What weight and length travel trailers are the Ex owners towing. The original plan was a 32' with a gvwr of 7500 lbs. My wife has decided that she wants the 36' with a gvwr of 9400 lbs. I think will be too much for the Ex but thought I'd ask the experts.

 

I wouldn't worry about it, but some upgraded springs and trailer sway control might be a good idea if you don't already have those. That's a lot of air you're pushing!

 

Our ToyHauler is 34.5' from hitch to bumper and has a GVWR of 11,300lbs, but we typically run at about 9500lbs. Our EX has the rear Hellwig, Rancho 9000XLs, modded X/B spring swap, Banks headers and 4.88 gears. We started out with a cheap Draw-Tite WD hitch with a single friction anti-sway device, it was a real handful but all of the EX mods weren't done at that point, After three trips we upgraded to a used Hensley Arrow that I refurbished, I can't say enough good things about the HA or it's slightly more affordable cousin the Pro-Pride hitch. Every mod has made a positive improvement in towing performance, control and comfort. I can roll down the highway now at 65 MPH and control the rig with one finger even with big trucks passing and in strong crosswinds, super comfortable!
Make sure your Ex's suspension is in perect shape and invest in a good quality brake controller and a top of the line sway control or sway elimination WD hitch setup. Visit a set of truck scales and get accurate weights of the truck and trailer, these weights will help to get your hitch properly setup, a very important step in a well mannered tow rig.
Good luck!

 

He's got the 7.3 - he doesn't need the gears. I've had my v10 with 4.30's up over 10k several times and no problems there. I towed 14k lbs last year to Nashville and it loved it.

 

33' travel trailer that weights ~8500lbs loaded. Using a Blue Ox Sway pro with 1000lb bars (weight distributing hitch) along with Firestone airbags. Between the hitch and those airbags I can drive the Excursion with a single finger even in wind or truck traffic.

 

I have a P3 brake controller. I'm leaning to the RAS to beef up the rear suspension. I've been looking at a hitches as well

 

I would consider a Livewire TS tuner to maximize the 7.3's power and improve the shifting (the LWTS should help to reduce some of the stress on the tranny, as it is the weakest link in your set up).

The RAS is an absolute must, I LOVE mine. Add in high quality new shocks all the way around to enhance the RAS even further.

There's one of other thing to make sure of...you have GOT to get a matched set of HIGH quality tires that are rated high enough to handle the extra weight they will see when towing. Do NOT mix and match brands of tires...that may be the one thing that puts you in a ditch faster than just about anything else.



Now for my opinions (we all have them...LOL):

• With the 7.3L PSD changing to any gears besides "stock" 3.73s is a waste of money. Remember, you're not always towing and the 3.73 gears are about the best compromise for everyday driving and towing.
• I agree with WE3ZS, the Hensley Arrow is a great hitch, but again it's WAY over kill for most people. The Huskey Straight Line accomplishes the same goals as the HA at WAY less money. Again, remember you're not towing all the time and the difference in money can be better spent else where. So unless you're planning to retire, live out of the TT, and tow everyday, go with a less expensive hitch.

 

When you get to the Hensley Arrow it's the law of diminishing returns. Any WDH is better than not using one at all but the difference between the Arrow and other WDH hitches with Anti-sway ON A PROPERLY CONFIGURED VEHICLE aren't as dramatic as people think.

Also, while RAS is nice and all, once it's mounted to your vehicle - the ride isn't going to change. If you're towing 99.9% of the time you're driving the vehicle then that's fine but if it's your daily driver I'd STRONGLY suggest getting airbags instead.

Also, people don't realize that the payload capacity on excursion isn't fantastic. It's something in the 1500lb range. If your tongue weight is 10% of that 9500 is 950 lbs then that leaves ~650lbs of weight before you're exceeding the payload capacity.

I'm not saying you shouldn't/can't tow that trailer - the Ex will pull it just fine - just keep in mind you're exceeding what the Excursion has been rated for. It's not a F-250 with a permanent shell.

If you're going to tow that kind of weight - suspension mods are almost a must. At the very least that RAS or airbags. Ideally you want to beef up those leaf springs or swap them out.

 

I hooked the trailer up this afternoon. Without any of our junk in it or the family I had 710 lbs of payload remaining. The wife and kids weigh in at 350 lbs so I'll have 360 lbs of payload remaining. It seems like it might work. If we load 1000 lbs in it, I'll still have 200 lbs for kid growth.

I'm more concerned about it being able to handle it reasonably, I don't want to be stressing the entire trip. I can almost sleep while pulling our 18' trailer now.

 

Don't stress. Despite my post, personally I feel that the Excursion is underrated for what it can do. Honestly you'll be fine. You have a weight distributing and anti-sway hitch, yes?

 

Sure it is; F250s of this vintage had a GVWR of 8,800 lbs. Some diesel F250s had a payload of around 1,300 lbs IIRC.

Stability has very little to do with weight and quite a bit to do with how the trailer is setup. That means level with the correct tongue weight and whichever rear spring mods are necessary to support the added weight. The rear axle and LR E tires on the Excursions are capable of 7,000 lbs. Here was my heaviest tow with the Excursion:





It handled just great, my only concern was ripping the hitch off with ~2,000 lbs tongue weight. I do NOT recommend anyone doing this, but it illustrates how handling doesn't degrade with weight. I have never used any form of sway control.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-me-proud.html

 

I have to quibble with that statement and say just the opposite. I don't have experience with airbags aside from my brother has some on his truck. Maybe I am all wet. Seems to me in daily driving with the airbags, they are inflated to a minimum and just riding along not doing anything. With the RAS, it's always on the job for added stability. In fact, that is why I was sold on the idea more than any added weight carrying capacity. I did not notice any change in the ride after I installed it.

 

To rephrase what I meant, there is little to no adjustments that can be made after installation of RAS. With airbags I can adjust all day long. I can also keep them aired up if I so desire or keep them down. I actually like the ride with about 40psi in them for daily driving. I'm certainly not saying RAS is bad, I just prefer being able to change and adjust my setup.

 

I tow a 31 foot travel trailer with a 10400 gross weight rating. I use a Draw Tight WD hitch with 1200# bars.

Towing has been a nightmare so far. I just made some changes prior to the trip I am on now. Just installed RedHead steering box, Moog ball joints, 1.75 deg caster bushings. Lubed every steering joint and lubed wheel U-joints. HUGE difference in driving and towing.

My Ex has 3.73 gears and I use tow/haul mode. I have a P2 brake controller and the trailer brakes will give you whiplash. They work very well.

I still need to upgrade springs and get Load range E tires. That should make towing a breeze.

 

The springs and tires will make more difference than everything else you mentioned combined.