Towing With Explorer

[moterboat]

Re: Towing With Explorer

I've owned several early Explorers and Rangers, the A4LD is not the more robust trans made, but with proper driver habits, proper service, and a good cooler it can be made to last. I would say however that about 5500lbs would be the max I'd attempt to tow with that vehicle, at least on a regular basis.
Ford did only make that trans for a few years, but the newer versions are still the same basic trans. Many internals are near identical and many interchange with the older unit. The overdrive automatics that were used in the full sized truck were a lot better for towing. Keep in mind that the A4LD is a light duty trans, it obviously wasn't designed with towing in mind.

I agree,its not just that I have a the worst trans ford has ever produced, A junk A4LD,its that explorer in 1991 have 4 gear ratio's that they used,the 4.10 , 3.73 - 3.27 , and 3.07, and guess which one I have???
thats right.. the 3.07 the highest gear ford was useing then,its like taking off in 2 gear if it was a stick,but at 75 mph Im doing 2100 rpm's.. this is why it overheated.. Im going to ethier replace the motor & trans or change the gear to a 3.73 and add a parallel flow cooler in series with the internal and external I already have.. Thanks for your reply.. I don't want to get rid of the truck,I like it,have it set up the way I want ,just need to deal with the pulling issue....

 

[moterboat]

Re: Towing With Explorer

My new-to-me 2006 EXPLORER, 4.6L, 3V with the 6 speed auto pulled my boat long distance Saturday for the first time. Did a flawless job. To the ramp I kept it out of OD. Coming home I let it in OD and did not notice anything in the way of struggling. Land here is pretty flat. My boat trailer combo is probably around 4000#.

It has the factory class III/IV tow package and the sticker on the hitch says 7000lbs capacity.

In 1996 ford changed the transmission to a way better one,and the 4.6 has more hp. & torque then the 4.0 V-6, altough the 2006 - up- 4.0 V-6 is 220 hp; and the other 4.0 is 160 hp., 4.6's hp. is 235 hp.and the torgue is almost the same bettween the 220 hp 4.0 and the 235 hp 4.6, my 91 4.0 is 150hp.the explorers 1996 and up are bears for pulling...my truck's towing capacity is 5000 lbs.. mt hitch is a class 5 , my boat is 2000lbs,my transmission says the towing weight chart is lieing..when I get done with mine it will pull,even if I have to change the gears and swap it over to a stick shift.. or go with a V8.. .

 

[moterboat]

Re: Towing With Explorer

Silvertips explanation was right on. It's not the OD, it's the "hunting".

The very first post in this thread mentions a high ratio. Since so few know what a ratio is. What is high? 4.10 or 3.27? A 3.27 is going to cause a lot more hunting than a 4.10.

I towed thousands of miles with AWD Aerostars (A4LD) with 3.55 ratios (front and rear) and never had one issue-ever.

Making blanket statements does not always (rarely) apply. I'm just passing on my experience.

We also have to remember that a 1991 vehicle is now 17 years old.

the higher the number the lower the gear.. if you wanted a gear to drag race or have more pulling power you would want a lower gear(higher number)and my 91 explorer has a rebuilt trans in it and the motor is tight..suspension is brand new.. mine has a 3.07 in it,the highest gear ford used in these trucks in 1991,Im hanging on to this truck,its the first year for explorers,and I like the truck..

 

[moterboat]

Re: Towing With Explorer

Axle Codes for Ford Explorers with 8.8" rear differential and Dana 35 front (code can be found on the id tag inside the driver's door):


Just about any info for these particular transmissions can be found on the above mentioned site, or on www.rangerforums.com, or on www.explorerforum.com

I hope this doesn't break the "direct link" statutes.

the gears are plentiful,the gears from the mustangs and a few others interchange,they also have the 8.8 rear.

 

[moterboat]

Re: Towing With Explorer

There is a myth that towing in overdrive overheats the transmission. While that is partially true, it is not the fact the tranny is in overdrive that causes the problem. In direct or OD, the torque converter locks up when a given road speed and engine vacuum spec is reached. At that point nothing in the tranny is slipping or creating heat except rotating parts. However, when the converter unlocks, the torque converter now creates heat and in overdrive it builds heat quickly. The point here is that it is indeed OK to tow in overdrive as long as the tranny isn't constantly hunting between direct and OD or if the converter is frequently locking and unlocking. Lastly, if towing at or near the maximum tow rating, or if towing in very hilly terrain you are advised to stick to direct and avoid OD.

not according to the transmission techs I have talked to in the past 30 days,they all say the same thing..overdrive slowley kills the transmissions when towing , unless the roads you drive on are mostly flat..

