Welcome to FTE.

This is a tech question, so might get moved by mods, but here goes anyway.

The Owners Manual will tell you the max towing capacity, without any guesswork or uncertainty. The dealer can look it up.

If you get the optional class III towing package and V6 engine, it will tow 5000 lbs.
2013 Ford Explorer | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com

According to this brochure, the standard towing capacity is 2000 lbs.
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...t_explorer.pdf

In heavy snow, you'll need snow tires obviously. I had an 03 Explorer V6 4WD and ran Cooper Discoverer M+S snows with studs for the icy grades here in Colorado.