Towing capacity

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Apr 8, 2004 | 11:29 AM

John Stewart

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Towing capacity

I have a 2000 Mountaineer and I'm wondering if I need an external trailer hitch. The bumper has a label that says it's got a 3500 Lb. capacity for towing using the bumper. The gross weight of my boat, motor & trailer is about 2100 Lbs. Anyone have experience with this? Also, with this weight, do I need to put a transmission cooler on? Any ideas? THANKS!

Apr 8, 2004 | 11:38 AM

99Xplr

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From: NJ

Few things to know before we can tell you how much the truck can tow.... which is different from what you should tow......
What motor do you have? What is the rear diff ratio? These two things will affect how much you can tow. However, regardless of what the max towing is, I would not exceed 3500 lbs. Any more and you would have problems maintaining highway speeds.
As for the trans cooler, absolutly. Not only will help save your trans while towing, but help to extend the life of the trans under normal driving conditions.

Apr 9, 2004 | 07:58 AM

John Stewart

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Thanks for your response. It is a 4.0 V6 with 3.55 gear ratio. Anyway, my question is whether to put a hitch ball in the hole in the bumper or to install an external trailer hitch.

Apr 9, 2004 | 11:23 AM

Pig Pen Jr

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From: IL

Aftermarket hitches are always better. They are solider by design that the bumper mount.
With the motor and gear ratio you posted, 4,900 is the max tow rating I found for your Mounty.

Apr 9, 2004 | 12:39 PM

CobraXP

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From: Fort Smith

I would install the hitch and slide. When you go of fthe bumper, you are putting all your weight on the bumper and the 4 bolts that hold it to the frame. These bolts are designed as break-aways - meaning if you are rearended at slow speeds, the bolts give way and turn the bumper to help alleviate some of the impact. The rfame mount undercarriage hitches take more impact and do extremely good in those cases. Plus, they are just easier to work with. I have enjoyed mine!