I have ordered a 2014 4x4 Ford Expedition with the heavy duty towing package, 15000 lbs GCWR, towing capacity of 9000 lbs. and a rear axle ratio of 3.73. I don't have the vehicle yet so don't know what its curb weight or axle weights are, Ford list the curb weight at around 5672 lbs. and I am thinking 6000 lbs with my wife and I aboard. I have already purchased a Propride 3P hitch recommended by a friend that has one. I am looking at a Flagstaff 831RLBSS that has a dry weight of 7100 lbs and GVWR of 8400 lbs, hitch weight 815 lbs. Also looking at a Salem Hemisphere,hitch weight 845 lbs. and dry weight of 7100 lbs. GVWR TBD but cargo weigh is 2300 lbs. I do not have the room or desire to buy a truck.Just my wife and I will be travelling, i can conceive of putting more than 500-1000 lbs of cargo, not planning on dry camping so no intention of carrying much water.We started out looking smaller but these are the trailers we would like, just wanted to get some opinions as to how this looks to others, I have seen others towing a similar weighted Airstream and Sunnybrook on blogs here and am most interested in someone that has an Expedition to comment. Thanks!

I do not have the room or desire to buy a truck.???? You just did. An Expedition is basically an F150 with a permanent cap on the back, it's no smaller.

Expeditions are great at towing within their limitations, we use two of them.That said, one of the limitations is 900 pounds of tongue weight and both of the trailers you listed will be pushing that limit unloaded and exceeding it loaded. I would look for no more than 5500 pounds dry and 7000 pounds loaded.

Is the EXPY an EL? What I can tell you from experience is that you will be pushed around uncomfortably. That is a long trailer (and heavy) you will be at your limits ( you may be below the actual limits, but still not a safe ride) . The engine and trans will be fine. My TT is just about the exact same specs and after the first trip I was looking for another TV.

Thank you for the responses, the EXPY is not an EL....

I had a 2008 Expy 4x4. My trailer had a dry weight of 6800 lbs, loaded ready to go it came in at 7900 lbs. I could never get the Expy to settle down while pulling our TT. It always felt like it was being pushed around and struggled to make it up any significant incline. The Expy differs from an F150 in the rear suspension. It is a softer independent rear suspension vs a solid rear axle. I looked for an air bag system to try and stiffen it up but they do not make one. i also had a difficult time trying to find LT tires to fit the 20" rims. in the end we ended up with an Excursion and it a huge difference in my towing experience. IMO I would probably look at a 3/4 ton SUV if you are dead set on that trailer or maybe look at a smaller trailer if you really want the Expy.

2014 Ford Expedition Towing Capacity | Good Sam Community

JiminDenver
Explorer II
Mar 25, 2014
Unfortunately pushing any TV past it's limits can result in a situation like this, not just a Expy. Most complaints I see about Expys towing are when the rig is way too big and then it's "I would never tow with a Expy again..."

Unlike Chock Full of Nuts, most would never be able to admit that it was THEIR fault and it wont be their fault when they push their next TV past it's limits either.
Chock_Full_o__N
Explorer
Mar 25, 2014
Cotay wrote:
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:

Oh, wow. I can't remember the exact model. It was a 2004, I think. Bunks, queen bed, super slide. We had some experience towing pop-ups and we hauled a little 19ft Puma TT all over America on a cross-country trip in 2007. That Expy never even blinked. Gee, I miss that little camper. We traded it for the Springdale because we needed more space for our teens. It never even crossed our minds that it was too much trailer. Experience is a vicious teacher.

Was it like this one? http://www.noblerv.com/rv/stewartville+mn/keystone+traveltrailer/3877/keystone+springdale+295bh

Almost the same. Ours didn't have the walk-around queen, just a shoved-in-the-corner queen
Cotay
Explorer
Mar 25, 2014
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:

Oh, wow. I can't remember the exact model. It was a 2004, I think. Bunks, queen bed, super slide. We had some experience towing pop-ups and we hauled a little 19ft Puma TT all over America on a cross-country trip in 2007. That Expy never even blinked. Gee, I miss that little camper. We traded it for the Springdale because we needed more space for our teens. It never even crossed our minds that it was too much trailer. Experience is a vicious teacher.

