Expedition MAX Trim for Camper Towing

[tlrugby2]

My wife and I are in the market to upgrade our 2018 Expedition XLT to a MAX, probably used, but maybe new. We currently tow a camper that weights in about ~6500 fully loaded and tongue weight around 750 lbs. We have 5 kids and are probably looking to stick to the bench middle row. 4x4 is a requirement along with HD Tow package obviously. I've installed the Sumo SuperSprings coil insert in the rear and upgraded the rear sway bar from stock to Hellwig. We also changed from using chains and friction bars to the Reese Dual Cam II WDH which made a lot of difference. Still squishy at full tank of gas but mellows out around 3/4 tank. Stock tires.

I'm looking for recommendations/experiences with camper/trailer towing. Should we get stick with an XLT MAX and just upgrade the suspension (Sway bars, end links, Bilstein shocks and the Sumo SuperSprings coil insert. Probably not going to do LT tires because it's a daily driver) for a better towing experience or should we look to get a Limited MAX with the CCD suspension? Can we do the Limited MAX with CCD suspension and just not replace the shocks?

Thanks for any recommendations.

 

[JasonH]

LT tires are my only upgrade and my EL (Max) tows like a boss. Try the LT tires and see if they ride ok on lower pressure. Many tire shops will let you try tires out.

 

[jjscsix]

Years ago I was into modding vehicles, and I upgraded some 1/2 ton trucks for pulling boats. But with todays technology and manufacturers offering very comprehensive HD To packages I prefer to stay stock with components designed by people a lot smarter than me to work together.

We recently bought a Platinum with the HD tow package and CCD suspension. Trailer is a 34 Ft with 6900 dry weight travel trailer. We have about 200 miles of towing on it and am very pleased. We have a long trip coming up very soon. I’ll try to report back here.

 

[techdude99]

My '19 Platinum with the HD tow package pulled 5k-6k lbs like it was nothing. If you don't like how your current configuration feels and you don't want to go to more stiff sidewalls than you may want to consider a 4x4 Platinum model. If I were in your shoes, I would go with LT tires and Bilstein's unless you want the mid-cycle refresh updates.

 

[Silver-Bullet-Bus]

My wife and I are in the market to upgrade our 2018 Expedition XLT to a MAX, probably used, but maybe new. We currently tow a camper that weights in about ~6500 fully loaded and tongue weight around 750 lbs. We have 5 kids and are probably looking to stick to the bench middle row. 4x4 is a requirement along with HD Tow package obviously. I've installed the Sumo SuperSprings coil insert in the rear and upgraded the rear sway bar from stock to Hellwig. We also changed from using chains and friction bars to the Reese Dual Cam II WDH which made a lot of difference. Still squishy at full tank of gas but mellows out around 3/4 tank. Stock tires.

I'm looking for recommendations/experiences with camper/trailer towing. Should we get stick with an XLT MAX and just upgrade the suspension (Sway bars, end links, Bilstein shocks and the Sumo SuperSprings coil insert. Probably not going to do LT tires because it's a daily driver) for a better towing experience or should we look to get a Limited MAX with the CCD suspension? Can we do the Limited MAX with CCD suspension and just not replace the shocks?

Thanks for any recommendations.

I will only tow serious weight & length with this suv with a Hensley or ProPride hitch!

My family is worth the extra $2,000, or whatever the cost is above a non-projection hitch.

Never ever had a trailer sway incident, with these hitches, or trailer sway alarm activation.

 

[chuck s]

The Expedition needs no suspension modifications to tow a 6,000 pound camper in my experience.

My 6,000-ish pound camper tows "like it's not back there" behind my '17 XLT with HD Tow. 3.5EB engine. Equalizer WDH. Ford OEM brake controller. OEM suspension and tires. If you want this SUV to ride like a truck every day of the year get LT tires and ****** with the suspension.

We don't carry a squad of kids but when dry camping I often bring a 35 gallon tank of city water in the back. About 300 pounds of water plus the usual camping "stuff."

-- Chuck

 

[cbphotoguy1]

I have a 2020 Expedition Max Limited with 22" wheels and CCD with HD tow package. I tow a 26 foot sailboat, a 12' loaded cargo trailer and a 6500 lb travel trailer and 3000 lb pop-up so lots of trailer experience.

I got this unit after having both a 1500 Sierra V8 and a Ram Hemi 1500. This unit tows better than both. The larger wheels ride harder on the highway but have great control while trailering. I usually use a heavy duty sway hitch with bars/chains but forgot the unit when going to get my big trailer. I picked up and trailered the 6500 lb over 1600 km up and down big hills in the Maritimes averaging 115 - 120 kph and never had a problem with sway without the hitch. The 10 speed transmission did a lot of shifting but there was plenty of power coming up the big hills to pass slow big rigs. The torque was surprising for the 6 cylinder, turbo boost was great for passing and ride was smooth although the mileage was almost cut in half. The seats are so comfortable and my back does not complain after long days of driving like it did with both half tons. I love this unit and I now trailer without concerns. I have put over 70 k in two years without any major problems and fully recommend a Max for anyone who tows. I have friends with newer Tahoes and an Escalade and they seem to be in the shop for a lot of little problems.

