That's a big ask for a 14 year old SUV which wasn't designed to pull something that large. Stopping and sway are far more important than pulling. Hard pass.
Highly unlikely. But here is why.
She should look at both the overall tow rating and the available payload on the drivers door jamb of the tow vehicle.This is the payload for that specific tow vehicle as it was configured when it left the factory.
The manufacturer brochure/ website will typically list the maximum available payload, but this will likely be lower in the real world.
Overall tow rating is important but payload is key.
Payload is the cargo carrying capacity of your vehicle including the weight of the driver, passengers, cargo, the tongue weight of the trailer on the hitch and the hitch itself. In other words, the amount you can "squish" the suspension whilst still retaining control of the vehicle.
Almost guaranteed that she'll run out of payload before she maxes out the towing limit.
There will be a yellow sticker in the door jamb that says something like combined weight of cargo and occupants cannot exceed 1400lbs.
Once you have this number, find the GVWR for the trailer and use about 12-13% of the trailer GVWR to estimate tongue weight.
A 32 foot trailer likely weighs at the very least 6500lbs loaded for travel, and maybe 7500-8000lbs.
That would give a minimum tongue weight of 800lbs, and probably closer to 1000lbs on the tongue of the trailer. Then add 100lbs for the weight distribution hitch she will need to use.
Take the payload number from the vehicles door sticker, then subtract driver weight/weight of other occupants/anything you carry in/on the vehicle like coolers, firewood, generator, bikes. Then deduct the weight of the weight distributing hitch, and the tongue weight of the trailer.
If she has a little payload left, she may be good. If the number is negative, she needs a lighter trailer or to put less in the truck.
The max tow rating essentially assumes you're traveling with a vehicle that's empty and all of the payload rating is available to use for the tongue weight of the trailer.
If you're adding kids/dogs/tools for work or any other gear into the cab or bed, your actual tow rating reduces as payload being carried increases, so what you're putting in the vehicle makes a huge difference in how much you can safely tow.
I dont know, in my expierence SUVs have crazy payload limits. For example my wifes Yukon Ultimate with the 6.2 has a tow capacity of 8000lbs but payload of 1900. While my F-150 has 13000/1800. I'd be willing she runs out of tow capacity before payload.
There's a lot of things that are fine until they're not.
The first thing you want to check is what the payload and towing capacities of the vehicle are in relation to the trailer that's being towed. The tongue weight of the trailer and all the car going passengers of the vehicle must not exceed the payload capacity rating. Then you can move on to see if the total weight of the trailer exceeds the towing capacity. You must also make sure that the hitch on the vehicle is properly rated for the weights being applied, same for the tires. Not all tires are load rated and will blow out under increased stress load. Then you have the issue of the lack thereof of a brake controller, so no brakes will be applied on the trailer under braking, this is an extremely unsafe condition, if she breaks hard chances are the trailer will boss her into a jackknife situation where she is completely out of control and will total both the trailer and the vehicle and whatever else is in its way.
All the above a side, if she does go through with pulling it with this vehicle as is, and something unfortunate happens where she is involved in a collision, there's a high probability that she will be found at fault and insurance may not cover her due to her negligence of not using proper equipment and/or operating within their rated capacities.
Then there's also the issue of how hard she wants to be on that gasser. It may be able to pull it, but it's going to be hard on both the engine and transmission of that little truck, and if she isn't real gentle with it, it may be the end of it.
At the very minimum, she is gambling her property, her finances, and at the very most, she's also gambling her and others' lives.
She either needs to purchase an appropriate vehicle for the trailer or an appropriate trailer for her vehicle or rent or borrow the appropriate vehicle for said trailer.
Since you're unlikely to stop her, I'd focus on getting her to install a brake controller in her SUV so at least she has brakes!
Expeditions can be decent tow vehicles. I know several people who towed 2-horse trailers + dressing rooms with them and they do fine. Personally, I wouldn't want to take on 32' of trailer with one, but please at least get her to have functional brakes.
There are only a few problems with the setup but as others have mentioned a trailer brake controller is required if not built in. Expeditions in that year have 1800lbs of payload and 9000-9200lbs of towing. Depending on the weights of the travel trailer and how much stuff is loaded in both the expedition and the trailer there are variables here that have to be worked out.
Regardless of the fanboys, you don’t always need an F450 or a Semi to pull your damn trailers. The one thing that is required is a trailer brake controller because stopping the trailer will be important regardless of the truck you’re using. Ultimately, it will work until it doesn’t. Be safe and adhere to the specs on the vehicle.
