So, riddle me this.

I have a 2002 Ex limited, v10, 4x4, with 3.73 gears. Looking at the manual, it says my maximum towing capacity is 9600 lbs.

But, if I had 4.30 gears, it would be 11,000 lbs.

Is this stated somewhere on a door tag or something? Say I wanted to tow 11000 lbs 'legally', would all it take is to have 4.30 gears put in? Or would that not work because somewhere on some tag it says 9600.

I'm just curious. I've got a 30' boat, that dry weighs in roughly 6500 lbs, plus figure 1500 'ish for the trailer, plus fuel, and gear, I'm starting to push that 9600 lb limit. We're thinking about towing it about 6 hours next summer for a week long excursion on Lake Michigan.

I guess I fail to see how gear ratio is a function of towing capacity, in all reality. Say I put 4.10 gears in, would it be 10,500 lbs? I thought it's more the capacity of the entirety of the truck (suspension, size of truck, power, weight, etc), not just gears.

Or should I just not worry 'that' much about it?

 

It has to do with the trucks ability to safely tow stated weight, the v10 needs taller gears to do it.

BTW, unless you have an aluminum trailer, you're probably pretty far off on the trailer. Mine is 1800# with 3500# axles which is underrated for mine (boat is about 5500#), but if your trailer is built right for that boat, if it's a tandem axle it'll have 5200# axles ad 15" wheels adding weight. If triple axle, it'll be 3500# axles and even more weight since you have 1 extra complete axle.

If the trailer is set up right you should be OK towing it but find out what the whole thing weighs so you know what you're dealing with. A boat trailer set up right is much more forgiving that a TT for example. You just have to make sure you're comfortable with the load you're putting on that motor.

 

Well here's a couple of picks of my setup, I ended up buying the trailer (the marina just let me borrow it, but then after enough of me pestering them, they decided to let me buy it).






It towed it just fine, but granted.

1. It was completely empty of fuel, water, and waste. I was taking it to get it worked on, end of season, so it was completely 'dry'.

2. The boat was empty. I'm not one to leave stuff in cabinets, storage areas, to dissuade service guys from from absconding with my stuff. I have room for it at home.

3. I only took it 50 miles. No issues, other than a little saggy in the back end, which made the front end feel a little washy (light). I figured that putting air bags in it would eliminate that (springs too, if I ever quit spending money on the boat).

This will definitely be a longer trip, and I want everything to be safe.

 

Do they make a weight distribution hitch for a boat? I'm not sure if there would be a difference between one used for a TT or one for a boat...

Some folks would say a WDH is a band-aid but that's just not true. I drove a semi from 1995 until 2009. Distributing the weight of a trailer greatly increases safety and handling of the vehicle as well as ride comfort and fuel mileage. Yes, semi's have air bags but they also have an adjustable 5th wheel... If you're going to say its because the guy at the warehouse didn't know how to load the trailer properly, I would agree but the fact remains that evenly distributed weight is paramount to safe towing operation.

The gearing offers the power to the wheels to tow but imagine what happens when going up hill. There's a reason trucks have to stay in the right lane and slow down. Power, weight, gearing all work together. Just because you change one factor, like gears, doesn't mean you can tow more. How much weight can the frame of the truck handle? How well would the brakes slow the load? How much power do you need to be on the freeway safely in the mountains?

There's much to deciding the towing capability of our trucks. You cannot make any changes to your truck that makes it "legal" to tow more than its factory rated for UNLESS you have the truck re-certified - which I have never known anyone to do.

IMHO, the cheapest and easiest solution for you is to get a WDH a use it when towing the boat. If you tow it a lot or over great distances, I would look into more permanent solutions like air bags. The other thing I would suggest is to stop at a truck stop and drive over the scales to see what you are actually working with...

 

I would go for a WD hitch for that based on how the truck is sitting. It will definitely fix the light front wheel feeling.

Getting a sure weight would also be a very good idea. It's a good time to set up the WD hitch with the scale. You want the front wheels to have about the same weight with or without the boat hooked up which you can get by adjusting the hitch.

