The most important thing before you analyze the hitch or the Excursion is the PERCENT HITCH WEIGHT of the trailer.

1) Weigh the trailer. I bet it is heavier than you think.
2) Weigh the hitch weight.

You need to weigh how much of your trailer weight is on the ball. You can do this with a bathroom scale and a stiff beam to give a "dividing" effect and allow you to use a 300 lb scale. Or...take the trailer to a truck scale and ask to park the trailer on the scale after un-hitching.

You absolutely need 10% minimum, 15% maximum of the trailer weight on the ball. Example. If the true loaded weight of the trailer is 6000 lb, then the hitch weight should be from 600 to 900 lb. Anything less, and the hitch combination will be unstable.

After you get these weights, then you can attack other problems.

 

Cool thing about my job is I have portable scales and I weigh trucks for a living. However, I did not know how to figure tounge weight. My total weight was 13740 loaded. My trailer weight at the axles was 5200. The rest was the Ex. I did not weigh the truck by itself, I am going to do that when I get back home. Maybe that will tell me the tounge weight. I am going to be in the market for new shocks, these are the stock ones so I know they are shot. I have to get me a helwig swaybar also.Thanks for the advise and I will keep you updated.

 

How did you weigh the trailer? All by itself? Or just axle weight while hitched?

 

I have portable scales. First I weighed the truck then I weighed the trailer without the weight distribution. Then I weighed it with it. It dropped the weight of the back axle by about 400.

 

So, if total combined weight is 13740, and the trailer total weight is 5200, then your Excursion (with whatever was in it) weighs 8540. This is a bit heavy, unless you had passengers on board. My 2003 Excursion (6.0L) weighed 8050 lb, with full fuel and just me on board.

It may be possible that you are transferring too much hitch weight to the front axle of truck. This could make any braking event to be unstable. Front wheel arches of the Excursion should go back to the height where they started, when weight distribution is correct.

It is quite possible to get all of this under control. Don't give up. We tow our 34 foot, 10,000 lb trailer in cross winds all the time.

 

I have the weight dist. Set up the same way I did in my chev. 1500 truck. It sets a little higher. Do I need to drop a link in the chain?? When I weighed it 8540 that was full of fuel with no one in it and witrh it hooked to the TT

 

Joe...I don't think your Ex weighs 8540 lb full of fuel but otherwise empty. You must have weighed it when hitched by adding the individual wheel weights, correct?

Try weighing the Ex without being hitched. You should end up in the 7900-8000 lb range.

Then, do the same with your trailer and use your individual wheel scale to measure the trailer tongue at tongue jack.

It is not as precise as you need, but I bet the difference between actual Excursion weight and what you measured when hitched is the tongue weight of trailer. Maybe 500 - 600 lb, which is on the low side, because that would make your trailer weight about 5800 lb.

Get the actual weights. Sounds like you are on the "edge".

 

I will try that, we are getting ready to hook back up soon. my camper dry wweight is 5180. So I know its got to be plus 500 to 1000 pounds loaded down.

 

Question about weighing trailer tounge. When I place my scale under toung and move my electric jack up and down it transfers thw weight. Do I get the bubble level on tounge level ans stop there or how do I do it?

 

I also dropped a link in the wd and the wind was not blowing nearly as bad as the other day, I was actually able to drive with one hand a few times

 

What kind of sway control are you using?

The Hensley Hitch is far and away the optimal set up, but priced accordingly.

I've found Equal-I-Zer and Reese Dual Cam to both be very good and much lower in cost. I prefer Equal-I-Zer as I found it to be faster to hook up, and is better behaved when backing up.

The el-cheapo sliding bar with clamp style are borderline worthless.

Since getting the Equal-I-Zer, I can honestly say I have never had a situation where I felt I needed two hands on wheel. On one long pull, we noticed trees and grass blowing like crazy. We pulled over, and the wind was blowing like stink from the left rear quarter - the kind that should induce the most instability/sway. Based on my sailing experience, I estimated the wind blowing at 25 with gusts over 50. My wife could not pull her door closed... The trailer was not moving around at all.

