2015 EL Limited HD Tow Package Help

[ExpyLover123]

Hello,

I went to look at a 2015 EL Limited tonight. Do all EL Limiteds have the HD Tow Package? It's 4x4, so it should be good for 9100lb. However, I used vin decoder here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/vindecoder.php?

The Vin Decoder states it's max hauling is 6600lb.

When I examined the truck I saw the 7 pin harness, but did not check for the 4. The shift knob has a T/H button and there was a factory brake controller present.

I'm planning to use for towing an 8k lb trailer, so I want to be sure I am getting the HD tow package.

This is a private sale, am I able to call a Ford dealership and just ask the parts desk?

Thank you

 

[B-McD]

I'm not sure about Limiteds having the tow pkg as standard but having the factory brake controller there is a good sign you have it. Remember - that 9100 max is achieved only with a WD hitch. And 8k is getting up there as far as tongue weight will be concerned. Is that 8k lbs dry weight? You need to accommodate all your "stuff" in the total weight. I always want at least about a 1,500 lb "cushion" rather than towing at max. Good luck to you!

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Hello,

I went to look at a 2015 EL Limited tonight. Do all EL Limiteds have the HD Tow Package? It's 4x4, so it should be good for 9100lb. However, I used vin decoder here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/vindecoder.php?

The Vin Decoder states it's max hauling is 6600lb.

When I examined the truck I saw the 7 pin harness, but did not check for the 4. The shift knob has a T/H button and there was a factory brake controller present.

I'm planning to use for towing an 8k lb trailer, so I want to be sure I am getting the HD tow package.

This is a private sale, am I able to call a Ford dealership and just ask the parts desk?

Thank you

I ordered and bought a new 2015 Expedition Limited 4x4. The HD towing package was standard on the Limited models for 2015.

 

[Plati]

Note: This product is intended to provide a general description of the information generated by the entered vehicle's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and some pieces of data may be general to that specific model and not entirely accurate for the vehicle specified.

 

[chuck s]

Max towing capacity is no doubt 6600 pounds. 9300 with a WDH. HD Tow is standard on the higher trim lines and is probably on the truck if it has the 7-pole "RV" electrical connector to the right of the tow receiver. There's a label on the bottom of the receiver with more information.

But an 8000 pound trailer will have anywhere between 800 and 1200 pounds on the ball for safe towing (10% - 15% is required) and the cargo capacity of the truck is probably in the 1400 pound range meaning that a 200 pound driver could max out the truck despite what it can "tow." Leave the family at home if this is a camper.


-- Chuck

 

[ExpyLover123]

Thank you all for the reassurance. Dry hitch is 636lb and dry weight is 6193 with trailer carrying capacity of 1443. I plan to tow it near dry 99% of time. I know it will be close and will try to load trailer as evenly as possible.

I have also found many people using expeditions to tow the same trailer.

I called a few Ford dealerships and was able to get someone to send me the factory invoice and it does have the HD Tow Package.

 

[07navi]

Hello,

I went to look at a 2015 EL Limited tonight. Do all EL Limiteds have the HD Tow Package? It's 4x4, so it should be good for 9100lb. However, I used vin decoder here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/vindecoder.php?

The Vin Decoder states it's max hauling is 6600lb.

When I examined the truck I saw the 7 pin harness, but did not check for the 4. The shift knob has a T/H button and there was a factory brake controller present.

I'm planning to use for towing an 8k lb trailer, so I want to be sure I am getting the HD tow package.

This is a private sale, am I able to call a Ford dealership and just ask the parts desk?

Thank you

I'm sure it has the tow package, look for the trans oil cooler too but I would bet money it does.

 

[chuck s]

Dry weights are absolute fiction but with a published GVWR of 7636 the truck will handle it easily even fully loaded.

My personal rule of thumb is the One Ton Rule which simply states the trailer must weigh at least 2000 pounds less than the published towing capacity of the tow vehicle. In my case it's 9300-2000=7300. This allows for eventual weight creep, cargo in the vehicle, high summer temperatures, and steep grades. You're just a couple hundred pounds over my "rule" which is no big deal.

You could still have over 1100 pounds on the ball if you need 15% there for stability so check cargo vs capacity.

-- Chuck

 

[ExpyLover123]

Dry weights are absolute fiction but with a published GVWR of 7636 the truck will handle it easily even fully loaded.

My personal rule of thumb is the One Ton Rule which simply states the trailer must weigh at least 2000 pounds less than the published towing capacity of the tow vehicle. In my case it's 9300-2000=7300. This allows for eventual weight creep, cargo in the vehicle, high summer temperatures, and steep grades. You're just a couple hundred pounds over my "rule" which is no big deal.

You could still have over 1100 pounds on the ball if you need 15% there for stability so check cargo vs capacity.

-- Chuck

Thank you very much for your insight. Just to clarify by "dry", I meant carrying very little water.

 

[B-McD]

I assume we are talking about a camper here. Dry "usually" means no water, provisions, clothes, etc. Plus no propane in the tanks and usually no battery. I use 500 lbs as a ballpark for typical additional weight BEFORE provisioning. That means two full propane tanks, battery, hoses, tools, etc. that we take on every trip. Probably another 500 per trip for food, clothes, bikes, etc. It adds up quick but you should be OK given the number you gave earlier. About the same as my camper.

