Ford Excursion Struggles in the Pit: Muddy Monday

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Ford Excursion gets stuck several times, but the driver finds some holes to conquer.

The Ford Excursion is the largest sport utility vehicle that the Motor Company has ever offered for public consumption. While it was based on the Super Duty platform, featuring the same drivetrain options, these huge SUVs were some of the heaviest road-going vehicles of the day. As a result, they aren’t ideal for playing in deep mud, which is evidenced by this week’s Muddy Monday.

This video comes to us from the AnythingWithAnEngine Media YouTube channel and it features a lightly modified Ford Excursion struggling in the Michigan mud. The title says Expedition, but it is clearly an Excursion.

Ford Excursion Mud Truck

High Riding Excursion

The vehicle in action in the video above is a Ford Excursion from the 2000 through 2006 model years. There are no details on the rig, but we can see that it has a serious lift and a huge set of tractor tires. While it is lifted to clear all of that rubber, the suspension and chassis don’t appear to be modified enough to prevent driving this Ford SUV on the street; after changing the tires, of course.

Ford Excursion Mud Truck

We don’t know what engine is under the hood, but it sounds like a diesel. The Excursion was offered with two different diesel engines during its short existence. The first was the 7.3-liter PowerStroke V8 in 2000 through mid-2003. After that, the 6.0-liter PowerStroke V8 came in, but we don’t know which is at work here. The 6.0-liter is considerably more powerful, packing 325 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque in stock form, but based on the sound, we would guess that the engine isn’t stock.

Even if it is simply modified with exhaust, a tune and other basics, we bet that this Excursion has some engine upgrades to help make the most of the suspension and tires.

Ford Excursion Mud Truck

Improving with Practice

The video begins with the Ford Excursion in the middle of the pit. At first, it is making a bit of forward progress, but it quickly gets jammed in place badly enough that the bulldozer has to come pull it out. The second run starts out better, but it ends up in a similar fashion, with the driver unable to move forwards or backwards.

Ford Mud Truck

The good news is that this video ends with several successful runs across the Perkins Mud Bog in Michigan by the Excursion. The weight of the big SUV prevents it from skimming quickly across the surface, but the driver is able to tackle several different paths across the mud by the end of the video.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

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"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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