 

[moterboat]

Re: Towing With Explorer

Axle Codes for Ford Explorers with 8.8" rear differential and Dana 35 front (code can be found on the id tag inside the driver's door):


Just about any info for these particular transmissions can be found on the above mentioned site, or on www.rangerforums.com, or on www.explorerforum.com I got my axle ratio chart from ford,when I was a ford tech.. I kinda had a angery session with the moderator of the explorer.com site a couple days ago,I have a mood I get into when someone calls me a jerk for posting the same topic twice accidently,(I was new to that site)he got a bunch of typed words from me before I left the site never to go back..

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: Towing With Explorer

go to therangerstation.com much better rbv site

 

[moterboat]

Re: Towing With Explorer

There are 3 to 4 different gear ratios they put in those rear ends in 91 according to the owners manual. The most common one was very high but they did have some low gear options available. There's a table in the owners manual stating the tow capacities based on gear ratio and transmission type.

The A4LD was largely a piece of tin but a rebuilt one (I'm sure they've all been rebuilt by now) will do ok since Ford decided to replace what I assume was styrofoam or plastic with a low melting point with proper non-metal transmission components. It's still a pain to use, work with, or work on, but it will pull a boat assuming you keep it out of OD (per owners manual directions). If you do have a 91, make sure you had the near ancient hitch recall taken care of if you tow with the bumper hitch. They used the wrong kind of metal and it really wouldn't tow the advertised 3500lbs labeled on the bumper.

I towed a 2500lb rig and then a 3200lbs rig (loaded weight) with a 91 Explorer for several years. The rear seal on the tranny went out once on me but I'm not convinced that was due to towing. They had a habit of doing that anyways. The transmission was rebuilt at 32K miles. I bought it with 100K miles on it and put almost 200K on it before I sold it. Rebuilt tranny held up and is still holding up for my brother who purchased it about a year ago. The rest of the vehicle is falling apart though.

ha Ha.. piece of tin & plastic.. I agree, these transmissions are garbage..the trans. tech's I talked to said these transmissions were designed for a 3000LB vehicle,the explorer 4 door model,(mine) weighs 4100LBS..with out towing.. my gear is a 3.07,the highest they used then. and I have a class 5 reese hitch on mine..

 

[rentalguy1]

Re: Towing With Explorer

the gears are plentiful,the gears from the mustangs and a few others interchange,they also have the 8.8 rear.

Yes, but the ones listed (with the corresponding codes) were the only ones installed in Explorers at the factory. I have a friend with a 1st generation sploder that's running 4.56's with a Detroit locker in the rear and an ARB selectable locker up front...but it's not factory...lol. Actually, the deepest gear you can get for a 8.8 is a 5.13:1.

BTW, I still take the Ex out of overdrive before towing

 

[hal2814]

Re: Towing With Explorer

ha Ha.. piece of tin & plastic.. I agree, these transmissions are garbage..the trans. tech's I talked to said these transmissions were designed for a 3000LB vehicle,the explorer 4 door model,(mine) weighs 4100LBS..with out towing.. my gear is a 3.07,the highest they used then. and I have a class 5 reese hitch on mine..

Yeah, I think that tranny was intended for the likes of the Bronco II, which is quite a bit smaller. My vehicle weighs the same but I had the 4.10 gears. You could tell a difference when stepping on the gas pedal between mine and most others around that time. From what my mechanic tells me, that auto tranny is a lot better suited to the vehicle than the manual used at the time.

 

[rentalguy1]

Re: Towing With Explorer

Yeah, I think that tranny was intended for the likes of the Bronco II, which is quite a bit smaller. My vehicle weighs the same but I had the 4.10 gears. You could tell a difference when stepping on the gas pedal between mine and most others around that time. From what my mechanic tells me, that auto tranny is a lot better suited to the vehicle than the manual used at the time.

The A4LD made it's debut in the 1986 Ranger/Bronco II. By 1987 a large number of them were being rebuilt. I know people on their 4th rebuild. Most scrapped them for a manual tranny. They are junk..no matter how you look at it.