First towing trip

[Ristin]

2000 EB 4x4 5.4l with towing pkg & 3.31 gear ratio.
Towing 27.5' travel trailer. Empty weight 4640, trip weight guesstimating 6000lbs
Overall I was impressed with the Expys ability to tow. We pulled some serious grades and I was amazed we could maintain hwy speeds on all but the steepest grade and then was still able to maintain 50 mph.
As well as the trip went, I'm still wondering if I need more truck like Excursion or F250 crew cab. I never felt like we were riding the ragged edge of disaster but did feel like we were at the upper limit of capacity and safety.
A couple things though: Can I regear to 3.73's? Thinking off the line and towing performance would be better and not overly concerned about fuel economy. Expy was purchased mainly for towing trips.
Switching from the P265/70R17's to an LT265/70R17. Thinking that would help firm up the ride and feel a little more solid when towing.
Both are expensive, would they be worth the cost or should I cut my losses and look for a heavier truck?
I really like the Expy and would rather put money into making it a good tow vehicle. I think that would be cheaper than finding a decent Excursion.
Thoughts?

 

[Bowesmobile]

Im totally with you on both the gear swap and tire swap. I did upgrade to "D" series tires and that made a huge difference. Mine has 3:55 gears and they do well. But I'm certain you'll do much better with 3:73's when taking off from a stop and climbing.

For reference I towed a 26' camper that weighed about the same as the trailer you listed loaded with my kids and gear.

 

[stamp11127]

If money isn't a concern I vote for the Excursion with the 7.3 Navistar, gobs of torque.

 

[Ristin]

Thanks. Good to know on the tires. That's the cheaper of the two options. I looked again and I actually have 3.55's and not 3.31's. Probably not worth the money to change those out unless I could go 4.10 if that's an option on the Expy but that may be way to low. Have to use one of those gear calculators to see what rpm's would be.

I'd love an excursion with 7.3 but the clean ones without a bazillion miles are rare and expensive. Plus I really like the Expy and wife won't let me have both.

I found a super clean low miles 2003 F-250 crew cab long bed lariat 4x4 with v-10 for $12k but I would really prefer an suv like the excursion.

 

[AbbadonTD]

I have mine for over the mountain and pull a 30' 6000lb trailer well. I would say the same thing, its not like it pulls like nothing, but it doesnt hate it. Here is 7%, and I am driving to the Sawtooths this summer for a wedding.

I am going to do the shocks and springs soon and I think that will really help. Factory 20 year old shocks cannot be helping. Plus I will be putting in ones made for towing, so they may even, dare I say, help?

I tow with A/T tires, because I put little mileage on the vehicle outside towing and winter. I found ATs do great when towing uphill. Also means I can de hitch and go hit a trail or two.

 

[DF5.4]

I have a 30' TT and I just went from the P rated tires to E. I would air the P rated to max when towing to get rid of the squirm and unstable feeling. I've towed a couple of times with the new tires. I run them at 37 PSI empty. I air them up to 55 PSI when I tow. They have made a huge difference in how everything feels. They are A-T tires but that doesn't make as big a difference as the load rating on them.

 

[00EddieExpy]

Ristin, I basically have the same truck and trailer combo as you (my 27' trailer is 6450 empty) but mine has the 3.73's and I just went to LT - E rated tires which does make a difference. I also changed my rear shocks to Bilsteins and added Firestone Coil-Rite air bags in my springs. I assume you are using a good weight distribution/anti-sway system, I have the Equal-i-zer 4-point system which works great. I am sure I am right at the truck's towing limit but it does not feel like it at all and tows fine here on flat Florida roads. I don't pass too many gas stations without stopping lol!

 

[Ristin]

Ristin, I basically have the same truck and trailer combo as you (my 27' trailer is 6450 empty) but mine has the 3.73's and I just went to LT - E rated tires which does make a difference. I also changed my rear shocks to Bilsteins and added Firestone Coil-Rite air bags in my springs. I assume you are using a good weight distribution/anti-sway system, I have the Equal-i-zer 4-point system which works great. I am sure I am right at the truck's towing limit but it does not feel like it at all and tows fine here on flat Florida roads. I don't pass too many gas stations without stopping lol!

Wow we even have the same color truck.

I just got back and I felt better towing with the Expy on the way home. I've always had 5th wheel trailers with way over kill diesel tow vehicles so I needed to get used to the quirks of bumper pulled travel trailers.
I do have a weight distributing hitch but didn't get the sway control option. I can add later if needed. I'm going to try LT tires first as I think my C rated tires were to squishy even aired to their max pressure.
We went 931 miles on this trip mostly hooked to the trailer for an average mpg of 8.7. Worst tank was 5.43mpg but that included a steep climb out of Ellensburg WA on hwy 82 and a big climb over Whites Pass on hwy 12 coming out of Yakima WA towards Mt Rainier.
I was really impressed how well the 5.4 pulls hills. I expected 35-40 mph on the steep hills and was blown away that we were maintaining 50 on the climb out of Ellensburg. That is a long steep climb. Over Whites Pass was slower but that was more due to sharp curves and lower speed limits.

 

[DF5.4]

I would highly recommend getting the sway control because of the shorter wheelbase of the Expy. Is it integrated into the WD or a friction bar type?


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[AbbadonTD]

I only use my sway control over mountains, where I can get cross breezes. It helps down the hills too.

I am putting in better shocks next weekend.

My light denim blue truck looks awful similar with the 30'