Flat Towing 2018 Ford Explorer Behind Motorhome

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Question:

Can a 2018 Explorer 2x4 rear wheel drive be flat towed behind Class A?

asked by: Clyde F

0

Expert Reply:

According to the owner's manual, you can flat tow a 2018 Ford if and ONLY if it's equipped with the 3.5L engine. If you have the 4 cyl engine, you must use a tow dolly or a trailer. You'll want to consult your owner's manual for yourself to confirm this.

The owner's manual lists a specific procedure that must be followed before towing:

If the vehicle has keyless start, start the engine while holding the brake pedal down. While still holding the brake, shift into Neutral. Turn off the vehicle by pressing the start button once. Disconnect the negative battery cable.

If the vehicle uses a key, do the same as above, but turn the key to the slot between the accessory and the off position. Disconnect the negative battery cable.

Ford does't recommend towing at speeds above 65mph, and recommends that the vehicle be restarted about every 6 hours.

If the vehicle can be flat towed, you'll need a few other items to complete your towing system.

You'll need a tow bar, base plates, taillight wiring, safety cables, a supplemental braking system and possibly a high/low adapter and a few other odds and ends.

The base plate necessary will depend on which engine your Explorer has and whether or not it has the adaptive cruise control and active grill shutters. If you don't have the 3.5 EcoBoost, the # RM-52446-5 base plate kit would be recommended. This base plate kit is compatible with the active cruise and grill shutters. For either engine, with the cruise option but without the grill shutters, use # RM-524446-5 or # RM-524445-5 for either engine with the grill shutters.

For a tow bar, you can't go wrong with the Roadmaster Falcon 2, part # RM-520. For safety cables, use # RM-643.

For tailight wiring, the Roadmaster # RM-15267 would be a good choice, as it's extremely easy to use once it's installed. Roadmaster also recommends a battery quick disconnect, part # RM-766.

For supplemental braking, use the Roadmaster Invisibrake # RM-8700. Once installed, the Invisibrake is ready to go when you are, no set-up or fiddling necessary. A brake stoplight switch, part # RM-751477 will also be needed.

The base plate height will vary according to which one you use, if the receiver height of your Class I is more than 3 inches higher or lower than the base plate height, you'll need a hi/low adapter. I'll link you our selection of adapters and to some help articles about flat towing a vehicle.

expert reply by: Mike L

0

Answer 1

Hi Scott, As long as your motorhome has the 'Spartan Safe Haul' system the Demco Air Force One Flat Tow Brake System for Spartan K2 400 Chassis RVs with Safe Haul #DM54YV would be compatible with the factory air lines on the…

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Answer 2

Since your 2022 Dutchstar is built on a K2 Spartan chassis the correct Demco Air Force One is the part #DM54YV. This will work great with your Jeep Wrangler that has the light kit already installed.

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Answer 3

We do have replacement options for the Jensen JRV9000 though they are not touchscreen or video compatible. The JRV9000 is a double din so you will need to replace it with such like the Jensen RV Stereo part #JWM60A which is a more basic model. The…

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Answer 4

I did some checking and it looks like your 2017 Ford Explorer 4WD with a 3.5 liter engine is flat towable as-is as long as you follow the flat towing procedures outlined in the owners manual. Only restriction is that you have to stay under 65 mph…

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Answer 5

According to pages 248 and 249 there are no transmission issues when you flat tow your 2011 Ford Flex. If you have a front-wheel drive vehicle it can be flat towed or dolly towed like #RM-2000-1. An all-wheel drive vehicle can be flat towed or…

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Answer 6

I pulled up the owners manual of your 2014 Cadillac SRX online and found that on page 10-84 it can be flat towed. This includes front wheel drive and all wheel drive models. You can then use the base plate kit you referenced #RM-523162-4. In addition…

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Answer 7

For your 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, if you have the factory wiring, then all you need is the 7- and 4-Pole Trailer Connector Socket w/ Mounting Bracket, Chrysler/Dodge OEM Plug Adapter #HM40975-11933. If you do not have the factory wiring, then you…

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Answer 8

Yes you can dolly tow your 2017 Cadillac XT5 if it's equipped properly. I looked up the owners manual and it says if it's equipped with the Driver Control Mode and it's in Tour Mode it can be dolly towed with a dolly like the Roadmaster…

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Answer 9

According to the online edition of the Ford Owner's manual for the 2016 Explorer (pages 249 and 250), certain versions of the vehicle can be flat towed under specific conditions. The adaptive cruise control feature does not factor in, but Ford…

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Answer 10

In the towing guide you mentioned it does say that your 2016 Ford Explorer can be towed with all four wheels on the ground as long as you keep it under 65 mph. I would trust that since it comes straight from Ford and they could have changed their…

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Answer 11

Yes the 2017 GMC Acadia Denali is flat towable as-is. I checked the owners manual of your vehicle online to confirm this. The first thing you'll need is a base plate kit like the part #RM-523189-5 which is a confirmed fit for your vehicle and is…

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Answer 12

We have everything you'll need to safely flat tow your 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor behind your motorhome. The first thing you'll need is a base plate kit like the Direct Connect Roadmaster part #RM-524431-5. In addition to the base plates, you…

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Flat Towing 2018 Ford Explorer Behind Motorhome

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