 

[Calidad]

Definitely run it on some decent test trips regarding load before you get all into modifications. Stock form is definitely very capable and far more reliable than most of the aftermarket junk. Definitely run the vin to double check the max tow package lots of dealers selling the basic 6000lb max trim to people that need / want the 9200lb max tow version. Do not just take sellers word on the max tow package

 

[Fasttimes]

Curious how a CCD suspension works with a WDH system? Do they play nice?

 

[chuck s]

My Equalizer(tm) WDH has worked wonderfully for nineteen (19) seasons on my former Explorer and two Expeditions. Mechanical sway control is connected on hook up. No gimmicks needed. No chains as part of the weight distribution. Easy peasy (once setup!).

Look no farther.

-- Chuck

 

[duneslider]

Here is my take and this is towing with 2 different expeditions that I have owned. My first was a 2019 XLT Max that had the 18" wheels and I put bilsteins on it. My current is a 2020 Max Platinum with the CCD. Trailer 1 was a 5k max weight and I pulled this trailer with both expeditions. New trailer is 6700 loaded. (I might occasionally be over that)

The XLT with bilsteins I feel was absolutely better at handling the trailer. The CCD does NOT dampen as well as the bilsteins, this was noticeable with just my bike rack and bikes on the expedition. I never felt I needed to do anything else with the XLT to make it tow better.

The first trip with the Platinum and the 5k trailer I could tell things were very different. Now with the bigger trailer it is even more noticeable. Not "bad" but there is much more bounce that isn't controlled as well. I also don't think I love the e2 bar WDH we have on this trailer and might be some of the problem. Previous trailer I had the Reese cam WDH and really liked it. I am seriously considering the proride or hensley hitch now, i am also looking into the swaybars (not just for towing but for everyday driving, kids don't like riding in the back anymore).

I got a flat on my stock tires (22's and the hankooks which I didn't like), we were leaving for a camping trip and the only tire the local place had in stock was the nitto crosstek 2, so I put those on. Not sure I love the tires but they are way better than the stock and the pull with the new tires was noticeably better.

Just my opinions based on my experience so far.

 

[Calidad]

Curious how a CCD suspension works with a WDH system? Do they play nice?

The ccd system only adjusts the compression rate to change the stiffness of the ride feel. It doesn’t impact the spring/load rating or squat etc. For hauling people on different road surfaces I’m not going to lie its been nice to switch to econo mode to soften up the ride on rough roads, normal / sport to sharpen up the feel for twisty roads for car sickness prone passengers that do better with a stiffer less floaty feel.

Dragging trailers? I’m sure the ccd mode is probably in some variation tied to tow/haul mode thats been tested as being the nicest feeling with a heavy trailer in tow. But its not impacting rear suspension sag or the leveling of the trailer vs tow rig

 

[JohnSC]

Curious how a CCD suspension works with a WDH system? Do they play nice?

They work together OK for me too. No bad interactions that I hav found.

Also don’t really love my e2 hitch although mostly it does the job, 7000 pound trailer seems to get blown around too much on really windy days. I am adding LT tires because the factory 285/45 22 Generals are just not stable enough especially when it gets wet out - I will let you know how the new Michelin Defenders (LT275/65 18s) feel after a bit. But I saw them this afternoon and they are massive. (Used wheels are being repainted so it will take a week before I can get them on.)

 

[JohnSC]

One quick note to the OP - watch your payload. The Max is a couple hundred pounds heavier empty than the standard you have, with the big family and heavy trailer tongue weight as those kids grow you will quickly exceed the payload especially if you go to the Limited or Platinum.

 

[techdude99]

My wife and I are in the market to upgrade our 2018 Expedition XLT to a MAX, probably used, but maybe new. We currently tow a camper that weights in about ~6500 fully loaded and tongue weight around 750 lbs. We have 5 kids and are probably looking to stick to the bench middle row. 4x4 is a requirement along with HD Tow package obviously. I've installed the Sumo SuperSprings coil insert in the rear and upgraded the rear sway bar from stock to Hellwig. We also changed from using chains and friction bars to the Reese Dual Cam II WDH which made a lot of difference. Still squishy at full tank of gas but mellows out around 3/4 tank. Stock tires.

I'm looking for recommendations/experiences with camper/trailer towing. Should we get stick with an XLT MAX and just upgrade the suspension (Sway bars, end links, Bilstein shocks and the Sumo SuperSprings coil insert. Probably not going to do LT tires because it's a daily driver) for a better towing experience or should we look to get a Limited MAX with the CCD suspension? Can we do the Limited MAX with CCD suspension and just not replace the shocks?

Thanks for any recommendations.

My 2019 Platinum Max with the towing package had CCD. I used it to tow close to 6k pounds. With a Weighsafe height adjustable hitch and Hellwig sway bars it was fairly well controlled. Sumosprings would have helped with sag if I didn't have the Weighsafe. Based on my research, non-CCD with Bilsteins are the way to go if you do a lot of towing. Seems to be a much better experience.