My wife has been thinking it is time to trade her 07 sport trac limited and is looking at a new Explorer Sport. We sometimes tow our ST behind our motorhome and want to be able to do this with whatever vehicle we end up purchasing. As I understand it, the new Explorer has some kind of power transfer type gizmo for splitting the bias towards the front or rear wheels when needed and not a true transfer case, so my question is; Does the 2014 Explorer have a true transfer case, and can it be taken in and programmed to go into neutral like the older Explorers?

 

Page 11. I would want to talk to someone who has done this before I put my 10$ofthou$and$ back there....

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...Tgde_Oct19.pdf

 

thanks for the reply. My dealer had no clue and couldn't find where to look it up to see if the new Explorer could be flat towed. We have towed our sport trac thousands of miles with absolutely no problems as have many others although it sounds like it is a different kind of a setup for the new Explorer. I will ask on a couple of RV sites if anyone has towed the new Explorer and what they're experiences were.

 

Surprised a Ford dealer isn't familiar with a Ford publication. And it appears it is so easy and trouble-free to flat tow, I would think any salesperson worth a darn would have that as one of his "FABS" when talking up the vehicle.

Good luck with it.

BTW I found that link in less than 90 seconds.....

 

Salesmen have all the resources they need...they couldn't possibly know everything...but should know where to look for the answer.

By the way...the 2.0 CAN NOT be flat towed.

 

Actually talked to two different salesmen at the dealership and neither one had a clue if it could be flat towed, I don't think they had ever been asked that question before. Back when we bought our ST they didn't know if it could be flat towed then either, I had to find the information myself and actually had to go to another dealership two hours away to get the computer flashed for it.
I searched on this site and could not find an answer, therefore my question. Or maybe I just didn't know the right question to ask.

 

The new Explorer has a transverse engine and electronic 4WD. Based on the stipulations in the Ford towing guide, it looks like the transmission lubrication is an issue (requiring running the engine, etc). I would stay away from these.

I recall Escapes being rated OK for flat towing, and having transmissions destroyed. I would vote for a front wheel drive Explorer/Edge on a front wheel dolly for flat towing. In any other situation, you will be the guinea pig.

Salesmen generally know only how to make money for their dealership and are clueless about mechanical issues (with some rare exceptions). Their job is selling cars to the general population and maximizing commissions for themselves. I generally know far more than any salesman at any dealership by the time I am ready to buy a vehicle from him or her.

Good luck,
George

 

Thanks for the info. I will check into this a little more closely as I don't really know a lot about some of these newer electronic 4 wheels drives and such. We are starting to think we should just keep the Sport Trac we have and continued using it as we know how it works and it is still relatively easy to work on if need be, although it has never been to the garage for anything other than regular service. And yes, you are right about most salespeople. By the time I go into a dealership to actually buy something I know a whole lot more than the salesman which is why I started my information search here.

 

From the 2014 owners manual:

Vehicles Equipped with a 3.5L or 3.7L Engine




Note: Put your climate control system in recirculated air mode to

prevent exhaust fumes from entering your vehicle. See the Climate

Control chapter.



Follow these guidelines if you have a need for recreational towing, such

as towing your vehicle behind a motorhome or truck. We designed these

guidelines to prevent damage to your vehicle after it is hooked-up to the

recreational vehicle or tow dolly.

You can tow your front-wheel drive vehicle with all four wheels on the

ground or with the front wheels off the ground by using a tow dolly.

If you are using a tow dolly, follow the instructions specified by the

equipment provider. If you are towing with all four wheels on the ground,

see the following instructions.

You can tow your all-wheel drive vehicle with all four wheels on the

ground or with all four wheels off the ground using a vehicle transport

trailer. Do not tow your all-wheel drive vehicle with the front wheels off

the ground (by using a tow dolly) and the rear wheels on the ground.

This causes damage to your all-wheel drive system. If you are using a

vehicle transport trailer, follow the instruction specified by the

equipment provider. If you are towing with all four wheels on the

ground, see the following instructions.

If you tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground:


• Tow only in the forward direction.

• Release the parking brake.

• Place the transmission in position N.

• Place the ignition in the accessory position. See the Starting and

Stopping the Engine chapter.

• Do not exceed 65 mph (105 km/h).

• Start the engine and allow it to run for five minutes at the beginning



of each day and every six hours thereafter. With the engine running


and your foot on the brake, shift into position D and then into

position R before shifting back into position N.

 

Good info from the manual, but Ford also certified the Escape for TOAD duty a couple years ago, probably with similar caveats about transmission lubrication, and a lot of folks got a lot of new transmissions. The "run the engine and shift the trans" advice means that parts of the transmission will tend to dry up and go lubeless.

Nothing like a good old stick shift vehicle for a TOAD, a transfer case that goes into a full neutral mode, or a dolly on a front wheel drive vehicle to ensure no problems over the long haul.

George

 

That's a lot of crap to go through to flat tow. I certainly hope that people are reading their owners guides, I know I do.

 

The wife drives a 13 sport
(and says she likes it best of all the cars she's owned - including audi's, volvo's, vw's, mazda's etc...)

I'm like others, if I were leasing it I might do it, but being on the hook for that drivetrain issue down the road.... maybe not

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. Still haven't done anything, and may not as I too am concerned with the all wheel drive system for flat towing. I have spoken to a few people whom have flat towed their new Explorers and they have not had any problems, yet, and they say it is really quite simple once they did it a few times.

 

Just in case, I like this guide. Surprised no one mentioned it. I've used to determine what I need to do to flat tow.

http://www.royrobinsonrv.com/images/...yGuide2013.pdf