Will It Tow?
2024 Ford Explorer (3.3L Hybrid V6) with the 2027 Airstream Basecamp Xe 20Xe at its full GVWR of 4,500 lb, two adults and a dog aboard and a weight-distribution hitch.
To know for sure, enter the payload from your door sticker (the yellow Tire and Loading one).
- Tow rating: 500 lb to spare (4,500 lb camper, rating 5,000 lb)
- Payload: Not sure yet (1,250 to 1,385 lb used, payload ? lb)
- Truck and trailer together: Not sure yet (, GCWR not listed)
To settle it for your own truck: enter the payload from your door sticker (the yellow Tire and Loading one); measure your tongue weight.
Check it with your own numbers- Weight-distribution hitch (needed): Your camper is putting over 500 lb on the hitch. Most truck makers require weight distribution here, and many receivers are rated far lower without it. It spreads the tongue weight to your front axle and the camper's axles, so the truck sits level and steers right.
- Sway control (strongly recommended): It stops the camper swinging side to side in crosswinds, when semis pass and on rough roads. Many weight-distribution hitches have it built in.
- Spring bars rated about 600 to 1,000 lb (size): Match the bars to your loaded tongue weight (540 to 675 lb, from an estimate of 12 to 15% of the camper's weight) plus anything heavy behind the truck's rear axle. Bars that are too stiff ride rough. Too light won't level the rig.
- Brake controller (needed): Your camper has electric brakes, and the controller in your cab runs them. Many newer trucks have one built in.
- Measure your tongue weight (tip): We're estimating 540 to 675 lb. A tongue weight scale or a hitch with a built-in gauge gives you the real number. Enter it in step 2.
Hitches make towing steadier, but none of them raise your tow rating or payload. The hitch itself counts against payload.
Ratings come from manufacturer towing guides and spec sheets. These are planning estimates, not a safety guarantee. Your truck and camper stickers, your owner's manual and a scale always win.