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87 Bronco II towing


master hec0

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i have an 87 bronco II 4x4 2.9L v6 anyways next summer im planning on heading down to cali a friend of mine has a 2000 xploder that he said i can have if i come get it. so my question is could my b2 tow an xploder. if so what hitch would i need? and what would be the best means of towing. also its an automatic
 
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Will

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Captain Ledd

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X2

Also, you're going to be looking at either a tow bar to flat tow it (probably best), or a tow dolly. A trailer large enough for the whole vehicle is pretty much going to be out of the question.

It still seems kind of a far distance though by the nature of the post so:

Be certain the BII has a GOOD tranny cooler - the bigger the better) with fresh fluid and a filter change if possible.

Be prepared to drive slow and piss people off. Short wheelbases can make towing.. "interesting", especially at higher speeds.

Hitches: Reese/Valley or other name brand hitches will all work well. I have a Reese Hitch and have been quite happy with it.

DON'T tow in overdrive (if it has one)

And finally make sure you're brakes are in good order.
 
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master hec0

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the brakes are brand new along with rotors only about 20kms on them.
for towing 4 wheels down wouldnt i need the vehicle that is being towed be registered/insured? it is a really long drive... where i live if the vehicle being towed weighs 50% of the towing vehicles weight it needs trailer brakes. so how would you be able to get the xploder to brake.? i would be coming from canada. i know long way to go to huntington beach. also dont some broncos already have tranny coolers?
so basically my main question is the law regarding this i would be crossing the border in montana and headin south.
also for tranny cooler is there a recommended vehicle to pull one off from the scrapper?
 
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Captain Ledd

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the brakes are brand new along with rotors only about 20kms on them.
excellent

for towing 4 wheels down wouldnt i need the vehicle that is being towed be registered/insured? it is a really long drive... where i live if the vehicle being towed weighs 50% of the towing vehicles weight it needs trailer brakes. so how would you be able to get the xploder to brake.?
In that case renting a tow dolly with inertia brakes would do the trick and solve the laws issue. Unless someone else chimes in with a tip, but to my knowledge there isn't a way to get the towed vehicles brakes to work without some fancy work.

I'm not sure if they need to be insured when towing 4 wheels down. I can almost guarantee it'll be a local law if it is.

i would be coming from canada. i know long way to go to huntington beach. also dont some broncos already have tranny coolers? ...Also for tranny cooler is there a recommended vehicle to pull one off from the scrapper?
Bigger the better. My experience has been with manual tranny's, but here it goes:

Since the oil return line on the transmission is low pressure, I believe you can just run a hose with hose clamps to and from the transmission. Yours may indeed already have one, but make sure it isn't actually bypassed by a previous owner or something. Hose adapters are fairly cheap and can be rigged to work if the hose sizes are too different from eachother. Cheaper than a new transmission for sure :icon_cheers:

so basically my main question is the law regarding this i would be crossing the border in montana and headin south.
I don't think it would be a problem, but be sure to check out if you need some paperwork ready. I'm pretty sure it will be minor, but I'm also fairly confident there will be at least some.

*** EDIT ***

Wait, so you're going over the rockies and across the U.S. with this? errmmm... I'd strongly consider getting something a little bigger. Stuck in the mountains is not somewhere I'd want to be. Also, with some of those slopes, your tranny is going to be AWFULLY unhappy with you, cooler or no cooler.

Those newer Explorers are fairly heavy and bulky vehicles. Trailer brakes are a MUST.

I'd look for something with at the least a larger 6 cylinder, preferably a manual transmission, or a good working automatic (which will probably also be fine so long as it has a good cooler).
 
