WE3ZS is your man, he can make your V-10 pull almost like a diesel

 

I haven't used my Ex to tow anything of significant size, however I have many, many thousands of miles towing experience. You will not regret putting the 4:30 gears in. Some will probably say even 4:57. I plan on putting lockers in mine, and may go to 4:57. The only drawback for you is the added expense of matching the gears in the front diff. If it's 2wd then you're good to go.

 

Hi Dave, Welcome to the EX forum!
I too tow with my '05 V-10 EX, but mine is a less fancy XLT former Army Corpse of Engineers fleet wagon. Our first trailer was a 31' toyhauler (TH) with a GVWR of 11K but traveled at 9,500lbs per the CAT scale. With my stock 3.73 gears and that TH on the hitch the EX would downshift if I ran over a shadow, it was somewhat of a dog off the line and climbing any highway grade. As an example, cruising on a flat straight highway at 60 MPH in OD it would drop down a gear on the gentle rise of a highway overpass, on a steeper or longer Eastern grades (never been to the big mountains out West) it would get down to second gear at times and struggle to maintain speed. On a couple of trips over the same realatively flat route to/from Philly and the Coastal Carolinas running 60 to 63 MPH at the above mentioned 9,500 lb TH weight on 32" tires (vs the stock 31.6" tire) with the 3.73s we got a low of 6 MPG and high of 7. With a change to 4.88 gears (future plans to run 35" tires) we got 9 MPG over the same route at the same speed and weight on the same tires. With the new deeper gears the EX did not downshift a single time on the highway portion of that trip, deeper gears are the single biggest performance improvement (short of turbo or super charging) you can do for your 6.8, the engine makes better power at higher revs than the 3.73s allow at highway speeds. Being able to spend more time and miles in OD is a big part of that mileage increase.
Our current setup includes those gears with 35" tires for an effective 4.39 gear ratio, Banks headers, 3030XL muffler and custom tunes from 5Star Tuning. I do nearly all of my towing on the 89 Octane Performance tune with matching gas. The gears were the biggest improvement with the tunes being second due to the better trans shift strategy, the headers and their improved flow are also good but I place them third on my mods list. With this setup and our current 41' 12,000lb TT on the hitch we typically see 7.5/8 MPG on back and country road trip with some stop and go and on mostly Interstate Highway trips it delivers 8 to 9 MPG regularly, on three different highway trips of over 400 miles it has seen its best yet of 9.5 MPG. Unloaded with the cruise control set at 65 MPH it gets 14.5 MPG with the current setup on the 89 Perf tune.
You mentioned above having a WD hitch with a "sway bar", which WD hitch exactly do you have? What is the hitch spring bar weight rating? And are you confident in how to get it setup correctly. I ask because that's a fairly big trailer to tow with a bargain basement WD setup with an add-on sway bar, a good WD system with built-in sway control would be my recommendation for a TT that size. And the spring bars size should be based on taking 15% of the TT's GVWR, so your 10K TT should have 1500lb spring bars on the hitch. If this hitch is being "thrown in" by a dealer and is one of the real cheap ones, I would suggest that you work with the dealer to upgrade to a better unit with built-in sway control, the Reese Dual Cam would be something like I am talking about, but there are others in that price and performance group. At the upper end of the WD hitch family are the Pro-Pride and Hensley Arrow, they do require a bigger investment for sure, but they offer the most control available from a trailer hitch. I use a Hensley Arrow that I got a really good deal on used about 10 years ago, it's great but that level of hitch isn't required, but they are a solid upgrade. And whatever WD hitch you end up with, DO NOT rely solely on the dealer to get it setup correctly (they are notorious for poor setups) get and read (study) the manual for it and set aside some time to ensure that it is correctly dialed in, the correct setup will make for a more comfortable and controlled towing experience.
If this is your first TT and are not familiar with the ST (Special Trailer) tires that are on it, pay very close attention to them as many are very low quality Chinese junk that will let you down eventually. Some TT builders have shown some integrity recently and started offering Goodyear Endurance ST tires (high quality made in the USA) on their trailers. When running the spec size and load rating ST tire's always run them at full sidewall pressure, lower pressures genate heat and heat along with overspeeding (some are rated to a max of 65 MPH) of the China Bombs will lead to premature tire failure.
I'm entering my 11th year of towing with our EX and have logged over 46K towing miles with it, so I've had my share of "learning experiences" along the way that I would be happy share to help you get squared away with your rig.

 

I used to tow my 24' 10k enclosed auto trailer with a '99 E350 V-10 extended van. Came with 3.73 but I eventually swapped it to 4.3; that was the best mod I ever did to that truck. Not only did it tow better - much less gear hunting - but the fuel econmy actually ROSE at similar speeds (due to less throttle I'm guessing). It's a good mod. Only downside is more RPM noise on the highway when not towing.

I'm now pulling with the PSD Excursion. It was "OK" stock but the Ex got much much better when I added a Helwig rear bar, AirLift air bags, and RoadMaster Active Suspension (HD version).

Re-building and re-aligning the front end for more caster and camber helped a lot of the steering back-and-forth. I want to install a RedHead someday.