Having switched from 3.73 to 4.30, 2 things stand out. 4.30 gives a much quicker and easier acceleration, and it will hold OD much better. If your truck will hold OD most of the time with the boat as is, then you are OK. If not, may want to switch the gears.

 

Post your itinerary including travel times, directions, routes and alternate routes so I know where NOT to be.

Go to a CAT scale pay the $10 put larger gear in and add a WDH.

 

If it has surge brakes, you cannot use a WD.

 

Good point, did not think about that aspect.

 

Not necessarily true anymore. Equal i zer can be used with surge brakes as well as with a pole jack near the front. Frequently Asked Questions

OP can also go to electric over hydraulic brakes, tho that starts getting pricey to convert.

 

The towing number in your manual is a recommendation by Ford and not a legal number. The sticker on your door is the legal numbers for each axle and the vehicle weight rating, those numbers cannot be changed no matter what you do to the truck, like said above get the truck to a scale and make sure you are not over any of the numbers on the door...

 

Pretty sure you do not want electric brakes on a boat trailer. That old water and electricity thing.

 

Well, like I think I explained. I'm willing to do what's necessary to make sure that it's safe, for both myself, my family, and others on the road. Taking it to a scale is a sure thing, as is getting the trailer worked on to add various items for safety (WDH, electric brakes, maybe even converting to tri-axle). I don't know why everyone is making the assumption that I'm going to be cheap about it, I'm not. I've spent a pretty penny on my boat, and obviously the family is priceless. I'll do what's necessary to make it safe, cost is not a factor.

That brings up a good question. Other than gas mileage, why would I tow in OD? All other towing I've done with 'lesser' boats, I've never towed in OD. And unless the Ex manual is different, I don't recall ever seeing a manual that says to tow in OD when hauling a 'heavy load'.

Thanks for the response, you've been extraordinarily helpful.

I've been looking at the electric over hydraulic brakes and am talking to a trailer manufacturer on doing that very thing. Obviously have to wait until I get the boat back off the trailer, but I've been looking into it.

There are actually a couple of manufacturers that have created electric brake 'conversions' for the marine environment. Also, consider that I'm freshwater only. If I was going salt water, I'd be a little more worried, and would have to do more (use the raw water washdown of the boat on the trailer after yanking it for example)


My point of the conversation though, which I think is getting a little lost, is that ford says that just by switching gears from 3.73 to 4.30, nets me an extra 1400 lbs of towing capacity. It would seem to me that there would be more to it than just gears, gears are an easy fix. But then the question is, is there somewhere stated on the truck that because I have 3.73 gears, am I only legally allowed to tow 9600 lbs?

As an example, fast forward to next June. I've added the third axle, WDH, electric brakes, and regeared to 4:30 (Which I plan on doing) and then I hit the road and the following happens:


1. I'm driving in Michigan.
2. I get pulled over.
3. LEO asks me to follow him to scales.
4. I get weighed and the trailer/boat weighs in at 10,500 lbs
5. The truck is weighed and I'm under limits of all of the capacities.
6. He finds some sticker, somewhere, that Ford put on it when it was produced and it says that I'm only allowed to tow 9600 lbs.
7. I say 'no, I've regeared to 4:30, and according to the Ford owners manual, I'm allowed to tow 11000.
8. LEO Says tough ****, truck says 9600 lbs.
9. I pay fine.


That's what I'm concerned about. Not worried about the cost of upgrading everything to make it safe, like I said, the cost of a couple of thousand or so to upgrade everything is peanuts compared to towing in an unsafe manner. I'm concerned about doing all of what I've said, and I am still 'illegal' because there is some sticker, somewhere that says I'm only legally allowed to tow 9600 lbs.

 

If the sticker on your truck says 9600, it won't change no matter what you do.

 

Again, is there a sticker? I can't find one. Is it not there because it's a 12 year old truck and it fell off? or is there not a sticker?

Again. I will ask the question, perhaps in a different way.


Is there a sticker on an Excursion that definitively states what the maximum towing capacity of said truck, as it is optioned, is legally allowed to tow?

 

Sorry I forgot to /sarc on...sarc off/.