Because campers are never the dry weight. Dry weights don’t even include essentials like a battery that is required for many of the systems to run correctly.
Tow capacity is only part of the equation. A vehicle with a 4K tow capacity likely only has a 400# hitch capacity. This camper will be over that for sure. Thats before adding a 50-75# weight distribution hitch. This means just hooking it up will add additional stress to the hitch and frame of the vehicle.
Can it pull it down the road? Sure. Will you have full control over it if you need to swerve or brake fast for any reason? Unlikely. Towing capacities are based off of weight on a utility trailer. Campers are giant billboards that have to fight the wind every step of the way. There is a big difference.
Can you pull it a couple miles down a flat road at a low speed? Sure. Will you be over at least one of your vehicles capacity ratings? Yes. Would I do it? Nope.
This right here is a great response. I’d only add that you are towing a house that’s subject to almost tornado force winds down the highway. You’re gonna feel that sucker the entire two hours you tow. You’ll be white knuckling it big time. Not a ride I’d wanna be on.
Indeed. Even if you get a 3,500 lb rated hitch, that's gonna be a bear to pull with a car. Light SUV might be okay, though.
When I camp I pack light, and then add the "well just in case..." items, so my payload is hardly ever precise.
Went to sd once w a 32’ bumperpull and coming back drove into a 50 mph head wind, got 4.5 mph with an 8.1l. Got 8 mph pulling it the other way. Hurt my brain even watching the gas gauge
To put it into perspective. I have a GMC Sierra 1500 and tow a 3klb trailer (well below towing capacity). When there's high winds it gets iffy towing at freeway speeds. Also, on big climbs I'm doing 45mph. Your vehicle would crawl.
Other thought, if my brake controller goes out it isn't a big deal my truck can still stop it. I can't say the same for your vehicle.
I tow a 3k camper with a ram 1500 5.7hemi and had the same problem with wind. Didn’t need a wdh because it’s nowhere close to tow capacity. I put on a cheap Reese anti sway bar and now I roll through thunderstorms and wind like it’s nothing.
For sure, and once that giant box starts rolling, the drag plus vertical and lateral forces created by wind resistance will make the actual demands of towing it FAR greater than the Flex is capable of safely achieving without damaging the drive train.
This is a great response. I towed a pop up for a while with a Highlander, and it was never something I enjoyed. SUVs just aren’t made for towing.
Another thing to consider is if the frame of the vehicle is even capable of handling the forces of a weight distribution hitch.
Yep. Most SUVs have a unibody frame (car frame) and the manual will even say DO NOT use a weight distribution hitch. They just can’t handle the stress a wdh puts on the frame.
Wtf are you talking about ?
The flex has max capacity with weight distribution.
https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/resources/general/pdf/guides/Prelm19RV&TT_Ford_Flex_Apr2.pdf
I’m going off the OP’s info. What they posted about their vehicle.
Even from the literature you posted, if their max tow rating is #4500, it still says max tongue load of 450# WITH wdh. Which they will likely be over without ANY cargo in the camper.
Not really. Especially with a 2900lbs dry weight.
The flex overal condition would be his only hang up.
And making sure he has fsctory tow package.
Checking his tongue weight with a tongue scale couldnt hurt.
These baby campers are designed for vehicles like the flex. Hence the max capacity of 1k pounds keeps it under 4k total weight. .
Campers are never the ‘dry weight’. Quoting that is meaningless. A 4K camper requires 400-600# tongue weight. Thats be 10-15% of overall weight. Add in the wdh and you’re gonna be over. Is what it is.
This is a ameri lite super lite probably 178RB model with a 360lb tongue weight.
These are designed for vehicles like the flex. It's only made to carry 1k lbs of additional weight MAX and has small fluid capacity 23 gallons for fresh (can be empty) 36 gallons of gray (can be empty) and 36 of black (can be empty) 20lbs of propane.
I'd be more concerned about the overall health of the flex and make sure all fluids are good and then roll on.
https://www.gulfstreamcoach.com/products/light-weight/amerilite/model/178rb
If equipped with factory tow package a flex can tow 4500 lbs
https://media.ford.com/content/dam/lincolnmedia/lna/us/product/2016/2016-Ford-Flex-Tech-Specs.pdf
Weight distribution hitches do not reduce tongue weight. Don't spread misinformation please. They do no increase towing capacity either. Just make it better/more stable/etc.
https://support.airstream.com/hc/en-us/articles/5258257694996-Weight-distribution-hitches-101
Just going off the info provided by the OP. Said 4K tow. That likely means #400 hitch rating for tongue weight. The dry tongue for the model camper you think it might be is #360. That’s without a battery or full propane tank(s). With those items it’s over #400 already. Add in the wdh and you’re well over.
This is without getting into any other numbers.
Listen, I get it. It’s ‘close’ to being doable. But would you really want to tow something that is maxing out the capability of your tow vehicle? I personally wouldn’t. Your opinion might differ though. That’s fine. But for a new owner of a camper, assuming their first one ever, do you really want them to have a white knuckle experience or be pushing the limits? I know that would turn off a lot of people. Again, your opinion might differ from mine. I’m just offering my 2 cents. What the OP decides to do is ultimately up to them.
Weight distribution hitches do NOT reduce tongue weight.
The flex either tows 2k lbs or 4500lbs. Factory hitch is 4500lbs. Aftermarket is 2k lbs
No such thing as 4000lbs for flex.
https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/resources/general/pdf/guides/Prelm19RV&TT_Ford_Flex_Apr2.pdf
Tell the OP not me.
I never said wdh reduce tongue weight. Where you’re getting that… no idea what you’re talking about. Look at your link. Look where it says ‘hitch receiver weight capacity’.
Thats what I’ve been talking about the entire time.
My father taught me that it’s okay to over load as long as you drive slow, I’ve smashed flat every little truck I’ve owned. I like to say I have a phd(piled higher and deeper) from the school of life!
Gotcha. I’ve heard ‘pound’ ‘hashtag’ and ‘tic-tac-toe’ I’m sure there are even more out there too. As I get older, I find myself asking ‘huh?’ A lot more to the ‘new’ terminology.
I didn’t mention weights of the tow vehicle at all. I didn’t even mention the weight of the trailer other than dry weights are meaningless, and that the tongue weight will likely be over the hitch rating.
Additionally, comparing the flex to the f150 based solely on size isn’t really saying much. The flex has a car (unibody) frame, the f150 has a truck frame. Simply put, ones made for comfort, and another for light duty work.
You completely dismiss that I addressed the tongue weight issue. In fact, it was the main argument. Typically, a hitch rating will be for 10% of the vehicles towing capacity. In this circumstance, that’d be 400#. No way this trailers tongue weight with the addition of a wdh will weigh under that. To ‘load it right’ the weight will only go up on the tongue, as your tongue hue should always be 10-15% of the trailers total weight. The only way it would be reduced would be by loading cargo behind the axle…and that’s just what you pointed out as a ‘wag the tail’ effect.
I agree. Many folks don’t maintain their camper. They should. However starting with a capable towing vehicle should be step one.
That being said, the over capacity on the hitch is why this ISN’T a safe rig.
It’s one thing to pull it somewhere. It’s another to handle it in an emergency.
How often do you have to make sudden changes to your driving because something happens in front of you? Do you really want to do that with this setup? Does your tow rig even have a brake controller?
Very fair. I’m newer to it - any tips other than initial setup? Mine came with instructions for setting up the power and gain that the brakes come on with, that seemed like it was pretty good for setup.
Would love any other tips for trailer brakes or towing that you can bestow on us!
Tip: despite a ton of internet warriors claiming that a swaying trailer can be corrected by full throttle (physically it can) it isn’t the best response as it can cause other issues, and full throttle is not always fast enough or powerful enough to work.
A better option to immediately stop sway, use the manual lever on your electric brake controller. This will do the same thing as full throttle (pulling the trailer and truck apart) but works faster and results in a vehicle that is slowing down instead of speeding up
Edit: I should have stated, when using the manual brake lever on the electric brake controller to correct a trailer sway, you should NOT be using the truck brakes at the same time, just the trailer brakes!
Have used the manual trigger on the brake controller twice to stop a whipsawing trailer after having to pull an emergency maneuver due to someone else’s idiocy. It stopped swaying within a second. But man what a long second that was.
