Short and skinny...

30' TT - Timberlodge 30 Sky ( stands over 13' in the back where the loft is for the kids )
Dry Weight is 6940 lbs but I would care to say 8000 - 8500 with all our stuff in it. All tanks are empty.
Towing vehicle is a 2000 EX with a 7.3. With overdrive off and running it up to about 60 mph I'm running just under 2500 rpm. ( 3:73 rear end )
( kinda weird coming from towing with a gasser to see the rpm's close to redline )
I usually tow at 50 mph depending on the the weather...ie wind.

Sound like the same story from others with the 7.3?

 

I tow a 28 foot V nose car hauler with my 7.3 2000 X. Trailer weighs in at about 8000 lbs. I have a DP Tuner with a 60hp tow setting and a full set of gauges. I keep mine in overdrive with cruise set at 65mph, tach reads about 1800 rpm's.

 

I would plan on invensting in a set of pillar guages, egts and trans temp are key when towing. I thought your not supposed to pull With overdrive on? I just heard it was bad for it but that's why I'm asking other diesel owners

 

You don't need to tow with OD off. If the trans starts hunting back and forth between OD and 3rd gear, then switch it off. I turn the OD off when going down a steep hill.

 

The E4OD and 4R100 onward are designed to tow in OD and do a good job at it too. If it hunts for gears, then and only then do you lock out OD.

 

Gearing and rpm wise...the 7.3 is a totally different animal than my V10...other than stock HP/trq #'s

The 2000 7.3 makes ~235 HP @~2700rpm and 500 ft-lb of trq ~1600 rpms whereas my V10 makes ~310 HP @4000 and is flat to 5000 and ~425 ft-lbs fairly flat from 2000 to 4000 (above 400 ft-lbs in that whole region).

We both have the 4R100 and I've towed my 9000# loaded TT all over the country with that trans.

BTW...prior to my current Jayco TT I had a Timberlodge 27' TT that I towed to and through the Rockies as well...

I find with my setup that once you get into any kind of hills regularly...it is just easier to shut OD OFF and not fight it...the powerband on the V10 is such that 3rd gear works better...but I found that out through many 10,000 of 1,000's of miles of towing experimenting...so you may have to do the same too.

I'm not 100% sure of the terrain in Manitoba...but I'm sure it isn't as flat as Indiana!...so do some experimenting!

How have you found the Ex handles that very long and high trailer?...I remember looking at one of those Sky's by Timberlodge...the loft area was sure unique at the time!...BTW those were made just a couple of hours from me before Timberlodge went bankrupt in 2008 I think...sorry to see them go...I always liked our Timberlodge!

Have you run across the scales to see where your weight numbers are truly at?...I was unpleasantly surprised when I did that I was carrying 1450#'s of tongue weight on a receiver that is rated at 1250#'s!!! ... relocating and shifting cargo around the TT got me to within ratings and also got my weight balance more in line with what I was shooting for to achieve a stable tow!

Can I ask what type of WD hitch you have and what sway control you are using?...

The Ex can present a "unique" handling challenge with the softer rear springs...so having a well matched hitch with proper rated spring bars and a good sway control system is important for towing stabilty and safety.

With our Timberlodge we had a Reese Dual Cam (DC) and I really liked it but I also spent more than a few hours at the scale getting her dialed in....

We'll be headed out in about a month to hit North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota before heading home...about a 3 week pull with the camper...looking forward to it...

Good luck and welcome to the Ex club!

Joe.

 

Yeah the sweet spot for the 7.3 is 65, if you are going over rolling hills speed up a bit going down and scrub off a bit of speed going uphill so you don't drop out of OD. Like everyone said if she's downshifting often take out the OD until you get to flat ground. I don't use cruise unless it is pancake flat though just to keep it in OD.

Oh yeah X Hemi knows his shtuff about towing. Ask him he'll tell ya haha!!

