Hey guys my wife and I are shopping for a travel trailer and we have come across a 2006 Wildwood 42' trailer. I have a 2001 stock V10 Excursion Limited 4x4. Here are the stats of the trailer and I was wondering if I could get some input of some Ex owners that have pulled and if I am getting over my head with this or if I'll be fine.



<table id="table1" align="center" border="0" width="560"> <tbody><tr><td height="25" width="400"> Model
</td> <td width="160"> 402-2B</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Hitch Weight
</td> <td width="160"> 1,300 lbs.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Axle Weight
</td> <td width="160"> 9,130 lbs.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Dry Ship Weight
</td> <td width="160"> 10,430 lbs.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> GVWR
</td> <td width="160"> 11,700 lbs.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> CCC - Cargo Capacity
</td> <td width="160"> 810 lbs.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Ext Length
</td> <td width="160"> 42 ft. 6 in.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Ext Height
</td> <td width="160"> 11 ft. 9 in.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Int Height
</td> <td width="160"> 84 in.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Fresh Water Cap
</td> <td width="160"> 42 Gal.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Black Water Cap
</td> <td width="160"> 60 Gal.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Gray Water Cap
</td> <td width="160"> 30 Gal.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Tire Size
</td> <td width="160"> 16 in.</td></tr> <tr> <td height="25" width="400"> Awning Size
</td> <td width="160"> 21 ft.</td></tr></tbody> </table>

 

I pulled a older 28ft and did just fine. However we had found aroud here we were just not doing the camping we like to do because of having a big hardside. So back to a popup with us. I would think the only places you would find a camping site for that would be at a private campground or "RV park". Just my thoughts.

 

I think if I were contemplating something that big I'd go full bore for a 5th wheel and an F 250 (or 350) to haul it around. You will thank yourself when it comes time to park it, and it would tow o so much better. JMHO of course. And check your owner's manual for max hitch weight- that looks kinda high, (Goes without saying it would require a load equalizing setup). Also check the GCWR, you would probably be over that also.

 

The GVWR of 11,700 is a too much in fact the dry weight of 10,430 exceeds the max towing for your ex - which is 9600 lbs (assuming 3.73 gears - 12,500 with 4.30).
Here's the 2001 Towing Guide from Trailer Life Mag (http://www.trailerlife.com/downloads/01towingguide.pdf)

 

I have been shopping for a used TT for a while now, and looked for about the biggest thing I could find, but never anything over about 34' for this same reason, didn't even know there was 42' bumper pulls out there, wow! I agree with the above comments that this looks a little much, especially if you are planning long trips or hilly terrain. The hitch/tongue weight would would scare me more than the overall weight. Unless you are just moving it short distances occasionally, I'd pass on towing this thing with the X.

Mine is 6.0 with 3.73 gears and I ended up with an older ('96 model I think) HR 32' Alumalite that I got a good deal on from a friend. It's dry weight is about 8500# and with gear/water/extras will easily top 9k with tongue weight of 800 to 900. Did a test tow last week before buying just to make sure we felt OK towing it, and the X did fine, in fact surprised me how well it towed considering I was not using wt. dist. hitch for this short ride. But, even if I go larger in the future, I'll try to say under at/under 1k tongue weight for safety margin. If you decide to pursue it, I'd suggest a test drive and verify those weights at a truck scale to be sure it's not even more than that listed.

Good luck with the shopping, let us know...

 

Thank you for your input guys. This is an awesome trailer and so is the Excursuin but I'd say it met its match and would lose.

I'm actually pretty sold on a couple different 32 foot ultralites. Our trips are planned for colorado, utah, arizona. I want to take my family to see Arches National Park, Canyonlands, the list goes on. The goal is max living quarters without making the Ex struggle the whole way.

 

Stay below 34'. The 42' you show is a "park model"--not really meant to be towed frequently. You will also need to get the directional stability of your Excursion under control. Spend $3K extra for a Hensley hitch, and another $300 for Landyot's Radius Rods. They are worth it.

 

It's actually only 10K with the 4.30 for the 2000-2001 MY and 11K for the 2002-2005 MY. Late 2002, if not 2003, the Excursion was equipped with a Class V hitch to handle the 11K rating for the said MYs. The Class IV that the 2000 and 2001 models came with could probably handle the 11K rating, but to be on the safe side, Ford just put the class V on and let that be that.

Find something that's maybe about 8K to 8500K and go from there. That way you don't exceed the weight rating and damage your X.

 

Smaller is better. There are an awful lot of State parks and smaller campgrounds that would never be able to accommodate such a long trailer. Twisty little trails between trees and boulders get you in trouble.

 

http://www.hell-ya.com/

 

I'll vote against such a unit that big. I walked away from a 36' Sunnybrook for my 2003 7.3PSD for the same reason, and ended up with a Sunnybrook 33'.

I think something in that length range is best, depending on the construction...ie aluminum frame v heavier wood.

Also, if you haven't would suggest you install Bilstein Shocks and Hellwig Front & Rear Sway Bars to take some of the roll an sway out or your Excursion. I'm glad I did that before hauling...

Best of luck with your shopping!

 

I just wlaked away from a similar Salem model that hit 39 feet and had the double slides. It was a SWEET trailer at an outstanding price, but the weight swayed me. The wife has a habit of packing to the limits (as if she had a magical visual scale in her head) and the look on her face when she saw the storage capabilities of the Salem nixed the deal in my head right there. May have taken a week to communicate it to her, but the deal was OFF when she exclaimed, "the kids bunkhouse has as much storage as the entire Jayco!" Yikes!

 

Camping (?) with the family is our hobby. We really like our 32' Terry Quantum with one big slide. Our Excursion (with some helpful mods suggested mainly on this forum) does an excellent job towing it.

The only nugget of wisdom (my opinion) I have for anyone considering a travel trailer is:

"Always consider that the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of trailer) is what you will end up towing".

Many times, I hear someone exclaim that they will only add 500 lbs (or whatever) to the UVW (unloaded vehicle weight) of trailer. Simply never happens. Kids, wives, other hobbies, all add up and you will be LUCKY to keep the trailer within GVWR. Our trailer has a GVWR of 9,400 lb. Lo-and-behold, the last time we went on a family vacation, I weighed the truck and trailer combo and also by axle. The trailer calculated gross weight was 9,350 lb. CGW (Combined Gross Weight) came in at 18,000 lb. Everything was just in the limits. The most difficult weight to obey is the hitch weight.

 

Amen Brother - I read all of the time on RV.net people having GVWR over the TV specs and their justification is "we never load that much". But when asked - they've also never pulled on to a scale.
You'd be amazed how much your "stuff" can weigh.

 

I second the Hensley Hitch and Landyot's Radius Rods. I also threw on Firestone airbags and rear Hellwig anti-sway bar. No expense spared when it comes to my family and safety. My unit tows rock solid, no white knuckles here.