I love crappie fishing. Sorry I got off the subject

 

Thanks a lot. I hope its in Gatlinburg again because thats not far from me. We go there a lot for weekend getaways. Great place

 

This thread seemed to be to most appropriate one I could find to post a "base weight" on the Excursion.

I had the Ex TOTALLY EMPTY - this is not likely to happen again. I also needed to fill up for a trip to the lake this weekend - perfect timing for me to get a base line weight on the Ex.

The steer axle weighed 3840 lbs, and the rear was 3760 lbs - almost a 50/50 split for a total of 7600 lbs.

This compares to the Ford published weight of 7230 lbs.

No surprise here that the real product came in several pounds higher. I do have to admit that I can document that I have added at least 60 lbs to the Ex - CB radio, wiring, and the front hitch. That would make the "published base line" about 7290 lbs. I am, however, somewhat confused about just what Ford includes in the "base" weight - I did have full fluids aboard - filled up at the truck stop immediately before weighing the beast - but I just cannot document if Ford includes a 150 lb "driver" in the base line or not. I think not - at least as far as I could determine in all of the Ford publications I have cataloged. Wikipedia says US manufacturers do not include the weight of the driver, but some European manufacturers include a 75 kilogram driver. Now, I do have to admit that the 7600 lbs qouted above included about 250 pounds of my fat butt, but I would be a "required option" in order to properly operate the Ex.

It really does not make any difference in the real world, since it is the GVW that is important that you should not bust. In my instance, with the 7600 lb documented base line, I have 1300 lbs I can play with - not that much for a vehicle of this size.

My most recent tow vehicle was a 3/4 ton van which weighed in at 4600 lbs. What a difference in driving the van and the Excursion. The Ex, at 7600 lbs, weighs exactly a ton and a half more than the van...that's a lot of payload I'm giving up to safety and sturctural integrity.

I'll keep you posted with the weight variances as I experiment with various trailers and hitches.

 

From page 156 of my owners manual

Base Curb Weight – is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of
fuel and all standard equipment. It does not include passengers, cargo, or
optional equipment.

From page 157 of the owners manual:

Payload – is the combined weight of cargo and passengers that the
vehicle is carrying. The maximum payload for your vehicle can be found
on the Tire Label on the B-Pillar or the edge of the driver’s door
(vehicles exported outside the US and Canada may not have a Tire
Label). Look for “THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND
CARGO SHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXX kg OR XXX lb.” for
maximum payload. The payload listed on the Tire Label is the maximum
payload for the vehicle as built by the assembly plant. If any aftermarket
or authorized-dealer installed equipment has been installed on the
vehicle, the weight of the equipment must be subtracted from the
payload listed on the Tire Label in order to determine the new payload.

Note: The appropriate loading capacity of your vehicle can be limited
either by volume capacity (how much space is available) or by
payload capacity (how much weight the vehicle should carry). Once
you have reached the maximum payload of your vehicle, do not add
more cargo, even if there is space available. Overloading or improperly
loading your vehicle can contribute to loss of vehicle control and
vehicle rollover.

What is interesting is that the maximum 'tow rating' is based on a 'curb' weighted vehicle

This is from Page 160 of my manual:

Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight – is the highest possible weight of a
fully loaded trailer the vehicle can tow. It assumes a vehicle with only
Tires, Wheels and Loading mandatory options, no cargo (internal or external), a tongue load of 10–15% (conventional trailer) or king pin weight of 15–25% (fifth wheel
trailer), and driver only (150 lb. [68 kg]). Consult your authorized
dealer (or the RV and Trailer Towing Guide provided by your
authorized dealer) for more detailed information.

So your 'max' tow rating includes said 150# driver but your max payload does not and your max payload is GVWR - curb weight. So there is 150#'s 'extra' running around there if you really think about it if you want to haul at GVWR and utilize 'all' of your payload for tongue weight with only a 150# driver.

Example:

Max tow rating is 10K#'s. 10-15% for tongue would mean 1000-1500#'s.

However in 87MH's example his 'curb' weight would be 7350 (I subracted his weight)

8900 - 7350 = 1550#'s of available payload

Even if you had 1500#'s of tongue weight...~15% of that will be shifted rearward and not carried by the Ex...so that means you have 1275#'s of 'hitch' weight the Ex must carry.

1275 + 250 (87MH) = 1525

In this quick example...he has 25#'s left for 'stuff' and 'family' to join him in the Ex before exceeding his GVWR of 8900#'s

The kicker here is that most people don't hit a scale to see where they are at in relation to their weights and balance...and those that do find that there isn't much room left on the Ex's GVWR...

It is an awesome vehicle to say the least...but the way Ford rated it...leaves a lot to be desired IMO...it is very difficult to haul heavy AND haul people and gear without being 'overloaded' per the numbers...

Joe

 

Actually, even if this thread wasn't an old thread, you should have created a new thread.

No offense, and I'm not picking nits, but I figure if nobody tells you, you won't know, ya know?

Another reason you should start your own thread is because you plan on keeping us...
...thereby individualizing the thread as your own, taking away from the OP's reason for starting his thread.

But, this is a common mistake by newbs, so don't worry about it...it's all good.

Stewart