I've done 3300lb from Philadelphia to Austin with my 2001. But note my 4EAT is more robust than your 5MT for towing. You will wear out and/or burn the clutch no matter how good you think you are. Note if your trailer does not have trailer brakes, it's a no go.

 

Why wouldn't they rent you a trailer with a V8 Explorer? That's far more suited to towing vs your Forester

How far are you planning on towing the tailer?

Anything over 1500Lbs and it is very strongly recommended to have trailer brakes and keep her under 65mph.

 

Less than 30 miles. And its due to the explorers rolling in the 90s. Firestone sent out faulty tires that would come apart and cause explorers to have life ending crashes. And people tried to sue Uhaul over it so its now the only car they have ever banned. I'm not sure why my little Forester is allowed to tow a car with them compared to it but rules are rules. And I'll invest in some trailer brakes.

 

@TMX, you may NOT be aware of the UHAUL vs Ford/Firestone. Since that time, UHAUL has refused to rent trailers to any Ford Explorer.

 

Supposedly they are allowed to rent to 2012+ unibody Explorers, but many locations still apply the ban to all Explorers. OP's is a V8 which means pre-2012 so it's banned.

 

Yes mine is a 97 So its on the ban list

 

They also won't rent to any 4x4 with a soft top. Hardtop Wranglers and Broncos are OK.

 

Its a pain because my explorer has no Firestones on it and its much more capible than my Forester lol

 

The U-Haul toy hauler trailer weighs 3,155 pounds before you load your 2,100 pound car.
Over 5,000 pounds is a lot of weight to haul with a Forester. Renting a U-Haul truck to pull the trailer might be a better plan.

 

Well it sounds like you don't have a choice. If they will only rent the Tow Dolly for your Forester, it sounds like you have no choice. Plus from what you are describing since the car you are towing doesn't weigh alot I'm pretty sure your Forester can handle it. But like others have said you may wear out your clutch sooner than you would like.

 

Personally, there is no way I would tow that kind of weight with a 4 cylinder. I wouldn’t even tow that much with my V6 van.

Better option is to just rent a Uhaul truck to tow it when it needs to be towed. Easier on your Forester, and safer for you and everyone else around you on the road.

 

Only going less than 30 miles you could use a tow-dolly, you would need to disconnect the propeller-shaft from the rear differential to safely tow with the rear wheels on the ground. Slow and easy should be your best friends on this tow.

Have fun and a safe trip.

 

Keep at least in the back of your mind, that if you tow something that weighs more than your car's owner-manual-stated max towing weight, and you then get in an accident that leads to a lawsuit against you, it seems possible (probable?) that the jury won't be happy with you. And probably not your insurance company, either.

 

Have you considered hiring a tow company to transport the Explorer on a flat bed?
Keeps you and both vehicles out of harms way.

 

I am not towing the explorer thankfully. I am towing my project Honda. I just ended up calling AAA

 

The above advice would most certainly violate Uhaul’s rental agreement and therefore would not be recommended. I know for a fact that when I have rented a Uhaul trailer the agreement specifically stated that you could only tow it with the vehicle stated in the agreement.