Towing trailer first time

[NorthGeorgia]

Hello,
I own a 2017 Expedition Limited 2 wheel drive. I will be towing a trailer for the first time in its 5 year life. What I will be towing is a trailer with a vehicle on it. I know I can read what the owners manual says but I think hearing from folks who actually tow things would be the best source of information.

Is there anything I should prepare for? Things I should look out for? Things I should NOT do?

thanks

 

[Timo2824]

The 3.5 gens have an automatic sway control that will give a weird feeling feedback through the steering wheel. If you don't tow much you probably won't notice it, but it really bugged me until I found out what was causing it. Use the tow haul mode, it uses engine breaking to assist with down hills and stopping.

 

[Speedboosted]

I've towed with a number of different vehicles, all pulling along 16-20ft wood deck open trailers with either a C6 Corvette or S197 Mustang on them. My 2017 EL has been perfect and I have genuinely zero complaints. I do use a Fastway E2 WDH which helps with the rear stability.

Do you have the tow package/7 pin connector out back? Most importantly, is this the first time you've ever towed a trailer or just the first time with the Expedition?

 

[GlennSullivan]

I tow with my 2017 standard length, 4x4, HD Tow, Expedition with 3:31 rear fairly regularly. I have a 20' Featherlite open aluminum car trailer.

What kind of trailer do you have and what does it weigh?
What car are you putting on it and what does it weigh?
Do you have proper tie downs for the type vehicle and trailer you have?
Depending on the answers to the above, you should position the car for sufficient tongue weight, but not too much as to take a lot of weight off the front wheels.
It is a good idea to run the loaded package across a set of truck scales to see where all the weights are, then adjust accordingly. Most truck stops have CAT Scales.
Make sure your tires on the truck as well as your truck spare are properly inflated and in good condition.
Make sure you have a spare for the trailer as well as a jack and good lug wrenches to handle changing tires on the truck and trailer.
I don't like the trailer sway control on the 17 Expy, so I turn it off. Depending on your experience towing, you maybe want to leave it on until you have some miles under your belt and make up your mind.
I only use the Tow / Haul mode when in a hilly area and only to go uphill. I find the T/H mode is very intrusive with down hill and selects too low a gear. I adjust the TBC so that the trailer brakes provide sufficient braking for good downhill control.
The heaviest car I haul is 4700lbs and the trailer weighs 1500. On a relatively flat trip (anywhere along the east coast), the truck handles the load fine not using tow / haul mode.
If you have a heavy load, don't load the Expy with a lot of cargo or people behind the rear wheels.

 

[NorthGeorgia]

I tow with my 2017 standard length, 4x4, HD Tow, Expedition with 3:31 rear fairly regularly. I have a 20' Featherlite open aluminum car trailer.

What kind of trailer do you have and what does it weigh?
What car are you putting on it and what does it weigh?
Do you have proper tie downs for the type vehicle and trailer you have?
Depending on the answers to the above, you should position the car for sufficient tongue weight, but not too much as to take a lot of weight off the front wheels.
It is a good idea to run the loaded package across a set of truck scales to see where all the weights are, then adjust accordingly. Most truck stops have CAT Scales.
Make sure your tires on the truck as well as your truck spare are properly inflated and in good condition.
Make sure you have a spare for the trailer as well as a jack and good lug wrenches to handle changing tires on the truck and trailer.
I don't like the trailer sway control on the 17 Expy, so I turn it off. Depending on your experience towing, you maybe want to leave it on until you have some miles under your belt and make up your mind.
I only use the Tow / Haul mode when in a hilly area and only to go uphill. I find the T/H mode is very intrusive with down hill and selects too low a gear. I adjust the TBC so that the trailer brakes provide sufficient braking for good downhill control.
The heaviest car I haul is 4700lbs and the trailer weighs 1500. On a relatively flat trip (anywhere along the east coast), the truck handles the load fine not using tow / haul mode.
If you have a heavy load, don't load the Expy with a lot of cargo or people behind the rear wheels.

Thanks for all of the ideas and suggestions......much appreciated

 

[NorthGeorgia]

I've towed with a number of different vehicles, all pulling along 16-20ft wood deck open trailers with either a C6 Corvette or S197 Mustang on them. My 2017 EL has been perfect and I have genuinely zero complaints. I do use a Fastway E2 WDH which helps with the rear stability.

Do you have the tow package/7 pin connector out back? Most importantly, is this the first time you've ever towed a trailer or just the first time with the Expedition?

First, I have 'towed' a boat many times and have hauled a vehicle on a trailer before with a different vehicle.....but that was more than 10 years ago but less than 15? The vehicle I used back then was bigger tho, it was a Chevy/Suburban with a big V8 and a H/D suspension and trailering setup.(it even self adjusted the rear suspension with a load).

My concern, due to ignorance or whatever, is my 2017 Expedition is a tad smaller than a Suburban and it is a 6 cylinder, even tho 'turbo'(may have more HP than the Suburban tho?), admittedly I am not sure what suspension or trailering setup might be on it? I wasn't concerned about 'trailering' back then when I bought it so really did not pay attention. It does have that 'brake' lever on the front dash???

Second, yes it has the 7 pin(round) plug connection as well as the 4pin?(flat/level)connection.

