Thoughts after first tow, and how fast do you tow?

[Dice Roll]

Borrowed a camper and was told they had a WDH that worked well. Well it didn’t. No sway control. Swayed everywhere and it was a fixed ball so only adjustment was the chains. Ended up using all the links to get any real control. Was able to run 55-60 on 2 lane highway and 50-60 on interstate. Won’t be doing that again! Thankfully this was planned to be a learning experience for camping and we stayed nearby so the speed wasn’t an issue. Trailer is 6135 dry and says it can hold 1k in gear, which I’d say we met. Wasn’t able to get it scaled.

I have it down to a Reese with friction sway control, or an equalizer. Not thrilled about having to get out and unhook to back up, although at RV store told me you really should unhook those that say you can back to with them still on.

once I get a hitch setup going it’ll be a towing beast I think. It’s impressive the features it has for towing and the power is really substantial. Mirrors should extend is my only real issue. Was going to order a suction cup one to add, but couldn’t find one with good reviews.

how fast do you guys with scienced out equipment run? Maybe my expectations should be dampened with the independent rear. I’m used to pulling with f250-350 diesels so it’s always been how fast I cared to push it. My wife joined some Facebook RV group and they dissed the expy and said good luck pulling anything very big at all.

 

[Lou Hamilton]

I don’t really go much over 60 mph when towing my 3000 pound camper.

I use only a Reese sway control bar. It really is not a big deal to take it off. I usually remove it when I stop to check into the campground.

Honestly, it sounds like it may have been improperly loaded. Did you have most of the gear towards the back of the trailer? Most of your weight/load should be over the axles or towards the tongue.


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[ETC13]

IMO the Expedition is to light for that weight of travel trailer. Boat sure no problem since you aren't talking the length or sidewalls that a travel trailer has. With a dialed in setup would it do fine sure, but personally I would rather have a 250 for that weight and what I am going to guess is in the 30'-32' range(?).

However, the proper WDH with sway control will make a world of difference from the madness of not having one with the expedition like you just went thru.

I tow a travel trailer that dry is 4900 and loaded can hit the dry weight you started at. Mine has a 26' box.

I set the cruise at 70mph and hum along. It could easily handle a faster speed and have done 80mph with it for passing the occasional speed up speed down person that you come across. I suppose I could set the cruise at 75 and not think twice as it would be stable as can be. Somewhere in my head I choose 70 as if it is going to save some gas or something haha.

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[Dice Roll]

Yeah that trailer is just under 31 feet. If I buy one it won’t be that long. Weight was set to front of trailer and rear of expy. Once I got it home to load, I put 3 bikes on the back and that made it slightly worse, but not that big a difference.

 

[Fozzy]

You would have had a way better experience with a properly set up WDH. The Expy is rated for that weight if you have the HD tow package and WDH. The Expy is my first IRS tow rig and it is different from any truck and takes some getting use to. Until this week I have always towed my boat, 24’ just under or over 6K wet and loaded at 80-85. Speed limit is 80 on the interstate in Utah. I re packed and replaced my wheel bearings this week for today’s trip. I was dumbfounded on the small size of the bearings. Holy cow they are small, did I say they where small? So I am going to try and keep it at 70 max. No wonder every trip I see bearing and tire failures on boat trailers the entire way down and back. I have just been lucky. And I do practice good maintenance on my stuff. The dealer usually does my bearings every few years when they winterize it. I spaced it last year. They where booked until the end of July so I just did it myself. Glad I did, now to check my other trailers. I am sure they are all the same until you hit 8 lugs or better.


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[Calidad]

Just did 4 days to Yosemite. Stayed outside the park on Family property. Don’t laugh I tow a 4x6 Life Time Tent Trailer. Loaded we typically run 1300lbs with a heavy tongue weight typically 190lbs ish pending what were taking with us. This trip was 4 adult sized bikes and my heavy vertical hitch rack strapped down to the trailer with the bikes fork clamped to the trailer and some other gear like camp chairs 10x10 awning etc.

I have towed this trailer with our 2010 Outback, 2007 Sequoia also.
First trip with the Expedition. Quick reference the Outback in this exact gear setup typically ran 18-19mpg trip averages. The Sequoia 14-16mpg

The Expedition no joke posted 21mpg after 3.5 hours to our camp spot 65-70mph! All our day trips up to the park no trailer we ran 21-22mpg trip home 3hours also 21mpg.
We are talking about upgrading the trailer slightly. Something like the Taxa Mantis which might be 3200lbs loaded.

