I am looking to purchase a new setup for my wife and I. We are retired looking for a couples trailer. We are interested in getting a Ford Expidition XLT with max tow and fx4 package. We want to use it to pull a Grand design 22 mle. It’s 5200lbs empty with tongue at 500 lbs. 26 ft long. I am looking at going with a Hensley wdh. Looking for any advice from others similar. Thanks in advance.
Grand design 26 ft trailer
- Thread starter John Bay
- Start date
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Meeker
Full Access Members
The layout looks very similar to our Keystone Cougar 21RBSWE. So you'll likely have the same challenges I do... 
Ours is slightly heavier, and we have a 70 gallon (!) fresh water tank under the bed, and the GVWR is around 7200 lbs. Yours is 200+ lbs less so that's good.
I have had to be very careful about going over the RAWR (Rear Axle Weight Rating) of my 2018 XLT. First off, note that the biggest storage compartment we both have is right at the front under the bed. If you can, try to put any heavy items somewhere else, like under the kitchen seating (my heavy items are toolbox, hoses, wooden blocks). Unfortunately for me my kitchen seating is in the slideout so I can't really put heavy stuff there. Instead I've been leaving stuff at home and doing without.
I always travel with less than 10 gallons of fresh water because of the weight. Instead we fill some 5 gallon jugs and put them in the shower to transfer some weight back from the hitch.
I'm always around 900 lbs hitch weight even after moving as much as I can rearwards. I think you'll have a similar challenge. But if you stay within the specs and make sure the WD hitch is tight enough (lots of advice in forums about how to measure the fender heights before and after) it still tows well with minimal sway.
Last advice is with this setup, you'd be wise to accept lower driving speeds. I normally travel 55-60 mph. Faster is doable but gas usage goes up drastically, and semis and even pickups start to push you around. Relax and enjoy the view!
Ours is slightly heavier, and we have a 70 gallon (!) fresh water tank under the bed, and the GVWR is around 7200 lbs. Yours is 200+ lbs less so that's good.
I have had to be very careful about going over the RAWR (Rear Axle Weight Rating) of my 2018 XLT. First off, note that the biggest storage compartment we both have is right at the front under the bed. If you can, try to put any heavy items somewhere else, like under the kitchen seating (my heavy items are toolbox, hoses, wooden blocks). Unfortunately for me my kitchen seating is in the slideout so I can't really put heavy stuff there. Instead I've been leaving stuff at home and doing without.
I always travel with less than 10 gallons of fresh water because of the weight. Instead we fill some 5 gallon jugs and put them in the shower to transfer some weight back from the hitch.
I'm always around 900 lbs hitch weight even after moving as much as I can rearwards. I think you'll have a similar challenge. But if you stay within the specs and make sure the WD hitch is tight enough (lots of advice in forums about how to measure the fender heights before and after) it still tows well with minimal sway.
Last advice is with this setup, you'd be wise to accept lower driving speeds. I normally travel 55-60 mph. Faster is doable but gas usage goes up drastically, and semis and even pickups start to push you around. Relax and enjoy the view!
mwl001
Full Access Members
Go with a Max for greater wheelbase payload and rear axle rating. I’m not sure you need a Hensley but they work well - they would eat a lot of your payload depending on what else goes in the truck.
Meeker
Full Access Members
Sorry, didn't mean to scare you off! Some people won't have those challenges because they travel light, some will ignore them, but if you want to be worry free you have to basically oversize the truck quite a bit (e.g. F-250) and then you just hook up and go...
Payload would be my biggest concern. Our R-Pod RP-192 is smaller and looks a lot lighter based on specs. But the fresh water tank is in the front, as is the exterior storage, so like Meeker I have to watch how I load it and carry minimal water. Fortunately our dinette is located right above the axle and has storage underneath for my tools and other really heavy stuff.
We downsized from a motor home and the RP-192 is a very good couples floor plan. The Murphy bed makes a fairly small trailer seem a lot bigger. All the glass makes it seem larger as well and offers a great view. And it is sized well within the towing capabilities of our Expedition.
We downsized from a motor home and the RP-192 is a very good couples floor plan. The Murphy bed makes a fairly small trailer seem a lot bigger. All the glass makes it seem larger as well and offers a great view. And it is sized well within the towing capabilities of our Expedition.
Jrparne
Active Member
We tow a Grand Design Imagine 2800BH with our 2020 max limited max tow. We def push it to the limit and meeker is def right about rawr. That and payload become your limiting point it seems in the expy after towing for a year almost every weekend. but the 2800BH tops out around 8000 and with us in camp mode(3 plus kids canoe 2 adults) and then everything in the trailer we actually bump up on gawr on the rear all of the time. We have an equalizer e4 1200 lb bars that help transfer to the front axle. But it’s doable. You have to manage load in the trailer and not sacrifice tongue weight. That front compartment that is in most trailers plus the under front bed storage gets loaded up. I don’t think people realize that shoots your tongue weight through the roof. The 2800bh easily can offset a lot of that front storage with storage in the back. My last scale ticket left us 200 under gvwr of the expy but right at the rear axle limit. The trailer was about 7500 and towing in the Appalachians. Would an f250 be great... sure but the f250 can’t carry the kids plus canoe!!
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OldMedic
Member
If you exceed the towing limitations for your vehicle, you void your warranty! The maximum towing limits are NOT for a dry weight trailer. They are for your trailer loaded exactly the way that you will be using it. Water, food, furnishings, clothing, chocks & blocks, black water drain hose, electrical connections, et., etc all add a LOT of weight to the trailer.
If you overload your vehicle with people, gear, etc., AND an overweight trailer, you will also strain the heck out of your engine, transmission, rear end, shocks, wheel bearings, etc.
It is FAR better to get a vehicle DESIGNED to tow the kind of weight you are describing. If I were you, I would get an F-250 or an F-350, put a camper shell on the back so you can load your canoe, etc.
If you can't use a pickup, then look at a Chevy Suburban! (I know, it's not a Ford, but it is available with the load levels you are describing).
I made the mistake of overloading my Expedition too many times, and destroyed my transmission (which was NOT covered by the warranty).
If you overload your vehicle with people, gear, etc., AND an overweight trailer, you will also strain the heck out of your engine, transmission, rear end, shocks, wheel bearings, etc.
It is FAR better to get a vehicle DESIGNED to tow the kind of weight you are describing. If I were you, I would get an F-250 or an F-350, put a camper shell on the back so you can load your canoe, etc.
If you can't use a pickup, then look at a Chevy Suburban! (I know, it's not a Ford, but it is available with the load levels you are describing).
I made the mistake of overloading my Expedition too many times, and destroyed my transmission (which was NOT covered by the warranty).
Jrparne
Active Member
The individual didn’t mention he was towing above any limit by Ford. In fact the grand design 22mle is well within the spec of a Ford Expedition max tow. Even for all of the people that start bringing up stay within percentages of a hard limit tested and warrantied by the manufacturer. We tow a 2800BH, which is also within spec by the manufacturer, this individual will have no problem being within spec with a 22mle.
