My final thought would be: if it were me, I’d use the explorer for any longer non towing trips and around town stuff. I’d use the truck for anything tow related and know I’m over equipped and never need to worry.

Lastly, re your comment on the 2.7 and fuel economy. It really does great. I do see 25 mpg on the highway in the summer often when running 93.



Sorry to sidetrack on that last bit.

 

Interesting to see this as my wife is in the same sort of dilemma. She just bought a TT, a 17' bunkhouse by Coachmen. Picked it out specifically so her Edge ST could pull it as she "didn't want to bother me all the time about towing it with my truck". Her ST is equipped for towing (335 hp 2.7 EB, all-wheel drive), but the limit is 3500 pounds and 350 tongue weight., Class III hitch. No 7 pin plug nor a TBC.
I have a scale that measures tongue weight due to all the towing I've done over the years. I measured her TT and was amazed that it had a 560 pound tongue weight on a camper with a~3,000 lb. dry weight. So now she is not wanting to pull the camper with her Edge ST, and started looking for options. That ST is optioned out with literally every single thing Ford offers, so when she started looking at trading for a Ranger, there was nothing remotely close insofar as options goes, can't even get a heated steering wheel, which is a must for her. So...she started looking at Explorers. VERY difficult to find one set up for towing, maybe 10% are. And 90% of THOSE have Class III hitches and no 7 pin set up...and none with a TBC, though that CAN be added. I have read that you can option an Explorer with a Class IV hitch and I assume that would come with a 7 pin plug and a Trailer Brake Controller, but I don't know that for sure.
So I told her that for the time being, I'll tow her camper around, see if she even LIKES camping, and if so maybe she can order an Explorer ST or Limited/Platinum that has the same features as her ST but can be set up properly for towing. Definitely would get the 400 hp 3.0 EB, as I can imagine the 2.3 EB would get about 3 mpg towing a TT.

Edit: I see that the 52T tow package DOES include the 7 pin plug as well as an upgraded oil cooler, and of course the receiver hitch itself, along with a 'cargo management system'.

 

My wife and I are retired teachers, both 65. We have always traveled and done long road trips. We took out daughter to Colorado in 1987, she turned 3 shortly after we got back. We went somewhere almost every summer and want to continue doing so now. I've mostly driven a truck with a cap and we did a combo of tent camping in National and State parks along with nights in motels.

We bought the NOBO in 2021 and pulled it to Colorado with our 2 oldest grandkids that summer. We liked the experience, but the NOBO floorplan just wasn't working for us. The bunks were too small. We sold it for more than we paid and did a road trip to Maine last summer in the Explorer, tent camping and staying in motels like we've done in the past.

We're hoping the R-POD will suit our needs better. It is smaller and easier to tow in urban areas and the floorplan works better for us, even with a couple of kids. We won't be staying for days at a time at any one spot but will be on the move staying 1-3 days in each place.

My wife really wanted a Casita. But I felt they were just too small. And they are expensive. I paid $4000 less for our new R-POD than a 2018 Casita is selling for.

Even with a unit this small I still feel better pulling it with a truck. Especially when we get into the Rockies on future trips.

 

I chose my 2019 (bought April 2018) Wolf Pup BHS16 3887# GVWR so I could tow it with my 2008 Explorer. Didn’t need a WDH by specs but the dealer talked me into it and I’m glad he did. 4.0 with tow package. Added the brake controller myself but it had the seven pin wiring.
Weak on the engine but otherwise towed alright. I tended to overload the Explorer until I weighed the tow load and then I gutted out all the weight I was willing to part with. Stopped hauling firewood.
Spring 2019 I bought my F150 5.0 for a towing upgrade and strongly prefer it over the Explorer. No payload or overweight axle worries with the same trailer. Slightly better mileage, too. About 12 mpg at 65mph. My trailer is slightly over 10’ tall stock and I raised it 5”. Still use the WDH but don’t need to IF I am careful with the tongue weight.
Nice to have more options, but with two trucks ready to tow, I wouldn’t waste my $$ to prep a lesser tow vehicle for “just in case”.

 

That pretty much seals the deal for me. The only possible reason I could think of for using the Explorer as a tow vehicle over my F150 would be if it got 2-3 mpg better fuel mileage. I suspected that there probably wouldn't be much if any difference, and this confirms my suspicions.

Thanks for all the input guys.

 

What engine does your Explorer have?

 

Yeah with 2 crew cabs its not worth the time sitting there waiting for them to modify the explorer and potential warranty issues that come up when people mess with your stuff.

 

I bet it would do ok. Its the same engine and transmission as the Ranger isnt it? I bet the enclosed SUV body might help with aerodynamics.

I've personnally towed my 5500 lb travel trailer with my max tow 2014 F150 and a 2011 Lexus GX460. The GX has some of the same disadvantages as the Explore would(weight, wheelbase, gas tank size, etc) but there are some things I like about it too. I actually think it handles the trailer better than my F150 on windy mountain roads and its FAR more maneuverable which comes in handy boondocking. Its at the upper limits of what the GX can tow but it does it well. If it were not for the small tank size and the fact that I live at 6500' and the V8 is way down on power and torque, I would use it a significant amount of the times I tow.

 

The 2.3 EB. Same engine and transmission used in the new Ranger. Same transmission used in the F150's. The Ranger is geared a little lower but I'm sure the Explorer will pull the weight. Payload in the Explorer is a respectable 1420 lbs. Realistically the same as my F150 which is 1620, but the 200 lb cap on the truck evens it out.

But while I feel the Explorer would do it, the truck will do everything better. I picked up the TT today and pulled it 50 miles home. It was hard to tell it was back there. I'll post a pic tomorrow. Dark here now.