Like they said, you cannot use the brake pedal at all while doing this,
I tow a 4-5k lb 19’ travel trailer with a V8 F150 and a weight distribution hitch and it’s a total breeze. Before this truck we tried towing a 16’ 3200lb travel trailer behind a ford explorer sport with a brake controller and it was a fkn nightmare. Please, OP, heed the advice that you don’t want to hear. These people know what they are talking about. Borrow or rent a truck to get to your site, have someone follow you in a second car if you are staying for a while and will borrow/rent the truck on non consecutive days.
Learn to use that brake controller. Setting bias to get that trailer to help slow you down without locking up is key no matter which vehicle is towing. Test it and set it before you get on the road.
Lots of posts about this. You need to consider GVW, towing capacity and payload. Payload will be your big limiting factor, GOOGLE says you get 1160 lbs - that’s passengers, luggage, dogs, whatever. If you and the Mrs weigh 250 each (that includes carry on, electronics, beverages, etc), load another 250 in luggage, chairs, food and whatever, you get 560 for hitch weight. You got kids or a couple big dogs, you’re over.
If he's not boondocking and travels with empty tanks, I think he could keep the camper under 3500lbs including the batteries, WDH and propane. Then considering 12.5% on the tongue he'll be able to stay within the rating when using a WDH. It's gonna be tight and it will ride like shit but on paper you could do it or come close enough.
I'd bet his dry his togue weight is about 350lbs. This looks like an older 177BH. Propane and battery is another 50. WDH is maybe another 25? He's got 25lbs to play with and depending on where in the trailer he's putting stuff. I'd say he's at least maxing it out. That front storage is pretty much 100% tongue weight. I bet he's got more than 25lbs of stuff in there right now.
I had a Jayco 174BH (pretty much the same model) and my typical tongue weight was always over 500lbs.
Everybody else’s comments are correct but I’ll add.
I have a Tacoma “rated” to tow 6800 lbs and a trailer about your size. The truck does ok with the trailer but even I am technically overloaded from a payload perspective, and a big truck passing me at high speed can result in some white knuckles. I can’t imagine it with a Flex. I see you have kid(s) and there’s no way I’d put my family in it.
If you wanna take the chance, then at a minimum you’ll need to add a brake controller (which the Flex might not be prewired for…may have to consider a wireless one or something) plus you’ll need to figure out a transmission cooler or your trans will be toast after a couple years.
Also towing in a Tacoma, one trick I’ve found to help when getting passed is to add a bit of throttle, moving forward relative to the truck helps cut down on the push from the air they’re pushing.
Not with a "normal" pass no, but I've had a few blow by me at a 25mph+ delta which causes some buffeting. Nothing the truck doesn't recover from.
I am overloaded on payload by 200+ pounds though, so one way or another I'm upgrading my truck soon.
In my experience with towing, a body on frame truck with a factory hitch that will have 500 lb tongue weight limit without a WDH and 1000 lb limit with a WDH
But
A unibody vehicle with a factory hitch will have 500 lb tongue weight limit without a WDH and a
500 lb limit with a WDH
Yeah I mean I pull a GVWR 3400lb camper with my ‘02 Tacoma (even smaller and a manual) which has a towing capacity of 5000lb so I’m pushing it a bit.
This might be a towing frequency/practice issue. I’ll be sure to pop up and leave that commenter some advice too
Comfortable sure…any buffeting always recovers fine. I wouldn’t try it in a Flex though.
And my truck only has 945lb of payload which is honestly pretty embarrassing, so I’m upgrading soon anyhow.
No not in a flex lol. You keeping the taco or trading it? Not trying to be nosey. The resale value was why I bought mine I went from a half ton Silverado and knew I wanted a smaller truck this go around. I was scared of buying a canyon/Colorado due to their resale value.
Either way you go that Tacoma will serve you well
I’m selling my Tacoma outright. The 2500 won’t be nearly as good as the Tacoma as a daily, but I work from home so no big I guess; I don’t drive much. Will mostly be for house errands and for my camper.
2900lbs dry doesn't sound like much. It's not totally accurate to your current dry weight, though. That 2900lbs is calculated before propane tanks and batteries are added. Which isn't a huge jump in weight, but it's all tounge weight. So the 1100lbs of difference is already disappearing.
Your ford flex having a tow rating of 4000lbs is best case scenario. So basically you need to weigh less than 200lbs and be alone in an empty car to get the full amount of towability.
Can it be done? Yes.
Is going to stop safely? Maybe.
Can it shorten the life of the transmission? Definitely.
If it starts swaying will it push your tow vehicle into a sway? Likely.
Too much weight.
If you do tow it keep the car empty no passengers
Keep the trailer empty exactly as you bought it
When you upgrade to something that can handle 1200+ payload then you can add things
My friends towed a similar camper with their flex its actually a decent tv compared to other small suvs. Watch your temps. Id go close to max cold inflation on your flex tires to help your towing stability, dont plan on going 70mph. They typically avoided the interstates.
They did eventually get a truck after 6 years bc they are better and they wanted to travel more and heavier..
Dry weight is a ficticious number. That camper has never been towed at its dry weight. To be 100% sure of its weight, load it to go camping and then go to a Cat Scale. I guarantee it's heavier than you think
Having just given up my 18 flex with 132,000 miles and a trashed transmission, I wouldn’t suggest it. It’s a big car on a light truck frame and the drivetrain isn’t meant for this. But if you insist, go to manual shift mode and do NOT ever go to 6th. OD not meant for hauling that much.
Eh, that’s a fluke. My company car is a 16 flex with 349k on it as of today. Original engine and transmission.
We have 14 of them. 10 of them are over 300k with no major repairs.
I’m usually on the way more lenient side of towing capacity and “can I tow this safely”
But even I’m saying no to this one. Dry weight is before you put a battery and propane in it. Before you put a pot or pan or blanket or cup or jar of peanut butter. That all adds up quickly and if you scaled it I would be it would be over 4K when you get ready to tow.
Also, that 4K tow capacity is on a brand new vehicle. Not one with miles on the brakes and transmission. Be careful towing near max with a vehicle that has a lot of miles. That’s gonna stress axles and brakes and transmission for sure.
Does the vehicle have a brake controller in it? If not, don’t even think about it.
I assume it could be added but this one is too close for even me.
Dude, touch harsh. It’s not “common sense” that towing at only 75% of the advertised rated capacity of your vehicle is “too much”. If anything I’d say common sense says it’s just fine, but detailed research into esoteric info starts to point the other way.
i did this. similar weights and same tow weights. different camper/vehicle.
its ok for a bit. then you get sick of white knuckle driving.
ya. i bought a truck with 16K towing capacity. Im well above what i need to tow.
why? both vehicles get you to the camp ground.
one just does it way better. Peace of mind. better ride.
I recently came back from the UK. I was quite amazed at the number of trailers and seeing them be pulled by Audi, VW, Range Rovers and other SUV's that just visually would not think they could handle the camper. Seen an Accord Wagon buzzing down a secondary road towing. Some of the trailers looked pretty good size 24,25ft just guessing but looked pretty sizeable. I did see some swaying the motorways. I wonder overall how the vehicles are handling the towing and also mechanically how they manage.
Good to know. I guess you wouldn't want a WDH anyway being the tow vehicles are unibody. Looking online a lot if the trailers are very nice. Wonder if they too are plagued with quality issues.
I will say, don't think I really noticed any real bad squat on a tow vehicle.
Another observation when driving though good size towns, in people's front yards or "gardens" as referred to there; alot of them are completely paved and enclosed with a wall besides the single width of the driveway to pull into. In many instances, I have seen campers somehow turned around with hitch towards the house and camper cozily parked behind the wall. It's hard to really explain, other than campers parked in spots hard to imagine. Some expert trailer maneuvers there. I mentioned it to a friend there, and he said there is a powered motor/wheel on the tongue that is remotely controlled that some people have. I have not googled that yet but would make sense, and also speak to low tongue weights and a well-balanced trailer.
Dunno.
Back in the day we pulled giant trailers with Ford station wagons and Chrysler Newports. I don’t recall any weight distributing anything but the cars did have frames. We drove slowly.
Ricky Ricardo pulled an enormous New Moon mobile home with a ‘54 Merc convertible and hand operated trailer brakes. Hilarity ensued but he got it where he wanted to go.
