I know it's a little backwards, but I've seen it does with expeditions and the such.

Could I tow my Excursion behind my motorhome 4 wheels down?

 

You can't tow the 4x4 Excursion with wheels down because you can't shift the transfer case to neutral. I looked at the Owner's Manaul and apparently the 2 wheel drive can be towed with the transmission in neutral for 50 miles at up to 35mph - anything over 35mph or 50 miles and the drive shaft needs to be disconnected. (page 184 on mine)

Beyond that - make sure your motorhome can tow the ~8000lbs before you hook it up.

 

Crazy thought, what if I disconnected the driveshaft and left it in 2wd mode? The front wheels would be disengaged, the rear wheels would be disconnected.

 

I'm not completely sure, but I believe the transfer case is still an issue since it's not completely disengaged since it is bolted to the rear of the transmission.

 

You should be fine with that as long as your hubs aren't locked in and removing the rear driveshaft. The front wheels don't matter as long as the axle shafts don't turn when the wheels turn. If it is that big of a deal, then disconnect both driveshafts and just re-connect the rear when you get to your destination.

 

I have dollied a lot of awd cars, subaru's, and it always involved disconnecting the rear driveshaft, so I don't think much of it. However I have the front end up. The Excursion I figured if the front wheel hubs weren't locked and no turning action was going on, as well as the rear drive shaft disconnected at the rear diff, the diff should be fine with the wheels turning. I always used straps to just strap the driveshaft out of the way, not disconnect completely.

If that's all good, the only concern would be finding an RV break kit... a 10k lb rv doesn't stop on a dime on it's own, let alone with an 8500lb excursion behind it.

 

I think you may have better luck towing the RV with the Excursion or get a travel trailer instead. I have one of those tow vehicle braking systems. there is a motor that goes under the driver seat and runs a cable to the brake pedal.. the motor pulls the pedal as you brake the tow vehicle thus applying the towed vehicle brakes.. they are expensive though

 

You can get a drive line disconnect also. I don't know how good they are but you just pull a laver in the cab and the drive shaft is disconnected.

I also have an RV and can't tow mine either. :-)

 

Disconnect the rear drive shaft and leave the front hubs unlocked and you'll be fine (as you presumed). Nothing in the driveline will be rotating at that point.

 

So this doesn't have any negative effect on the transfer case?

 

Nope. As long as the front and rear driveshafts aren't turning, then nothing in the transfercase is moving (just like it is sitting parked, it doesn't know the wheels are turning). That means the transmission isn't turining. As long as the transmission isn't turing when towing you are good to go.

 

Gotcha - hadn't thought of it that way. So the only recommendation would be to mark the driveshafts so they can be reinstalled the same to avoid potential vibrations.

 

If I was going to tow it that far/often, I would invest in getting a manual transfer case installed such as came in some of the Super Duties. Crawling under the X to disconnect/connect the rear drive shaft is going to get old if you have to do it frequently.

 

How difficult would it be to install a manual transfer case in place of the electric one? Which ones will work? I can't stand relying on the switch on the dash to keep me in 4WD. I had the Manual one in my E99 Superduty and loved it (with the Daynatrac Free Spin Hub Conversion).