We are planning on taking the X across the country, taking the northern route to NY and then CT. This would take place sometime mid or end of Feb. We would also be towing a loaded trailer of about 3000 lbs.

Any suggestions in regards to getting to our destination safely as we are going to travel through some snow.

Thank you.

 

Where are you starting from and heading to?

I've done lots of winter drives. The best thing you can do is know how to drive when you start hitting slippery surfaces. What I make a point of doing is going to the mall whenever there's a lot of snow, and go put the truck into skids, spins, etc. and then recover from them. The idea is to try to ake the truck go into an "uncontrolled" situation and then recover from it. If you can do this (biggest thing is to get comfortable so you don't panic if anything goes wrong) you'll be doing yourself a big favor.

Good tires are always a plus... if the wheels don't grip, they're gonna slip.

Bad weather with a trailer proves interesting. In a straight line, it won't be an issue. The trailer will try to follow you in turns, but its tires will have less traction than yours, and you don't want the trailer kicking out and possibly kicking the back end of your truck out. So if there's a question of traction, slow down for the turns.

I've never had the trailer kick out on me (I used to tow a 20' unenclosed), but I have had situations where I had to induce a skid in the snow to avoid a collision, with the trailer attached. The truck and trailer form a > shape, and then you straighten out once you get past what you're trying to avoid.

Use 4x4 to get out of trouble, not to get into it.

That's really it. My guess would be that you won't have any issues. The Excursion is a very competent vehicle in bad weather to begin with. Just don't do anything stupid, and I can't see you having any problems.

 

I didn't notice what size tires you are running but if you are at 285's or over I would suggest getting something a bit "smaller" for your trip. Fat tires/highways/ice and snow are not always the best combo. Plus you may get better milage if you are running really large tires.

 

Never, ever, use cruise control on any road that may be slippery!!
My rule of thumb for never getting stuck is to always drive in two wheel drive when in deep snow(and I can roll it up to my hood), then when you get stuck or stopped, flip it into four wheel drive to get you the h-e-double hockey stick outta there!
Minus 39 celcius/-38 F here this morning and snowdrifts over 4 feet deep!

You know the snow is hard packed when you can drive an Ex (with full gas tank) over the drift, I will get some pics posted in the gallery soon as my camera thaws!

 

Thank you for your replies! I should have been more specific. We are starting out in the Sacramento area and will be heading out to Connecticut. The tires are BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A 265/75 16.

 

Oh sorry, I can't really relate, I am guessing your trip will be kinda like my winter driving - only waaaaaaay warmer!

 

My Ex had those same tires on it when I got it and in my experience they were down right scary on snow. I'm in Colorado so I see a lot of it... and I do a ton of driving in the mountains in snowy conditions and those particular tires were, without a doubt, the worst tire I've ever run on a truck in the snow (even counting the streetable Pirelli's on my new Expedition EL).

Not trying to make you lose confidence in your Ex's ability in the snow, because it IS quite capable. My biggest complaint with the tires was in their stopping ability... I'd be up in mountain town on a down-grade coming to a stop sign and literally couldnt stop. I'd slide right through the intersection at about .5mph. I've got a 30' trailer and there is no way I'd tow that thing on snow with those tires.

On a bit of a side note, those tires were also the only tire I have ever hydroplaned on in almost 20 years of driving. The third time it happened I was right by a tire store -- I turned around and bought a new set of tires that day. Ended up with Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo's and they were just no comparison to the BFG's... WAY BETTER on the Ex.

I had started to think that my troubles with the BFG's was just a factor of the Ex being such a heavy rig, but after running the Revo's I came to realize it was indeed just the tires.

I towed that 30' trailer (8000lbs) many times in the snow, in the mountains with those Revo's and never had any trouble with them at all. They went a really long way towards reinstilling confidence in winter driving in an Excursion.

