I have an 05 Excursion with the 6.0 powerstroke. The hitch receiver is rated for 12,500 pounds but the Excursion is only rated to pull 11,000 pounds. Does anyone know why the Excursion is rated for 11, 000 pounds while the standard F-250 is rated for 12, 500 pounds. Is there any way to increase the towing capacity? If you do pull 12,500 pounds what can happen?

 

the x is probably heavier

 

Not much bad will happen if you pull 12.5K. The truck can handle it but the ratings are there due to the added weight (props to Jake00) of the Excursion over the F-250. It's really a matter of GCWR.

You could probably stay legal towing that much weight if you reduced the weight in the Excursion. ie remove rear seat, spare, 1/2 tank of fuel etc. etc.

 

Typically transmissions are the weak link you will need to bolster. The engine, driveshaft and axles can handle quite a bit. Keep the trans cool and you will be able to pull most anything. Bigger coolers, modified valve body, and good fluid will go a long way to keeping the trans cool. Providing the engine stays cool enough you'll be alright.

Then you can use a weight distributing hitch to balance the load out over the springs.

 

Thanks for the answers guys. If I do pull close to the 12,500 pounds should I limit the number of passengers and cargo in the truck?

 

Thanks, ReAX. My truck is stock except for an Accufab free flowing elbow intake. Should I install a larger capacity transmission pan as well as a larger capacity differential cover and which manufacturer do you recommend? Mag-hytec? PML?

 

Honestly, the 6.0L cooler is the best there is in a Ford truck. I think the biggest thing you should do is weigh your truck and trailer together and do everything you can to keep it at a minimum above GCWR.

If there is a real weak point that I would address it would be the rear springs. Add-a-leaf, air bags, RoadMaster Active Suspension or heavier rate springs all help to "fix" it.

 

Anything you can do to keep it cooler will help it last longer. Deep and high capacity pans/covers are a good start. I have a B&M trans pan and a Mag hytec rear diff cover, the mag hytec stuff looks better I think.

 

Just jumping in here. I'm looking at buying a 2000 4x4 Excursion with the V10 (new engine with 20,000 miles it). It has a 4" lift, 35" tires on 18"wheels and has Bilstein shocks. I'm not a mechanic and have no idea what other modifications have been done but the seller says it was all done the right way. I need to know if the lift and large tires are going to still allow it to pull my 9700 lb trailer. Also, the asking price is $9500. Is that a good price?

Thanks

 

Older thread new topic...

I never threw my opinion in on the original topic...

First off towing 11,000#'s would require a 'stripped' down Excursion (not many of them out there). Towing 12,500#'s is my strong opinion is clearly SRW 1 ton territory with 155" of wheelbase...sorry. The Ex is a great vehicle but getting over its head with that type of weight...not from an engine standpoint...but from a chassis and wheelbase standpoint...the HIGH center of gravity of the SUV is something that will make for a fun ride...again that is purely my opinion.


New topic...

What gears does the Ex have?

If 3.73's...those 35" tires will cut that to ~3.43...NOT a good towing gear ratio

If 4.30's...those 35" tires will cut it to ~3.93...not a bad towing gear but not the best IMO for the V10.

Where do you plan on towing? If lots of moutains...that 9700#'s will feel like a whole lot more if you have 3.73's...it will not be fun towing. Even with the effective 3.93's if you have 4.30's...it will work that motor hard...

I tow 9000#'s but I have stock tires and 4.30's...BUT I tow thru the Rockies too...

Also...Lifts obviously raise the center of gravity (CG) of the SUV...that can make for stability issues...not always...but setup is critical.

What load range tires are your 35's?...I hope they are E range...which will provide stiffer sidewalls to help reduce sidewall induced sway...

Depending on how the guy did the lift...and if he swapped springs to stiffer springs may determine how stable this Ex is while towing.

Regardless...you will need a good WD hitch like the Equal-I-zer BRAND hitch which combines WD AND sway control or the Reese Dual Cam hitch. Both would require properly sized spring bars and would need a trip to the scales to ensure proper weight distribution...that's easy to help you with if you get that far...don't worry...

It is really hard to say whether this lifted Ex will tow good from a stability standpoint due to lack of information on the lift and springs.

However...I can say that if it has 3.73's in the rear...it will not motivate 9700#'s very well with those 35" tires.

Good luck,
Joe.

 

with proper tires, tire inflation, rear sway bar, trailer brake controller, and possibly a change of springs ( the F250 springs are heavier, they sopftened the EX springs for ride quality as I understand it), you have basically an F250 with a permanent topper.....try it and see how it does... make mods as needed.

 

If a trailer is properly balanced, springs shouldn't be an issue. I would guess it to be more than a class issue. 20,000 lbs seems to be a magical number ford wanted to stay below for GCWR, and very welll for a reason. Perhaps there's government mandates that add taxes for commercial purposes for exceeding a 10 ton truck, or won't allow it to be in a consumer class vehicle. Also, you're tongue weight should never be more than 10-15% of your total trailer weight. Maxed out, 12,500lb trailer has tongue weight of 1875lbs. If you don't sink your back end, because that is after the rear axel so the weight goes up incrementally the further back from the rear axel you get, you might lift off the front end, or at least decrease vehicle stability.

Overall I'd say the Excursion could handle it, with a lowered tongue weight. Keep in mind, something htat much heavier than the Excursion, pushing hte excursion down a hill, could get very scary very fast...

 

I tow 9,500 Travel Trailer with my stock suspension Ex. I have the TT and WD hitch set up right. This being said, I would not tow any heaver. Much more that 10k, and you need a longer wheel base. 12,500lbs needs a DRW, IMO.

 

Ive always heard of a larger pan not being benifitual at all since once the trans gets hot it takes a while for it to cool down. The trans builders Ive talked to say dont go with a bigger pan.

The 6.0 cooler is the biggest cooler ford makes and should be fine.

Joe covered most of it. The gears and brakes would be my worries.

 

I Think it goes into the mass discussion like rotors. The more mass, the more heat it can absorb before the temperature rises. Considering that both trans produce the same heat output, the one with a larger pan will take longer to reach operating temperature than the standard capacity. It will also retain heat long while none is being forced into the cooler, but when the fan or truck isn't on, your not creating more heat. I don't know the thermodynamic properties well enough to discuss it further, but this pretty much the theory I research on break rotors and decided I wouldn't have any more slotted/drilled rotors.


The other benefit I can see the deep pans having is increases surface area with the fins that are closer to the air flow. The increased surface area should conduct more cool from the air as the heat moves to the top of the trans. Again, not very literate on thermodynamics, but heat should rise and radiate outward. The more area it has to radiate from the more that should be radiated.