Your setup may present some challenges........ Even the mighty 7.3 (especially if mostly still stock) will be taxed by those big 37"s, unless it has been regeared to get back to the effective 3.73 to 4.10 7.3 sweet spot. The big lift brings other potential concerns, the tall blocks could lead to some unwanted axle wrap due to the increased leverage and the additional load of a TT behind. There are ways to deal with that though. Another issue that may be a problem is the amount of drop that will be needed to get the hitch properly setup, I don't know if there are WD hitches available with that long of drop heads, maybe some other folks here have info on that.

 

All these guys have covered most of the basics but I want to throw one thing in that was important to us. A camp side dinette! We have 4 young kids so being able to have a large window on the camp side was a must. Many newer models put the dinette on the slide and the kitchen on the camp side leaving no window to see your own area. There are many mornings or times the kids may want to be outside and we just want to sit down at the table with a coffee and deck of cards....

Oh and the extra space a slide gives in the walking area, even if just an 18" slide, is well worth the money trying to move around kids and dogs! Camp with 4 kids, 2 dogs, and a mother in law and you'll see ....

 

We went the opposite of many folks, we had a bunkhouse and the main living area was too cramped. The bathroom was also small and I felt there was a lot of wasted space.


We traded and got a Couples Camper. The kids sleep on the pull out sofa and air mattress in the living area, the bathroom is large and there is plenty of inside storage. We also like the residential fridge and pantry space. When the bed and air mattress and air mattress are put away there is a ton of room for the 4 of us and 2 dogs.


As for tips, with an Ex bikes are hard to carry, our Surveyor came with a bike rack. Having fresh, grey and black water capacity is a plus, grey tanks fill up fast. We also have a fireplace, I anticipate it will help keep the camper warm in the high 30s low 40 degree nights to keep from burning propane.


A 50 Amp service will let you run the A/C, microwave and a hair dryer without popping the pedestal breaker. Many 50 AMP equipped RVs are prewired for 2nd A/C units, I will be installing one this winter.


If you get a TT, use it. It is a lot of money to have just sit in the driveway. We will only take a 3 month hiatus this winter and then we will be heading off in it at least once a month. After all it is for recreation and fun.

 

Both were loss of Freon due to leaks. Yes,I do have a hard wired Progressive Industries 30 amp PMS.

 

What gears should I use for this size tire? (37") the rear and front will need to be changed correct?

 

With the 7.3 PSD you will want to get back to an effective 3.73 to 4.10 ratio, so a set (yes, front AND rear) of 4.30 gears with those big 37"s will give an effective ratio of 3.66, which is pretty good. A set of 4.56 gears will bring the effective ratio to 3.88, which may be a bit better to tow with. With the limited RPM range of the PSD you have to be careful to not go too deep on the gears or you will be over-revving the engine on the highway.
By the way, if your 37"s are a true 37" tall your current effective ratio with the factory 3.73 gears is down to 3.18, which is pretty high and puts more stress on the trans than the deeper gears would, and that ratio is robbing a lot of drivability, performance and acceleration.

 

Thanks you WE3ZS! Any suggestions on where to purchase?

 

No, I don't have any experience with the different vendors or installation kits for the gears, I got very lucky and found a set of complete axles with my 4.88 gears already installed.
Be sure to run those gear choices past some of our more educated 7.3 guys before you commit to anything though, I'm a gas guy and the V-10 loves the deep gears, but it has almost twice the RPM range of the PSD. I just ran your tire size and ratios through an online calculator to come up with those effective ratio choices, I think I'm on the right track with them but make sure with a deezle dude first.
@Krazee Matt @Toreador_Diesel what say you gentlemen?

 

Yukon makes good stuff. It's more about quality and the price reflects it for gears, those're something I have never, ever, skimped on.

A first rate install shop is the second piece. Inexperience leads to bad things happening. Those bad things can happen at idles speeds, or they can happen at, oh, say... 65mph while you're towing your first Chevelle and the rear wheels suddenly decide they don't want to turn anymore. I owned that car all of 13 hours and it got totaled.

4.56 seems about on par to reach a desirable towing ratio with 37's as well as keep things happy turbo wise without too much gentle grade lugging and spiking EGT's. I haven't followed this whole thread, so I don't know if a tuner is already installed or not. A good one (cough, Gearhead, cough) plus gears will making towing a whole hell of a lot nicer one everything across the board. 6.0 cooler as well, blah blah blah.

