough to make my truck grunt when taking off or running down the highway but when i hit the brakes to slow down i can feel it behind me for sure. I'm even thinking about trailer brakes for it, so the moral of the story, its not about having enough to pull but having enough to stop when you need it. and my ranger only ways half as much as yours.
hope this helps,
Ben

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

That weight with that truck + all your fuel, gear and the trailer weight = NO
Simple as that.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

It depends on what you mean by "tow". Pull across the yard? Sure. Quick example: Dad and his Exploder Sport. One small U-Haul trailer. Not even close to going over the 'advertised' tow rating, but still plenty heavy. Long story short...55mph, trailer sway, rolled three times,

trailer sway is a different beast altogether. a 1000 pound trailer is more than enough to take a 1 ton duelly off the road, believe it or not. I've seen it happen... All you need is some negative tongue weight, and add in cargo that can shift (liquid cargo in particular), and bye bye truck!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Will my Ford tow this?

That weight with that truck + all your fuel, gear and the trailer weight = NO
Simple as that.

not quite that simple... If he is pulling that 3 blocks to the ramp, its perfectly fine. He could run in low range at 10 mph even. Look around at a marina sometime, you might be surprised at how small their tow vehicles that are used WAY past their tow limits. In a tight boat yard, a small vehicle can manuever around where a big truck wouldn't stand a chance.