Greetings. We just bought a 2008 Jayco Jay Feather 30U, which we plan on towing with my 2011 F-150 (4x4, Ecoboost, 3.55 gears, Supercrew 5.5' bed). The trailer came with a Reese dual cam anti-sway and weight distributing hitch. So far all we've done is tow it home, and it did fine. But we are considering picking up a used probably 2012-2013 Expedition to replace my wife's Taurus X, which is getting up in miles. We'd like to have the extra interior space for our kids and dogs.

But I'm concerned about towing with the Expedition. I'm sure the frame and chassis are similar, both have the 6-speed trans with tow/haul mode, both have stability control with anti-sway, both have the factory brake controller built in. And I'm not that concerned about the 5.4's power deficit compared to the Ecoboost, I'm not looking to win any drag races. But the Expedition's towing capacity is lower (9000 vs. 9700). The GCVWR is 15000 on the Expedition vs. 15500 on the F-150. The wheelbase on the Expedition is 119 inches vs. 144.5 inches for the F-150. The Expedition also has independent rear suspension, compared to the F-150's solid axle, though I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

So, I'm concerned about being closer to the "edge" in an Expedition as compared to the F-150. The trailer's dry weight is about 6000 lb, gross is 7500. By the time we load it and the tow vehicle, we are going to be flirting with the GCVWR of around 15000 lbs.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but I'm looking for opinions from anyone who has towed with Expeditions and F-150s, and how comparable they are.

Oh, and by the way, it sure would be nice if Ford still made the Excursion....

 

With what you described the X gives you no safety margin. One thing you can do is lose some cargo weight. Make a list of everything you plan on taking with you. On each trip out pull out the list and mark each item as used or did not use. After a few trips you will find stuff that is doing nothing but taking up space and weight. If you only camp in locations with water connection, leave the fresh water empty (8 #/gallon). If you have 50 gallon fresh water there is your safety margin.

 

Can you take the rig to a scale set up like you would tow including a full fuel tank and weigh it to help you make your decision? It sounds like you will have both and since they are both set to tow, real world weights might help with your decision.

Steve

 

Yeah, I should do that. Need to find a scale nearby.

And I do plan on packing as light as possible, which won't be easy with the family wanting to take everything under the sun. And I will definitely empty the tanks before towing. We won't be doing any dry camping or anything.

 

It is just a lot easier to discuss weights when you know for sure what they are.

Steve

 

Yep, agreed. Thought we actually don't have an Expedition yet, we are considering replacing the Taurus X with one, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. But if I get the whole thing weighed with the F-150, that'll give me some idea of where I stand, anyhow.

 

That was my thought as then no matter what you get, you will have your trailer and hitch weight.

 

"True" weights will help a lot.

I'm in a similar situation to you. Honestly, an expedition would suit my needs 90% of the time better than my F150, but I'm happy I've got the bigger truck when I'm towing, so that's how I went.

 

Looks like there's a CAT-certified scale about 20 miles from me. I'll try and get up there in the next week or so.

 

Use the truck. It will be a much better towing experience.


Running that 5.4 at 3500-4K rpms gets real old.


With the F150 you can use cruise control and go. Much better towing manners.

 

I towed my Dad's 80s Holiday rambler that in the 25-30" range and and fully loaded is in the same weight range you were looking at with my 05 Expedition and Dad pulls it with an 2010 Expedition EL. Both do an excellent job towing but will probably require some extra help from the WD hitch vs the truck, the rear suspension on the Expedition is considerably softer. With the shorter wheelbase good sway control will be very much appreciated, once I got everything dialed in and unless I was passing a semi you'd hardly know it was behind me. (Iowa to Mount Rushmore.)

 

FWIW, I'm looking at a used Hensley Arrow hitch tomorrow. I'm thinking it'll help no matter what tow vehicle I'm using.

 

I had a Hensley for my TT. Good system. There is a learning curve to hitching up but you cannot beat it for a WD hitch system with sway control.

 

I have a Hensley with my Expedition. I couldn't tow safely without it. You can make tight turns and it totally eliminates sway. It makes the TV and TT feel like one unit much like driving a motor home.

 

Just to round this off, I had my truck and trailer weighed yesterday. We were fully loaded with the family of 4, the two dogs, and the trailer loaded with food and gear for a week's worth of camping, and it weighed 14,300 lbs. We towed about 250 miles, and aside from the Ecoboost drinking fuel like a sailor on shore leave, it went just fine.

In any case, we've decided to hold off on the Expedition for now for financial reasons, and when we do get one it'll probably be the 2015+ model, which is rated at 15,300 GCWR, so we should be fine to tow with it, as well.