Certainly not saying you need to run out and drop a grand on a new set of tires, but I did want to make you aware of my experiences so that you can take the necessary precautions and follow everyone elses driving advice.

Hope you have a wonderful (and safe) trip!

 

You guys are great. Thanks for the tip and I will be taking the Ex up into the Sierra Nevadas on the weekend to test these BFG Rugged Trail tires in some snow. Should be fun

 

Regarding your route. I used to commute from CT to WNY and Pittsburgh once a week.

When you get to the western edge of New York and PA you have some choices that the weather will dictate. You have to be aware of lake effect snow coming off Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. If the wind is blowing any where out of the southwest around the compass to northeast you will have snow. Potentially very heavy highway closing snow. These snows come in bands that can be as narrow a 1 mile. So you could be driving in bright daylight and then hit a snow band that can shut the highway down.

Highway's heading east listed from north to south are:
NY I90(tollroad) - Heavy lake effect from Toledo to Albany. Especially from Erie through Rochester. Heavily used road.
NY I86/I88 - very bumpy but not used much. Lake effect only on the western half.
PA I80 - Some big hills, lake effect in the west then higher elevation snows. Heavy truck traffic.
PA I76(tollroad) - No lake effect but a very busy narrow road.


I80 and I90 in Ohio are affected by this also, but more from direct northern winds.

February is a bad time to be crossing this way. But then so is March and April. Two years ago I got stuck on I90 and I86 for 12 hours the second week in April. I90 was blocked by stuck semi's. Got off I90E after 3 hours by back tracking, got routed onto I86 east due to closed roads, plowed through 3 feet of snow on the highway for about 4 miles till we were stopped by 5 foot drift across the road. Spent 9 hours watching a state plow trying to bust through while waiting for side roads to open. One mile east was clear highway.

Keep your tank full and food and water with you. Good Luck.

 

Very nice! Thank you, this is great info.

 

I drive I-80 and used to drive I-76 quite frequently through PA. The problem with PA is that they haven't figured out what a snow plow is, what salt is, or when to use either. Last winter we had two snow storms that basically shut down the state, one right around Valentine's Day and then one sometime in March. The first one happened to be when I had to drive to my grandmother's funeral. I-80 was shut down past about exit 250, and I had to take back roads and then drive through barriers to get onto I-78 (which was solid ice). It took me 8 hours to make what's normally a 3.5 hour drive in a Chevy C3500 with a 12' enclosed trailer on back. The theme of my eulogy was "perseverance", a quality that my grandmother demonstrated. Please refrain from the comments that it should have been "stupidity" or "stubborn." The point is, PA royally screws up when the weather is actually bad.

As a rule, though, I-80 is generally just fine in the winter. I wouldn't consider it heavy traffic per se, the only spot you're likey to get a hold-up in PA is around Stroudsburg right as you're about to enter NJ. It is hilly, but only towing a 3000 lb trailer you won't have any issues. These are just hills, they aren't anything significant like what you'll pass through on the way to get here.

Very good advice on the full tank and keeping food and water in the truck! If you get stuck, it's sure nice to know you can leave the truck running to keep you warm, and that you won't starve or dehydrate.

 

Make sure you have supplies in case of an emergency. Sleeping bags, food, shovel, tire chains, cable chains for the trailer (if it has brakes), heavy warm boots, etc. That stuff might take a little space, but its better to have it and not need it than to have a bad situation turn worse due to not having them.

 

Who are u bringing with u on this trip? If u bringing extra ppl, then id try to bring extra clothes for them. Also bring two pairs of gloves for every and try and bring extra coats and sweaters. Also do u have a converter that will allow u to hook up a cell charger to ur dash port? If u dont i HIGHLY recommend it and u can buy them a radio shack or circuitcity for a cheap price.

 

I am taking the entire family including dog

I have 2 inverters which I can install before we leave. One is a 750W and the other a small 150W.

 

Deff take the 750. what are the specs of ur truck? U nv stated them in the OP