Parts Needed to Flat Tow 2013 Ford Explorer Sport Behind Motorhome

Updated 03/07/2016 | Published 03/05/2016

Products Featured in This Question

Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms

(4617)

$477.21

Blue Ox Patriot Portable Flat Tow Brake System - Proportional

(397)

$1489.90

Roadmaster Crossbar-Style Base Plate Adapter for Blue Ox and Demco Tow Bars

(72)

$91.96

Roadmaster High-Low Adapter for Tow Bars - 2" Hitches - 6" Rise/Drop - 6K GTW, 200 lbs TW

(1572)

$117.70

Roadmaster 4-Diode Universal Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles - 4-Way Flat Connectors

(3188)

$100.94

RoadMaster 68" Single Hook, Coiled Safety Cables - 6,000 lbs

(656)

$71.03

Universal Magnetic Tow Lights - 20' Wiring Harness with 4-Way Flat Trailer Connector

(200)

$61.88

Question:

Flat towing 2013 ford Explorer Sport NOT a Sport Trac with 3.5 Ecoboost. Searched everywhere and found LOTs of threads about the older Sport TRACs but thats a different animal from our 2013 Explorer Sport... lets go down the checklist: 1 Ford 2 RV 3 tow bar 4 brake buddy 5 base plate, etc 1 Ford towing guide says YES to flat towing: Four-Wheel-Down Availability 2013 SUVs and Trucks Explorer 3.5L EcoBoost® AWD Yes 345 3 All-wheel-drive/Intelligent 4WD vehicles cannot be towed on a dolly. 4 Maximum speed with automatic transmission is 65 mph. 5 Start the engine and allow it to run for five 5 minutes at the beginning of each day and every six 6 hours thereafter. So ford says Okey-Dokey ... 2 RV towing capacity is 10k with 1k pin wgt - so thats good 3 Demco Excalibur tow bar has an 8000 lb rating, so thats good ! 4 We can probably use the Brake Buddy, but I have to do some research on a second set of connections to the top connector on Brake Buddy. I think the BB will work with inertial braking, but rather having it wired into MH system like wrangler is to help with braking. 5 Base Plate, etc... Need one to match up with Demco Excalibur tow bar and how do I connect it to our Brake Buddy ? sorry - lots of questions :

asked by: John A

Expert Reply:

Ford indicates on page 303 of the online owner's manual for the 2013 Ford Explorer that 3.5L and 3.7L engine versions can indeed be flat towed with all wheels down. Ford says the 2.0L version cannot be flat towed.

To join your Demco Excaliber tow bar to a set of Roadmaster base plates you'll need the RoadMaster Base Plate to Blue Ox and Demco Tow Bars Adapter, part # RM-033. This will allow your tow bar to work with base plates # 4427-1A. If you need safety cables use the coiled type # RM-643 from Roadmaster which will be less likely to drag on the ground.

The preferred braking system recommended for your Explorer is the Blue Ox Patriot, part # BLU37TR. This system is wireless, fully portable and operates proportionally so that your toad slows at the same rate as your motorhome.

Flat towing often requires a high/low hitch adapter like # RM-076 to keep the tow bar level, or at least within 3-inches of level. I linked our page for all such adapters.

For a lighting solution you can go the easy route and use magnetic lights like # TL21RK or you can choose a diode kit # RM-154.

The linked article on flat towing will give you useful information to help you decide on your best options.