Planning to buy expedition to tow a trailer, suggestion needed

[shicing]

I have a family of 5 (kids age 6/4/0) + mother in law staying with us now. Plan to tow a trailer to go around the States with camping life (but the 6 year old kid need to go online class) from end of Sep to end of Oct for one month. Is it possible to get the wifi signals when camping ?

Tho I have never tried towing A trailer using a full size SUV, i want to buy one suv and one trailer for that month and future camping with family. It should be a good investment for family and kid. Plan to try once over the coming weekend, btw, how to Rent a towing package fill size SUV?

Some suggestions are needed form the expedition gurus here before I purchase:

1) I am looking at Tahoe, Navigator and expedition, considering the towing capacity, thinking expedition with the towing package (9000 lbs) is the best choice , buying the highest tow capacity is the right choice, do u think so?

2) my plan is to buy Coachmen Viking 17bh trailer, which includes 4 beds, do u think this is too small ? Also this is only about 3500lbs, if in this case , 9000 towing is necessary? I think for my future flexibility, switching to the other trailer when upgrade, 9000 is good?

3) specific to Expedition, I am thinking only the big sunroof and the towing capacity (9000) and the leather feature and 4×4 are required , is there anything I need to consider when I choose the options?

4) if you could have a chance to buy ur SUV again, do u think expedition is the right choice? If yes, any features u wanted to add additionally ?

5) when u bought ur expedition, did u have any promotion ? Or how to get a better price when buy new one? I am in WA. Thanks all.

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[JasonH]

Expedition EL is the best towing full sized SUV. You'll want to search this site for "payload," as that is the towing limit, not the maximum tow rating of 9,000 pounds. It has been discussed many times, ad naseum. The trailer size comes down to personal preference. Mine is 7,000 lbs and sleeps 8, but we usually travel with 4 or 5. Many people make do with smaller trailers, some people decide to upgrade. Getting an Expedition EL/Max gives you room to upgrade later. My Expedition was purchased used. It's been reliable for the 35K miles I've put on it. I'm actually camping in Mora Valley after a 12 hr trip right now. Again, I suggest searching and reading alot. Pretty much any question you'll ask has likely been answered already. Good luck.

 

[Lou Hamilton]

The debate between the EL/Max and the short/standard wheel base is due to the longer wheel base usually being better for towing, but you lose 200 pounds of towing capacity.

As Jason mentioned, payload is always the limiting factor over the towing capacity. You will need to watch your tongue weight as well as the cargo that you put in the Expedition (or any tow vehicle).

I have the short wheel base (2019 303a package) and currently tow a ~3000 pound Forest River R-pod. We bought it as a future proof for when we get an Airstream in a few years down the road.

As far as WiFi at camp sights... I laugh at that. If a camp site has WiFi, it will suck. It will usually be very slow, and honestly, I don’t trust the security of most places. My suggestion is to look at a hotspot. A great resource for RVMobile Internet options is rvmobileinternet.com. I’ve been researching their free materials, but will probably get a one year subscription so I can read the subscriber only materials and reviews.

I already have a NetGear mobile router/WiFi hotspot with AT&T, but plan on getting an unlimited plan through one of the vendors that still sell them. If I really want/need extra coverage, I may also get an unlimited Verizon plan. Issue is that I am looking around $250/mo just for Internet. I could probably write it off since I have the privilege of being to work from anywhere that I have an Internet connection, so it is a reality that I may get for next season. This year I really only have about 1-1.5 months left of camping before we winterize and close up for the season.

This year, my wife and I have been on the road camping non-stop since the rules have been lifted and out of State travel was permitted. Honestly, we live in Maryland, but we have not left the State of Delaware, but have been fine camping for 1 week at one site, 2 weeks at another, a few days here, and then a week, and so on.

Camping with kids will be easier with full hook ups, but in most cases you are looking at a higher per night rate. We do electric and water for around $40/night at State Parks. RV “resorts: that have full hooks ups are usually $100+ per night. That will need to be budgeted for in your travel plans/itinerary.

Good luck and there are plenty of us camping on the site so feel free to ask questions. New threads for different topics will probably be best so more people might see the topic and be willing to answer.


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[Matthew Marlowe]

The reason to get the max is bigger fuel tank and more cargo room, which is appreciated on travel days. As others have said, payload is your limiting factor...but also driver comfort. It's easy towing a lightweight 3k lbs small trailer. You need a lot more confidence and experience to safely tow a 30ft 8k lb trailer... especially down steep grades in the mountains in non perfect weather. Numbers are the start.. you have to be comfortable with your setup.

The expedition sweet spot seems to be about 23ft trailer length and 6k lbs trailer weight when accompanied by a high quality hitch and if you are not overloading cargo weight. Start there and move up or down to personal preference.

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[LovinPSDs]

Here's my 2 cents...If I was starting from scratch I think this is where I'd be.

1. Expedition MAX w/HD tow package - I'd do this over the older body style EL's from 2015-2017 - They seem to have a bit higher payload by 150-250 pounds, you get the Gen 2 EB + 10sp tranny, the MAX gives you a longer wheelbase and larger fuel tank, both of which are appreciated while towing. The lower the trim level, typically the more payload you'll squeak out as well, so XLT unless your into all the tech.