Yes I have the Heavy tow pack and I know these are small trailers but I like going places where the huge RVs typically can’t go.
Speeds? Its all dependent on the trailer stability which is typically aerodynamics related. My sleek, lifting keel, closed deck racing sailboat towed amazing even at 26ft hitch to stern. It crossed NV,Utah,MO at 75-85mph without so much as a wobble. Same for my 4x6. But a big giant box yeah 65mph especially in windy locations is typically maxed out on stability for most properly weighted RV trailers.

The Taxa Mantis would fit my garage, tow far nicer than say a 19ft Baja bunk house.

 

[Calidad]

21mpg at 65-70mph. We run 1300-1500lbs depending on our packed toys and gear. Its little but makes for go anywhere flexibility and lots of gear / toy hauling Ability. Negatives are setup and tear down time.

 

[ETC13]

Here is my setup before getting the WDH really dialed in and adding coil sumpsprings in the rear which results in the Expedition having zero squat.

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[Lou Hamilton]

You would have had a way better experience with a properly set up WDH. The Expy is rated for that weight if you have the HD tow package and WDH. The Expy is my first IRS tow rig and it is different from any truck and takes some getting use to. Until this week I have always towed my boat, 24’ just under or over 6K wet and loaded at 80-85. Speed limit is 80 on the interstate in Utah. I re packed and replaced my wheel bearings this week for today’s trip. I was dumbfounded on the small size of the bearings. Holy cow they are small, did I say they where small? So I am going to try and keep it at 70 max. No wonder every trip I see bearing and tire failures on boat trailers the entire way down and back. I have just been lucky. And I do practice good maintenance on my stuff. The dealer usually does my bearings every few years when they winterize it. I spaced it last year. They where booked until the end of July so I just did it myself. Glad I did, now to check my other trailers. I am sure they are all the same until you hit 8 lugs or better.


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I did my bearing this year, too. I also noticed that my cheap-ass stock tires had cracks down the treads. Swapped them out for the GoodYear Endurance. Trailer rides so much better. It tracks smoother behind my vehicle. Amazing really the difference.


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[JasonH]

I pull a 7k bumper pull with my 2017 EL. It pulls fine. I usually keep it around 60 to 65 because my trailer tires are rated for 65 and mpg drops off pretty hard when you go faster. Before I knew the trailer tire rating I had it up to 75. I use a Husky Centerline WDH. It's important to get the weight distribution right. I don't get much sway, but I do find myself making a lot of steering corrections. But it's like that even without the trailer, the trailer just amplifies it.

 

[Artie]

2018 Navigator Reserve

I pull a 18 foot 4500 pound single axle overland trailer on a max coupler articulating hitch... I forget it’s back there.

Typically stay below 70MPH
Average 12.5 MPG

 

[Wayne Decker]

I tow my 25' Airstream - rated for 7,300lbs, but weighs 6,600lbs, loaded and ready to go.

As others said, proper set up in important for any trailer/TV combination. Weight distribution does not mean it has sway control. You need both. Yes, Reese dual cam is a good option- it's what I use.

Set up is not all that hard, sometimes it takes a little time to do all the tweaking. Then go to the scales and confirm.

I'll do 65 on the highway.

 

[techdude99]

I have an 18' Featherlite car hauler. Typically 70-80Mph using Weight Safe aluminum hitch and all the Ford tow package stability controls enabled.

 

[53bird]

I've got a 2008 Expedition and I'm thinking about getting a Travel Trailer..Outdoor rv 26 Footer weighing in at 7300lbs I know I've got to get all the extras to go along with the purchase, I just don't want to get to much of a trailer..the 08 is rated to haul between 9000-9300lbs any thoughts on how much of a trailer I should be looking at?

 

[Lou Hamilton]

I've got a 2008 Expedition and I'm thinking about getting a Travel Trailer..Outdoor rv 26 Footer weighing in at 7300lbs I know I've got to get all the extras to go along with the purchase, I just don't want to get to much of a trailer..the 08 is rated to haul between 9000-9300lbs any thoughts on how much of a trailer I should be looking at?

7300 loaded is about the limit I would push the Expedition with.

As an upgrade, that is the most I will be looking at. Anything higher will be out of the question. BTW, our upgrade would be an Airstream — either 23 or 25 foot. We have ruled out most other brands at this time.