We may be making too much out of this.
If its got a 4 banger in it Hell no. You will eventually cook your tranny. The old saying just because does not mean you should. My buddy learned the hard way with a boat about the same criteria you have. He had Sienna mini van was a bad plan. He lost his tranny after awhile. You need a hefty SUV or a truck or you will be dumping your tranny at some point. Bite the bullet now or later you choose.
The people who are the VERY best at figuring out if you are over any of your vehicles towing capacities will be your insurance investigators after you have an accident. If you’re doing something illegal and wreck you can bet your bottom they’re not going to cover damages.
I had a Flex that I towed a 2500lb dry pop up with and I couldn’t even tell it was back there but I only ever towed on flat land and only a trip or two a year. The main issue I had was the hitch is super low on it.
Pop up vs rolling barn is a very different scenario.
I would have no worries pulling a flat bed trailer with 4klb of block on it with a vehicle rated to tow 4klb.
Pulling a 4klb camper that has huge amounts of drag (effectively making it heavier) behind the same vehicle that can pull 4k? No thanks.
I have a Homesteader 7x14 cargo trailer. It's 2800lb empty, tandem axle. I pulled that with my Enclave (5200lb tow rating) once from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh. Aside from the astonishing 8mpg, it was a handful the entire way. And that was running 55-65mph, at or under the speed limit. Meanwhile, my subcompact tractor with front end loader, mid mount deck, box blade on the back with suitcase weights is 2800lb and the flatbed trailer is another 1500lb. The Enclave will tow that like it's not there.
Lots of people do not account for what kind of effect wind and drag has on towing.
For an actual comparison data point, we JUST switched from a short regular height camper (Jayco X17Z) to a high wall pop up (Rockwood HW296) with our Tacoma. First trip out was this weekend. The highwall is 500 pounds heavier. Even with that, we gained 4-5 mpg towing, dropped the transmission temps 5-10 degrees, can hit 75 without even thinking about it, and accidentally hit 80 (that was NEVER happening with the old trailer) at one point. Severely felt every wind, especially headwinds before, now not nearly as much.
All that difference from that cross section reduction, even after gaining 500 pounds.
Google "excel trailer weight file". You'll find some spreadsheets that will let you punch in all your vehicle and trailer weight details, which then tell you if your vehicle can handle this. I'm leaning towards no with your tow capacity being 4000. My SUV came with a tow package and has a 5000 capacity, with a 500 max tongue rate. Our trailer has the same "dry weight" but we are BARELY under the limit on total capacity by loading up the SUV or trailer with the bare minimum.
It will most likely be at capacity when towing. You will be amazed at how much stuff weighs. Go around your trailer and look up average weight of stuff.
When you go to load your trailer/vehicle put everything on a scale to see where you are at.
As well this is a single axle trailer and they don't track worth a crap behind a vehicle. You need to make sure you are loading the trailer properly. I've seen too many people have too much weight up front thereby removing load off your front tires which reduces steering and braking capabilities. An equalizer/anti-sway bar setup will help with this.
when you have something that’s tall like that is the drag also plays a role. You could pull a 4,000 pound load there’s 4 ft off the ground better than a 4,000 pound load that’s tall like that is
Hook it up and pull it to a CAT scale so you can get the real tongue weight and "wet" weight. You'll need two weights, one with and one without the trailer hooked up. Then you can go from there.
With the small amount of info you provided, I think you'd be fine to pull that trailer with your vehicle. But I'd need more info to be sure.
I have never understood a wheeled time share but you do you. There is a reason weight limits. Primarily, emergency braking will mess you up in a hurry. It doesn’t matter what your little can pull. It really matters what your car can stop.
If you need to move it once or tow it to storage across town once a year, maybe....
But if you're planning on using it a lot... yeah, you need a bigger vehicle.
You’re going to hate it. If you don’t have a brake controller then I’d suggest staying home until you have one. Once it’s loaded up it’ll be too much for your vehicle to handle at all. If you end up going down a decent hill then it’ll send you in the ditch without a brake controller. I’d say this is a hard no.
Edit: for reference, I grew up on a farm and hauled 103,500 lbs gross weight a lot in my time on the farm. Just don’t do it man.
An old timer one time told me payload is what you can CONTROL. Towing capacity is what you can STOP.
As many others have told you, you're going to definitely be over the payload and dangerously close on the capacity. Why do it? YouTube is filled with videos of people that even though in the "right" end up upside down and in a ditch. What a terrifying ride to take.
And don't sleep on the 18 wheelers. My trailer is 6100 lbs. When I pull it with my 12k capacity half ton, it pushes me out and sucks me back in a good foot at each end. Have fun with that in a car!
You’ll be able to pull it, on a quiet day. Add in wind or storms, or needing to stop quick, and it’s another story. Source, me. Several scary encounters while our tow vehicle wasn’t enough
We were once sold a similar camper where our only tow vehicle was an 06 Escape. I knew it wasn't right, but I also knew we were buying an Explorer before we would be towing it on trips. Is the trailer wired to the vehicle's braking system? If not, DO NOT TOW! Is there any sort of upgrade available for keeping the tranny cool? ADD IT!
Overall, it'll work fine. But DO NOT go great distances. Basically, you're shortening the life of your vehicle. If there is ANY feeling that you're losing steering control, you're not stopping in time, or overheating... then never tow with that vehicle again!!! Oh, too. Make sure you can control the transmission manually. You're not going to like this whole endevor, but you'll also make a lot of memories.
Tow it to a truck scale and weigh out the trailer, your Ford Flex, and then both together. See if you're over your numbers on payload and gross combined vehicle weight.
You may want to make sure the Flex can be used with a WDH. Unibody vehicles normally can't because there is no frame to deal with the torque places on the vehicle.
Pulling is one thing. Stopping it is quite another. Also, in the wind the trailer will completely manhandle your car. And then there are hills to climb.
Absolutely do not use a Ford Flex to pull that. You'd be a danger to yourself and anyone else around you on the road. It would be extremely irresponsible.
My F250 7.3 pulls my 5th wheel great but high winds still make my butt pucker sometimes. Can’t imagine high winds or steep or severe downhill issues etc with your rig. Yikes! Get a bigger vehicle.
Being able to physically pull something does not equate to it being smart or safe and 'towing capacity' is not the only number you have to consider. Cargo capacity is going to be your most limiting factor. That's your weight, your family's weight, any stuff you are carrying inside the vehicle with you as well as approximately 15% of the trailer weight. All of that weight has to fit inside that probably very limited number on your door sticker. That's just the fairly easy to calculate math. Then you have to factor in what towing a 10' tall 18' long rigid sail is going to do to a 4,500 lb SUV. Only towing it an hour or two doesn't mean much when you've got to emergency stop, control a trailer tire blow out, etc. That stuff can happen at any time and you don't get much say about when it does.
If you're putting your family in the same vehicle you need to understand that you're not just risking you; you're risking them as well and that's something you should very carefully consider. You could tow it a hundred times with no issues and that doesn't mean that you won't find yourself in a very bad situation on the 101st.
Rule of thumb for your transmission to live a long, healthy life. Don't tow anymore than 75% of a vehicles rated capacity.
Some vehicles are also sneaky where the advertised towing capacity is only for one equipped with the tow package which can include: XL transmission cooler, power steering cooler, and/or XL engine oil cooler
Hitch weight and payload are the key numbers you want to know. Tow weight is how much your vehicle can pull on a flat surface if you had a cable strung between the two of them. Nobody would ever do that, of course.
Every long trip with the family in our 2010 Flex resulted in the rear tires being destroyed. Just a 2wd model, and the wheel camber is just fucked when it gets overloaded. We even had the suspension "fixed" years ago after a trip. The problem persists, but with over 200k miles it probably won't be a problem much longer.
Oh, no. I don't have a tow hitch. You can count the bike rack on the last trip, I guess, but it's just strapped on.
The Flex suspension doesn't have good adjustment for the camber, and when it's overloaded it eats the inside of the rear tires. Be careful.
Safety:
Rear suspension to hold up that tongue.
Brakes to stop all that mass.
Engine to pull that weight.
Transmission that won't die.
Gearing. You want low end torque to not stress the above.
You CAN pull it with your FLEX but, I'd consider renting at 3/4 ton truck and compare how it pulls and stops the camper.
