Community Forums

MoShema · 02-26-2018, 10:58 AM

We will soon be taking delivery of our first TT and would like to get as much advice as possible for a safe towing experience. I’m not yet fluent in all of the acronyms. Our TV is a 2016 Ford Expedition Ltd 3.5L Eco boost engine. It has the manufacturer’s towing package but I can’t tell if it’s the heavy duty one or the standard one.

GVWR is 7500 lbs
Front GAWR is 3550 lbs
Rear GAWR is 4300 lbs

Trailer is a Jayco JFlight 212QBW SLX Rocky Mountain Edition.

Unloaded vehicle weight is 4055 lbs
Dry hitch weight is 455 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 6000 lbs
Cargo Carrying Capacity is 1945 lbs

What should my concerns be?

1bigmess · 02-26-2018, 12:28 PM

Do not go cheap on the hitch. Your gonna get a ton of advice which one to buy, but I'll just say that I use the Equal-I-Zer four point sway control hitch, and it works great.

khuffmanjr · 02-26-2018, 03:04 PM

We need more info about your TV, but here are some links to get you started. Differences in tow capability will be because of things like axle ratio, whether or not you use a weight distribution hitch, if the Expedition is the EL (the longer one) or not, etc... If you can better describe the vehicle with things like the axle ratio and GCWR and if its 4x4 or 4x2 then we can better help.

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/...tion_sep28.pdf

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...e_r2_Oct23.pdf

Thanks!

Ken

MSHappyCampers · 02-26-2018, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoShema

We will soon be taking delivery of our first TT and would like to get as much advice as possible for a safe towing experience. I’m not yet fluent in all of the acronyms. Our TV is a 2016 Ford Expedition Ltd 3.5L Eco boost engine. It has the manufacturer’s towing package but I can’t tell if it’s the heavy duty one or the standard one.

GVWR is 7500 lbs
Front GAWR is 3550 lbs
Rear GAWR is 4300 lbs

Trailer is a Jayco JFlight 212QBW SLX Rocky Mountain Edition.

Unloaded vehicle weight is 4055 lbs
Dry hitch weight is 455 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 6000 lbs
Cargo Carrying Capacity is 1945 lbs

What should my concerns be?

Hi !

Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Congrats on the new rig! Not a TT guy so can't help with the questions but wanted to say hello! Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

jelag · 02-26-2018, 04:18 PM

The hitch manufacturer is required to mark the hitch either by class, or its towing ability.. in some cases, some of the tow packages are installed by the dealer, while the vehicle is on the lot...

If you crawl under the rig, you should either see a paper tag on the hitch or stamped letters in the metal... as long as the hitch is rated for the weight and tongue weight of your trailer your good to go...

As you approach the combined vehicle weight of the trailer and the tow vehicle you might find some sway or that the back of your tow vehicle sags more than you'd like.. by adding a equalizing hitch, you will tie the two together in a way that will lift the rear of your tow vehicle and will take some of the sway away when you tow done the road....

like mentioned above don't compromise on any of these components.. I personally like tow chains that snap or link to the tow vehicle in a way that they can't come loose... of I've taken "S" hooks off my tow safety chains and installed hardened chain links with a screw connection so I know that they chain will never drop off or drag...

I have my own personal walk around when hooking up to the trailer.. I used to use a written form until I memorized it... my son lost his emergency exit window after one of his kids left it unlocked... he knows exactly what he was doing when he was doing the safety check and let his daughter distract him... If distracted I either put something on the ground when that happened or start over again...

Each of us will set their own safety check... but you need to do what's comfortable for you.. and don't be afraid to modify it down the road if you find something you missed.... you know... the steps are down... the hand rail is still out... one of my good buddies tried to drive away with a slide out....

Best of luck and I hope you enjoy the RV lifestyle as much as we do.

SmokeyWren · 02-26-2018, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoShema

Our TV is a 2016 Ford Expedition Ltd 3.5L Eco boost engine. ... GVWR is 7500 lbs
...
Trailer ... Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 6000 lbs
...
What should my concerns be?