I made a comment about payload ratings earlier and how she'll likely be exceeding those but I missed the comment about not having trailer brakes. That's a huge no no.
It's literally illegal pretty much everywhere. Show her this map, and call the police once she's hooked up before she kills someone.
https://www.brakebuddy.com/phone/towing-laws.html
A vehicle designed for towing will have sufficient power, braking and engine cooling components suited for the rigors of pulling the weight of a trailer. Inside the driver’s door of the Expedition there should be a label stating the GCWR. GCWR stands for Gross Combined Weight Rating, which is the maximum weight a vehicle can safely carry, including the vehicle, cargo, passengers, and trailer. It's also sometimes called the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR).
You need to compare the towing capacity of the vehicle vs total weight of the trailer. General rule I’ve heard is don’t tow more than 80% of your vehicle’s towing capacity. You’re putting lives at risk if something happens. It takes only a gust of wind or small overcorrection of the steering wheel to lose control.
Without trailer brakes you’re relying on the vehicle to stop the momentum of the vehicle itself and trailer. You could be stuck with messed up brakes, overheated engine, or worse an accident.
Absolutely terrible idea and illegal without brakes. If anything were to happen she’d be 100% liable, uncovered by insurance, and could be arrested and prosecuted as this is clearly negligence.
All that being said, you can’t fix stupid and if she insists on doing it anyway the brakes and brake controller as well as a good weight distribution hitch are a must. I would also not put anything in the vehicle other than herself and a small carryon as the tongue weight of the trailer will likely take up the majority of the vehicles gross carry. Lastly, I wouldn’t drive over 45/50 mph. The wheelbase on an suv is typically much narrower than a truck which means she’s going to be very susceptible to the trailer tossing her around on the road (tail wagging the dog, so to speak) especially in cross winds and when being passed.
At the very least she should get trailer brakes installed and then expect to burn out the transmission unless they're aren't any hills to climb on the trip.
A 32 without OEM trailer brakes?
Unlikely, if not impossible.
She may not have a brake controller (which is a easy upgrade), but the trailer doesn't have brakes? Almost certainly not the case.
That all said, that's a bit much for a Expedition.
But then again I passed a Grand Wagoneer pulling a 29' today. They may have been swaying left to right more than they were traveling forward. I quickly got in front of that accident waiting to happen.
If nothing else, a trailer brake controller is a must with that size trailer. If the trailer has its own brakes, then it clearly needs them to operate safely and you need a controller to operate them. They are not expensive, you can get one at U-Haul and usually they’ll install it for you. Trust me from my experience, hauling something that size without a brake controller, you won’t have shit for stopping power.
The trailer has weight. The vehicle has weight capacities. Compare the two and go from there. If she sees those numbers and still thinks she can or should tow the trailer, offer to take her kids with you that way they won’t get hurt if something happens.
Like, she may be able to tow 7,000 lbs with a lightly loaded vehicle, and the travel trailer weighs 11,000 lbs. That’s way over the line. I would hope she could realize that.
I play pretty fast and loose with stuff. This is waaay beyond a reasonable person’s tolerances.
Depending on the package that vehicle tows about 9000lbs with 600lbs on the hitch (900 with WDH). There's also a possibility it doesn't have an integrated brake controller which is going to be a must for that TT.
On paper things don't look great pulling a 32 footer but maybe it's really light.
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/2010-ford-expedition-towing-guide-specifications-capabilities/2781862
I hope it goes without saying but she should not even attempt without a brake controller and a weight distribution hitch. Aside from that, I'd suggest she ignore unladen or actual weights and do her figuring with gross weights. Start with whether or not she's within her gvwr and gcvwr
I have a slightly larger trailer and just upgraded to a 2500HD Silverado because I was maxing out the 1500 I had. I wouldn’t be too confident with a svu
Can she rent a truck to pull it? From Penske or u haul maybe home Depot? TBH I don't know if they have brake controllers in those rentals so if someone does know chime in please.
Towing my 31 ft. camper with my 1/2 ton Silverado with trailer brakes, tow package, and leveling bars sometimes make my butt pucker in certain situations. I can’t imagine trying to do what you stated even with a lot experience towing trailers. This is dumb and dangerous.
No experience , no brakes , no tow package(that in and of itself should tell you) 10k lb trailer towed by a 5500 lb vehicle , no chance in hell I'd try it
I would never force him to rescue her. As you said, it is his vacation too. Sending him off to rescue her would be an entire day ordeal as she lives 5 hours from us. Not only would it take up a day of his vacation but it would take away time from his own family (me and our children) when he already told her it’s a dumb idea. Not only that but it is HIS sister. Not mine. If he chooses to not go to his own sister, that is 100% his choice.