 

OK guys. I need help. So far this is what I have and have done.

04 Ex Diesel. New BFG AT T/A's . 70lb rear, 60lb front. Hellwig rear sway. Rancho 9000 shocks in rear, stock in front. Ranchos set on 7 scale 0-9. New equalizer hitch, 1400lb bars. 30ft Gearbox tri axle trailer. Its a heavy trailer, havent weighed it but guessing 10K with 1200lb tongue. I used to pull this setup with a 350 dually and had zero issues.

I installed a RAS, but it raised the rear end and made the EX more difficult to handle both with and without trailer. It induced a stronger teeter totter action that made it even crappy to drive without the trailer. I took them off today. I pulled the trailer in a 25mph crosswind today to test the setup and it was not fun at all. I set the hitch where the height of the front end came down 1/4 inch from the unloaded position. I just pulled it and the butt end of my EX seemed very wishywashy, making it a white knuckle drive. I feel like its pushing the EX around. I pulled it the other day with the RAS's too, and it was more squirmy.

I wonder if I shifted too much weight forward? I had to use the wedge cheater bar to snap the bars on the L brackets. I upgraded the equalizer to new equipment recently, new sockets, and the new double L brackets.


I will try 80lb in the back tires next. Should I move some weight back to the rear. Im about an inch off the rubber bumper.

So I think the RAS's are a no go, I am wondering about installing Timbrens, which I have used before with success. they seemed to make the butt more rigid, which would be ok.

I am wondering if it is time to pitch in the towel and head to the RV dealer for a downgrade. I cannot afford a new tow vehicle. Its my daily driver. I just need one big enough for a golf cart, and two queen/doubles, and a couple singles. I like the toy hauler. I would like very much to make this setup work. Xhemi guy is right around the corner, so I will get with him as soon as he gets back., but I am desperately looking for help. I love both vehicles, but together, its not working.

I dont really want to do alot of trial and error, but am willing to try a few things. sorry for rambling... my hands are still shaking...

 

I went out and did some more experimenting.

80lb in rear 65 in front...about the same but a touch firmer
shocks to 9 - a little better
let a little weight back to the rear by dropping bar... NO good
went back to previous - still sqirrely
added another hole up on bar - shifted even more weight to front- It got better but rear felt light.. instincts told me to go more forward... it got a bit better. I was driving with one hand some.

I measured when stopped and it was the same front height as previous notch, but the front end was definitely heavier and stiffer. I still need something to stop the sideways sway of the rear end of the X

Im ordering timbrens tomorrow. cant hurt.

so maybe a step in right direction with more weight forward.. Its hard to jack the weight bars any more than now. I wanted to do this experiement before going to the scales.

Im now wondering about F250 springs or something like that.

 

i pulled my 35 foot tt 2 hours in 35 mph gust with my x and did it with 1 hand on the wheel. the truck was getting pushed from side to side but it never swayed at all. i set my wd hitch up using the instruction on rv.net to get enough weight on the front. i weighed the truck and trialer and it comes in at 16000lbs with a full tank of gas and the wife and two kids. i have a friction sway control and was suprised at how well it worked. before the trip i was going to by a equiler hitch but after pulling i am going to save some money and keep what i got. my x is stock with a rear sway bar to.

 

I pull a 25 foot Airstream with my 2002 EX. The Ex was weighed at 4280 front and 4020 rear with me aboard and a full tank of Fuel. I think that might be a bit "heavy" but not too far off the mark.

I use a Reese Dual Cam w/ 1200 # bars. I wish I had the 800# bars as the Airstream likes a bit "softer nose" but this set-up worked well w/ my '01 Expendtion (air springs). Softer spring bars will allow the rear suspension of the EX (which is stiffer) to work better IMHO.

I don't believe the scale weight w/ the TT hitched last time but I do know that I brought the height down equally in the front and rear of the EX. Since the rear springs are stiffer than the fronts ( I have the typical EX problem with a droppy front end and almost inverted springs!), I suspect that I am not shifting more than 50% of the weight forward.

It towed fine with just a small tendency to react to passing Semi's. Keept after it and I'm sure you will find the right WD set-up.