Travel Trailers

[Cbaka27]

17 EL Limited and my toy hauler is a 2011 KZ MXT301. 35' long and GVWR is 8800#s. The Expedition will tow every bit of it. Unlike Chuck Ive used a traditional "cheap" bar & chain WD hitch with sliding sway bar for years and shes straight as an arrow running 70 down the hwy.

Since you have the SWB model I wouldn't recommend one as big as me and DF5.4 have. It'll be the tail wagging the dog no matter how good your hitch is or how good your breaks are. If I were you I'd stay in the 25' or less range. Not sure the size of your family as you only mention the wife. We're a family of 5 with me, my wife and 3 small children and we have a UTV and multiple ATV's so we needed something big. I purposely bought the EL just because of this very reason.

I just bought a tuner for my ride so I can get some more performance out of her especially a torque boost so I can tow more efficiently. Like DF5 above I plan to upgrade my tires to an E rated model at some point. The OEM Hankooks are good but you'll get a better ride out of the stouter tire when towing heavy. If I'm really conservative and stay between 65-70mph I can get 11-12 mpg. Good luck with whatever trailer you choose

What tuner did you go with and have you been happy with it? What did you see improve. I have a 2011 EL and will be towing a lot this summer. I am looking at tuners now.

 

[07xln]

What tuner did you go with and have you been happy with it? What did you see improve. I have a 2011 EL and will be towing a lot this summer. I am looking at tuners now.

You’re not gonna gain a whole lot on a NA 5.4L with a tuner. You might gain 10hp and a little better shifting but that’s about it

With an Ecoboost the gains are much bigger with a tuner because the twin turbos.

 

[bobmbx]

We have a passport 3220bh and love it we towed all over the eastern us with our old 12 navigator l just got a 17 expedition el can’t wait to go camping View attachment 23692

Whoa...what is your overall length?

You may be "illegal" in several states. https://www.rvtripwizard.com/rv-info/state-road-laws.php

 

[chuck s]

Your link shows the max trailer length in Virginia is 28.5 feet. I guess the couple dozen travel trailers in the yard where I park can't be moved...

-- Chuck

 

[J_82]

So I have narrowed down my options to a heartland prowler lynx 25 lx, heartland pioneer bh270, forest river Cherokee grey wolf 19sm. They are all well under 9k lb gross weight.
However there i found a good deal on a prowler lynx 30 lx. The specifications on this 30lx are as follows:
33’11” long
Hitch weight 880 lbs
Dry weight 6720
Gross weight 9000 lbs.
cargo 2130 lbs.
would this trailer be too much for my 16 expedition to tow around safely?

16 expedition 2WD with tow package 18” wheels.

 

[J_82]

I don’t see us adding 2000 lbs of cargo weight to it.

 

[J_82]

I calculated grey, black and fresh water tanks full weight and 1k lbs of cargo added to dry weight and it will be roughly 8654lbs total weight. which I think would be worst case scenario. I would still be under 9200 lbs. Am I missing any other weight to consider?

 

[Jimdar]

I calculated grey, black and fresh water tanks full weight and 1k lbs of cargo added to dry weight and it will be roughly 8654lbs total weight. which I think would be worst case scenario. I would still be under 9200 lbs. Am I missing any other weight to consider?

The weight of passengers and cargo in the truck needs to be considered. It gets subtracted from either max trailer weight or tongue weight. I forget but someone will correct me.

 

[chuck s]

While it would be "fun" to do your math for you...

The 9200 pounds is a max, not planning number and the truck must be empty. You get a free 150 pound driver but few of us have been 150 in years. Every other pound for the firewood, camping stuff, dogs, McDonald's french fries under the seat -- and passengers -- comes off that number.

Then there's that pesky 880 pounds of tongue weight. Expeditions weigh about 5500 pounds empty and GVWR is 7500 so only have capacity in the truck for about 1100 pounds of people and dogs. Four adults and their stuff will consume that.

Towing at or near the max leaves no reserve for high summer temperatures, long grades, etc.

All this makes my head spin which is why I formulated the One Ton Rule. Simple, the trailer has to weigh no more than 2000 pounds less than the Max Tow Rating -- 9200 - 2000 = 7200 pounds is the max trailer I'll tow any distance.

-- Chuck

 

[07xln]

Is your Expedition the standard length or an EL. That’s a big trailer for a standard length Expy

 

[J_82]

Is your Expedition the standard length or an EL. That’s a big trailer for a standard length Expy

it’s a standard length.

