I have this idea to get a 31' tow travel trailer and attach to my '99 Expedition Eddie Bauer Edition (5.4 ltr and 4x4). I have been told that if I add a Reese hitch (PROFESSIONAL RECEIVER 44622), would that be enough to pull a 31' trailer?

I am just understanding all of the issues with pulling a trailer, so forgive me if I am not giving enough information. Also, is there any other things I need to make this (assuming that it works) workable. For instance, I have seen a control box in the cab that is used in conjunction with towing trailers. Is that needed, or can my Expy handle that control?

 

It isn't the length of the trailer that matters, it is the weight. Depending on how your truck is configured you can tow somewhere around 8k pounds. It depends on rear end gearing and motor. The information you need should be in your manual.
You most definitely need an electric brake controller, and by law it is required in most states over 3k.

 

Always is correct.
Weight is the critic component, however, any normal 31' trailer is not going to weigh less then your Expy's max.
I pulled a 24' trailer with mine and it was really too much for it, even with the tow pkg. if your's has an add on brake controller, you probably have the tow pkg too but still not enough.
IMHO, It would be crazy to even consider it! Very unsafe too.

 

+1 to everything above. When you look at a trailer see what the gvwr is for it (usually a yellow sticker on the trailer). That's the max it can weigh loaded down. You need that to be less than your max tow rating. Maybe look for a small ultralight? I wouldn't want to tow anything that big with the expy though- I prefer something with a longer wheelbase.

 

The other replies are probably right. Though, I have a 98 Expy, 4X4 XLT...been towing a 30' camper trailer since 2004. Live in Colorado and go through the mountains a lot. Engine is fine. Stock Ford tranny and tranny cooler not enough for this...am on my 4th tranny. It's an after market from Jasper Int'l...been in for 4 years and still running strong. Had also update to a larger tranny cooler. Am looking at doing some more modifications per can't afford a new truck. You may be OK if you're not pulling in the hills/mountains. I've had mine out to Ohio and back to Colorado several times-did OK, except for gas mileage. My trailer base weight is @ 5400 lbs, so think it's close to 7k fully loaded.

 

I guess the real question is... Did the truck pull the trailer or did the trailer push the truck???

 

The Expy will "pull" anything. It's the handling and stopping that you have to worry about. What will happen if you come over the top of a hill and traffic is at a dead stop 200 yards in front of you? Same around a bend or corner, or the bottom of a hill at night. You would be far better off getting something like a 3/4 ton pickup with big brakes on it or and/or a diesel motor. Rather than tear up your Expy.


-Mike

 

I agree with posts above - it's all about weight.

I bought my Expy with trailer towing as one of my many uses - I tow a 26' 7400lb trailer around Alberta & BC occasionally. I know full well that this isn't the optimal tow vehicle - it was a compromise to get the interior space/seats, lower cost of gas vs. diesel (purchase price & maintenance), etc.

The key mistake I believe many people make is to try to keep up with traffic at 70 mph - I see so many guys in their big diesels with 5th wheels go screaming by just because they can. Not sure how many transmissions they go through but it's what I hear getting replaced a lot from a lot of truck owners - yikes 4 trannys! That's insane - especially when you can drive differently and avoid all that...

My Dad taught me that when you pull in hills you drive to minimize shifts. That means first you drive with overdrive off. Second, you let it slow down on hills and shift only once! I'll happily pull up long 6% grades at 40mph with the Expy not stressing just pulling strong. That'll save your truck/tranny and when you crest that hill with traffic stopped you can stop too!

2006 Expy Limited 130000kms

 

Thank you for this post. I plan to purchase a new travel trailer this spring that will likely weigh close to what you are pulling once loaded. I have a 99 Lincoln Navi with the 4V 5.4L and 3:73 gears and 165K (mostly highway) on the clock. I blew the tranny last fall after about 15, 300 mile round trips over 3 years of towing without a tranny temp gauge and without frequent enough maintenance. That trailer was only around 5500# loaded, but I didn't exactly "take it easy" on the truck while towing.

Once you drop $3K on a reman transmission, you tend to be more motivated to educate yourself about preventing disaster in the future. In preparation for my up coming trailer purchase, I bought a Scangauge II to moniter tranny temp, torque converter lockout status, and engine load. I installed a B&M 70274 supercooler to replace the tiny stock tranny cooler. I completed a tranny service with Royal Purple synthetic ATF and filter and will be doing a drain and fill annually from now on. Air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, and coolant flush and fill are next. Already replaced all air ride components including the rear springs and compressor a few years back. Tires are 1 year old.

I know this rig will be pretty underpowered on some of our Wisconsin hills or headwinds, but I plan to take it slow and everywhere I plan to go is within 150 miles of home. I'll upgrade tow vehicles in a couple of years after I get some of my money out of the repair costs I absorbed. Once I get a suitable tow vehicle, I'll look to plan some big trips to FL and out west.

I'm glad to see that towing near the weight limits of an Expy/Navi has been successfully executed by others. This gives me courage to go forward, but I will certainly be vigilant about maintaining and inspecting the Navi between every trip while babying it on the drives.