Hi everyone,

Came across this site after doing some research into the Excursion having found one for sale here in England. What a vehicle! Beauty!

Before I commit myself to buying this 2005 Ltd 6.0L V8 Diesel at around $29500, can any of you guys and gals give me some (unbiased?) advice.

Obviously, being in the UK, I will not have the dealer back-up that you guys have, nor the advantage of sourcing cheap(er) parts.

I will use the vehicle mainly for family holidays, towing a twin-axle caravan which for the UK is the largest trailer you can tow with any vehicle up to 3500Kgs (approx 7640lbs) at 26ft long, gross weight of 1750Kgs (3850lbs) and a nose (tongue) weight of 88Kgs (200lbs). I know that the Excursion is heavier than that and is allowed to pull larger trailers, up to 8ft 5" wide and 40ft long.

I know that you regularly use nose (tongue) weights far higher than 200lbs. Is this why the Excursion picks up so many posts about swaying whilst towing?

How do you guys rate kerb weight? Is it with the vehicle empty except for essential fluids, or with 1/4, 1/2, full tank, or with driver only etc?

Is there anything else I need to look out for or consider before buying this beauty?

Your advice would be most appreciated.

In the meantime, from a cold (-3 degrees), wet England, 'keep smilin'

GoE

 

Just curious,
What side is the steering wheel on?

 

Its on the 'wrong' side! Just kidding. It's US spec with LHD

 

Can anyone tell me if these beasts come with a quick-clear (heated) front windscreen?

 

Most of what you need to worry about, you can find people here who know what to do and how to avoid the inherent issues with the 6.0L. The quality of diesel in the U.S. has improved in the past few years and it seems as though most of the issues with the 6.0L have decreased as a result. I know the diesel fuel in England and the Continent has been at this quality level for much longer.

You will find the "Ex" very capable of pulling the trailer you have in mind.

 

Hi Fella if you need to get any parts give me a call number on my web site www.kentlimos.co.uk as i know of a few suppliers in the uk

Norm

ps I also have a OB11 reader if you need to plug it in

 

Garden of England;
If I read your question correctly you want to tow a 3850 pound trailer. You will not have any problem with a trailer that size. I towed my 16 ft dual axle work trailer which weighed 4000 pounds several times before I even hooked up the brake controller with no problem.

I have been towing a 10,000 pound trailer for the last few years in southern California with no problem. A lot of times I am going out to Ocotillo Wells so I am on interstate highway (similar to the M6 I believe) at speeds around 60MPH. Through the Palm Springs area there are usually heavy cross winds and still no issue.

I now have a lift on the Ex but I towed the 10,000 lb trailer for a couple years stock. As long as you have a good hitch and the trailer is loaded with 10-15% tongue weight you won't know it is behind you. I realize that 10% of 3850 is 385 and the law says 200 max. I have always found that a really low tongue weight can lead to problems. Maybe you can set it to 200 to get the permits and then reload it for 400lbs of tongue weight.

This forum is a great resource for modifications from simple to wild! I have done most of the simple mods like cutting the Pink wire to eliminate the open door buzzer, adding halogen backup lights, etc. and they really make the Ex feel like it was made for me.

My concerns would be the parts supply and the width of the roads in the London area. Although it isn't any wider than the local delivery lorries I have seen in England. My 2002 has 61,000 miles on it and I haven't had any problems that needed parts other than wear items like brake pads. I do have the local medium duty truck shop do regular transmission oil changes.
Michael

 

Garden of England,

Having driven a 2001 dodge caravan all over between London and Edinburgh the X would be a nightmare to drive on anything but the M roads. The older A roads, back roads and in most towns would be very tight. The Passat We had on the last trip was about the right size. So, unless you need something that big, look for something else.

That being said, if I lived over there I would want my X. It is big enough people would get out of the way.

Philip

 

Your knowledge of England guys is impressive!

There's no chance of altering the tongue weight I'm afraid. Its ther trailer chassis that's limited to 220lbs; towing recommendations for caravans are 7% of the trailers weight or the manufacturers recommended limit or tow vehicles tongue weight limit. In this case, the caravan manufacturer recommends 200lbs and the chassis manufacturer rates their chassis at 225lbs maximum.

Other trailers may be loaded to the tow vehicles noseweight limit. My current tug, a Land Rover 110, has a noseweight (tongue weight) of 150kgs (about 330lbs) which is about the most you'll find on a 4x4 here.

Is it because the turning circle of the Excursion is so poor that I will have difficulties? At 50ft it's not good, even worse than my 110's 44ft and that gets enough bad press! I have driven 13 and 17 seat van derived minibuses through London and a lot of the back streets without too much trouble............but then again it brings me back to the turning circle. these buses have a circle of between 36ft and 45ft. That extra 5ft may prove problematic?

