Towing with an Expedition

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Towing with an Expedition

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All Messages in Thread	Author	Date
Towing with an Expedition	April	4-25-00
We are planning on buying a 27' trailer which we will tow with our '97 Expedition, which weighs about 6800 pounds unloaded. How well does the Expedition handle with a load? What's the max you would WANT to tow (aside from the manufacturer's suggested tow limit)?
Re: Towing with an Expedition	April	4-25-00
By the way, it's the trailer that weighs 6800 pounds!
Re: Towing with an Expedition	Les Adams	6-19-00
We are planning on buying a 27' trailer which we will tow with our '97 Expedition, which weighs about 6800 pounds unloaded. SNIP 6800 pounds unloaded is awfully heavy for the Expy... I assume you have the 5.4 motor and 3:55 or 3:73 rear end... General rule of thumb is that you will add 500-1000 pounds of gear to the trailer... The 6800 pound figure from the manufacturer does not include water weight, propane weight, or any food, clothes, tools, chairs, etc, etc... Further, any accessories that you add after the trailer is delivered will not be included in the weight... The Expy is NOT an ideal tow vehicle because of it's relatively short wheelbase and with 6800 pound unloaded trailer weight, you are going to be very, very, close to the Expy's max tow weight and max CGWR... You will be disappointed in the performance towing this much weight and you will need a very good anti-sway hitch set-up, preferably either Hensley or PullRite... Most experienced "towers" will try to give themselves a 20-25% margin from maximum tow weight figures and if it's more than that, that's ok too... The general rule for max TT length is 110" minimum tow vehicle wheel base for the first 20 feet of trailer nad then add 4" of wheelbase for each additional foot of trailer...I think the Expy w.b. is around 119" so that would put your max length at around 22-23 feet... As far as weight goes, the lighter the trailer the better... The 5.4L Triton is a pretty good motor but still only about 330 cu. in... Thats a pretty small motor for a trailer of that size and weight... I pull a 27' TT weighing #6000+ and I use a Ford F-250 Super Duty with Triton V-10 and 3:73 LS rear end...The Triton V-10 is 415 cu. in and 310 HP / 430 ft. lbs. of torque... If you are dead set on towing that trailer I would definitely purchase a Hensley or PullRite hitch... The Expy will tow the trailer, but the performance in the mountains (and maybe on the flat and level too) is going to be pretty dismal... I don't know what the max trailer tow/CGWR is on the Expy but pay close attention to it and do NOT exceed it for your own safety... Best Regards, Les
Re: Towing with an Expedition	Les Adams	6-21-00
By the way, it's the trailer that weighs 6800 pounds! SNIP Whoops, Sorry April, guess I misunderstood your post, but depending on your choice of TT that weight is probably pretty close... For example, I tow a 27' Nomad by Skyline... No slide-out, nothing fancy but it is a front kitchen (heavy tongue weight)... My trailer is #5175 empty and a little over #6000 when loaded... If you decided on a full size TT with a slide, it could weigh that much or more... Drop in on the RV America BBS and look up the thread regarding a fellow towing about that weight with an Expy and the problems he is having... Please don't misunderstand me... I am not knocking the Expy at all, as a matter of fact, I rather like the truck for SOLO performance... My point is that it is not the ideal tow vehicle which I think a lot of people are under a misconception about... Essentially, it is an F-150 truck (1/2 ton) with a big box added to it... Having made a few mistakes myself in regard to 1/2 tons and towing, I now recommend at least a 3/4 ton for all but the lightest loads... Best Regards, Les