 

[J_82]

While it would be "fun" to do your math for you...

The 9200 pounds is a max, not planning number and the truck must be empty. You get a free 150 pound driver but few of us have been 150 in years. Every other pound for the firewood, camping stuff, dogs, McDonald's french fries under the seat -- and passengers -- comes off that number.

Then there's that pesky 880 pounds of tongue weight. Expeditions weigh about 5500 pounds empty and GVWR is 7500 so only have capacity in the truck for about 1100 pounds of people and dogs. Four adults and their stuff will consume that.

Towing at or near the max leaves no reserve for high summer temperatures, long grades, etc.

All this makes my head spin which is why I formulated the One Ton Rule. Simple, the trailer has to weigh no more than 2000 pounds less than the Max Tow Rating -- 9200 - 2000 = 7200 pounds is the max trailer I'll tow any distance.

-- Chuck

So 7200 gross trailer weight or dry weight?

 

[07xln]

I think with a trailer that big its gonna be the tail wagging the dog every time you go out

 

[DF5.4]

So 7200 gross trailer weight or dry weight?

Base your weights on the gross weight. That will be the heaviest it should ever be.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[chuck s]

I avoid routinely towing anything weighing more than 7200 pounds. One Ton less than the maximum towing capacity of the truck.

I have a tongue weight scale I use as well. Recreational towing problems always happen on holiday weekends in East Bubba where there are no repair facilities for either the truck or trailer until next week.

Overkill always works.

-- Chuck

 

[mactlc]

I avoid routinely towing anything weighing more than 7200 pounds. One Ton less than the maximum towing capacity of the truck.

I have a tongue weight scale I use as well. Recreational towing problems always happen on holiday weekends in East Bubba where there are no repair facilities for either the truck or trailer until next week.

Overkill always works.

-- Chuck

That is why I decided on a TT with a GVWR of 7200. As it turns I am close on my payload with this configuration, not sure how anyone could actually tow 9200 and stay under their payload limit.

 

[Andy Skarda]

I've read all of this thread and found a lot of useful information. I recently sold my 2003 dodge ram 2500 cummins. I used it to pull my parents 37 foot fifth wheel jayco. I am looking into buying the following expedition and camper. Any concerns towing? Would i need new tires with better load range? Obviously I would have weight distribution hitch with sway bars. Researching these so my family, wife and 3 daughters can do some travel camping. 9-10 trips a summer between May and September. Most trips under 70 miles one way.

http://www.mikeburkartford.com/cert...0a0e0adf706162dfbad70b66.htm?searchDepth=6:11

http://www.appletoncamping.com/defa...lomino&s=Year&d=D&vt=trailer&fr=xAllInventory

 

[chuck s]

Should be no problems with a good WDH (Equalizer (brand) recommended based on over 10 years with it). Don't waste money on one with separate friction sway bars.

HD Towing package on the Expedition is rated at 9200 pounds with a WDH. You'll break the suspension before the tires run out of capacity. I run mine at placard pressure towing my 6000 pound Roo hybrid camper. Standard HD tow package is all ya need, the 3.73 limited slip just robs your daily driving fuel mileage.

The 3.5 EcoBoost runs great in the mountains here in Virginia. You'll just coast along in cruise control in flatland Wisconsin. (Flatland WI is just outside Appleton.)

Built-in brand controller even alerted me to a burned out brake light on the trailer.

-- Chuck

 

[07xln]

I've read all of this thread and found a lot of useful information. I recently sold my 2003 dodge ram 2500 cummins. I used it to pull my parents 37 foot fifth wheel jayco. I am looking into buying the following expedition and camper. Any concerns towing? Would i need new tires with better load range? Obviously I would have weight distribution hitch with sway bars. Researching these so my family, wife and 3 daughters can do some travel camping. 9-10 trips a summer between May and September. Most trips under 70 miles one way.

http://www.mikeburkartford.com/cert...0a0e0adf706162dfbad70b66.htm?searchDepth=6:11

http://www.appletoncamping.com/defa...lomino&s=Year&d=D&vt=trailer&fr=xAllInventory

That Expedition will tow that trailer no problem.

 

[rollinstone]

This is a guideline I use. I adjust my TV's published GCWR downward by about 20-25%. There's lots of discussion about this and that weight. This lays out just how those weights should be applied. Then you make your decisions.