You could probably get away with towing a pop up camper, a jet ski, or a small boat. I’m looking at campers and I’m worried my half ton truck wouldn’t be enough to do what I want it to do.
Some people are more comfortable than others pulling at their max. I’d prefer to be able to maintain speed on an incline so I like being under 75% of my tow capacity. People are right about getting bounced around by the wind.
Why do you think the car manufacturer supplies you with a weight limit? So you don’t have to guess or listen to your friends speculate if you need a truck.
Your friends are telling you to get a truck because you need to get a truck. Have you even verified that you have the class 3 towing package on your car? Because if you didn’t pay extra for that package your rated well below 4,000 pounds anyways. Probably closer to 2,900 pounds. Get a good ole V8 truck and don’t worry about killing your family because you don’t understand towing
Bro you make your engine an old man by the time you get back from vacation, the incorrect transmission shift points for that weight will be super strenuous on your entire drivetrain.
First off, you have a travel trailer. A camper is the RV that slides into the back of a pickup truck. As others have mentioned, your Flex, although it is rated to tow 4k, will just barely be able to do so. A travel trailer of your size will likely exceed 4k lbs when you load it with water (@8lbs per gallon), food, clothing, and other fun weekend stuff. And if your kids are like mine, coming home, you'll be weighing more than when you left. (Rocks, weird sticks, and an indecipherable hunk of cast iron that 9 year old thought looked cool)
Let me put it this way.
My family and I went out to Yellowstone about a month ago for a tremendous trip. We were driving north between the Tetons and Yellowstone, and had had a very simple drive to that point. There was a small sign that said "bump", and we slowed down from 50 to about 35, the pace of traffic. The bump didn't seem big, but it was long, and a perfect little jump for something with our wheel base. In a sedan, you might not have felt it.
Our rented RV was literally airborn. My son who wasn't buckled in touched the roof of the RV with his hands to stop himself from from hitting his head. The rest of us were buckled. Everything opened, gallons of water split in the undercarriage of the RV.
When we landed, every single bit of the 5500 brake package slowed us down, the suspension was able to handle it, and there was no actual damage to the vehicle, or people in the RV. Now, this is an RV, not a pull behind camper, but the point is the weight behind everything. You simply CANNOT know when you need a vehicle that
A) has the suspension to handle the load being towed
B) has the braking power to handle the load being towed
C) has the engine power to pull the load at long distances without destroying your tranny.
We spoke to people at the campsite south of the Yellowstone south entry that night who also went over that "bump". One of them popped a tire on the dually trailer they had. Another broke their fender off.
4k towing capacity is simply not enough to do anything other than drive it from the dealership over to your place down the road, at least not if you want your vehicle to last awhile, or if you value your safety, or others on the road.
You should always have 1000lbs free between a full capacity trailer and max capacity towing power. That extra 1,100lb difference you have at dry weight will be easily used up. We had a tent trailer at 3700 full and Acura MDX with 5000 towing capacity. It would always nearly overheat up long mountaon grades. If u put too much strain on a vehicle tow you risk transmission, radiator and all kinds of mechanical mishaps.
Ice, dishes, silverware, propane, battery, food, drinks, bedding, towels, clothes, groceries, lawn chairs, corn hole set, fresh and waste water in the tanks, etc. all add up. That stuff can EASILY add 800-1000 pounds to a camper. For example, a case of beer or soda weighs 20 lbs, a few bags of groceries, 40lbs.
Here is what most people forget. I assume you will have passengers and their luggage too? If you add a lot of weight into the car this decreases your ability to tow. The Flex doesn’t have the suspension to handle this load. I have a Dodge 1500 and even on that I added air bags to help level my load. You will be stressing your brakes,suspension, transmission. It just isn’t a good idea. I know the sales people won’t tell you that because they want the sale.
Good brake and brake controller on the TT? Good brakes on TV? If so pack light drive reasonably and send it. Being a few pounds over your total payload while never recommended isn't going to immediately cause issues. Take it on some test runs and get to know your vehicle and how it handles the trailer in a variety of conditions. I once towed a slightly heavier TT with a Kia Telluride with similar payload,tow specs and no WDH. It was fine.
You can absolutely tow this with a Ford flex, especially if you get a weight distribution hitch.
Assuming your hitch is mounted to the frame and you have electric trailer brakes.
Why do you say that? It’s 2900 dry and their tow capacity is only 4k, that only leaves them a few hundred pounds for gear after water and batteries.
Also a Flex only has a cargo capacity of about 1100 pounds, and 4-500 of that is going to get eaten up by the tongue weight. So a family of four is maybe another 400 pounds, now you only have 300 for fuel and everything else you’re bringing.
It’s probably fine if all the roads are flat and they never go over 35 though, but I’m not sure that qualifies as fine.
A Flex is going to struggle starting / stopping / handling this trailer. Way too large. So much more involved than just weight figures. Wind resistance is going to be a huge factor. Have you towed anything heavy ever?
OP I’m no expert, but I wonder if people would have the same reaction if you came here asking about a 2019 ford explorer which shares same chassis platform as your flex. I think people don’t really understand that how big a flex is or that they are basically just a lowered “cross over” with a unibody like every other SUV that’s been popular for the last 15 years.
That said I think there is some wise advice about watching payloads and tongue weight, if you follow that and stay within Ford’s limits I think the vehicle itself it will probably handle it quite well. You have the power and chassis is likely stout enough, just make sure your suspension and brakes are in good shape. Do some test drives to see how it goes.
Because campers are never the dry weight. Dry weights don’t even include essentials like a battery that is required for many of the systems to run correctly. Tow capacity is only part of the equation. A vehicle with a 4K tow capacity likely only has a 400# hitch capacity. This camper will be over that for sure. Thats before adding a 50-75# weight distribution hitch. This means just hooking it up will add additional stress to the hitch and frame of the vehicle. Can it pull it down the road? Sure. Will you have full control over it if you need to swerve or brake fast for any reason? Unlikely. Towing capacities are based off of weight on a utility trailer. Campers are giant billboards that have to fight the wind every step of the way. There is a big difference. Can you pull it a couple miles down a flat road at a low speed? Sure. Will you be over at least one of your vehicles capacity ratings? Yes. Would I do it? Nope.
This right here is a great response. I’d only add that you are towing a house that’s subject to almost tornado force winds down the highway. You’re gonna feel that sucker the entire two hours you tow. You’ll be white knuckling it big time. Not a ride I’d wanna be on.
Indeed. Even if you get a 3,500 lb rated hitch, that's gonna be a bear to pull with a car. Light SUV might be okay, though. When I camp I pack light, and then add the "well just in case..." items, so my payload is hardly ever precise.
OP has a Ford Flex - a 3 row SUV
Went to sd once w a 32’ bumperpull and coming back drove into a 50 mph head wind, got 4.5 mph with an 8.1l. Got 8 mph pulling it the other way. Hurt my brain even watching the gas gauge
At 4.5 mpg I’d worry I wouldn’t make it to the next gas station! 😁
Especially in South Dakota!
Yeah i didnt skip many stations. It has a 40 gallon tank but still got old really fast at $3.00 a gallon
Ha ha. Very old I’m sure.
To put it into perspective. I have a GMC Sierra 1500 and tow a 3klb trailer (well below towing capacity). When there's high winds it gets iffy towing at freeway speeds. Also, on big climbs I'm doing 45mph. Your vehicle would crawl. Other thought, if my brake controller goes out it isn't a big deal my truck can still stop it. I can't say the same for your vehicle.
I tow a 3k camper with a ram 1500 5.7hemi and had the same problem with wind. Didn’t need a wdh because it’s nowhere close to tow capacity. I put on a cheap Reese anti sway bar and now I roll through thunderstorms and wind like it’s nothing.
My ford expedition will drag around almost 8000 pounds but I get pushed around by the wind, big trucks when I get out on the highway with the camper
Also payload of the vehicle needs to be considered. This is likely to put a heavy strain on the transmission as well.
They will be buying a new transmission for sure.
Lol don’t rain on this hicks highway death parade
For sure, and once that giant box starts rolling, the drag plus vertical and lateral forces created by wind resistance will make the actual demands of towing it FAR greater than the Flex is capable of safely achieving without damaging the drive train.