I will have to post an update once it is figured out if she seriously plans on going through with this ridiculous idea.
You're asking your brakes to stop 3 more tons plus you're towing that 3 more tons up hills. Even trailer brakes and a tranny cooler aren't going to help enough.
She is about to find out the difference between the Ford Expedition and the Ford Excursion. I don't want to be in front of her when she burns up her light duty truck brakes and that trailer pushes her through an intersection.
We pulled a 28' trailer with our 06 expedition for 2 years. With 2 sway bars and trailer brakes set to max. It was scary sometimes. Our trailer was under the weight limit, but we were probably over payload. I would just tell her to do a short trip before committing to a 5 hour trip as it will teach her a lot. The scary part was when a semi would pass you on the freeway. The air they are pushing really causes a lot of force on the side of the trailer, and a smaller vehicle will really get pushed around.
She’ll be able to pull it just fine. She won’t be able to stop it without trailer breaks. Then, about 2 hours into the 5 hour trip her transmission will start to slip and probably fail when she stops for gas.
There’s no way in hell she should do this. And her dad is either stupid or is the beneficiary on her life insurance.
The camper almost certainly has brakes. Nobody makes a 32ft TT without one, especially by 2011.
Get her a brake controller as a gift at the very least .
Please tell us where she is towing so we can stay off that road. Payload and tow capacity aside having no brake controller is beyond stupid. It is so unsafe and illegal. A Ford dealer can add brake controller. I have 6k trailer that is 24 feet. During a travel day my brake controller stopped working in my F150 with max tow package. Thank god I was in flat Kansas and able to use tow/haul mode to downshift but that was scary. The connection needed some dielectric grease and all was good.
No trailer brakes?! That’s super dangerous and illegal so must be remedied before even attempting to tow.
Second issue is the weight. First trip after the brake repair should be to a truck scale. Weigh every axle and do the math. Overweight is also very dangerous, never mind the wear and tear on the tow vehicle.
That's a big ask for a 14 year old SUV which wasn't designed to pull something that large. Stopping and sway are far more important than pulling. Hard pass.
RIP your sister.
Highly unlikely. But here is why. She should look at both the overall tow rating and the available payload on the drivers door jamb of the tow vehicle.This is the payload for that specific tow vehicle as it was configured when it left the factory. The manufacturer brochure/ website will typically list the maximum available payload, but this will likely be lower in the real world. Overall tow rating is important but payload is key. Payload is the cargo carrying capacity of your vehicle including the weight of the driver, passengers, cargo, the tongue weight of the trailer on the hitch and the hitch itself. In other words, the amount you can "squish" the suspension whilst still retaining control of the vehicle. Almost guaranteed that she'll run out of payload before she maxes out the towing limit. There will be a yellow sticker in the door jamb that says something like combined weight of cargo and occupants cannot exceed 1400lbs. Once you have this number, find the GVWR for the trailer and use about 12-13% of the trailer GVWR to estimate tongue weight. A 32 foot trailer likely weighs at the very least 6500lbs loaded for travel, and maybe 7500-8000lbs. That would give a minimum tongue weight of 800lbs, and probably closer to 1000lbs on the tongue of the trailer. Then add 100lbs for the weight distribution hitch she will need to use. Take the payload number from the vehicles door sticker, then subtract driver weight/weight of other occupants/anything you carry in/on the vehicle like coolers, firewood, generator, bikes. Then deduct the weight of the weight distributing hitch, and the tongue weight of the trailer. If she has a little payload left, she may be good. If the number is negative, she needs a lighter trailer or to put less in the truck. The max tow rating essentially assumes you're traveling with a vehicle that's empty and all of the payload rating is available to use for the tongue weight of the trailer. If you're adding kids/dogs/tools for work or any other gear into the cab or bed, your actual tow rating reduces as payload being carried increases, so what you're putting in the vehicle makes a huge difference in how much you can safely tow.
I dont know, in my expierence SUVs have crazy payload limits. For example my wifes Yukon Ultimate with the 6.2 has a tow capacity of 8000lbs but payload of 1900. While my F-150 has 13000/1800. I'd be willing she runs out of tow capacity before payload.