 

I have a 34' Springdale over 8k loaded with a dp tuner 60t . I tow between 60-65 at 1800ish rpm. One thing you need is a tranny gauge if you are towing with OD off. Mine heats up kinds fast in stop and go traffic.

 

7.3 or 6.0 final drive ratio gives same RPM in top gear--about 1850 - 1900 rpm at 65 mph. I don't know about the 7.3, but the 6.0 really runs best at 2000 rpm, which is 70 mph. I leave mine in OD (5th gear on Torqshift) and run about 68 - 70 mph towing 10,500 lb, 11'8" height trailer. Cruise control ON. With stiff headwinds, I slow down to about 62-65 mph and let it downshift when it needs to. I use a "wing" to help with aero drag reduction. The "wing" gains about 1 mpg (from 9 to 10 mpg) and seems to allow the truck to run a bit more relaxed.

 

It pulls great until you get any sort of side wind and then I have to chase the trailer around. It can become a very large sail if the wind picks up! I was surprised how much it was moving the Ex around but it was really windy the day I was towing.

I plan on doing that next time we head out. I try to get most of the weigh over the axles in the camper but with the slide the majority is closer to the front.

I have a Husky WD hitch and have order 2 Husky Friction Sway Contol bars. I have never had an issue with the trailer swaying but the last tow in the wind sure made me worry though.

Rear springs? Leafs and shocks for me. I don't have springs anywhere on my Ex. Should I?

Sounds like fun! Hoping to get out in the next couple of weekends before the kids are out of school and the campgrounds fill up!

Thanks for your help Joe and safe travels!

 

Thanks for the replies. The vast majority of my towing is in flat terrain so next time I will try with the OD on and see how it goes.

 

I know what you mean about side winds...back in 2008 when we were pulling from Indiana to the Grand Canyon...I fought a good 3 straight days of 30+ mph CROSS WINDS towing down in Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas...thankfully I tow with a Hensley Arrow hitch...let me tell you...that one trip convinced me of the value...I am sure if I hadn't had the Hensley...we would have been sitting at a campground along the way waiting for those winds to hopefully die down. The worst I think was when a tractor trailer came up along side you and UNLOADED the wind as he passed and then RELOADED the wind along the length of the trailer as he went by...but the rig was rock solid with the Hensley...I was impressed for sure!


Going to the scale is really the only way to know your balance for sure...I was totally surprised by how HEAVY my tongue weight was during my initial weighing exercise...!

A couple of thoughts...

1) A well balanced trailer should NOT SWAY...
2) Forces outside of "normal" are normally what contribute to sway
......a) blown tire
......b) avoidance maneuver
......c) weather/road conditions
......d) other

We carry around sway control a good 99% of the time as ADDED weight...however when you need it...you NEED IT and it is too late to go back and get more!...

Personally I'm not a fan of the friction bars for travel trailers over about 21' in length and 5000#'s loaded...

A step up (if you are already buying TWO sway bars at ~$100 each...would be to buy a new hitch...the Equal-I-zer or Reese Dual DC (DC) would be the way to go...both offer WD as well as superior sway control...

I did not do an exhaustive search for best pricing...but here's the Equal-I-zer brand hitch...

Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System w/ 4-Point Sway Control - 12,000 lbs GTW, 1,200 lbs TW Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution EQ90-00-1200

I know it is significantly more than the TWO friction bars...but the level of sway control is far superior...

Of course...there's always the Hensley too...and I happen to know where one will be for sale after a long pull this summer...

Sorry...I did mean leaf springs...I shorted it to springs...all Ex's have rear leaf springs...that is our weakness too with how Ford chose to spring them.

Do you also happen to know if you have a rear sway bar?...if not...I'd add the Hellwig...about a 2 hour job that is well worth your time and $...a fairly straightforward DIY project too!...the enhancement in handling is very noticeable!!!


Thanks...we're looking forward to the summer trip!