 

[chuck s]

As noted the published "dry weight" is fiction as it lacks all the stuff B-McD points out. But as long as you have a good Weight Distribution Hitch and stay below the trailer's gross weight rating you should be good.

I've had excellent results with the Equalizer (brand) 4-Point WDH. And since we have very similar trucks I can provide good starting settings for it. I avoid WDHs with any sort of chains or sliding friction sway control.

The Ford trailer brake system is very competent and when I first hooked up to my then-new '17 four years ago pointed out I had a brake light out. What? How would it know that. Yep, one was out -- corroded contacts.

-- Chuck

 

[whizkid]

I just bought a 2017 Limited with the HD tow package for the exact same reason. In all of my research, if it has the factory brake controller, then it’s a 99% chance it has the HD tow package. Since I bought mine from a Ford dealership, I was able to get the original window sticker confirming such. You can see the aux trans cooler in front of the radiator above the ac condenser. All 3rd Gens with the Limited or Platinum packages should have it. They changed it for MY 2018. Ask me how I know. . . My wife is driving a 2019 Limited and I can’t pull the trailer hence the new to me ‘17. . .

 

[chuck s]

Towing a travel trailer is the only reason I bought an Expedition. Now on my second one, the '02 Explorer I used to pull a popup camper just didn't cut it. The '07 with the 5.4 V8, HD tow, etc. seemed like a beast -- the '17EcoBoost, HD tow, is a much better vehicle albeit with a couple hundred pounds less cargo capacity. I expect the later models with the 10-speed transmission tow even better.

-- Chuck

 

[WEDGE]

get me the last 8 digits of the VIN and I can tell you

 

[whizkid]

Wrong thread. . .

 

[ExpyLover123]

Attached is my results from using a calculator from my 3 weights at the CAT scale across from the RV center. I weigh about 220 and my dad was with me and weighs about 220.

Interestingly enough the manufacturer's listed dry weight is MORE than the trailer weight given here.... I had 2 full propane tanks and a battery on the tongue.

This is a 282qbxl salem cruise ultra lite camper.

The wife and kids weigh about as much as my dad.. leaves me a scant 260lb of additional payload / tongue weight.

Probably will be over once we have our 4th and final kid and they all make it to an avg of 50 lbs.. only on 3rd pregnancy now.

 

[ExpyLover123]

Shoot.. Forgot about gas weight. this was a 90 mile turnpike/highway drive after having a full tank... so I was probably down 6 gallons.

 

[JasonH]

Attached is my results from using a calculator from my 3 weights at the CAT scale across from the RV center. I weigh about 220 and my dad was with me and weighs about 220.

Interestingly enough the manufacturer's listed dry weight is MORE than the trailer weight given here.... I had 2 full propane tanks and a battery on the tongue.

This is a 282qbxl salem cruise ultra lite camper.

The wife and kids weigh about as much as my dad.. leaves me a scant 260lb of additional payload / tongue weight.

Probably will be over once we have our 4th and final kid and they all make it to an avg of 50 lbs.. only on 3rd pregnancy now.

View attachment 36713

I have the same camper. Great layout and I'm glad we found it when we made our purchase. Of note, the tow rating for the 2018+ is done using the SAE j2806 standard, which includes 150lbs for the driver and passenger each. The prior gen Ecoboost models have a similar tow rating, but there's no mention of the SAE standard. I suspect that same allowance was made, but have not seen any reference to it in the published materials. So there's a bit of wiggle room in the payload capacity.

 

[CaptOchs]

1) You most certainly have HD tow. You have a Limited trim with factory brake and 7-pin connection. Seeing how it's an EL, your axle should be 3.73 which is great for towing heavy loads.
2) Most car salesman are dumb as rocks about towing. In almost all interactions, I knew more then they did. The telltale sign of non-HD is 4-pin trailer connection and no brake controller. In my search for Expeditions, the majority were non-HD tow.
3) At 8,000 lbs you're on the upper range of tow capacity. If you tow often, tow in mountains, or tow far, consider another tow vehicle. I have read others have done suspension, tuner, exhaust upgrades to get slightly more power to help.

I think 8k is probably too much for the Expedition, personally. I was concerned with 7k, but we overpack. The more I learned the only feasible Expedition was the EL Limited, mostly because the rear axle and HD tow that came with limited. I lost out on several in the 100 mile area. They seem to sell quick. I ended up buying a RAM because I didn't need the third row anyway. The RAM tows almost like 700-800 lbs more anyway. Eventually I want to get a 5th wheel.

 

[whizkid]

So, just to throw my $.02 in here. . . We bought a new trailer recently, a 2020 Passport 292BH from Keystone. It’s 5900 lbs dry and so after finding out that our 4th Gen 2019 Expedition could only tow 6500lbs (oops), I decided to trade my DD in on a 2017 Limited with the HD tow package. I’m adding Bilstein shocks to it, a Hellwig Sway bar, and some other upgrades. After towing the trailer once with both my old and new vehicles and before any other upgrades, it seems to have all the power I need. At 7200 lbs GVWR on the trailer, it’s more about load leveling (via WDH of course) & sway control than power. It feels like to me that the 3.5L ecoboost with the 3.31 rear end is the best of both worlds to me, granted I don’t do much towing in the mountains.


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