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First Excursion Towing Experience. Help identify the problem.
This Labor Day Weekend was the first time I got to tow with our Excursion. Before I get into that experience, let me tell you a little about or EX. I recently (2019) picked up this EX with 49k miles on it. Original owner. Everything stock. Stock rear sway bar. First impression was very good. Only problem it had was that it had "sloppy" steering. What I mean by that is that the wheel has some slack in it and the truck would wonder off every so often. If I let go of the wheel it drove straight, but out of the blue it wonders off?
So before our Labor Day Vacation I added some AirLift airbags to the rear (as I did with my 04 Ram 1500). I have pulled our trailer with my Ram 1500 and it handled straight as an arrow with the bags and WD hitch, so I expected the same from the EX assuming the same setup would work. NOT!! The EX wondered like a motha! So I don't believe the problem lies on the trailer and WD hitch setup. I am convinced it is the EX. I got some feedback from Instagram about this. Some said it was the WD hitch, rear springs, steering box, caster, steering stabilizers, etc.. I'm hoping you guys can help identify the real problem or problems.
We have a few guys here that can get you squared away in their sleep. Until they see the thread and start asking you questions to get your problem sussed out, check out the tech folder sticky thread at the top of the Excursion forum for some good, in-depth reading on the Excursion Wander and how it's combatted.
Be forewarned, if Camo see's the thread and chimes in, he's gonna break down your suspension and go from the bottom up, so be prepared to measure stuff and report back.
yes we need some measurements,
from the center of your hub measure straight up to the bottom of the fender arch. post the results from all 4 corners.
the jist of the problem is the front springs sag which reduces caster and that amplifies any loose or worn steering components into a wander. raising the rear with the air bags made it even worse. ( air bags are great but you need to have the correct alignment specs if you hope to have your vehicle track straight )
anyhow, get those measurements and we can get you straighten out.
There are so many things that can go wrong with the steering and suspension. I would start with tire rotation and move to the steering box adjustment. With your low mileage, I really don't suspect your suspension.
There are so many things that can go wrong with the steering and suspension. I would start with tire rotation and move to the steering box adjustment. With your low mileage, I really don't suspect your suspension.
@49k its more likely a sagged spring or wheel bearing then a steer gear but you are correct that any worn item can be a issue, but the core problem always comes down to the factory caster settings, ford set these up on the razors edge from the factory at +3.5* which for a straight axle is borderline and will wander even with no worn parts, change 1 thing like the rake ( air bags ) or tire pressure and the handle goes away.
While I agree that this is most likely a front suspension issue, I would be interested in which WD hitch is being used and what the scaled weights are on the EX and TT. The fact that the old truck pulled the TT just fine is good info but each vehicle has its own set of parameters that will affect how it handles a load like that, could still be a hitch adjustment item......
While I agree that this is most likely a front suspension issue, I would be interested in which WD hitch is being used and what the scaled weights are on the EX and TT. The fact that the old truck pulled the TT just fine is good info but each vehicle has its own set of parameters that will affect how it handles a load like that, could still be a hitch adjustment item......
Blow up the pic of his setup, you can draw a line along along the bottom of the fender arches from the Ex front to the trailer rear and get a good idea of the weigh distribution, not the actual numbers but the actual results, from that you can see the issue isn't the front but the rear which would be influencing the caster. be great if we had caster and weights but from that pic and my experience Id say he is right at 3.25- 3.5* with that much air in his bags.
with bags it is helpful to raise initial caster to make up for not getting a caster gain from no rear sag as you get without bags. looks to me like the bags are over inflated snd he is running positive rake ( rear high )
Looks like the rear is higher than the front which can make it a bit wandery. To eliminate that possibility simply air down to level and see what it does.
If the WD is the sliding bar type excessive friction can make it wander. If it's a chain type and they're not in line between left/right and the chains aren't vertical when in a straight ahead position they could mess with it. As inconceivable as it may seem, even too much friction at the ball can do it and WD adds a lot of force and friction at the ball. I would try it with the WD bars off, if it gets better it should be easy to fix. It's also possible that the trailer has a problem that was masked with the truck and shows up with the Ex, but I'd start at the WD test.
your springs and non towing ride height are dead on and the suspension looks nice and original.
in the pic you posted it looks like you have the air bags inflated do the rear is at least an inch higher the the front.
try this. when towing inflate the bags so the vehicle is level or 1/2” to 1” lower then the front
Also tire PSI, you didnt answer that part of my question but it interacts critically with caster. with stock-ish size tires make sure you are running 50 psi front and 55 psi rear when towing.
with 49k miles and by the looks of your pics, my suspicion is your issue is the alignment which is likely “in spec”. but not favorable to your towing ride height and tire psi.
if it were my Excursion I would take it to a known good alignment shop and ask for a through and careful inspection before being aligned to my exact specs.
toe in. + .006* total
caster + 5*
steer ahead 0
after you get it aligned, post up the before/after results from the shop. make sure to talk to the tech ( not the manager ) after the service and make a list of anything he noted.
There's a thread around here where I used my 2001 2WD Excursion to pull a 15,000#, 38' enclosed trailer from Connecticut to Texas and back. Everyone said I was gonna die (spoiler alert: I didn't).
But despite Bilsteins, airbags, Roadmaster suspension, Reese camlock WD hitch, new ball joints/suspension, ad nausea, it was a handful all the way down to Texas. Seemed like even a pickup truck would push the trailer sideways. It was an adventure.
Then, during the trip home, I stopped overnight at my sister's place in Louisiana and we were thinking about how maybe the truck was swaying on the tlal tires. I decided to troll Craigslist for some replacements. Found a set of 2017 F-250 20" take-offs with Michelin tires. Bought 'em and had some aluminum wheel spacers shipped to compensate for the pattern difference.
Going from the stock 16" wheels to the 2017 F-250 wheels freakin transformed the truck. I mean, really, night and day: whereas the trip down was a white-knuckler sawing exercise, the trip home was cruise control and one hand on the wheel. Trucks coming by were no problem.
So, yeah, get all that other stuff fixed, but don't overlook better wheels and tires.
@GregA your anecdotal accounting would be considerably more helpful if you posted the full tire size and tire specs of both sets if tires. just switching from a 16 to 20 rim is not likely to reproduce the same result for somebody else.