I also every once in a while pull my buddy's 15k 34' enclosed 2-car trailer. The above setup was kinda sketchy, as we got a lot of sway from passing trucks. I swapped the stock 16" wheels for 20" take-offs with Michelin LTX tires from a 2017 F-250 and it dramatically transformed the towing experience. This setup pulled the 34' trailer trailer last week like a dream.

I'd suggest mods in this order:
- Front end check/rebuild/realignment
- Airbags
- Bigger wheels and better tires
- Roadmaster (HD version)
- Helwig rear bar

 

Yes, we are crazy, in the 30s and raining but we are taking the travel trailer to a State Park an hour away for the weekend. I have 80 lbs of propane, electric fireplace and space heater, hot spot, Roku and a cell tower is at the entrance to the park. Our goal is to camp at least once a month this year. January is in the books, now February's turn.

 

I always thought camping, even with a TT, was to get in touch with nature and spend time, quality time, with family. Roku, hot spot and a cell tower dont sound like camping to me. Sounds like a smaller version of home. Just an observation.

 

As you get older, It's about getting out there, and having some creature comforts for after the fire is out...at least for us. Of course we're raising one of our Grand-kids so there's that.

 

I guess I have an advantage living in a rural area on a few acres. I have a shop, large fire pit and plenty of space to stretch out in. I can see if you live in a neighborhood setting as we once did. I would want to be gone too. Even so, my wife has been talking about renting a motorhome type of thing and going to Florida. Not sure if we would be able to get out but that may not be a bad thing...

 

I'm taking my camper to the local park on the lake in a week or so. This time of year I prefer a few creature comforts. I care less about connectivity, just full hookups at the site.

 

11+ wooded acres with spring fed creeks, and I still like to get away. Sometimes you have to leave business behind...to really leave it behind. Problem with camping is really finding a quiet area.

 

We are going to get out tomorrow and if not raining will do some hiking. Right now it is 32 degrees and a freezing drizzle. It is a way to get away, with the wife WFH it is a change of pace for her. Daughter can't get a satisfactory connection for school work, we are working on that issue.

We have full hookup but I have not hooked the sewer up, the water is connected. Most campgrounds we go to are water and electric, it is a treat to have full hookup.

 

We are going to get out tomorrow and if not raining will do some hiking. Right now it is 32 degrees and a freezing drizzle. It is a way to get away, with the wife WFH it is a change of pace for her. Daughter can't get a satisfactory connection for school work, we are working on that issue.

We have full hookup but I have not hooked the sewer up, the water is connected. Most campgrounds we go to are water and electric, it is a treat to have full hookup.

 

That's one of the great things about the whole RV scene, there is no "right" or "wrong" way of doing it! There is no standard "RV person" or even "RV", there are so many variations in both the folks out living the life and the vehicles (or tents) they do it in, its a complete full scale society all to itself. When I'm stuck at work or working around the house I'm always a little envious of anyone getting out and "camping" from the backpacker tent hikers up to the custom Prevost (pronounced Pray-vo) motorcoach folks, they are out there, maybe not doing exactly what I would do or where I would want to be doing it, but they are out there having their flavor of "camping" fun!
For us, we enjoy having a full hookup site, but have stayed in several without and even a few boondocking places and a parking lot here and there for the night, whatever meets our needs and wants at the time. Once in a desired location we typically spend the day visiting the local sites, hiking, biking, kayaking and generally exploring the area for little known interesting places or events, basically out and about for most of the daylight hours and back to "camp" in the evening where there usually isn't a fire but we will walk the campground and talk with other campers, nearly all of whom turn out to be really nice and friendly. At the end of a long day of "adventure" its nice to sit back in a comfy chair/sofa and chill (with a chilled beverage) with an ipad or the TV for a little while before bedtime to recharge for the next day's adventures. That's our RVing style for now with both of us still working which means for the longer trip using vacation time off from work everything needs to get compressed a bit to squeeze in as much as possible for the 1 to 3 week trip, it can get tiring, but in a good way with all of the fun we have. It's looking more like we will both be retiring later this year which will give us the ability to stay at locations longer, travel farther away (West), do more exploring and slow the sometimes hectic pace down a little to leave more time for sitting back and chilling with old and new friends. We are always looking forward to new adventures fueled by our past ones!

 

You are 100% right. When I am at home there are always projects to do, getting in the camper even for a day or two is a rest. Fortunately Raven Rock State Park is only 1 hour from the house, it is a brand new campground and is very popular so sites are hard to get. So it is raining and cold, big deal. The camper is warm and dry and we will be getting out and sightseeing a little later. During Covid attractions are limited so we do what we can to keep our mental health. It is also family time.
Next month we go to Myrtle Beach again for a week. 30 Amp, water and no sewer. The black tank will make it, grays will have to be toted every two days. We have a tote tank for that. We have gotten accustomed to not having sewer.
The whole thing is if you have a camper, use it, enjoy getting out.

 

The major advantage of FHU site(s): the time it takes to de-camp. Drain the black, secure the inside, rinse the black, put your mats and furniture away, drain the gray, re-connect the TV, pull the chocks, stow the hoses.

Today I spent 20 minutes at the Sewer dump, you can multi-task with FHU.