What can I tow with a Mercury Mountaineer?

[crzy4dsny]

My wife and I just started kicking around the idea of buying a camper. We have a 2004 6 cylinder all wheel drive Mercury Mountaineer. We are a family of five and would need a camper that would sleep that many, and hopefully a couple more. What size camper could I get for that vehicle. It is a lease and we have it for one more year. After that we are most likely going to a Ford Expedition size vehicle. What would you suggest that would fit our needs?

 

[dopeyprincesses]

Does your vehicle already have a tow hitch? If it doesn't, can you even put one on a leased vehicle then would you want the expense of installing it to be taken off in a year after your lease expires?

I believe the Mercury Mountaineer might tow up to 7,100 lbs (passengers and cargo must factor in). Here's what the Ford Expedition website says: Increased towing capacity to 9,200 pounds. Check with the car dealer for sure. We were led down the wrong road by our RV dealer. We had a '99 GMC Jimmy and were told the Fleetwood travel trailer we were looking at would be fine to tow it. Didn't work out that way! On the way home from picking up the trailer my DH said the transmission on the Jimmy sounded like it was going to blow. The RV dealer neglected to tell us that the towing capacity for our vehicle would be at it's max! We decided to keep the trailer anyway and buy a larger truck. Sorry for venting, I just wanted to let you know what to look out for.

Have fun looking around for campers, it sure is alot of fun to have one

 

[Disney Campers]

I believe the Mercury Mountaineer might tow up to 7,100 lbs

Don't do it!! with the short wheelbase of the mountaineer towing that much trailer is asking for trouble, especially with a lease vehicle, If you must tow a trailer with it i'd stick with a pop up, or wait until you get the Expedition to get the trailer you really want the first time around.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Don't do it!! with the short wheelbase of the mountaineer towing that much trailer is asking for trouble, especially with a lease vehicle, If you must tow a trailer with it i'd stick with a pop up, or wait until you get the Expedition to get the trailer you really want the first time around.

I agree, just because it will pull it doesnt mean it will pull it safely. The wheelbase plays a very large part in the stability of the rig. If the vehicle doenst have any trailering equipment (lights and hitch) you will run into costs having those items installed. I would consult your dealer for more info on towing with that vehicle before I bought any camper.

Scott

 

[dopeyprincesses]

You guys put it in better words than what I was trying to say. Just because a vehicle says it can tow up to a certain weight you wouldn't want to be at the maximum weight.

I agree you should wait until you get your next vehicle to know for sure what camper you can tow. I also forgot to mention in case you have the same situation...we couldn't get a pop-up because we live in a townhome development and have no where to leave it open to dry.

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

Some people will say you cant tow anything bigger than a popup unless you have a F250 Super Duty with Power Stroke Diesel. I say whatever. I have a Chev astro and my max weigh I can tow is 5500 lbs. I'm around 5000lbs. I have been towing A 25 ball to bumper hybrid for 2 years now. No problems. I feel safe. I have plenty of power and no problems towing. I also have a CB and not one truck driver has said what I have is unsafe. I tell you if they did they would have blasted me long ago. Trailerlife.com has towing specs on vechiles. I would post there link but they seem to be down at the moment. Check there for your specs. Don't get something that is over the weight you can currently tow. If you are going to upgrade even better. I may have a Astro but I plan on going to a pickup within A year myself. Thats one reason we went as big as we did when we bought. Just be careful when towing as one should always do and dont forget your limitations of the T.V. Mine is no mountains. Rolling hills ok but V.A. mountains nope not going there until we have a better T.V. Whatever you do enjoy your purchase.

 

[stacktester]

Being in a family with horses, I have pulled many horse trailers in my time. I have had many people come up to me at the barn and say they're going to buy their own trailer and what do I suggest. First of all there is some difference in campers and horse trailers because you're pulling live weight with horses and dead weight in the camper.

The first thing out of their mouth is "but the dealer and the specs say I can pull it". One lady recently bought a Toyota 4 Runner with the V8 and said oh I can pull up to x amount of pounds. My ? to her was yeah but how many pounds can it stop. Her reply was we're getting the brake controller. She bought an aluminum trailer (2 horse) and began pulling her horse to local shows with no problem then decided to go to Perry, GA (about 300 miles away) and got about 50 miles out of town and when a semi passed her she got sucked up in his draft between her T.V. and the horse trailer and once he passed her the draft pushed her away and she ended up in the trees along I-10 with an upside down trailer and 2 horses injured very bad. Still can't believe the horses and the passengers all made it after seeing the vehicles.

