Towing Vacation Sucess
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 118
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Towing Vacation Sucess
Well I took the family to gettysburg for a week, about 300 miles. Towed the camper (20 foot travel trailer) with the new excursion. It towed great with no problems. The only worry was when pulling a large hill and a strange noise was heard. I think it was the cooling fan kicking on. I could not believe that I have never heard it before. It must run cool most of the time. The 6.0 had great power and the transmission really impressed me in tow/haul mode. All in all I am happy with the excursion.
New User
Joined: Jun 2009
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Congrats on the trip. We too just completed our first trip in our new to us '04 EX 6.0. We did a little over 3500 miles towing a 30 foot RV. Lot's of fun. We only had one problem a Cam Shaft sensor went bad, still under warranty. And yes when the fan kicks in for the first time it gets you a little worried. And ours only occured like yours. Up a hill under strain.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 405
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From: Bremerton, Wa.
Wer just got back from 3 1/2 weeks on the road and a 2450 mile total of which 2200 was spent pulling our 35'TT on mostly two lane roads from Bremerton Wa to Crater Lake and then down thru Reno to South Lake Tahoe. Coming back we headed out to hwy 101 via #16 and then all the way up the coast to Astoria Oregon and then home.We weighed at 3 different weigh stations and ran about 8600# avg for the whole trip.Coming up an 8% grade out of the Crater Lake area,we heard a funny chirping sound,so I let up on it and put the chip back to stock (DP Tuner) and drove to klamath falls where we got it into a dealer who ran a check and road test for $50.!!!! Said that it was a IRP code,or something like that, and that it should be ok till we got home.Baby didn't have any problems the rest of the trip and we used the 60HP tow all the time.
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 390
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From: ABQ
More great trip stories. Good to know I wasn't the only one with a successful first trip this past weekend. Trip number 2 starts in 2 days, more hills but with greater confidence pulling out of t he driveway this time.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 647
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Yep, they are definitely tow monsters. We just got back from a 2600 mile round trip from Indiana out to the Blackhills/Badlands and back. A couple of short 7% grades and one 6%, 4 mile grade that we went around a newer Dodge crew cab with a Cummins badge on the fender. Don't know if he was having troubles or just going slow.... Averaged 8.3 mpg for the whole trip, pulling our 8k lb 30' travel trailer....
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,822
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From: Minnesota
Its cool to hear about all the trips our Excursions get to take us on! We just finished our trip from Minnesota downt to Canton, Ohio (pro football HOF), up to Niagara Falls/Toronto (Hockey HOF), then back to Minnesota through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. 3335 miles, mostly pulling 27' TT. NO issues, awesome tow vehicle!
More Turbo
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 38
From: Henniker
We just got to Niagara falls saturday, towed 32' TT from southern Nh. Towed great, no issues. Coming home friday, so far so good.
Safe traveling everyone. ...
Safe traveling everyone. ...
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Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 31
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From: Massachusetts
I am very glad to hear positive stories. I have an 03 with the V10 and we are buying a 6500# 32' TT. I have upgraded the shocks to Rancho 9000's, but I have read lots of stories worrying about the weakness of the springs. I am going to run a Reese weight distributing hitch setup, but would love to hear how that worked for people.
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 647
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I am very glad to hear positive stories. I have an 03 with the V10 and we are buying a 6500# 32' TT. I have upgraded the shocks to Rancho 9000's, but I have read lots of stories worrying about the weakness of the springs. I am going to run a Reese weight distributing hitch setup, but would love to hear how that worked for people.
New User
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 20
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I had to laugh when I read your comments about the cooling fan kicking on.
I bought our 2002 X back in 2005. It was the first time I had ever owned a diesel. Anyway, we had the truck for approximately a month and a half before we took our big camping trip up to Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping. We get into the northern 1/2 of Michigan, where you start to get some fairly steep hills, pulling our 35' Cherokee that weighs in around 9500 lbs. when loaded. In any event, all the sudden I hear this noise that sounds like a helicopter landing on the roof of the Excursion!! I totally freak out, waking up my napping wife.....finally I figure out that it MUST be the cooling fan, as it was the only logical conclusion. That was the first time I had ever heard it.
I can't believe how cool the PSD's run. Just to make the point, we JUST got back once again from our Mackinaw vacation, over 1000 miles round trip, and the cooling fan NEVER kicked in....not once.
I bought our 2002 X back in 2005. It was the first time I had ever owned a diesel. Anyway, we had the truck for approximately a month and a half before we took our big camping trip up to Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping. We get into the northern 1/2 of Michigan, where you start to get some fairly steep hills, pulling our 35' Cherokee that weighs in around 9500 lbs. when loaded. In any event, all the sudden I hear this noise that sounds like a helicopter landing on the roof of the Excursion!! I totally freak out, waking up my napping wife.....finally I figure out that it MUST be the cooling fan, as it was the only logical conclusion. That was the first time I had ever heard it.
I can't believe how cool the PSD's run. Just to make the point, we JUST got back once again from our Mackinaw vacation, over 1000 miles round trip, and the cooling fan NEVER kicked in....not once.