Was it like this one? http://www.noblerv.com/rv/stewartville+mn/keystone+traveltrailer/3877/keystone+springdale+295bh
Chock_Full_o__N
Explorer
Mar 25, 2014
Cotay wrote:
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
Cotay wrote:
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
JJensen79 wrote:
I had a 2008 Expy 4x4. My trailer had a dry weight of 6800 lbs, loaded ready to go it came in at 7900 lbs. I could never get the Expy to settle down while pulling our TT. It always felt like it was being pushed around and struggled to make it up any significant incline. The Expy differs from an F150 in the rear suspension. It is a softer independent rear suspension vs a solid rear axle. I looked for an air bag system to try and stiffen it up but they do not make one. i also had a difficult time trying to find LT tires to fit the 20" rims. in the end we ended up with an Excursion and it a huge difference in my towing experience. IMO I would probably look at a 3/4 ton SUV if you are dead set on that trailer or maybe look at a smaller trailer if you really want the Expy.

I have to agree with this. Get a bigger truck if you want those trailers. It's not just the weight. You have to figure in length too. We had a 2006 Expedition that we loved. We used it to tow our little 19ft Puma, no slide. We didn't even know it was there~! We traded up to a 30ft Springdale and holy cow, what a difference. I just about worked us to death on long drives. We never felt unsafe--that is, until the day it got out of control and we flipped 3 times. That was a costly lesson for us. Never again will I try to tow a trailer with an F150, unless it's a Casita or an rPod.

Were you towing that Springdale with an Expy or F-150? If your Springdale was 7,000+ pounds dry, that was certainly over your weight limit when fully loaded. Were you running WD/anti-sway that were properly leveled?

Yep, pulling with the Expy, WDH and sway bars properly leveled. Like I said, that was a costly lesson. At the time we didn't realize we were over our limits and the RV dealership, of course, never said a word. We know better now and we'll NEVER make that mistake again.

Wow, I'm very sorry that happened. That had to have been frightening. If you don't mind me asking, what model of Springdale was it? Was it a short wheelbase Expy?

I think the Expy is a fine tow vehicle...within its stated limits. The reason I am asking all of these questions is that I'm trying to see where those limits might actually be...from someone with experience. Conventional wisdom tells me (and my experience) that fully loaded you shouldn't tow more than 7000 pounds with an Expy. (at a 13% tongue weight).

Oh, wow. I can't remember the exact model. It was a 2004, I think. Bunks, queen bed, super slide. We had some experience towing pop-ups and we hauled a little 19ft Puma TT all over America on a cross-country trip in 2007. That Expy never even blinked. Gee, I miss that little camper. We traded it for the Springdale because we needed more space for our teens. It never even crossed our minds that it was too much trailer. Experience is a vicious teacher.
Unyalli
Explorer
Mar 25, 2014
Propride 3P
Cotay
Explorer
Mar 25, 2014
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
Cotay wrote:
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
JJensen79 wrote:
I had a 2008 Expy 4x4. My trailer had a dry weight of 6800 lbs, loaded ready to go it came in at 7900 lbs. I could never get the Expy to settle down while pulling our TT. It always felt like it was being pushed around and struggled to make it up any significant incline. The Expy differs from an F150 in the rear suspension. It is a softer independent rear suspension vs a solid rear axle. I looked for an air bag system to try and stiffen it up but they do not make one. i also had a difficult time trying to find LT tires to fit the 20" rims. in the end we ended up with an Excursion and it a huge difference in my towing experience. IMO I would probably look at a 3/4 ton SUV if you are dead set on that trailer or maybe look at a smaller trailer if you really want the Expy.

I have to agree with this. Get a bigger truck if you want those trailers. It's not just the weight. You have to figure in length too. We had a 2006 Expedition that we loved. We used it to tow our little 19ft Puma, no slide. We didn't even know it was there~! We traded up to a 30ft Springdale and holy cow, what a difference. I just about worked us to death on long drives. We never felt unsafe--that is, until the day it got out of control and we flipped 3 times. That was a costly lesson for us. Never again will I try to tow a trailer with an F150, unless it's a Casita or an rPod.

Were you towing that Springdale with an Expy or F-150? If your Springdale was 7,000+ pounds dry, that was certainly over your weight limit when fully loaded. Were you running WD/anti-sway that were properly leveled?

Yep, pulling with the Expy, WDH and sway bars properly leveled. Like I said, that was a costly lesson. At the time we didn't realize we were over our limits and the RV dealership, of course, never said a word. We know better now and we'll NEVER make that mistake again.