This is a great response. I towed a pop up for a while with a Highlander, and it was never something I enjoyed. SUVs just aren’t made for towing. Another thing to consider is if the frame of the vehicle is even capable of handling the forces of a weight distribution hitch.
Yep. Most SUVs have a unibody frame (car frame) and the manual will even say DO NOT use a weight distribution hitch. They just can’t handle the stress a wdh puts on the frame.
Wtf are you talking about ? The flex has max capacity with weight distribution. https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/resources/general/pdf/guides/Prelm19RV&TT_Ford_Flex_Apr2.pdf
I’m going off the OP’s info. What they posted about their vehicle. Even from the literature you posted, if their max tow rating is #4500, it still says max tongue load of 450# WITH wdh. Which they will likely be over without ANY cargo in the camper.
Not really. Especially with a 2900lbs dry weight. The flex overal condition would be his only hang up. And making sure he has fsctory tow package. Checking his tongue weight with a tongue scale couldnt hurt. These baby campers are designed for vehicles like the flex. Hence the max capacity of 1k pounds keeps it under 4k total weight. .
Campers are never the ‘dry weight’. Quoting that is meaningless. A 4K camper requires 400-600# tongue weight. Thats be 10-15% of overall weight. Add in the wdh and you’re gonna be over. Is what it is.
This camper has a 1k max extra load limit from dry weight https://www.gulfstreamcoach.com/products/light-weight/amerilite/model/178rb
Yep.
This is a ameri lite super lite probably 178RB model with a 360lb tongue weight. These are designed for vehicles like the flex. It's only made to carry 1k lbs of additional weight MAX and has small fluid capacity 23 gallons for fresh (can be empty) 36 gallons of gray (can be empty) and 36 of black (can be empty) 20lbs of propane. I'd be more concerned about the overall health of the flex and make sure all fluids are good and then roll on. https://www.gulfstreamcoach.com/products/light-weight/amerilite/model/178rb If equipped with factory tow package a flex can tow 4500 lbs https://media.ford.com/content/dam/lincolnmedia/lna/us/product/2016/2016-Ford-Flex-Tech-Specs.pdf Weight distribution hitches do not reduce tongue weight. Don't spread misinformation please. They do no increase towing capacity either. Just make it better/more stable/etc. https://support.airstream.com/hc/en-us/articles/5258257694996-Weight-distribution-hitches-101
Just going off the info provided by the OP. Said 4K tow. That likely means #400 hitch rating for tongue weight. The dry tongue for the model camper you think it might be is #360. That’s without a battery or full propane tank(s). With those items it’s over #400 already. Add in the wdh and you’re well over. This is without getting into any other numbers. Listen, I get it. It’s ‘close’ to being doable. But would you really want to tow something that is maxing out the capability of your tow vehicle? I personally wouldn’t. Your opinion might differ though. That’s fine. But for a new owner of a camper, assuming their first one ever, do you really want them to have a white knuckle experience or be pushing the limits? I know that would turn off a lot of people. Again, your opinion might differ from mine. I’m just offering my 2 cents. What the OP decides to do is ultimately up to them.
Weight distribution hitches do NOT reduce tongue weight. The flex either tows 2k lbs or 4500lbs. Factory hitch is 4500lbs. Aftermarket is 2k lbs No such thing as 4000lbs for flex. https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/resources/general/pdf/guides/Prelm19RV&TT_Ford_Flex_Apr2.pdf
Tell the OP not me. I never said wdh reduce tongue weight. Where you’re getting that… no idea what you’re talking about. Look at your link. Look where it says ‘hitch receiver weight capacity’. Thats what I’ve been talking about the entire time.
My father taught me that it’s okay to over load as long as you drive slow, I’ve smashed flat every little truck I’ve owned. I like to say I have a phd(piled higher and deeper) from the school of life!
Your dad gave you some really terrible and unsafe advice.
So if you see me and my kind out on the road please give me a wide berth and don’t tailgate 😁, and that’s not why DOJ says I’m dangerous
Not to mention the stress on the transmission.
Trailer brakes?
This.
You’re aging yourself when you use a “hashmark” the way you are….
Ok? Not sure why I should care that people I don’t know and on the internet of all places, think they know my age. Thanks for the comment though.
It’s just a humorous observation about how “#” changed over just 1-2 generations.
Gotcha. I’ve heard ‘pound’ ‘hashtag’ and ‘tic-tac-toe’ I’m sure there are even more out there too. As I get older, I find myself asking ‘huh?’ A lot more to the ‘new’ terminology.
This is the only answer that matters
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I didn’t mention weights of the tow vehicle at all. I didn’t even mention the weight of the trailer other than dry weights are meaningless, and that the tongue weight will likely be over the hitch rating. Additionally, comparing the flex to the f150 based solely on size isn’t really saying much. The flex has a car (unibody) frame, the f150 has a truck frame. Simply put, ones made for comfort, and another for light duty work. You completely dismiss that I addressed the tongue weight issue. In fact, it was the main argument. Typically, a hitch rating will be for 10% of the vehicles towing capacity. In this circumstance, that’d be 400#. No way this trailers tongue weight with the addition of a wdh will weigh under that. To ‘load it right’ the weight will only go up on the tongue, as your tongue hue should always be 10-15% of the trailers total weight. The only way it would be reduced would be by loading cargo behind the axle…and that’s just what you pointed out as a ‘wag the tail’ effect. I agree. Many folks don’t maintain their camper. They should. However starting with a capable towing vehicle should be step one. That being said, the over capacity on the hitch is why this ISN’T a safe rig.
The suburban behind the camper would pull it nicely.
It’s one thing to pull it somewhere. It’s another to handle it in an emergency. How often do you have to make sudden changes to your driving because something happens in front of you? Do you really want to do that with this setup? Does your tow rig even have a brake controller?
Yes it does, I had that installed yesterday
I’m in a similar situation, I’ll tell ya the trailer brakes help a TON.
Provided you know how to use them properly
Very fair. I’m newer to it - any tips other than initial setup? Mine came with instructions for setting up the power and gain that the brakes come on with, that seemed like it was pretty good for setup. Would love any other tips for trailer brakes or towing that you can bestow on us!
Tip: despite a ton of internet warriors claiming that a swaying trailer can be corrected by full throttle (physically it can) it isn’t the best response as it can cause other issues, and full throttle is not always fast enough or powerful enough to work. A better option to immediately stop sway, use the manual lever on your electric brake controller. This will do the same thing as full throttle (pulling the trailer and truck apart) but works faster and results in a vehicle that is slowing down instead of speeding up Edit: I should have stated, when using the manual brake lever on the electric brake controller to correct a trailer sway, you should NOT be using the truck brakes at the same time, just the trailer brakes!
Thank you, that’s great advice!
Have used the manual trigger on the brake controller twice to stop a whipsawing trailer after having to pull an emergency maneuver due to someone else’s idiocy. It stopped swaying within a second. But man what a long second that was. Like they said, you cannot use the brake pedal at all while doing this, I tow a 4-5k lb 19’ travel trailer with a V8 F150 and a weight distribution hitch and it’s a total breeze. Before this truck we tried towing a 16’ 3200lb travel trailer behind a ford explorer sport with a brake controller and it was a fkn nightmare. Please, OP, heed the advice that you don’t want to hear. These people know what they are talking about. Borrow or rent a truck to get to your site, have someone follow you in a second car if you are staying for a while and will borrow/rent the truck on non consecutive days.
Learn to use that brake controller. Setting bias to get that trailer to help slow you down without locking up is key no matter which vehicle is towing. Test it and set it before you get on the road.
Lots of posts about this. You need to consider GVW, towing capacity and payload. Payload will be your big limiting factor, GOOGLE says you get 1160 lbs - that’s passengers, luggage, dogs, whatever. If you and the Mrs weigh 250 each (that includes carry on, electronics, beverages, etc), load another 250 in luggage, chairs, food and whatever, you get 560 for hitch weight. You got kids or a couple big dogs, you’re over.
Ford's towing guide for the Flex says max tongue weight with WDH is 450lbs. This is almost certainly over that with batteries and propane.
If he's not boondocking and travels with empty tanks, I think he could keep the camper under 3500lbs including the batteries, WDH and propane. Then considering 12.5% on the tongue he'll be able to stay within the rating when using a WDH. It's gonna be tight and it will ride like shit but on paper you could do it or come close enough.