I'm going too deep, but I'm trying to convince some of these people who pull with these short wheel base SUV's that it's dangerous. You can buy all the sway and equalizer bars but you're never going to get the vehicle balanced right. I've seen so many people pulling campers with way too much weight on them and thinking it's ok. I'm not saying you need a 3/4 ton to pull a hybrid or light weight travel trailer but you've got to have some wheel base like Big Disney said. That will first of all keep a lot of sway out of the rig. I also suggest if you get a larger TV to upgrade to a higher load range tire. That's another thing nobody mentions at the dealer.

If you've ever seen a trailer loaded and the back tires real low that is a big danger sign. Once those sidewalls get hot you've got a recipe for disaster. The tire becomes less stable and chances are you can have a blow out or be slung around by a semi like I said before.

Do an enormous amount of homework and don't let a dealer tell you it's ok to tow something you can't. You're family not his, is riding in that vehicle and IMHO I would like to slap some of these guys who sell to unsuspecting buyers just to make a sell. It happens daily so be careful.

Oh, and the lady who had the wreck bought a F-250 crew cab and an aluminum gooseneck trailer with living quarters lol. Her other rig was totaled. She's had good luck since.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Some people will say you cant tow anything bigger than a popup unless you have a F250 Super Duty with Power Stroke Diesel. I say whatever. I have a Chev astro and my max weigh I can tow is 5500 lbs. I'm around 5000lbs. I have been towing A 25 ball to bumper hybrid for 2 years now. No problems. I feel safe. I have plenty of power and no problems towing. I also have a CB and not one truck driver has said what I have is unsafe. I tell you if they did they would have blasted me long ago. Trailerlife.com has towing specs on vechiles. I would post there link but they seem to be down at the moment. Check there for your specs. Don't get something that is over the weight you can currently tow. If you are going to upgrade even better. I may have a Astro but I plan on going to a pickup within A year myself. Thats one reason we went as big as we did when we bought. Just be careful when towing as one should always do and dont forget your limitations of the T.V. Mine is no mountains. Rolling hills ok but V.A. mountains nope not going there until we have a better T.V. Whatever you do enjoy your purchase.

Personally, I would rather have a tow vehicle with more power than I need than a trailer too big for my tow vehicle. If your weight is 5000lbs fully loaded including passengers for camping, then you are ok with 500 lbs to spare for Disney souveniers. If your dry weight is 5000lbs then you are overloaded and maybe have been towing ok, but run the risk of a serious accident and having your insurance cancelled when the company finds out. Why would you rely on passing truckers to inform you if you're are overloaded? The responsibility is yours. The fact that you are going to a larger tow vehicle is an indication that you may realize you are underpowered. Towing safety is serious business, for all of us on the road. I would also encourage anyone who is thinking of camping to actually get a larger tow vehicle than they think they will need, since RV upgrades to larger TT's are far more common than downgrades.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

The manufacturer of the trailer and the tow vehicle would be the authority on the appropriateness of a particular combination. Many automotive dealers have only a few people that are versed in trailering, you should seek them out for advice, accepting that some will steer you towards a particular vehicle in order to sell a unit. Objectivity can sometime go out the window if a sale is in jeapordy. I would suggest a reputable magazine similar to trailer life can be a good source for typical trailer/TV combo's. I personally have towed with some of the combo's that they have reviewed and found them to be very accurate.

I had a good friend that owned a standard length Chevy Trailblazer with a 6500# (IIRC) tow rating. He bought an enclosed car hauler that he desgined with slide out bunks similar to a popup, so that he could use the trailer as a sort of toyhauler. He hauled his dune buggy in it and used the trailer to sleep in. Long story short, he never weighed the setup but my guesstimate was it was around 7000# with all his stuff in it. I told him repeatedly that he was "playing with fire" with that setup and he refused to accept it, my brother used the trailer to go to VA to pick up his Buick and said it was a handful with his 2500HD 6.0 liter gas engine. A few years ago the inevitable happened (with a load of household stuff that weighed much less than his buggy) and he rolled the trailer and jacked it into the side of his Trailblazer, totalling the trailer and causing $6000 worth of damage to the TB. The scariest part is that it almost pulled the TB over, if the hitch hadnt snapped it would have. Thats a good example of not enough tow vehicle.

I dont believe that you need an "F250" to tow anything bigger than a popup, I do believe that a well matched, properly equipped setup is of the utmost importance if you value you safety.

 

[crzy4dsny]

According to trailerlife.com, and a trailer dealer I spoke to, the tow rating on my Mountaineer is 5,220 lbs. To be safe, and I do want to be on the safe side, what is the max you would tow with this vehicle? Long Island is flat. Until I up grade my vehicle I will not be traveling anywhere that there are mountains or even rolling hills. The towing I would be doing would be to local campgrounds with barely any highway travel.

