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2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac

The highest conventional-hitch rating for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac is 5,300 lb, the top of 4 rows transcribed from Ford’s 2001 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide. That row is printed for the 4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic), 4-Door (crew), 2WD. Most configurations are rated lower: 3 of the 4 transcribed conventional-hitch chart rows for 2001 are below 5,300 lb. Across 4 manufacturer chart rows for 2001, ratings run conventional 2,520 lb to 5,300 lb; the engine, cab, axle ratio and package on your truck decide its number.

conventional4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic), 4-Door (crew), 2WD.5,300 lb

The build table for 2001 is not transcribed. This page will not multiply trims, cabs, and engines into trucks the order guide did not list.

HitchCited maximumConfigurationSource grade
Conventional5,300 lb4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic), 4-Door (crew), 2WD.OEM chart

Highest rows among 4 transcribed chart configurations. Most trucks of this model year are rated lower; find your exact configuration in the table below.

Source: Ford, 2001 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide, Trailer Towing Selector, printed pages 19 and 21 (PDF pages 18 and 20; two-page spreads); Explorer Sport Trac towing table, PDF page 22. PDF is built from two-page spreads, so each spread appears as two PDF pages with different crop boxes; evidence page is the PDF page whose crop shows the table.

Spec sheet

3 of 25 fields cited; 1 estimate. Field index

Cited fields may cover selected trims or only part of a measurement. Read the configuration and source beside each value; a cited field does not mean every version is researched.

Towing

Conventional maximum
5,300 lb. 4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic), 4-Door (crew), 2WD.Ford source
Gooseneck maximum
Not transcribed for this model year.
Fifth-wheel maximum
Not transcribed for this model year.
Tongue or pin load
530 lb tongue at the 5,300 lb conventional maximum. Illustration at 10 percent conventional and 15 percent in-bed, not a measured load or recommendation. Follow the trailer and vehicle instructions; actual load may be higher.Estimate
Weight distribution
Not transcribed for this model year.
Trailer frontal area
Not transcribed for this model year.

Weights

Payload
Not transcribed for this model year.
GCWR
9,600 lb (4-Door (crew), axle n/a); 7,000 lb (4-Door (crew), axle n/a)Ford source
GVWR
Not transcribed for this model year.
Front GAWR
Not transcribed for this model year.
Rear GAWR
Not transcribed for this model year.
Curb weight
Not transcribed for this model year.

Body

Wheelbase
Not transcribed for this model year.
Bed length
Not transcribed for this model year.
Bed width and depth
Not transcribed for this model year.
Cab-to-axle
Not transcribed for this model year.
Overall length, width, height
Not transcribed for this model year.
Ground clearance and angles
Not transcribed for this model year.
Fifth-wheel clearance
Not transcribed for this model year.

Power

Engine, horsepower, torque
Not transcribed for this model year.
Transmission
Not transcribed for this model year.
Fuel type and tank
Not transcribed for this model year.
Drivetrain
2WD, 4WDFord source
Axle ratio
Not transcribed for this model year.
Tow package
Not transcribed for this model year.

Bed, tongue weight, and wheelbase

The trailer rating is one limit. The bed has to fit the load, the tongue or pin has to fit in payload, and the wheelbase is the column the chart uses.

  • An illustrative 10 percent of the 5,300 lb conventional maximum is 530 lb of tongue weight. This is not a measured load or recommended percentage; actual load may be higher.

Bed capacity · Tongue and pin weight · Wheelbase · GCWR, GVWR, and GAWR. Wheelbase is not transcribed for this year. See the spec sheet for the sourced GCWR and its configuration.

Estimate payload margin and bed volume · How these limits work together

Generation

First generation

2001 is year 1 of this generation (2001–2005). Four-door pickup based on the Explorer, with the 4.0L V6.

2001 towing by engine

Lowest to highest printed rating for each engine across 4 transcribed chart rows. A missing hitch means the chart did not print one for that engine, not that it is zero.

EngineConventionalChart rows
4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic)5,080–5,300 lb2
4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (manual)2,520–2,740 lb2

Highest-rated configurations

TrailerEngineCab / bedDriveAxle / packageGCWREvidence
5,300 lb
Conventional
4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic)4-Door (crew)2WD—note 19,600 lbPDF page 22, Explorer Sport Trac table, 4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic) 2WD axle All (axle ratio column: All)
5,080 lb
Conventional
4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic)4-Door (crew)4WD—note 29,600 lbPDF page 22, Explorer Sport Trac table, 4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic) 4WD axle All (axle ratio column: All)
2,740 lb
Conventional
4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (manual)4-Door (crew)2WD—note 37,000 lbPDF page 22, Explorer Sport Trac table, 4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (manual) 2WD axle All (axle ratio column: All)
2,520 lb
Conventional
4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (manual)4-Door (crew)4WD—note 37,000 lbPDF page 22, Explorer Sport Trac table, 4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (manual) 4WD axle All (axle ratio column: All)
  1. Automatic transmission table; chart column "Sport Trac 4-Door 4x2".
  2. Automatic transmission table; chart column "Sport Trac 4-Door 4x4".
  3. Manual transmission table; chart column "Sport Trac 4-Door". Chart footnote (1) on the manual 4.0L row: "Late availability."

Chart source: Ford, 2001 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide. The evidence column gives each row’s page and table.

Find your exact configuration (4 rows) →Download 2001 rows as CSV ↓

What changes the number

  • Engine and transmission
  • Cab, bed, and wheelbase
  • Two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive
  • Axle ratio and tow package
  • Conventional hitch versus fifth-wheel versus gooseneck
  • People, options, and cargo, which spend payload the chart assumed was empty

Questions

How much can a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac tow?
The highest conventional-hitch rating for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac is 5,300 lb, the top of 4 rows transcribed from Ford’s 2001 Ford RV & Trailer Towing Guide. That row is printed for the 4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic), 4-Door (crew), 2WD. Most configurations are rated lower: 3 of the 4 transcribed conventional-hitch chart rows for 2001 are below 5,300 lb.
Did Explorer Sport Trac towing change for 2001?
Nothing on file says the published maximum changed for 2001. That is not the same as proof that it stayed the same.
Which configuration hits the maximum?
The 5,300 lb conventional maximum is printed for the 4.0L SOHC SEFI V6 (automatic), 4-Door (crew), 2WD.
What tongue weight should I plan for a 2001 Explorer Sport Trac?
At the cited 5,300 lb conventional maximum, an illustrative 10% assumption produces 530 lb of tongue weight. This is not a recommended percentage or a measurement; follow your trailer and vehicle instructions and measure the actual load. That load counts against payload and the rear axle rating.

Compare with

2002 · 2003 · All Explorer Sport Trac years