I'm about to sell my F-150 truck and buy a Expedition for more family/traveling room. However, I also do alot of home renovations. I need to carry plywood, lumber, drywall, etc on a daily basis. With the seats down can the Expedition fit a 4x8 foot sheet of drywall or plywood?

 

you can't close the rear all the way, but you can carry 4x8s. i've done it with a '97 and '00, not sure about the newer models.

 

same with the 03+. you're about six inches away from closing the door with a full sheet. but i have carried 2x12's inside with the door closed.

 

sounds like you need a Crew cab.
got a 96 w/8' bed & cap great for work, and has room for fam, best part, dust and crap from work site stays in back, not in cab.
Wife's got a 01 expy, definatly would NOT make a good work truck, but is worlds better for fam.(no comparison for comfort)
Had a 88 E350 extended ex-limo for both, but the dust and crap was intolerable after a while.
My opinion.....There is NO 1 good vehicle.....probably not realy what you wanted to hear, but thats the reality of it.

 

I just sold my F250 for the same reason..not enough family room. I don't do construction for a living but rebuild houses on the side. I'm looking at getting a trailer to haul stuff when I need to. Gotta plan trips better...and can't stop on the way home from work w/out planning ahead and hitching up. But it's cheaper than keeping an extra vehicle around.

 

I also just bought a trailer (8x20).
If you go that route, I would not recomend geting anything larger than 7x14 or even 7x12 unless you get it in ALL Aluminum ($$$), as my trailer is too heavy for the expo. It will pull it, but it is a strain. I use my f350 diesel.
Pulling anything more than 4000 lbs. with a gas engine will definatly shorten the lifespan of the engine, regardless of what the rated towing capicity is. Gassers just dont generate enough torque.

 

Huh? Sorry, but you're on crack. If you truck is setup right, you should have no problem. I regularly use my expy to pull my racecar on a car trailer and together the setup weighs close to 6000 lbs. The trailer alone is about 8x20 and weighs 1500+ lbs. I have never had a problem with it. Saying that pulling XXX lbs will shorten the lifespan of your engine is just plain dumb. Of course it will, so will driving it. Are you going to just let your truck sit in the driveway and rot because you're causing wear? Not me, I'm going to use it as intended. Sure the extra torque of a diesel would be nice, but last I checked they aren't available in the Expys. People have been towing trailers for decades with gas engines, like I said, if it's properly equiped, then you'll have no problem.

 

Just because a truck is capable of pulling something doesn't mean that the drivetrain is designed to do it.
Your right, saying that pulling XXX lbs will shorten the life of your engine, is dumb.
Actually pulling anything greater than a few hundred lbs, on a regular basis, will shorten the lifespan of your entire drivetrain.
As far as letting it rot vs. using it as intended, I refer to the first paragraph.
Yes people have been towing with gas engines for decades, however that is not to say that there is not a beter alternative available today. People also drove on bias ply tires for decades, that doesnt mean I'm goin out and getting a set, just because it was good enough for my father, and his, and his.
Properly equiped??? you mean like having a diesel engine DESIGNED for towing.
I still say your best bet is to have 2 vehicles. One for work, and towing, and one for pleasure.

 

*MAYBE* towing with your Expedition will shorten the engine life from 400,000 miles to 380,000 miles but maybe it won't... I sure am not going to worry about it. If you take care of your truck, you should be able to use it. Hauling a 6000 lb. trailer shouldn't hurt it in any way that you will actually notice.

 

Well the other issue here is some of us don't have the need (or the $$) for a diesel. If I can only buy one vehicle, and I need it to be a daily driver, take the wife, 3 kids and the dog to the beach with all the stuff that goes along with it, or take it on a mountain biking weekend with buddies and be able to carry six adults comfortably plus gear and bikes, or haul the occasional load of 4x8 sheets of drywall or 2x12's, this is the truck. (And if I need to haul more than one or two sheets or if I need 4x12's I can always rent an F250 from Lowe's for a couple of hours, only costs $25.)

Everyone has different uses for their Expy. I don't see any problem with towing a 3 ton trailer, especially when the Expy 5.4 with the tow package is rated to 8000+ lbs. Even without the tow package it's rated to 6000.

 

Obviously there are a lot of opinions on this.
I guess my point is, if you need to carry 4x8's a lot you should, have a pick-up, or if you go the route of a trailer, you should not get anything bigger than absolutly necassary, and if possible get an all Aluminum, as it will be a lot easier on the truck.

 

Just as a clarification, the rear hatch window opending is wide enough to accomodate a 48-inch wide sheet hanging out with just the class portion of the hatch open. Not that you'd want to do that frequently - however, for the occasional need, it works fine.

On my first Ford (first year of the Explorer) the glass opening was an inch too narrow to accomodate a 48-inch sheet. I could never understand this design decision.

Paul

 

Hey nationm, I'd definitely get a trailer to haul stuff because trowing building materials in and pulling them out of the back will trash your carpet, trim, etc. I've got an 18' trailer that I jerk around all over the place without a care in the world, but you can probably get by with a 12' or so.

 

Nationm - another suggestion. I use my expy almost every week for trips to HD & Lowes. Get one of those rubber cargo mats for the back (molded to fit perfectly) and before putting in the long lumber like 4x8's and 2x's lay a cut 2X4 across the folded down seats to spare the carpeting on the back of the seats (those wood splinters a female dog to get out of the carpet). Works great to keep the carpet in good shape..

 

I would agree with the trailer suggestion. I have a 5x10 with 2ft treated 3/4 plywood sides and it only weighs 800lbs or so empty. If you get a 3500lb axle, I only have 2000lb You can haul alot of building supplies without messing up the interior of your expy. I would say you could get a good trailer that size for around 1000.00 here, alot cheaper than replacing carpet or fighting dust and dirt IMO.