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[Dr0idattack]

Use an Equalizer, 6-7 washers.
Add Sumo springs, decent tires.
If you have good tires on the trailer you can get up to 70 safely (even with 2 adults, 5 kids in the Expy).

I’ve towed several times with my 2013 Expy, tow package, and a Retro Riverside 265.

A good properly setup WDH makes all the difference.

 

[ssmock]

I have a 2014 Expedition with the HD Tow package. I tow a 22' all aluminum enclosed car trailer with 10K axels. Trailer weighs 2,200 lbs. and the car is 3,200 lbs. With gear and everything I'm easily at 6,500 I guess. No WDH just the sway control the vehicle has built in. Only experienced that sway control kick in once, I think. Towed 60 to 70 mph on a 1600 trip to Reno and back from KC. Just guessing at the tongue weight but looks pretty good on level ground. I don't tow very often and thinking about a WDH just to see what difference it makes but don't want to spend a lot of money either. Also, I was wondering if anyone has experience with those hitches that have the tongue weight gauge included. Seems like one could hit the "sweet spot" on the tongue weight with one of those by rolling the car back and forward a little with the vehicle loaded. Other than the 8 to 10 MPG on this trip the expy did great. I did crack a left side manifold on that trip over the mountains but was replaced under the Ford extended warranty. I hear that is a common problem with these engines and usually involve some broken studs which I had 2 or 3. That happened right at 98K miles, just under the warranty period so got lucky there. Strain on the engine going over the mountain grades maybe or just the extra torque pulling the trailer.

 

[PhrogPilot]

We tow our 4500lb travel trailer at about 62 mph. We use a Reese 66151 WDH with anti-sway incorporated and have never experienced any sway. Also, no need to unhook the 66151 when backing. It adds about 45 seconds to the hitch up time so I would consider it a pretty simple device. We avoid the Interstates as much as possible so as not to impede traffic and to better experience our great Nation. Main reason for keeping the speed down is trailer tires limits and to take it easy on the trailer bearings. If we ever did have to pass anyone I’m pretty sure it would be stable at 80mph but the problem is at higher speeds if you have to do any obstacle avoidance there is a good chance of starting oscillation - YouTube has some good videos of trailers going too fast and taking their drivers for an e-ticket ride.

 

[Calidad]

I have a 2014 Expedition with the HD Tow package. I tow a 22' all aluminum enclosed car trailer with 10K axels. Trailer weighs 2,200 lbs. and the car is 3,200 lbs. With gear and everything I'm easily at 6,500 I guess. No WDH just the sway control the vehicle has built in. Only experienced that sway control kick in once, I think. Towed 60 to 70 mph on a 1600 trip to Reno and back from KC. Just guessing at the tongue weight but looks pretty good on level ground. I don't tow very often and thinking about a WDH just to see what difference it makes but don't want to spend a lot of money either. Also, I was wondering if anyone has experience with those hitches that have the tongue weight gauge included. Seems like one could hit the "sweet spot" on the tongue weight with one of those by rolling the car back and forward a little with the vehicle loaded. Other than the 8 to 10 MPG on this trip the expy did great. I did crack a left side manifold on that trip over the mountains but was replaced under the Ford extended warranty. I hear that is a common problem with these engines and usually involve some broken studs which I had 2 or 3. That happened right at 98K miles, just under the warranty period so got lucky there. Strain on the engine going over the mountain grades maybe or just the extra torque pulling the trailer.

Exhaust heat is the enemy of many engines typically caused by simply running them hard under load for long periods. Trailer weight is one thing but trailer drag is just as big of an issue especially at higher speeds, add a head wind and its an even bigger load factor.
Just slow down and you won’t blow up exhaust parts.

 

[CaptOchs]

Sounds like you either:
a) exceeded the capacity of the WD hitch. In that case you should look at others. I have a Reese dual cam, but I have heard lots of good things about equalizer. My dad has one and drives it to and from Florida from NY. Reese has a pretty good customer service group. Gather the components together and give them a call. They will tell you what they think. It could be maybe you just need to upgrade one component and not replace the whole kit. WD is only as strong as the weakest component.

b) WD isn't adjusted right. I bought a new trailer and they installed my dual cam. I took it out several times and had the same experience you had. Couldn't go above 55. I took it back and they readjusted the WD and got it right a second time.