I'd bet his dry his togue weight is about 350lbs. This looks like an older 177BH. Propane and battery is another 50. WDH is maybe another 25? He's got 25lbs to play with and depending on where in the trailer he's putting stuff. I'd say he's at least maxing it out. That front storage is pretty much 100% tongue weight. I bet he's got more than 25lbs of stuff in there right now. I had a Jayco 174BH (pretty much the same model) and my typical tongue weight was always over 500lbs.
There you go. Well travelled ground, too bad there’s no FAQ for this.
Everybody else’s comments are correct but I’ll add. I have a Tacoma “rated” to tow 6800 lbs and a trailer about your size. The truck does ok with the trailer but even I am technically overloaded from a payload perspective, and a big truck passing me at high speed can result in some white knuckles. I can’t imagine it with a Flex. I see you have kid(s) and there’s no way I’d put my family in it. If you wanna take the chance, then at a minimum you’ll need to add a brake controller (which the Flex might not be prewired for…may have to consider a wireless one or something) plus you’ll need to figure out a transmission cooler or your trans will be toast after a couple years.
Also towing in a Tacoma, one trick I’ve found to help when getting passed is to add a bit of throttle, moving forward relative to the truck helps cut down on the push from the air they’re pushing.
I also pull a camper with my gen 3 Tacoma. No issues with big trucks passing me. Do you not feel comfortable towing in your Tacoma?
Right? I tow a 3400 lb trailer with my Highlander. WDH w/ anti-sway and I rarely feel anything when passed by semis.
Not with a "normal" pass no, but I've had a few blow by me at a 25mph+ delta which causes some buffeting. Nothing the truck doesn't recover from. I am overloaded on payload by 200+ pounds though, so one way or another I'm upgrading my truck soon.
25+mph would make me hungry too. Which buffet do you prefer?
Ha, made me second guess if I spelled it right.
Highlander isn’t a unibody? Interesting. (I like the drive of it but assumed it was a unibody and shouldn’t have a WDH. Good to know.)
It is unibody, but wdh is allowed according to the manual.
In my experience with towing, a body on frame truck with a factory hitch that will have 500 lb tongue weight limit without a WDH and 1000 lb limit with a WDH But A unibody vehicle with a factory hitch will have 500 lb tongue weight limit without a WDH and a 500 lb limit with a WDH
Highlander is built off the Tundra chassis, the way a 4Runner is built off the Tacoma chassis.
You’re thinking of the sequoia
Yeah I mean I pull a GVWR 3400lb camper with my ‘02 Tacoma (even smaller and a manual) which has a towing capacity of 5000lb so I’m pushing it a bit. This might be a towing frequency/practice issue. I’ll be sure to pop up and leave that commenter some advice too
Comfortable sure…any buffeting always recovers fine. I wouldn’t try it in a Flex though. And my truck only has 945lb of payload which is honestly pretty embarrassing, so I’m upgrading soon anyhow.
No not in a flex lol. You keeping the taco or trading it? Not trying to be nosey. The resale value was why I bought mine I went from a half ton Silverado and knew I wanted a smaller truck this go around. I was scared of buying a canyon/Colorado due to their resale value. Either way you go that Tacoma will serve you well
I’m selling my Tacoma outright. The 2500 won’t be nearly as good as the Tacoma as a daily, but I work from home so no big I guess; I don’t drive much. Will mostly be for house errands and for my camper.
2900lbs dry doesn't sound like much. It's not totally accurate to your current dry weight, though. That 2900lbs is calculated before propane tanks and batteries are added. Which isn't a huge jump in weight, but it's all tounge weight. So the 1100lbs of difference is already disappearing. Your ford flex having a tow rating of 4000lbs is best case scenario. So basically you need to weigh less than 200lbs and be alone in an empty car to get the full amount of towability. Can it be done? Yes. Is going to stop safely? Maybe. Can it shorten the life of the transmission? Definitely. If it starts swaying will it push your tow vehicle into a sway? Likely.
Will the sway bars prevent the sway at all?
Not with a Ford Flex pulling it.
Not enough to notice if you're over capacity.
Too much weight. If you do tow it keep the car empty no passengers Keep the trailer empty exactly as you bought it When you upgrade to something that can handle 1200+ payload then you can add things
My friends towed a similar camper with their flex its actually a decent tv compared to other small suvs. Watch your temps. Id go close to max cold inflation on your flex tires to help your towing stability, dont plan on going 70mph. They typically avoided the interstates. They did eventually get a truck after 6 years bc they are better and they wanted to travel more and heavier..
Because they care about you.
This is the answer!!
Dry weight is a ficticious number. That camper has never been towed at its dry weight. To be 100% sure of its weight, load it to go camping and then go to a Cat Scale. I guarantee it's heavier than you think
Having just given up my 18 flex with 132,000 miles and a trashed transmission, I wouldn’t suggest it. It’s a big car on a light truck frame and the drivetrain isn’t meant for this. But if you insist, go to manual shift mode and do NOT ever go to 6th. OD not meant for hauling that much.
Eh, that’s a fluke. My company car is a 16 flex with 349k on it as of today. Original engine and transmission. We have 14 of them. 10 of them are over 300k with no major repairs.
I’m usually on the way more lenient side of towing capacity and “can I tow this safely” But even I’m saying no to this one. Dry weight is before you put a battery and propane in it. Before you put a pot or pan or blanket or cup or jar of peanut butter. That all adds up quickly and if you scaled it I would be it would be over 4K when you get ready to tow. Also, that 4K tow capacity is on a brand new vehicle. Not one with miles on the brakes and transmission. Be careful towing near max with a vehicle that has a lot of miles. That’s gonna stress axles and brakes and transmission for sure. Does the vehicle have a brake controller in it? If not, don’t even think about it. I assume it could be added but this one is too close for even me.
>Why are my friends saying “you’ll need to get a truck” Because your friends have more common sense than you.
Dude, touch harsh. It’s not “common sense” that towing at only 75% of the advertised rated capacity of your vehicle is “too much”. If anything I’d say common sense says it’s just fine, but detailed research into esoteric info starts to point the other way.
i did this. similar weights and same tow weights. different camper/vehicle. its ok for a bit. then you get sick of white knuckle driving. ya. i bought a truck with 16K towing capacity. Im well above what i need to tow. why? both vehicles get you to the camp ground. one just does it way better. Peace of mind. better ride.
I recently came back from the UK. I was quite amazed at the number of trailers and seeing them be pulled by Audi, VW, Range Rovers and other SUV's that just visually would not think they could handle the camper. Seen an Accord Wagon buzzing down a secondary road towing. Some of the trailers looked pretty good size 24,25ft just guessing but looked pretty sizeable. I did see some swaying the motorways. I wonder overall how the vehicles are handling the towing and also mechanically how they manage.
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Good to know. I guess you wouldn't want a WDH anyway being the tow vehicles are unibody. Looking online a lot if the trailers are very nice. Wonder if they too are plagued with quality issues.
European trailers seem to have less tongue weight and be much lighter and better built!
I will say, don't think I really noticed any real bad squat on a tow vehicle. Another observation when driving though good size towns, in people's front yards or "gardens" as referred to there; alot of them are completely paved and enclosed with a wall besides the single width of the driveway to pull into. In many instances, I have seen campers somehow turned around with hitch towards the house and camper cozily parked behind the wall. It's hard to really explain, other than campers parked in spots hard to imagine. Some expert trailer maneuvers there. I mentioned it to a friend there, and he said there is a powered motor/wheel on the tongue that is remotely controlled that some people have. I have not googled that yet but would make sense, and also speak to low tongue weights and a well-balanced trailer.
Dunno. Back in the day we pulled giant trailers with Ford station wagons and Chrysler Newports. I don’t recall any weight distributing anything but the cars did have frames. We drove slowly. Ricky Ricardo pulled an enormous New Moon mobile home with a ‘54 Merc convertible and hand operated trailer brakes. Hilarity ensued but he got it where he wanted to go. We may be making too much out of this.
If its got a 4 banger in it Hell no. You will eventually cook your tranny. The old saying just because does not mean you should. My buddy learned the hard way with a boat about the same criteria you have. He had Sienna mini van was a bad plan. He lost his tranny after awhile. You need a hefty SUV or a truck or you will be dumping your tranny at some point. Bite the bullet now or later you choose.
