I have two vehicles that both say they have towing capacity of 3500 lbs (Explorer 4Wd and a minivan - Explorer has aftermarket hitch and van has factory hitch). I'm interested in a small camper that would tax those limits, and I see that some hitches are rated for higher capacity and would work with my vehicles. Except for the places looking to sell hitches, nothing I've read seems to suggest that a better hitch would really provide me with the extra capacity. How much of the capacity is the hitch and how much is the engine, tranny, brakes etc? thanks
We'll, don't tow with a van. My GF drives a van.... I wouldn't tow a golf cart on a wagon with that thing...:doah: It has just enough braking capacity for itself, let alone a trailer too. The Explorer should be good for a couple thousand pounds, I actually feel that 3,500lbs is a lot for that size of vehicle. Is the 3500lbs rating on the hitch or is that actually Ford's trailering capacity for that vehicle? What the tag on the hitch reads and what the manufacturer says is the max weight is usually two different weights. Many half ton pickups have a class 3 hitch that says they are good for 10K, but the actuall trailering capacity is only 5,500lbs. I wouldn't pull much more than a small pop up single axle camper. I think they weigh around 2K or so. Explorers are not known for having the strongest transmissions in them, so I would be a little concerned about that under heavier weights.