Concern #1] That trailer requires a weight-distributing (WD) hitch because hitch weight exceeds 500 pounds. But don't waste money on a cheap hitch. Good WD hitches with good built-in sway control list for about $1,000 and are available online for $500 to $700. The good WD hitches include

.] Equal-I-Zer 4P
..] Blue Ox SwayPro
...] Reese Strait-Line with trunnion bars, complete with adjustable shank
....] Husky CenterLine HD 31390, complete with the proper size trunnion bars.

Even better, but much more expensive are the WD hitches designed by Jim Hensley - The original Hensley Arrow and the improved ProPride 3P.

Concern #2] Overloading your tow vehicle (TV)

Your full-size SUV has lots of room inside for hauling lots of people, pets, and other weight. But too many folks load up the SUV, then tie onto a trailer with hitch weight that overloads the payload capacity, or rear axle weight capacity, or receiver hitch weight capacity of the SUV.

A properly-loaded RV trailer with GVWR of 6,000 pounds could have hitch weight of about 880 pounds, including the weight of one of the WD hitches mentioned above.

So be aware of the weight you haul in the SUV when towing, so you don't exceed the GVWR of your SUV.

When on the road with the wet and loaded SUV towing the wet and loaded RV trailer, stop at the first truck stop you see that has a truck scale, and fill up with gas. Then weigh the wet and loaded rig. Add the weights on the front and rear axles to get GVW of the SUV, then compare the GVW to the GVWR of the SUV. If GVW exceeds GVWR, you're overloaded.

Concern #3] Overconfidence. That 3.5L EcoBoost engine is a towing monster. No problem PULLING your 6k TT over the mountains, even if the SUV is overloaded. But just because you can pull it doesn't mean your SUV can carry the hitch weight without any problems caused by exceeding the GVWR (and payload capacity) of the SUV. So, again, be aware of the weight you haul in the SUV when towing, so you don't exceed the GVWR of your SUV.

Concern #4] Tire inflation. Pump up the rear tires on the SUV, and all the trailer tires, to the max cold PSI on the tire sidewall. Air up the tires when the tires are cold = before you have moved them even a few feet. I keep an air compressor in the garage an check all my tires first thing in the morning. Others buy a 12-volt air compressor that plugs into the tow vehicle's cigar lighter so they can pump up the tires before the tires have rolled and warmed up.

**Spdracr39** · 02-27-2018, 05:00 AM

As stated above, your limiting factor is always the payload (Cargo) capacity of the tow vehicle which you do not list. You will probably be real close to that number so be extra careful how much stuff you carry in the truck. When figuring how much you are carrying add the weight of a full tank of gas, all the passengers, all the stuff in the truck, the weight of the WD hitch and the tongue weight of the camper. Your specific cargo capacity can be found on the sticker inside the drivers door on the jamb.

MoShema · 02-28-2018, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khuffmanjr

We need more info about your TV, but here are some links to get you started. Differences in tow capability will be because of things like axle ratio, whether or not you use a weight distribution hitch, if the Expedition is the EL (the longer one) or not, etc... If you can better describe the vehicle with things like the axle ratio and GCWR and if its 4x4 or 4x2 then we can better help.

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/...tion_sep28.pdf

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...e_r2_Oct23.pdf

Thanks!

Ken

Thanks for the links.
The axle ratio is 3.15, which according to the table in the link means the GCWR is either 12,300 lbs or 14,900 lbs, depending on whether i have the HD tow package or not. It is an Expedition (not EL) and a 4x4. Based on feedback I've received on this post, I will definitely use a weight distribution hitch. I think I will need to call the dealer to find out which towing package i have. It does have a brake controller and a 7 pin connector.

Thanks,
Maureen

MoShema · 02-28-2018, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoShema

Thanks for the links.
The axle ratio is 3.15, which according to the table in the link means the GCWR is either 12,300 lbs or 14,900 lbs, depending on whether i have the HD tow package or not. It is an Expedition (not EL) and a 4x4. Based on feedback I've received on this post, I will definitely use a weight distribution hitch. I think I will need to call the dealer to find out which towing package i have. It does have a brake controller and a 7 pin connector.

I called the dealer and it turns out that I do not have the HD Towing package. So

axle ratio is 3.15
GCWR is 12,300 lb
model is Expedition
4x4