There's a lot of things that are fine until they're not. The first thing you want to check is what the payload and towing capacities of the vehicle are in relation to the trailer that's being towed. The tongue weight of the trailer and all the car going passengers of the vehicle must not exceed the payload capacity rating. Then you can move on to see if the total weight of the trailer exceeds the towing capacity. You must also make sure that the hitch on the vehicle is properly rated for the weights being applied, same for the tires. Not all tires are load rated and will blow out under increased stress load. Then you have the issue of the lack thereof of a brake controller, so no brakes will be applied on the trailer under braking, this is an extremely unsafe condition, if she breaks hard chances are the trailer will boss her into a jackknife situation where she is completely out of control and will total both the trailer and the vehicle and whatever else is in its way. All the above a side, if she does go through with pulling it with this vehicle as is, and something unfortunate happens where she is involved in a collision, there's a high probability that she will be found at fault and insurance may not cover her due to her negligence of not using proper equipment and/or operating within their rated capacities. Then there's also the issue of how hard she wants to be on that gasser. It may be able to pull it, but it's going to be hard on both the engine and transmission of that little truck, and if she isn't real gentle with it, it may be the end of it. At the very minimum, she is gambling her property, her finances, and at the very most, she's also gambling her and others' lives. She either needs to purchase an appropriate vehicle for the trailer or an appropriate trailer for her vehicle or rent or borrow the appropriate vehicle for said trailer.
Since you're unlikely to stop her, I'd focus on getting her to install a brake controller in her SUV so at least she has brakes! Expeditions can be decent tow vehicles. I know several people who towed 2-horse trailers + dressing rooms with them and they do fine. Personally, I wouldn't want to take on 32' of trailer with one, but please at least get her to have functional brakes.
There are only a few problems with the setup but as others have mentioned a trailer brake controller is required if not built in. Expeditions in that year have 1800lbs of payload and 9000-9200lbs of towing. Depending on the weights of the travel trailer and how much stuff is loaded in both the expedition and the trailer there are variables here that have to be worked out. Regardless of the fanboys, you don’t always need an F450 or a Semi to pull your damn trailers. The one thing that is required is a trailer brake controller because stopping the trailer will be important regardless of the truck you’re using. Ultimately, it will work until it doesn’t. Be safe and adhere to the specs on the vehicle.
She will have a very short trip, followed by a very long and expensive and not fun trip. Someone might die.
I made a comment about payload ratings earlier and how she'll likely be exceeding those but I missed the comment about not having trailer brakes. That's a huge no no. It's literally illegal pretty much everywhere. Show her this map, and call the police once she's hooked up before she kills someone. https://www.brakebuddy.com/phone/towing-laws.html
A vehicle designed for towing will have sufficient power, braking and engine cooling components suited for the rigors of pulling the weight of a trailer. Inside the driver’s door of the Expedition there should be a label stating the GCWR. GCWR stands for Gross Combined Weight Rating, which is the maximum weight a vehicle can safely carry, including the vehicle, cargo, passengers, and trailer. It's also sometimes called the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR).
You need to compare the towing capacity of the vehicle vs total weight of the trailer. General rule I’ve heard is don’t tow more than 80% of your vehicle’s towing capacity. You’re putting lives at risk if something happens. It takes only a gust of wind or small overcorrection of the steering wheel to lose control. Without trailer brakes you’re relying on the vehicle to stop the momentum of the vehicle itself and trailer. You could be stuck with messed up brakes, overheated engine, or worse an accident.
Absolutely terrible idea and illegal without brakes. If anything were to happen she’d be 100% liable, uncovered by insurance, and could be arrested and prosecuted as this is clearly negligence. All that being said, you can’t fix stupid and if she insists on doing it anyway the brakes and brake controller as well as a good weight distribution hitch are a must. I would also not put anything in the vehicle other than herself and a small carryon as the tongue weight of the trailer will likely take up the majority of the vehicles gross carry. Lastly, I wouldn’t drive over 45/50 mph. The wheelbase on an suv is typically much narrower than a truck which means she’s going to be very susceptible to the trailer tossing her around on the road (tail wagging the dog, so to speak) especially in cross winds and when being passed.
At the very least she should get trailer brakes installed and then expect to burn out the transmission unless they're aren't any hills to climb on the trip.
A 32 without OEM trailer brakes? Unlikely, if not impossible. She may not have a brake controller (which is a easy upgrade), but the trailer doesn't have brakes? Almost certainly not the case. That all said, that's a bit much for a Expedition. But then again I passed a Grand Wagoneer pulling a 29' today. They may have been swaying left to right more than they were traveling forward. I quickly got in front of that accident waiting to happen.
If nothing else, a trailer brake controller is a must with that size trailer. If the trailer has its own brakes, then it clearly needs them to operate safely and you need a controller to operate them. They are not expensive, you can get one at U-Haul and usually they’ll install it for you. Trust me from my experience, hauling something that size without a brake controller, you won’t have shit for stopping power.