2. Coachman 17BH - In my opinion is WAY to small for 6 people. I know there is a balance due to payload capacities, but I wouldn't consider something that small for the number of people you have. I personally would want a small slide as well. If you still want to stay pretty light, have a look at the Apex Nano 208BH. If you want to potentially go up in size a hair, I'm a huge fan of our Rockwood Mini Lite 2509S. Little bit different beast than the 17 footer with no slide though, so something to think about. The 2509 is VERY tongue heavy too, so you'll need to be careful how you load it. I'm a big fan so far though. I still say absolutely no way is the coleman enough room for 6 of you though. Maybe you can make it work, I know my family wouldn't.

3. Specific to the Expedition - I would make sure it has the HD tow package. While they seem to be difficult to find in the used market right now, it's worth the upgrade. Perhaps you could get away with the FX4 package as well, but you would need to add the factory brake controller. It will give you the 3.73 gears and the HD radiator... adding the brake controller is essentially the same as the HD tow minus the fancy reverse knob on the dash, which is a waste anyway too me.

4. I don't think you can go wrong with a MAX HD tow Expedition. They seem to be VERY cut out for the task your looking to do. If you really wanted to make it the best at what it can be you can also do the following...

Do these for sure, no matter what trailer you get...
Sumo Springs for rear suspension - These are CHEAP, tighten up the rear suspension a bit, and I haven't heard a SINGLE negative comment, even from direct family member
GOOD weight distribution/Sway control hitch - If your made of money ProPride or Hensley (these simply eliminate sway all together), if not Equalizer and Blue Ox seem to be pretty common

Consider these based on how it drives
Swap tires on the Expedition to LT (80 PSI) tires
Consider a shock upgrade if you feel it's needed. I'd put this last as a priority after some road time.

5. There are some threads in the 4th Gen section of the forum about purchasing and how much to expect off, I'm sure that's fluid with the whole Covid thing as well


Hope this helps, ask away, lots of campers here... I'd encourage you to search and read a handful of threads to hear others experiences as well.

 

[RustyOval]

My rig is in the photo. I have a 2018 Max Platinum with tow package. Expeditions are hands down the best towing large SUV. I tow a KZ 301BH bunk house. We have a family of five. I do have the Sumo Springs and love them, an equalizer hitch and love it as well. My TT weighs 6,300 dry. My 30 footer is as big as I would want to go only due to the weight. I never carry water other than enough to flush the toilet at stops. One more person could sleep on the dinette, it is bigger than the camper queen in the main bedroom because it is a big u shaped dinette. WIFI usually sucks at campgrounds. We always get full hookup sites.

If you want to keep the weight down and still have a lot of floor space you might want to consider a hybrid, some folks really like them. Pay attention to your payload... THAT is the limiting factor when picking a camper. Read the yellow sticker on your door jam.

I tried LT tires once and didn't really like them so I elected to go to extra load tires instead. I run max pressure of 50# when I tow and about 38# not towing.

My rig is rock solid even when I set the cruise at 75, yeah I know I shouldn't do it, but I just wanted to get home from Colorado. I wish the gas tank was bigger, my son has a '17 and has the bigger gas tank and still gets the 3.5 Ecoboost.

 

[LovinPSDs]

My rig is rock solid even when I set the cruise at 75, yeah I know I shouldn't do it, but I just wanted to get home from Colorado. I wish the gas tank was bigger, my son has a '17 and has the bigger gas tank and still gets the 3.5 Ecoboost.

I feel ya on this... (2) little kiddos who are OVER it and the Indiana corn fields, I've been known to push my speeds up there. Currently still using the F350 though...

 

[John Kohler]

Have you looked into hybrid campers? They are a little extra to setup, but for example, you can get a Rockwood Roo 183 that has 3 60X80" beds and a dinette sleeper. It's 4179# unloaded and about 6600# max. If I had that many camping I'd either go with a bunkhouse or hybrid and a hybrid is an easier tow.

 

[shicing]

My rig is in the photo. I have a 2018 Max Platinum with tow package. Expeditions are hands down the best towing large SUV. I tow a KZ 301BH bunk house. We have a family of five. I do have the Sumo Springs and love them, an equalizer hitch and love it as well. My TT weighs 6,300 dry. My 30 footer is as big as I would want to go only due to the weight. I never carry water other than enough to flush the toilet at stops. One more person could sleep on the dinette, it is bigger than the camper queen in the main bedroom because it is a big u shaped dinette. WIFI usually sucks at campgrounds. We always get full hookup sites.

If you want to keep the weight down and still have a lot of floor space you might want to consider a hybrid, some folks really like them. Pay attention to your payload... THAT is the limiting factor when picking a camper. Read the yellow sticker on your door jam.

I tried LT tires once and didn't really like them so I elected to go to extra load tires instead. I run max pressure of 50# when I tow and about 38# not towing.

My rig is rock solid even when I set the cruise at 75, yeah I know I shouldn't do it, but I just wanted to get home from Colorado. I wish the gas tank was bigger, my son has a '17 and has the bigger gas tank and still gets the 3.5 Ecoboost.

Thanks for sharing this. I finally got max with HD package, very similar to urs. With 9000 lbs towing capacity, how heavy we can tow safely? Is 7500 lbs total weight safe enough?

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[JasonH]

Thanks for sharing this. I finally got max with HD package, very similar to urs. With 9000 lbs towing capacity, how heavy we can tow safely? Is 7500 lbs total weight safe enough?

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You'll be near the payload limit with a family. If you haven't done some reading on how to calculate your remaining payload, now would be a good time. It will impact how you load the trailer for trips.

 

[RustyOval]

Thanks for sharing this. I finally got max with HD package, very similar to urs. With 9000 lbs towing capacity, how heavy we can tow safely? Is 7500 lbs total weight safe enough?

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Yes you can tow that weight, pay attention to your payload.