Yes Mdavidson, both axles need to be regearedto the same ratio. You can do the rear first and then the front, but you will NOT be able to use 4wd until the axles have matching ratios. So if budget is a concern that's one way to space it out over some time. Just be damn sure 4wd is never engaged because things will bind and you'll start grenading parts real quick in potentially really expensive areas.

 

I don't like it when grenade is used in a discussion of moving parts in a truck.....

 

Buddy.... At 300 lbs the floor in a lot of travel trailers are gonna feel like they have soft spots. Stay away from the "lite weights".

Here's a good one for you... IMO

 

Thanks for the info Matt, and yes I do have a Power Hungry Performance Hydra tuner on the truck, it was on the Ex when I purchased it a couple months ago. It only has 6 of the standard PHP tunes installed on it
1) 0 HP stock
2) 0 HP 1200 high idle
3) 25 HP towing
4) 65 HP Daily driver
5) 80 HP Performance
6) 120 HP Racing
This is my first diesel and I have a lot to learn. I can get all 15 of the factory preset tunes for free from PHP (I contacted them) I also know that I can load tunes from others as well. I am very interested in learning more about this. When it comes to tuners I am kind of lost. Never using one so no experience. There are several things I want to do to my Ex, as far as performance and making the truck last at least to 500,000 miles. That is my biggest goal. I am using as a daily driver right now because it's new to me and I am still playing with her. I intend in the near future though to only use for family outings (if I NEVER get in my wife's Honday Odyssey again it will be to soon!) and for travel!

 

Hey, we all start somewhere. More importantly, all of us here have varying accounts and experiences with the same things so keep that in mind. I've been through most large tuners available for the 7.3, and I have been the most impressed with Gearhead's offerings both for tunes as well as customer service. Razzi has had similar experiences with other companies as I have and is the one that initially put me on to the guys at GH. If you would like, send me a PM and I can fill you in on my personal experiences. Major plus is they write for the Hydra chip so you'd just get new stuff emailed and you burn it to the chip yourself with a laptop and a free program (Hydra Helper I believe).

If you don't have any auxiliary gauges installed, I would say your very first move - even before gears - is to get some for of monitoring going, especially TFT and EGT (transmission fluid temp and exhaust gas temperature). With 37's and some generic tunes, you are at some pretty serious risk of cooking the transmission or causing internal damage to the engine if things get too hot. I would absolutely recommend the 6.0 trans cooler upgrade if the PO didn't do it already. Stock programming doesn't really allow for EGT's to ever be an issue, the trans can get pretty damn warm when worked hard - which towing on 37's and a tuner will most certainly do.

I'm going to PM you my number, feel free to call or text tomorrow and I can talk some stuff over with you. It'll just be easier to cover more ground, and anything you want further clarification on I can type up here for further clarification.

 

Be sure to get over to the Diesel-specific forum on this site. It would be hard to find a better knowledge base and group willing to help answer questions.

Here's the direct link: 1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

I am running 35's on my Excursion. No problems towing, she'll stop at 90 if I let up on the pedal

WDH for sure. The towing experience is MUCH nicer. You may be challenged to find a big enough drop for your height.

As for a camper? I strongly recommend whatever you get have SLIDE(s). Single-lane-passing each other in the am would get old quick.

We have a hybrid, really like it. But our needs are changing. Looking to do more "portable hotel" short stops and travel around, so soon to be changing to a TT, if the budget allows.

We take a popup pavilion/canopy with us. Really helps expand our usable space.

 

Welcome to the camping world. As others have said, be sure to check for leaks, roof condition and tires. Siding on campers is usually of two choices - a fiber laminate or aluminum. If you see waves in the smooth fiber sides, it is likely delaminating due to water leakage or another structural issue. Too expensive to repair. We are on our seventh trailer now, progressing from the smallest basic pop-up to now a 35' Forest River.

So important considerations I can recommend, is that 35' is about the max I would ever tow. Keep the weight a little heavy on the tongue end and you will have much greater sway control. Although we use a weight distributing hitch, I added air bags too - a cheap mod that helps considerably. Sway control of some sort is critical too, at least at these longer lengths. Don't be cheap on the brake controller either. The Ex has great brakes, but add 9,000 lbs to it and you will toast your rotors pretty quickly. Good Luck!