 

[stacktester]

I would almost wait until you get the new TV unless you're going to be happy with a pop up or small TT. I can tell you from experience that you're going to want a bigger unit before you know it and if you buy a small one now you're probably going to lose $$ if you decide to trade. Another idea I thought of for your situation is why not buy a used Pop Up for the time being (not too fancy) and get your feet wet in that and then decide what to move up to when you get the new TV. Just a suggestion.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I would almost wait until you get the new TV unless you're going to be happy with a pop up or small TT. I can tell you from experience that you're going to want a bigger unit before you know it and if you buy a small one now you're probably going to lose $$ if you decide to trade. Another idea I thought of for your situation is why not buy a used Pop Up for the time being (not too fancy) and get your feet wet in that and then decide what to move up to when you get the new TV. Just a suggestion.

I agree. Why put all the money into getting your Mountaineer ready to tow when you are planning on upgrading your tow vehicle shortly?

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

According to trailerlife.com, and a trailer dealer I spoke to, the tow rating on my Mountaineer is 5,220 lbs. To be safe, and I do want to be on the safe side, what is the max you would tow with this vehicle? Long Island is flat. Until I up grade my vehicle I will not be traveling anywhere that there are mountains or even rolling hills. The towing I would be doing would be to local campgrounds with barely any highway travel.

If you intend to make the Mountaineer usable you should first check with the dealer to see if it has ANY trailering equipment on it. If it didnt come with a "tow package" you will most likely have to add an auxuiliary transmission oil cooler. While it isnt rocket science to install one it can get expensive, add that to the cost of a receiver, wiring and a brake controller and you are adding up some $$$ to the cost of preparing for a trailer.

Personally I think a larger pop up or a short hybrid would be within the mountaineers capability.


Scott

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

Personally, I would rather have a tow vehicle with more power than I need than a trailer too big for my tow vehicle. If your weight is 5000lbs fully loaded including passengers for camping, then you are ok with 500 lbs to spare for Disney souveniers. If your dry weight is 5000lbs then you are overloaded and maybe have been towing ok, but run the risk of a serious accident and having your insurance cancelled when the company finds out. Why would you rely on passing truckers to inform you if you're are overloaded? The responsibility is yours. The fact that you are going to a larger tow vehicle is an indication that you may realize you are underpowered. Towing safety is serious business, for all of us on the road. I would also encourage anyone who is thinking of camping to actually get a larger tow vehicle than they think they will need, since RV upgrades to larger TT's are far more common than downgrades.

Dry weight 3700lbs. I dont rely on truckers. I was saying if they thought I was over weight they would complain thats all. No going to a larger tow veichle is my way of getting the pickup I always wanted lol. I know i'm under powered for mountains. I am within my specs weight wise I have not felt unsafe at anytime. All I was telling him was get what you want now as you are upgrading your T.V. soon but keep with in the weights of your current T.V. As for stopping as someone else said. Do not ever rely on yout T.V. to stop your trailer. Thats why they come with brakes. Get what you want and drive carefully and you will be ok.

 

[JCJRSmith]

I have told this story before and will tell it again. When we bought our Kiwi 23B, we had a Ford Explorer XLT. Tow rating for it was, if I recall correctly, 6500 lbs. Fully loaded, the trailer and our gear/passenger/pets/etc came to just about 5000 lbs (yep - I had it weighed). Anyway, on our very first weekend excursion, we were headed down I-81 when a semi went past us at high speed and we got blown all over the road. I told my wife then that we needed a bigger tow vehicle. My parents towed a 16 foot trailer behind a station wagon for years, and on more than one occasion I was in the back of the wagon when we started fishtailing all over the highway because of a passing truck.

We replaced the Explorer with an F150 Supercrew, and towing was GREAT. No movement when the trucks went by, solid as a rock. No problem with crosswinds. The F150 is rated at around 8000 pounds towing capacity, but the real difference came with the longer wheelbase. Made for a MUCH more stable ride. Wait until you get the Expedition. You will have a much more comfortable ride.

 

[crzy4dsny]

After doing a little research it seems like wheel base is very important when towing. Can someone explain why that is important? I cant seem to figure it out. Does it have to do with the fact that a vehicle with a greater wheel base is heavier? I looked up the wheel base on a Mountaineer and it is 111 inches. I also looked up the wheel base on an Expedition and it was 119 inches. Does that 8 inches make a big difference when towing? I am not going to purchase a trailer until I get a bigger vehicle. Is an Expedition something I should be considering or is that not sufficent?

Thanks, Dave

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

It has to do with lateral stability. The longer the wheelbase, the harder to move it sideways. sort of like if your dogs tail was bigger than the dog, the tail would be wagging the dog.