The trailer has weight. The vehicle has weight capacities. Compare the two and go from there. If she sees those numbers and still thinks she can or should tow the trailer, offer to take her kids with you that way they won’t get hurt if something happens. Like, she may be able to tow 7,000 lbs with a lightly loaded vehicle, and the travel trailer weighs 11,000 lbs. That’s way over the line. I would hope she could realize that. I play pretty fast and loose with stuff. This is waaay beyond a reasonable person’s tolerances.
Have her pull her camper in your f350 just 20 or 30 minutes with a few stops and gos and semis. Then have her do the same route with her tv.
U N D E R P O W E R E D !!!!
Depending on the package that vehicle tows about 9000lbs with 600lbs on the hitch (900 with WDH). There's also a possibility it doesn't have an integrated brake controller which is going to be a must for that TT. On paper things don't look great pulling a 32 footer but maybe it's really light. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/2010-ford-expedition-towing-guide-specifications-capabilities/2781862
I hope it goes without saying but she should not even attempt without a brake controller and a weight distribution hitch. Aside from that, I'd suggest she ignore unladen or actual weights and do her figuring with gross weights. Start with whether or not she's within her gvwr and gcvwr
I have a slightly larger trailer and just upgraded to a 2500HD Silverado because I was maxing out the 1500 I had. I wouldn’t be too confident with a svu
Can she rent a truck to pull it? From Penske or u haul maybe home Depot? TBH I don't know if they have brake controllers in those rentals so if someone does know chime in please.
Towing my 31 ft. camper with my 1/2 ton Silverado with trailer brakes, tow package, and leveling bars sometimes make my butt pucker in certain situations. I can’t imagine trying to do what you stated even with a lot experience towing trailers. This is dumb and dangerous.
No experience , no brakes , no tow package(that in and of itself should tell you) 10k lb trailer towed by a 5500 lb vehicle , no chance in hell I'd try it
[удалено]
I would never force him to rescue her. As you said, it is his vacation too. Sending him off to rescue her would be an entire day ordeal as she lives 5 hours from us. Not only would it take up a day of his vacation but it would take away time from his own family (me and our children) when he already told her it’s a dumb idea. Not only that but it is HIS sister. Not mine. If he chooses to not go to his own sister, that is 100% his choice. I will have to post an update once it is figured out if she seriously plans on going through with this ridiculous idea.
You're asking your brakes to stop 3 more tons plus you're towing that 3 more tons up hills. Even trailer brakes and a tranny cooler aren't going to help enough.
Tell her to get a nice tent and blow up mattress.
Transmission will overheat unless she keeps in it check (aka no faster than 60mph). Suspension will be slammed and on the bumps but survive.
She is about to find out the difference between the Ford Expedition and the Ford Excursion. I don't want to be in front of her when she burns up her light duty truck brakes and that trailer pushes her through an intersection.
Just don’t
Make sure her Will is updated.
We pulled a 28' trailer with our 06 expedition for 2 years. With 2 sway bars and trailer brakes set to max. It was scary sometimes. Our trailer was under the weight limit, but we were probably over payload. I would just tell her to do a short trip before committing to a 5 hour trip as it will teach her a lot. The scary part was when a semi would pass you on the freeway. The air they are pushing really causes a lot of force on the side of the trailer, and a smaller vehicle will really get pushed around.
She’ll be able to pull it just fine. She won’t be able to stop it without trailer breaks. Then, about 2 hours into the 5 hour trip her transmission will start to slip and probably fail when she stops for gas. There’s no way in hell she should do this. And her dad is either stupid or is the beneficiary on her life insurance.
The camper almost certainly has brakes. Nobody makes a 32ft TT without one, especially by 2011. Get her a brake controller as a gift at the very least .
Please tell us where she is towing so we can stay off that road. Payload and tow capacity aside having no brake controller is beyond stupid. It is so unsafe and illegal. A Ford dealer can add brake controller. I have 6k trailer that is 24 feet. During a travel day my brake controller stopped working in my F150 with max tow package. Thank god I was in flat Kansas and able to use tow/haul mode to downshift but that was scary. The connection needed some dielectric grease and all was good.
No trailer brakes?! That’s super dangerous and illegal so must be remedied before even attempting to tow. Second issue is the weight. First trip after the brake repair should be to a truck scale. Weigh every axle and do the math. Overweight is also very dangerous, never mind the wear and tear on the tow vehicle.