Parts Needed to Flat Tow 2002 Ford Explorer 4.0 V6 Eddie Bauer Edition

Question:

The owners manual indicated that this Explorer can be towed dingy style with the addition an neutral tow kit accessory. The service manager at my local Ford dealer has no idea of how to install this but aster researching it he did tell me that for a bit over $200 they could have one installed. In reading the morass of info on the internet about this vehicle, there seems to be lots of conflicting ideas of the viability of using this Explorer as a dingy. Can you please clear up this issue for me and also tell me if this Explorer might make a good tow vehicle. It has about 110K miles and I had the transmission rebuilt last year by a reputable trany shop. The truck has preformed flawlessly since the rebuild. Thank you,

asked by: Lee

Helpful Expert Reply:

So we have a very reliable source for whether a vehicle can be flat towed and I checked with them and for your 2002 Ford Explorer 4WD with a 4.0 V6 you can flat tow it but you have to install the Ford Neutral Tow Kit to allow this. Last we heard was that Ford lost their supplier for this back in 2010. It is possible your Ford dealer has them available now though so you'll want to verify that with them. They would be the only place you'd be able to get the kit from.

For a base plate kit you'd want the part # 480-1 which is a confirmed fit and will work well.

In addition to the base plates, you will also need a compatible tow bar, safety cables, lighting, and supplemental braking to flat tow your vehicle. The most popular compatible tow bar is the Falcon 2, # RM-520. For safety cables you can use # RM-643. The coiled design helps keep the cables off of the ground.

For lighting you can use the diode kit, # RM-15267, and not have to worry about cutting into the taillight housing. This will splice into your taillight wiring to allow your tow vehicle to control the taillight assemblies of the towed vehicle. This comes with a round 6-way connector that you will install on the front of your towed vehicle and enough coiled wire to go from there to the RV.

And finally, most states now require supplemental braking in the vehicle being flat towed. The easiest system to set up and use is the Blue Ox Patriot # BLU37TR, that applies the vehicle brakes in proportion to how much the tow vehicle is braking. This is the safest way to stop and it reduces wear and tear on both vehicles.

Most likely you will also need a high low adapter so that the tow bar will be level when you are flat towing. I attached a link to a page that has all of the ones we carry.

I have included a couple of helpful links to our articles on flat towing for you. Be sure to consult the vehicle owners manual for more specific information on flat towing your vehicle.