Can I tow a cargo trailer with a 1993 6-cyl 2WD Ford Explorer

[mwinter]

Hi Everyone,

I hope someone can help me with this tow-related question. As you know, I'm leaving Los Angeles. I've been trying to think about what to do with my stuff. I'm thinking about buying this 6-12-ft cargo trailer and towing my stuff to the east coast. The trailer is 1998 model, single axle, with brakes. The owner says it weighs about 1,500 pounds (Sounds like a lot for an empty trailer). I don't own a lot of stuff, but more than will fit in a 5x8 trailer (which he is also selling). Maybe I have 1,000 pounds worth of boxes and furniture? (A large desk, bed frame, two chairs, two coffee tables, drafting table, Eames chair and lounge, and lots of boxes full of clothes and stuff.)

Can I tow this with my 1993 6-cyl 2WD Ford Explorer? If not, my other option is to sell some more stuff, lighten my load and get the 5x8 trailer. I want to sell either trailer when I'm done with it to recoup some of my money. I just hate putting my stuff in storage and then paying thousands to have someone else move it.

Here's the ad for the trailer... All thoughts appreciated. I only have six days to figure this all out! Thanks, Myra

Enclosed Cargo Trailer w/Ramp Door 6x12

[Silvertwinkie]

I think it would do it. Just take 'er slow.....

[lewster]

It should work, but it depends on your vehicle's tow rating also. I don't think that a trailer weighing 2500lbs +/- will be a big deal. Slow is good.

With that set-up and the shape of the trailer, be ready for VERY slow hill climbs, as the box trailers are NOT aerodynamic at all. I pulled a similar size U-Haul with a motorcycle in it with a V-8 Chevy van a few years ago. It made it but was not a lot of fun. That changed dramatically when I picked up my aerodynamic motorcycle trailer in TN. The difference was amazing!

You'll probably have much better luck selling the big one with the ramp door as well, since it CAN be used for bikes too!

Don't forget the brake controller for your TV............

[mwinter]

Oh, thanks Silvertwinkie. I guess I just won't go over the Rockies. I can travel through New Mexico to avoid them. I find that as I'm packing, I'm really getting annoyed with having so much stuff. It is literally DRAGGING me down... I don't even know where I'm going yes. Somewhere north, away from the sunshine...

Thank you, Lew, as well. Good to know I can sell the big one. Do you think the asking price is reasonable? It's a 1998 model. I'm going to try and get a better deal on it.

M.W.

[FreshAir]

I would rent a box truck and a trailer to put the car onto. Get a truck with the adequate tow capacity. It can be a short bobtail. That way no wear and tear on your Explorer and a more relaxed journey.
Neil and Lynn

[lewster]

Seems a like top dollar, but it's the asking price. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!

[mwinter]

What is a good price for the trailer? He's asking $2,700, which sounds a bit high for something that old. Is $2,200 more reasonable? Maybe if I wave cash in front of him. Also, my truck is rated for a 3200-lb towing capacity.

Does anybody really think that empty trailer weighs 1500 pounds? That sounds high to me. I bet it weighs only 1,000.

I'm nervous.

Myra

[lewster]

Myra,

Even if it DOES weigh that much, at 2500 lb total you are still at 80% of max. load (3200lbs.), which seems to be the magic # that folks here like to set as a weight limit for towing.

Take the cash with you, he might just bite! Then take the trailer to a commercial scale and have it weighed.

Be careful how you distribute the load in that trailer. Seems to have a long space between the axle and the ball, which might lend itself to too much tongue weight. Ideally, based on a total trailer weight of 2500lbs, you would want the weight at the ball to be 300-375 lbs.

You can use the search and find a few threads dealing with how to measure the tongue weight using a bathroom scale (assuming that you don't have a tongue weight scale).

[tamis]

Hi Myra, you might want to give some serious thought to the truck rental/tow the car idea. Especially with the bigger trailer. Better than finding yourself broken down on the side of the road.

T

[mwinter]

If the tongue is too long, how do I fix it?

Also, if I can the trailer for $2,200, is that a good deal? I want to fix a number in my head....

Thanks everyone for all this help and support. I hope this works, because I'm really excited to tow something!!!!

M.W.

[mwinter]

Tamis,

If the trailer loaded is only 2,500 pounds, I should be fine. Why would I break down on the road? The truck is in good shape and I'm going to get a tune-up beforehand.

Renting a truck to drive across country is a LOT of money, and that doesn't include storage fees, and the cost of driving across country twice.

M.W.

[tamis]

You'll be putting a lot of stress on that 6 cyl. You're not talking about a couple hundred miles, you're talking about thousands. I don't want to have to worry you............

T

[lewster]

Originally Posted by mwinter

Tamis,

If the trailer loaded is only 2,500 pounds, I should be fine. Why would I break down on the road? The truck is in good shape and I'm going to get a tune-up beforehand.

Renting a truck to drive across country is a LOT of money, and that doesn't include storage fees, and the cost of driving across country twice.

M.W.

Better to drive your own vehicle than break down with a rented wreck, especially from U-haul. It happened to me TWICE going cross country. The service was 'less than stellar' to put it mildly!

Myra, it's not the length of the tongue, but how you place the load that will ultimately determine the tongue weight. Try to place the heaviest items directly over the axle and READ ABOUT MEASURING THE TONGUE WEIGHT!

[mwinter]

Yeah, and if it breaks down in New Mexico, guess where I'll be moving to?

[SteSpot]

Have you check out renting a UHaul trailer? You wouldn't have to sell it when you are done with it...pj

[tamis]

There are some lovely places in New Mexico.........

[jcanavera]

I hate to bring this up but what about sway control. While most of these trailers don't have any, I was following a Chevy Caprice that was pulling a single axle U-Hall trailer when the trailer began swaying. Within seconds the sway became so violent that the car almost went into a sideways slide. Neither vehicle overturned but the car ended up on the shoulder of the highway perpendicular to the highway, with the trailer almost perpendicular to the car. These folks were doing about 60-65 when this happened. Really scary to see this unfold and how fast it occurs.

Jack

[mwinter]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

I hate to bring this up but what about sway control. While most of these trailers don't have any, I was following a Chevy Caprice that was pulling a single axle U-Hall trailer when the trailer began swaying. Within seconds the sway became so violent that the car almost went into a sideways slide. Neither vehicle overturned but the car ended up on the shoulder of the highway perpendicular to the highway, with the trailer almost perpendicular to the car. These folks were doing about 60-65 when this occurs. Really scary to see this unfold and how fast it occurs.

Jack

Jack,

The can install an anti-sway device on the hitch, but the guy told me to try driving it first to see how it towed.

M.W.

[zanad]

hey um i used a one way trailer company that was pretty cheap called penske or something that is alot cheaper than uhaul+ thier stuff is less than 3 years old meaning they sometimes sell their trailers to guess who...uhaul

i like you buying the trailer but not towing it with a smaller engine than needed and bargaining is good
now about your puchase i have a joke phrase:
In the road of life there are many forks in the road, and if you are unsure which one to take, do this; take the one you most eat with, ha ha ha I made that one up I mean talk to someone

[claybags]

I think $2200 is too much! I sold one just like it last year, was 3 years old, got $1600 for it. Brakes, good rubber, side opening doors, side door, etc.
Gotta' wheel and deal on these things. JMO and you can take it fwiw.
Good luck.
Cheers, Jeff