Please don't take this the wrong way, I am merely asking questions on this forum to learn more about the Expedition's towing capacity (not just the factory's rating). If you believe the accuracy of the factory's rating then why do you minimize the towing prowess of the Expedition when even the factory rates the Expedition 4X4 with the 3.31 gear at 9,200 and the F250/F350 4X4 with the same engine (5.4) and even higher GVWR of 16,000k and the steeper 3.73 gear (SRW) to tow exactly the same amount of 9,200 (Both taken from Ford's 2008 trailer towing guide). Whether or not it is a half ton chassis I don't know but if it is rated to pull the same load as a heavy duty vehicle I wouldn't consider it a light weight puller. I am not advocating that anyone pull more than they are comfortable with or exceeding the manufacturer's rating. I remember the laughs I used to get while calculating the weight of the steel I used to haul on a straight truck to make sure I was within the GVWR while the other drivers merely jumped in and drove out (some sidestepping road side weight scales).

 

Not trying to offend anyone here on this friendly site. My comments were aimed more at MNMWHIT's friend who pulled a 10.5K trailor with his expy. I think it was dangerous and irresponsible. I too own an Expy and I wouldn't dream of beating the **** out of it like that. I have strong opinions about trucks in general and I voice them in an effort to get an educated discussion going. Just as yourself, I too strive to learn more about my beloved Ford products. As far a 9200lb across the board tow rating, I am inclined to believe that Ford doesn't rate the 5.4L to pull more than that amount. It's a great power plant but all things have thier limits. Hopefully someone who knows better will set me straight on that assumption. I will also assume that 6.2L is coming to market for that very reason.

 

If you really want to have an educated opinion come on up to the great state of Alaska. I am selling my trailer to the owner of the EXPY who borrowed it last summer. (I'm buying a 40' toyhauler) He would be glad to do a road trip with you. His EXPY did not gets its a$$ kicked by any means. He didn't beat the **** out of it.

In this state, if you pull a heavy trailer it helps if you are a driver. That is to say it is not a good idea to set the cruise and have your vehicle at WOT going up every hill. It is in your best interest to let the truck slow going up the mountains a little, let the transmission do its work, down shift, keep the engine in the power band and stay in an acceptable gear to the top of the hill. That might not be something you understand. On cruise, on the flat and level @ 60 MPH he told me his EXPY never searched for the right gear. He was able to cruise comfortably.

I wouldn't say it is irresponsible. And I don't think you are in a creditable position to judge him either. He is using a Prodigy brake controller. And he is a professional driver with 2 million miles of over the road experience accident free. The key is to ALWAYS drive within the existing conditions. Those conditions include road conditions, vehicle conditions, visibility conditions and driver limitations.

 

Every vehicle out there will probably tow more than they're "rated" for. Whether or not this is safe or hard an the truck might be a matter of debate in peoples minds... but beyond that there are liability issues that come to play if you go over any of the ratings. If you're in an accident - especially one that is your fault - there is a very good chance that the issue of weight will be closely examined by investigators. If they determine you are overweight, you're done. Insurance may not cover any of the costs and if, heaven forbid, it were a fatal accident you'll have a very difficult time fighting a vehicular manslaughter charge.

If that is a risk someone is willing to take, then so be it. Personally, I'd rather not be on the road at the same time as them. I've worked entirely too many fatal accidents, including a few involving overweight vehicles.

 

Been to Alaska numerous times and loved it. Thanks for the driving lessons as well. As a military retiree, I fought long and hard to ensure that you have the right to do and say whatever you want. When you post, expect opinions.
I referred to the towing guide on Ford's web site and the engineers that designed and built this wonderful automobile seem to be steadfast on thier opinions of it's towing capabilities. They make no allowances for the use of a brake controller or the vehicle being operated by anyone with a class 3 license. I'm sure these numbers didn't just fall from the sky, I could be wrong.
Even tractor trailors have weight limits. They also have adjustable axles to better distribute the weight in the van allowing the tractor and the driver to better handle the load in all conditions.

 

Actually they do make allowances for the us of a brake control. You need to read a little more, infact, if you notice the truck is set up for a brake control and even states towing over xxxxx amount of weight you must use trailer brakes. It's also important to note that, in the owners manual, Ford states towing over the gross weight can cause damage to the transmission, it seems to me that the weakest link to the expedition is the transmission (see my old post on this). They don't seem to keen on pointing out any other issue with towing over weight. I'd venture to say that when the 4.4L diesel comes out it will be rated to tow about 10,500 lbs, enough to bump the sequoia out of place. The only changes for the diesel will be trans and "maybe" the rear diff. I doubt they will change the brakes or any other features.



I have towed round bales the last 3 weekends with mine anywhere from 6 to 8 round bales at a time and have never felt unsafe or out of control. I also have a 100K mile warranty and trade out every 80 to 85K miles so I'm not too worried about what breaks.

