Towing trailer first time

[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