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look at an rv place, they have systems that will press the brakes in the vehicle being towed, and hidden valley(or walmart(reese) should have a towbar).
example:
http://www.usgear.cc/unified_tow_brake.htm

transcooler, 97-current f-150s/expiditions have some nice coolers, that or get another b2/explorer one and a trans temp guage

and for a radiator a 91-94 explorer 4-door 2-core radiator out of a automatic, a/c equipped truck to help cool the motor if your B2 dosen't have one already
 

master hec0

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i dont think i will have an issue with the tranny i will take my planned route though montana and south on the way there. if i feel it is too rough i will plan an alternate route up through the coast into bc. i have driven the road though the rockies on the bc/alberta side and i know those are not bad. if i do a tow bar it will definatley be with traler brakes i am not going to risk no brakes with a load weighing more then my own tow vehicle. i have faith in my transmission since it only has about 40000 miles on it.

so you think a bigger rad is necessary? i was planing on just adding 2 electric fans to it.

for a tow dolly isnt a xploder too big for one?
 

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Nah, you can get dollies for towing fullsize stuff.

I guess if you know the route and it isn't actually that hilly...

I'm still a little nervous for ya man lol. I'd at least look around for the radiator, if you happen to find one I'd run it just in case.

It's not that we're betting the trans is worn out or in bad shape, all of the auto's in RBV's have "less than stellar" track records (to put it very nicely). Many dying well before 70-100,000 without towing things or being abused.

It's just that heat is the quickest killer for auto's, and it's that much worse towing things. Get rid of it at all costs (well, you know what I mean).
 

master hec0

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this is why i decided to ask before i set any plans in stone
thanks for the info also the manual says i can tow either 4500lbs or 5000lbs depending on the axle i have. i read online that the xploder weight is between 3300-3800lbs depending on the options/body. is that weight correct?
thats with super cooling pack 2. what is in super cooling pack 2? besides a tranny cooler
 

Captain Ledd

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Well, Rangers and BII's had 2 axles. (A little story) The 7.5" and the 8.8", while the 8.8" is a stronger center section, they still used the 7.5" shafts on Rangers and BII's (and consequently the same wheel bearings), so really there isn't all that much difference in the ultimate strength. 7.5" tended to spit out spider gears under higher power (4.0L+), so they stuffed the 8.8" diff under it and left everything else. (Explorers, I THINK all years, had bigger shafts in them, on par with the F150's and fullsize 8.8" applications). Any RBV of your vintage will probably just have a 7.5". I give the 7.5" a little more credit than most, and think that it will be fine. I know a few that have put up with alot of abuse.

I've never actually seen a weight listed for a newer Explorer, but that looks about right, probably closer to 3,800 lbs.
 

master hec0

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and at that weight you thinks its iffy for that distance?
do ya think using a 2001 ford ranger with a 3L 2wd single cab short box is a better choice? also automatic
 

Captain Ledd

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and at that weight you thinks its iffy for that distance?
do ya think using a 2001 ford ranger with a 3L 2wd single cab short box is a better choice? also automatic
Honestly I kinda do. While they're still not that great, the newer trannies are still better than the old ones. It will have more power for the hills and the slightly longer wheelbase will help alot, also the newer models had larger/better brakes. Still don't tow in overdrive though lol.
 

master hec0

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alright im out of questions for now. il probably revive this in a few months when i decided if i will use any rbv or if i can find a better way of getting an xploder over the border. i was just thinkin. how would i go about possibly driving it back north? is there a way to do that? i dont think i will have any issues at the border since it wont be going back on the road
 

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I would not do this. This is thousands of miles along the largest mountain range in North America--Southern California to Canada. I can't see an A4LD surviving. I can't see the risk and fuel cost being worth the price of a 10 year-old Explorer.

The Explorer curb weight ranges from 3,650# for a V6 2wd to 4,250# for a V8 4x4. A tow dolly weighs about 600# and that is the only conceivable way to do this. Get one with brakes on it of course. I would not flat tow it. Not only does that leave you with the brakes problem, but there are handling issues as well. The pivot plate in the dolly avoids these problems.

Again, I would not do it. I would borrow a full-size.
 

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Does the explorer run? If it does why don't you arrange for temporary tags and use the explorer to tow the BII back?
 

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