 

Not to take this thread off topic of how much can a Expedition tow (safely of course!) but I wonder how zealous of a township would pursue charges for a family (presumably) taking a family trip having an accident that might or might not be related to the vehicle being 700-1000 overweight. The assertion that someone pulled a 10,500 trailer although its rated to pull up to 9,200 (depending on configuration) amounts to being 1,300 pounds over gross is still less than 10% over the limit. I am not a traffic expert but I thought more people get in accidents because of unsafe/reckless driving techniques (speeding, cell phones, lane changes, etc.) and alcohol consumption yet I haven't heard of anyone's insurance denying the claim because of those violations. If they cover an accident from those causes (then cancel of course) why deny because of GCVWR? How will they weigh the wreckage? Theorectically I am sure it is in the insurance contract somewhere but if they wanted to really deny anyone they always have a catch all like "maintain vehicle according to manufacturers specifications" where they can then look at % brake linings, tire tread, tie rod ends and tire air pressure. But maybe that is my experience in a big city where authorities concentrate on bigger crimes/violations.
Does anyone have statistics that show TV/TT accident rates and their causes? I said in an earlier post that I used to calculate the weight of my loads when I drove commercial straight trucks at one employer. I was in the absolute minority there. I never seen anyone else do that with my employment with the municipality, big and small construction companies. The municiplaty employer knew we were exempt from scales so they really packed in the loads. We were sometimes given manifest of what we were carrying but our weight or the capacity of the truck was never discussed adn sometimes couldn't be calculate off the info given. But I didn't just concentrate on weight, I really inspected the vehicles AND drove safe (even when they overloaded me) and that I attribute to never having an accident not just strictly adhering to load limits. There are so many variables that go with safe driving like road conditions, driver condition (rest, medications), weather, terrain,etc. for someone to just focus on the weight of trailer when it comes to safety but again I am not advocating anyone to tow more than the rating or what they are comfortable with.

 

Okay, its your decision. But if someone jacknifes trying to stop at the bottom of a hill and wipes out a whole family, or maybe even one pedestrian, you can be sure that there will be an investigation. If the investigators find overweight, that would certainly be contributory, and might be a violation of local or state laws. The driving illegal issue would then be a decision of that authority, and such a decision would affect the decision by the insurance co. whether to provide coverage. There is a risk of significant liability that could affect the rest of your financial life. Yes, its a small risk, maybe a very small risk. People need to decide whether it is a risk that they are willing to take. Risk taking decisions are made every day by everyone. It is a fact of life. Most of the time, we survive the risk.

 

Excerpts from the 2007 Manual from different sections. A search of 2007 rev 3 PDF found 142 references to "trailer". Seems pretty clear, don't overload! The PDF manual is available for download at www.myford.fordvehicles.com

 

AMEN, Brother!

 

It happens. It may not happen often, but I've personally been involved in the investigation of at least 3 cases where towing excessively overweight trailers contributed to accidents, convictions and more insurance headaches than people could possibly want.

All three that come to mind were 1/2 ton vehicles... one was with a tow-behind 21' flatbed trailer loaded with pallets of bottled water behind an '84 Blazer... one was 5th wheel camper behind a '96 F-150... and one was a 6-horse gooseneck trailer with 6 shire horses in it behind a early '90's Dodge. Fortunately, there were no human fatalities (1 horse was killed at the scene and 3 others had to be put down later).

 

I used to investigate accidents also but in the city our primary vehicles involved were personal vehicles so I haven't worked with violations related to being overloaded. It does occur though and people can unknowingly cross over into a real danger zone with vehicle operation. It really gives you something to think about. In the end I did get a vehicle that I could operate at 80-90% of my rating (certified weight scale) towing the TT. I must admit in the past I approx my other trailer at 6500# towing behind vehicles with 6600 and 7300 ratings but when I weighed that trailer it was actually 8000 so I unknowingly was in the danger/risk/liability zone. Does it happen yes, are there increased risks/liability involved yes. Can people operate safely in the uppermost limits of the Expedition's rating of 9000-9200 that was my curiousity.

 

Retired Coastee I am am soon to be retired Air Force just to tease I will say "the Air Force is in the the Dept of Defense"

 

I retired in 2004 after a wonderful and fulfilling 24 year career. My last patrol was in Alaska sitting in the middle of the crab fleet as they opened the season. Very active patrol, what a wonderful place to be. Now I carry mail for a living. Good money but very repiticious. Did I spell that wrong?

My daughter is joining the Coast Guard this year. I told her to go see the Air Force guy but when she called him he snubbed her. She has 20 college credits and has run out of money. As a military retiree and being currently employed, the money people think I can just pull money from my *** and pay for her school. She figured out in a hurry that the MGIB is a very good deal for average middle Americans.

I hope I didn't offend you or anyone else too badly about the towing thing. If I had known that it would turn into such a heated thread, I wouldn't have posted with such vigor. Perhaps I should have asked all the right questions before jumping to conclusions.

The Air Force is the premier military service.

Good luck and safe towing!

Tim

 

Can you post a policy that says that??

pretty much any accident that is the fault if a driver, the driver is probably driving illegally.... whether it be speeding, drinking, running a red light...etc