I'm in a situation where I may be having to tow my 3500# boat/trailer with my '04 Explorer 4WD (this is well within the max tow limit, per the manual). I have the 4.0L with the 5 spd auto tranny and 3.73ls gears. I've towed the boat a handful of times with this vehicle and had a good experience every time. Now I'm looking at this being my primary towing vehicle, towing once or twice a month in the summer. The car only has 48000 miles on the ticker and is in pristine condition, so mechanically it's sound.

I asked my mechanic what he thought of this arrangement and he hates the Explorers, so he's giving a biased response. Have any of you towed something on a somewhat regular basis with this, or a similar, vehicle? Any issues? My mechanic keeps going on about the transmission seal blowing when under a heavy load. Any experience with this?

Thanks in advance.

 

How accurate is that 3500# figure, or is it just a WAG? Does it include everything you'd carry in the boat for a day of boating? How many people and how much gear would you have inside the Explorer? How far to the launch ramp? Any hills?

Steve

PS - If "my mechanic" hated Explorers, he wouldn't be my mechanic very long.

 

Well, the transmissions are weak sisters, so don't be surprised if it blows up.

 

If the boat/trailer are 3500 or less than the towing limit for your particular truck I would think it would do fine. I have had 3 Explorers one 98 4.0 SOHC, one 98 5.0 and the current 06 4.6 and I have towed a 25' boat/trailer (8,000#) with the last two. The V-6 Explorer actually felt faster than the 5.0L one empty so I know the V-6 engine has the power. Trans are usually the weak point in the drivetrain for towing so if you have the towing package and drive diligently I think you will be good. I follow the recommended schedule for all maintenance especially the trans flush and use 4Lo when on ramps to be easier on the drivetrain. I put 80K on this Explorer with a lot of city towing in hot weather loaded and haven't had a trans problem yet but my trans is the 6 speed.