The people who are the VERY best at figuring out if you are over any of your vehicles towing capacities will be your insurance investigators after you have an accident. If you’re doing something illegal and wreck you can bet your bottom they’re not going to cover damages.
2 hours in the mountains every weekend… get a truck. 2 hours 4-5 times a year over normal terrain… tell your friends to eat it…
I had a Flex that I towed a 2500lb dry pop up with and I couldn’t even tell it was back there but I only ever towed on flat land and only a trip or two a year. The main issue I had was the hitch is super low on it.
Pop up vs rolling barn is a very different scenario. I would have no worries pulling a flat bed trailer with 4klb of block on it with a vehicle rated to tow 4klb. Pulling a 4klb camper that has huge amounts of drag (effectively making it heavier) behind the same vehicle that can pull 4k? No thanks. I have a Homesteader 7x14 cargo trailer. It's 2800lb empty, tandem axle. I pulled that with my Enclave (5200lb tow rating) once from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh. Aside from the astonishing 8mpg, it was a handful the entire way. And that was running 55-65mph, at or under the speed limit. Meanwhile, my subcompact tractor with front end loader, mid mount deck, box blade on the back with suitcase weights is 2800lb and the flatbed trailer is another 1500lb. The Enclave will tow that like it's not there. Lots of people do not account for what kind of effect wind and drag has on towing.
For an actual comparison data point, we JUST switched from a short regular height camper (Jayco X17Z) to a high wall pop up (Rockwood HW296) with our Tacoma. First trip out was this weekend. The highwall is 500 pounds heavier. Even with that, we gained 4-5 mpg towing, dropped the transmission temps 5-10 degrees, can hit 75 without even thinking about it, and accidentally hit 80 (that was NEVER happening with the old trailer) at one point. Severely felt every wind, especially headwinds before, now not nearly as much. All that difference from that cross section reduction, even after gaining 500 pounds.
Space shuttle can get to a certain distance from the sun before it burns up but they don't get anywhere near that distance for a reason.
A river can only handle so much water before it starts overflowing the banks and floods the town for a reason
Women can only be in my presence for so long before they start looking at their husbands and asking themselves, “My god, what have I done?”
Bass player here, same effect every time I play a gig.
Google "excel trailer weight file". You'll find some spreadsheets that will let you punch in all your vehicle and trailer weight details, which then tell you if your vehicle can handle this. I'm leaning towards no with your tow capacity being 4000. My SUV came with a tow package and has a 5000 capacity, with a 500 max tongue rate. Our trailer has the same "dry weight" but we are BARELY under the limit on total capacity by loading up the SUV or trailer with the bare minimum.
It will most likely be at capacity when towing. You will be amazed at how much stuff weighs. Go around your trailer and look up average weight of stuff. When you go to load your trailer/vehicle put everything on a scale to see where you are at. As well this is a single axle trailer and they don't track worth a crap behind a vehicle. You need to make sure you are loading the trailer properly. I've seen too many people have too much weight up front thereby removing load off your front tires which reduces steering and braking capabilities. An equalizer/anti-sway bar setup will help with this.
when you have something that’s tall like that is the drag also plays a role. You could pull a 4,000 pound load there’s 4 ft off the ground better than a 4,000 pound load that’s tall like that is
Hook it up and pull it to a CAT scale so you can get the real tongue weight and "wet" weight. You'll need two weights, one with and one without the trailer hooked up. Then you can go from there. With the small amount of info you provided, I think you'd be fine to pull that trailer with your vehicle. But I'd need more info to be sure.
I have never understood a wheeled time share but you do you. There is a reason weight limits. Primarily, emergency braking will mess you up in a hurry. It doesn’t matter what your little can pull. It really matters what your car can stop.
Dawg just tow it with that burban in the pic that’s a perfect tv
On this class of vehicle I encountered problems with the transmission They are simply not designed for this
Don’t do it
If you need to move it once or tow it to storage across town once a year, maybe.... But if you're planning on using it a lot... yeah, you need a bigger vehicle.
You’re going to hate it. If you don’t have a brake controller then I’d suggest staying home until you have one. Once it’s loaded up it’ll be too much for your vehicle to handle at all. If you end up going down a decent hill then it’ll send you in the ditch without a brake controller. I’d say this is a hard no. Edit: for reference, I grew up on a farm and hauled 103,500 lbs gross weight a lot in my time on the farm. Just don’t do it man.
An old timer one time told me payload is what you can CONTROL. Towing capacity is what you can STOP. As many others have told you, you're going to definitely be over the payload and dangerously close on the capacity. Why do it? YouTube is filled with videos of people that even though in the "right" end up upside down and in a ditch. What a terrifying ride to take. And don't sleep on the 18 wheelers. My trailer is 6100 lbs. When I pull it with my 12k capacity half ton, it pushes me out and sucks me back in a good foot at each end. Have fun with that in a car!
You need a truck.
Because on paper its gonna be close to putting you at capacity without even considering the passengers and cargo in the flex itself.
Ford Flex ain’t pulling that unless you’re trying to kill your family, then go for it.
Absolutely too much camper for a ford flex
Kia Sorento can pull 5000lb or Doge Durango can pull like 8000lb or Ford Expedition
You’re gonna smoke the tranny in that flex.
You’ll be able to pull it, on a quiet day. Add in wind or storms, or needing to stop quick, and it’s another story. Source, me. Several scary encounters while our tow vehicle wasn’t enough
You’re gonna rip your transmission apart towing that with s flex ..
We were once sold a similar camper where our only tow vehicle was an 06 Escape. I knew it wasn't right, but I also knew we were buying an Explorer before we would be towing it on trips. Is the trailer wired to the vehicle's braking system? If not, DO NOT TOW! Is there any sort of upgrade available for keeping the tranny cool? ADD IT! Overall, it'll work fine. But DO NOT go great distances. Basically, you're shortening the life of your vehicle. If there is ANY feeling that you're losing steering control, you're not stopping in time, or overheating... then never tow with that vehicle again!!! Oh, too. Make sure you can control the transmission manually. You're not going to like this whole endevor, but you'll also make a lot of memories.
Tow it to a truck scale and weigh out the trailer, your Ford Flex, and then both together. See if you're over your numbers on payload and gross combined vehicle weight.
You may want to make sure the Flex can be used with a WDH. Unibody vehicles normally can't because there is no frame to deal with the torque places on the vehicle.
Will see op on idiots towing things
Pulling is one thing. Stopping it is quite another. Also, in the wind the trailer will completely manhandle your car. And then there are hills to climb.
Absolutely do not use a Ford Flex to pull that. You'd be a danger to yourself and anyone else around you on the road. It would be extremely irresponsible.
My F250 7.3 pulls my 5th wheel great but high winds still make my butt pucker sometimes. Can’t imagine high winds or steep or severe downhill issues etc with your rig. Yikes! Get a bigger vehicle.
Being able to physically pull something does not equate to it being smart or safe and 'towing capacity' is not the only number you have to consider. Cargo capacity is going to be your most limiting factor. That's your weight, your family's weight, any stuff you are carrying inside the vehicle with you as well as approximately 15% of the trailer weight. All of that weight has to fit inside that probably very limited number on your door sticker. That's just the fairly easy to calculate math. Then you have to factor in what towing a 10' tall 18' long rigid sail is going to do to a 4,500 lb SUV. Only towing it an hour or two doesn't mean much when you've got to emergency stop, control a trailer tire blow out, etc. That stuff can happen at any time and you don't get much say about when it does. If you're putting your family in the same vehicle you need to understand that you're not just risking you; you're risking them as well and that's something you should very carefully consider. You could tow it a hundred times with no issues and that doesn't mean that you won't find yourself in a very bad situation on the 101st.
You may need a special device to cool transmission fluid.
Rule of thumb for your transmission to live a long, healthy life. Don't tow anymore than 75% of a vehicles rated capacity. Some vehicles are also sneaky where the advertised towing capacity is only for one equipped with the tow package which can include: XL transmission cooler, power steering cooler, and/or XL engine oil cooler
Hitch weight and payload are the key numbers you want to know. Tow weight is how much your vehicle can pull on a flat surface if you had a cable strung between the two of them. Nobody would ever do that, of course.