 

Garden of England;
If the trailer is designed for 7% nose weight then you should be fine. I have had problems when loading the trailer wrong and having too little wieght on the nose and too much behind the wheels. The Ex is close to twice the weight of your trailer and if the trailer is loaded to the manufacturer's recommendation you will be fine.

I struggled with the cost of the Excursion for quite a while before I bought it but I have never regretted it. I paid just about the same for my 2002 back in 2003 so I know how hard the decision is. One thing is for sure, you will be the center of attraction almost anywhere you go in an Excursion pulling a caravan!
Michael

 

I average towing various loads, usually heavier than what you contemplate, about 10k miles a year. The load you are contemplating is very much on the light side for these vehicles.

I have yet to see any sign whatsoever of swaying problems. I strongly suspect that the reported ones either have to do with poorly maintained vehicles are improperly loaded trailers. If the trailer is anywhere near balanced it will dance all over the road.

For a long wheel base vehicle it does have a decent turning radius but it is after all have a long wheel base. There are plenty of places here that get difficult. *Edit* - Rereading your post I would say yes, you will have problems with that extra 5'. Especially with a trailer. *Edit*

Regarding the trailer loading I would strongly suggest throwing some weight up front whenever you are traveling. Whatever idiot suggested the 7% tongue weight limit should be gut shot and bets taken on how long it takes for him to die. You'll barely get away with it having the dual axles but a 200# tongue weight limit is simply retarded.

When you add the price you are having to pay unless you are always hauling 6 or more people there are better choices out there. For your particular needs I would suggest a Mercedes M class. I've used the ML430 for towing trailers 150% of the weight you need on trips over 750 miles at a time. The handling is fantastic, the 8 cylinder has plenty of power and the fuel economy is quite good for a truck (about 90% of the 7.3L diesel even when towing). You'll spend half the money for the vehicle, the maintenance is less, and the parts likely easier to find.

 

welcome, I Lived there as a kid, most of my relatives are in the UK and was there in 09 for vacation. The one thing I decided is that if we ever moved to the UK my Ex will be the first thing that goes on the shipping container with all our furniture etc. Definitely would not want it for a daily driver but you will be king of the road for family trips and if you get over to the rest of Europe, most of them drive on the other side anyway. Being one of the folks on here who has done quite a bit of heavy and long distance towing with my ex such as up to 10 tons loads or 1200 miles trips one way I can tell you that with the weight you are talking the Ex will not even blink pulling it and I doubt seriously that you would have any sway issues at all... The only problem may be not enough tounge weight, but there is no way you will overload that hitch as for the 05' you are looking at, get the VIN and post it up for an OASIS report. many of us have no love for the 6.0 leaker engine but most of the issues had been fixed by the 05 model run esp the latter half of it

 

Gene, if he is here asking then there is some deeper Ford passions burning in this man. Common sense tells us there are probably a whole list of vehicles that would be more practical for what he wants but they would not be an Excursion... Why buy a Ferrari to drive from A to B and back when that are lots more vehicles that are more Practical for the same job...

 

Again, many thanks for your comments. I'm finding the advice invaluable so keep it up fellas!

A 200lbs noseweight (tongue weight) is towards the upper end of caravan noseweights over here. Unless you drive a 4x4 or SUV, a big problem is matching the car to the caravan, as some vehicles have a maximum noseweight limit of 50Kgs (approx 110lbs) which caravanners find hard to get down to.

I must admit that one of the attractions of the Excursion is the abundance of horsepower at 325 (Bhp?) but more importantly for us tuggers, a whopping 560lbs/ft torque ............. truly outstanding.

I've read about the issues with the early versions of the 6.0L V8 but as you rightly point out, these issues should, hopefully, have been addressed by the 2005 model production run.

I'm intrigued about the 'green coolant' that many owners appear to endorse. I hope that the dealer here can source it, if it really is that important to ensure the engine remains sweet.

The other option available to us would be the Land Rover Discovery 3; an excellent piece of kit, just in our price range, but second-hand models are likely to have in excess of 80-90k miles and the later models (possibly 2005?) incur an annual road tax fee of over £400 ($600) as opposed to £215 for earlier models. The Excursion tips in at £215 per year as well as, surprisingly, being cheaper to insure!

The weather has brought Southern England to a grinding halt. 4" of snow, gridlocked roads, trains cancelled etc etc. (No, please, don't laugh!) I'll have to wait until the weekend at least before I can test drive it. Anything I should check for on the test drive? Any knocks, bumps, whirring sounds that should be there (we call them vehicle characteristics over here) and more importantly, any that should not?

Cheers guys, enjoy your afternoon/evening, i'll post again soon,

Regards

GofE

 

Southpaw,

Sorry, forgot to ask. What is an OASIS report?

GofE