towing with Ford Explorer XLT 2003, 4.0l V6

I would think so, if it is at least a tandem axle trailer you are pulling

The answer is "It depends ..." on a number of things. Did you buy a tow package with your Explorer? Will you be towing on the flats, or in steep mountains? How many people will you be carrying? Do you have a Class 2 or Class 3 hitch recveiver? And so forth.

Ford actually puts out a fairly decent towing guide. See

and rummage around to find the Explorer-specific pages. Find your vehicle options and setup, and you will get some good answers. In your case, assuming you are not going to carry 8 people to go with those 8 elk, you will probably be OK - barely - the lowest Explorer rating seems to be 3280 pounds.

However, you need to realize that manufacturers' tow ratings are ALWAYS optimistic - a higher stated rating helps to sell more vehicles. If you are going to be pulling a 2600-pound trailer (my estimate) with a

3200-pound-rated vehicle, and do it in the mountains, don't expect any more than barely adequate performance. I pull a 3500-pound pop-up camping trailer behind my 7000-pound-rated Explorer (V-8, tow package), for several thousand miles each year. It is a great package on the plains of the midwest, adequate in hilly country, barely adequate in low mountains like the Appalachians - and completely inadequate in the high Sierras or the high Rockies. Since my wife and I love the mountains, you can imagine my disappointment. This is not a Ford-specific issue - virtually all members of the RV newsgroup I participate in report similar results, regardless of vehicle manufacturer.

So go for it, have fun - but allow plenty of time. YMMV, but not by much.

Bill Jeffrey

Good advice from Bill Jeffrey. I'd also like to stress the importance of having proper tongue weight. A local guy rented a S175 Bobcat w/trailer, towed it to his site with his Explorer and on the return trip, the trailer started wagging behind him. Before he could get it under control, Explorer, trailer and Bobcat(still chained on) ended up upside down in the grader ditch. This happened because he didn't have the BC far enough forward on the trailer to maintain the right tongue weight. The more marginal the tow vehicle is, the more critical the tongue weight becomes. H

Piece o' cake.