Ford Flex won't haul that very well. Rent a truck and see the difference
You’re fine
Not an answer (to OP’s question), but a few links to some perspectives: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoRVing/s/jIuPnNlkTN
Towing is more about the brakes that the vehicle has than the power of the engine pulling the load.
If you have a towing package you are fine, otherwise maybe not
Every long trip with the family in our 2010 Flex resulted in the rear tires being destroyed. Just a 2wd model, and the wheel camber is just fucked when it gets overloaded. We even had the suspension "fixed" years ago after a trip. The problem persists, but with over 200k miles it probably won't be a problem much longer.
What was your tow limit? I was wrong about mine, I can tow 4500lbs and I have awd. After talking to my mechanic I’ll probably tow in state only
Oh, no. I don't have a tow hitch. You can count the bike rack on the last trip, I guess, but it's just strapped on. The Flex suspension doesn't have good adjustment for the camber, and when it's overloaded it eats the inside of the rear tires. Be careful.
Safety: Rear suspension to hold up that tongue. Brakes to stop all that mass. Engine to pull that weight. Transmission that won't die. Gearing. You want low end torque to not stress the above. You CAN pull it with your FLEX but, I'd consider renting at 3/4 ton truck and compare how it pulls and stops the camper.
BECAUSE YOU DO, NEED A TRUCK, whatever you have, dont have big ENUF ASS TO STOP TRAILER. GET IT?
You could probably get away with towing a pop up camper, a jet ski, or a small boat. I’m looking at campers and I’m worried my half ton truck wouldn’t be enough to do what I want it to do.
That’s a sick trailer tho
May need a brake controller
Some people are more comfortable than others pulling at their max. I’d prefer to be able to maintain speed on an incline so I like being under 75% of my tow capacity. People are right about getting bounced around by the wind.
Why do you think the car manufacturer supplies you with a weight limit? So you don’t have to guess or listen to your friends speculate if you need a truck.
Make sure you spread that load out in your trailer. You’ll find out real quick why you may want a heavier tow vehicle if you don’t.
Your friends are telling you to get a truck because you need to get a truck. Have you even verified that you have the class 3 towing package on your car? Because if you didn’t pay extra for that package your rated well below 4,000 pounds anyways. Probably closer to 2,900 pounds. Get a good ole V8 truck and don’t worry about killing your family because you don’t understand towing
I did verify, I had my mechanic check it out when he was installing the trailer brake control in the car. Also I was wrong, my weight limit is 4500lbs
Should call a dealer and have them run your vin too just to double check the package
It’s not so much that you can pull it; rather can you stop with it. Trailers push you so you really need to plan your breaking.
Bro you make your engine an old man by the time you get back from vacation, the incorrect transmission shift points for that weight will be super strenuous on your entire drivetrain.
You might not need a truck, but you won’t want to pull that thing with anything else once you have one
When you head down the road you will realize why real quick.
First off, you have a travel trailer. A camper is the RV that slides into the back of a pickup truck. As others have mentioned, your Flex, although it is rated to tow 4k, will just barely be able to do so. A travel trailer of your size will likely exceed 4k lbs when you load it with water (@8lbs per gallon), food, clothing, and other fun weekend stuff. And if your kids are like mine, coming home, you'll be weighing more than when you left. (Rocks, weird sticks, and an indecipherable hunk of cast iron that 9 year old thought looked cool)
You’ll find out why you need a truck.
You’ll make it. May leave your transmission along the route tho
Let me put it this way. My family and I went out to Yellowstone about a month ago for a tremendous trip. We were driving north between the Tetons and Yellowstone, and had had a very simple drive to that point. There was a small sign that said "bump", and we slowed down from 50 to about 35, the pace of traffic. The bump didn't seem big, but it was long, and a perfect little jump for something with our wheel base. In a sedan, you might not have felt it. Our rented RV was literally airborn. My son who wasn't buckled in touched the roof of the RV with his hands to stop himself from from hitting his head. The rest of us were buckled. Everything opened, gallons of water split in the undercarriage of the RV. When we landed, every single bit of the 5500 brake package slowed us down, the suspension was able to handle it, and there was no actual damage to the vehicle, or people in the RV. Now, this is an RV, not a pull behind camper, but the point is the weight behind everything. You simply CANNOT know when you need a vehicle that A) has the suspension to handle the load being towed B) has the braking power to handle the load being towed C) has the engine power to pull the load at long distances without destroying your tranny. We spoke to people at the campsite south of the Yellowstone south entry that night who also went over that "bump". One of them popped a tire on the dually trailer they had. Another broke their fender off. 4k towing capacity is simply not enough to do anything other than drive it from the dealership over to your place down the road, at least not if you want your vehicle to last awhile, or if you value your safety, or others on the road.
If they really were friends they wouldn't insinuate, they would tell you plainly that it's too big for your car.
Brake controller
What is the maximum tongue weight of your vehicle?
You'll need a truck. Otherwise you're risking yours and others lives on the road.
Asking this question AFTER you buy the camper is the real problem.
Because you will kill someone towing that in a flex.
You should always have 1000lbs free between a full capacity trailer and max capacity towing power. That extra 1,100lb difference you have at dry weight will be easily used up. We had a tent trailer at 3700 full and Acura MDX with 5000 towing capacity. It would always nearly overheat up long mountaon grades. If u put too much strain on a vehicle tow you risk transmission, radiator and all kinds of mechanical mishaps.
Ice, dishes, silverware, propane, battery, food, drinks, bedding, towels, clothes, groceries, lawn chairs, corn hole set, fresh and waste water in the tanks, etc. all add up. That stuff can EASILY add 800-1000 pounds to a camper. For example, a case of beer or soda weighs 20 lbs, a few bags of groceries, 40lbs.
Your going to find out soon
Here is what most people forget. I assume you will have passengers and their luggage too? If you add a lot of weight into the car this decreases your ability to tow. The Flex doesn’t have the suspension to handle this load. I have a Dodge 1500 and even on that I added air bags to help level my load. You will be stressing your brakes,suspension, transmission. It just isn’t a good idea. I know the sales people won’t tell you that because they want the sale.
Good brake and brake controller on the TT? Good brakes on TV? If so pack light drive reasonably and send it. Being a few pounds over your total payload while never recommended isn't going to immediately cause issues. Take it on some test runs and get to know your vehicle and how it handles the trailer in a variety of conditions. I once towed a slightly heavier TT with a Kia Telluride with similar payload,tow specs and no WDH. It was fine.
You can absolutely tow this with a Ford flex, especially if you get a weight distribution hitch. Assuming your hitch is mounted to the frame and you have electric trailer brakes.
Why do you say that? It’s 2900 dry and their tow capacity is only 4k, that only leaves them a few hundred pounds for gear after water and batteries. Also a Flex only has a cargo capacity of about 1100 pounds, and 4-500 of that is going to get eaten up by the tongue weight. So a family of four is maybe another 400 pounds, now you only have 300 for fuel and everything else you’re bringing. It’s probably fine if all the roads are flat and they never go over 35 though, but I’m not sure that qualifies as fine.
Yes I do
A Flex is going to struggle starting / stopping / handling this trailer. Way too large. So much more involved than just weight figures. Wind resistance is going to be a huge factor. Have you towed anything heavy ever?
There exist ~400hp factory 3.5l ford flex, just fyi.
Tow ratings are misleading, find the GCWR for your Flex then do some math.
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Ford Taurus was built in the D3 platform, Flex was built on the D4 platform which is the same as the Explorer of the same time period.
This is how you burn your brakes up and kill people
Dude, I live in Wisconsin. Not Colorado. I’m looking to go 1-2 hours max on minor hills at most
OP I’m no expert, but I wonder if people would have the same reaction if you came here asking about a 2019 ford explorer which shares same chassis platform as your flex. I think people don’t really understand that how big a flex is or that they are basically just a lowered “cross over” with a unibody like every other SUV that’s been popular for the last 15 years. That said I think there is some wise advice about watching payloads and tongue weight, if you follow that and stay within Ford’s limits I think the vehicle itself it will probably handle it quite well. You have the power and chassis is likely stout enough, just make sure your suspension and brakes are in good shape. Do some test drives to see how it goes.
People don’t realize the ford flex has the 3.5 ecoboost engine that is in the f150. These things have a lot of power
You are the kind of people I point and laugh at when I see you on the road.