 

[NorthGeorgia]

Update: Supposedly my 2017 'Limited' comes with the HD package as standard??? So, supposedly I might/could tow a 9300lb weight??? Yes, I have the 'round' 7 pin connection.

 

[Speedboosted]

First, I have 'towed' a boat many times and have hauled a vehicle on a trailer before with a different vehicle.....but that was more than 10 years ago but less than 15? The vehicle I used back then was bigger tho, it was a Chevy/Suburban with a big V8 and a H/D suspension and trailering setup.(it even self adjusted the rear suspension with a load).

My concern, due to ignorance or whatever, is my 2017 Expedition is a tad smaller than a Suburban and it is a 6 cylinder, even tho 'turbo'(may have more HP than the Suburban tho?), admittedly I am not sure what suspension or trailering setup might be on it? I wasn't concerned about 'trailering' back then when I bought it so really did not pay attention. It does have that 'brake' lever on the front dash???

Second, yes it has the 7 pin(round) plug connection as well as the 4pin?(flat/level)connection.

All Limiteds do have the HD tow, I forgot about that until you mentioned it. My previous vehicle was a 2001 Suburban 2500 with the 6.0. The Expedition is better in every way with the exact same trailer/load behind it. Better brakes, more responsive steering, better power (especially torque down low), better mpg, more comfortable. You'll enjoy it.

The only downside you have is the shorter wheelbase, but it's less than 1ft difference and not really a negative if the trailer/tongue weight are correct. Strap the car down well, assuming it's a front engined vehicle put it towards the front of the deck but not all the way, and adjust the trailer brakes so when you pull the emergency button on the controller, it stops it within a few ft of rollout.

 

[JasonH]

Update: Supposedly my 2017 'Limited' comes with the HD package as standard??? So, supposedly I might/could tow a 9300lb weight??? Yes, I have the 'round' 7 pin connection.

This is correct for the 2017 model year, but there is a still a frontal area limitation. Generally, most owners run out of payload before they hit the towing limit, because at max tow that least 930 lbs of the trailer weight needs to be on the hitch. This leaves around 400 - 600 for passengers depending on vehicle trim. The most important thing is making sure that you have the correct load on the hitch. If your weight is not distributed correctly, you will experience trailer sway. The engine has sufficient power, it's not even an issue towing with the Ecoboost. Make sure your tires pressures are appropriate for the load and that weight distribution is correct. Also make sure you have a good spare and some fix-a-flat and tools to change a tire on the trailer or tow vehicle. You'll have a lot of tires rolling down the road.

 

[NorthGeorgia]

Thanks to all for your input. Much appreciated.

 

[adamsdaddy]

Does your Limited have the Ford brake controller installed? If not, let me know and I’ll post a link to installing aftermarket controllers.

 

[NorthGeorgia]

yes, it does. we're all set. our trip will be about 12+ hours one way. never 'trailered' that long before so will be an experience.......................

 

[NorthGeorgia]

Dumb observation maybe....... in the 'olden days' I would have to flip a switch or press a button or .......... to activate the trailering ability on a vehicle. I DON'T SEE ANYTHING on this vehicle where I have to do that? I guess when I connect the trailer (electrical?) the Expedition will know I am pulling a trailer??

 

[adamsdaddy]

Yes, it will say trailer connected. You can reset the trailer mileage odometer.

 

[NorthGeorgia]

Yes, it will say trailer connected. You can reset the trailer mileage odometer.

thanks

 

[chuck s]

1. If you have the round 7-pole trailer connector on the back bumper you have HD Tow. It only comes with that package.

2. There is no frontal area limitation. None. There is a frontal area consideration which is Ford's way of telling you your fuel use escalates with frontal area.

Exceeding
these limitations may
significantly reduce the
performance of your
towing vehicle.

Air resistance, the prime factor in towing efficiency, is exponential so slow down. My 1,200 pound mini-cabin cruiser motorboat and 6,000 pound travel trailer have roughly the same frontal area and the lighter tow gets barely better fuel economy. Just gotta live with it.

 

[chuck s]

Just plug the trailer in and set the brake gain. It's close to plug-n-play. First time I plugged in the truck told me there was a trailer tail light out. Sure enough there was.

There's a screen in the menu where you can define the trailer(s) and this will also track the miles on the trailer selected. I just pulled our little travel trailer 1300 miles last month. You can also tell the computer to compute miles-to-empty based on towing. Take a few minutes and review the screens as they'll provide useful information.

 

[klaus2014]

The Tow Haul mode can be activated by a circular button on the gear shifter.

Also, one thing that helped me tow a 8500 lb camper cross country was to use Tow Haul mode as well as limiting use of the higher gears - there's an up/down toggle on the gear shifter to accomplish this. As you press the down key, you'll see the higher gears on your dash display disappear, locking them out. The idea is to keep the RPM's elevated enough to keep the water pump and transmission moving and circulating fluid. The faster RPM also doesn't require as much boost, which will help keep engine temps down. So cruising at 55-60 mph, I'm locked into 4th gear at around 2200 RPM. You don't need to do this and I'm sure plenty of people don't, but IMO heat is the achilles tendon of this powertrain setup so this is something I've always done for peace of mind.

Safe towing!

 

[chuck s]

I think transmission temperature is shown on the dashboard. I use tow/haul only if I remember and let my gears shift for themselves. But my trailers are smaller and lighter.

-- Chuck

 

[NorthGeorgia]

thanks everyone