Wow, I'm very sorry that happened. That had to have been frightening. If you don't mind me asking, what model of Springdale was it? Was it a short wheelbase Expy?

I think the Expy is a fine tow vehicle...within its stated limits. The reason I am asking all of these questions is that I'm trying to see where those limits might actually be...from someone with experience. Conventional wisdom tells me (and my experience) that fully loaded you shouldn't tow more than 7000 pounds with an Expy. (at a 13% tongue weight).
Chock_Full_o__N
Explorer
Mar 24, 2014
Cotay wrote:
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
JJensen79 wrote:
I had a 2008 Expy 4x4. My trailer had a dry weight of 6800 lbs, loaded ready to go it came in at 7900 lbs. I could never get the Expy to settle down while pulling our TT. It always felt like it was being pushed around and struggled to make it up any significant incline. The Expy differs from an F150 in the rear suspension. It is a softer independent rear suspension vs a solid rear axle. I looked for an air bag system to try and stiffen it up but they do not make one. i also had a difficult time trying to find LT tires to fit the 20" rims. in the end we ended up with an Excursion and it a huge difference in my towing experience. IMO I would probably look at a 3/4 ton SUV if you are dead set on that trailer or maybe look at a smaller trailer if you really want the Expy.

I have to agree with this. Get a bigger truck if you want those trailers. It's not just the weight. You have to figure in length too. We had a 2006 Expedition that we loved. We used it to tow our little 19ft Puma, no slide. We didn't even know it was there~! We traded up to a 30ft Springdale and holy cow, what a difference. I just about worked us to death on long drives. We never felt unsafe--that is, until the day it got out of control and we flipped 3 times. That was a costly lesson for us. Never again will I try to tow a trailer with an F150, unless it's a Casita or an rPod.

Were you towing that Springdale with an Expy or F-150? If your Springdale was 7,000+ pounds dry, that was certainly over your weight limit when fully loaded. Were you running WD/anti-sway that were properly leveled?

Yep, pulling with the Expy, WDH and sway bars properly leveled. Like I said, that was a costly lesson. At the time we didn't realize we were over our limits and the RV dealership, of course, never said a word. We know better now and we'll NEVER make that mistake again.
Cotay
Explorer
Mar 24, 2014
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
JJensen79 wrote:
I had a 2008 Expy 4x4. My trailer had a dry weight of 6800 lbs, loaded ready to go it came in at 7900 lbs. I could never get the Expy to settle down while pulling our TT. It always felt like it was being pushed around and struggled to make it up any significant incline. The Expy differs from an F150 in the rear suspension. It is a softer independent rear suspension vs a solid rear axle. I looked for an air bag system to try and stiffen it up but they do not make one. i also had a difficult time trying to find LT tires to fit the 20" rims. in the end we ended up with an Excursion and it a huge difference in my towing experience. IMO I would probably look at a 3/4 ton SUV if you are dead set on that trailer or maybe look at a smaller trailer if you really want the Expy.

I have to agree with this. Get a bigger truck if you want those trailers. It's not just the weight. You have to figure in length too. We had a 2006 Expedition that we loved. We used it to tow our little 19ft Puma, no slide. We didn't even know it was there~! We traded up to a 30ft Springdale and holy cow, what a difference. I just about worked us to death on long drives. We never felt unsafe--that is, until the day it got out of control and we flipped 3 times. That was a costly lesson for us. Never again will I try to tow a trailer with an F150, unless it's a Casita or an rPod.

Were you towing that Springdale with an Expy or F-150? If your Springdale was 7,000+ pounds dry, that was certainly over your weight limit when fully loaded. Were you running WD/anti-sway that were properly leveled?
Chock_Full_o__N
Explorer
Mar 23, 2014
JJensen79 wrote:
I had a 2008 Expy 4x4. My trailer had a dry weight of 6800 lbs, loaded ready to go it came in at 7900 lbs. I could never get the Expy to settle down while pulling our TT. It always felt like it was being pushed around and struggled to make it up any significant incline. The Expy differs from an F150 in the rear suspension. It is a softer independent rear suspension vs a solid rear axle. I looked for an air bag system to try and stiffen it up but they do not make one. i also had a difficult time trying to find LT tires to fit the 20" rims. in the end we ended up with an Excursion and it a huge difference in my towing experience. IMO I would probably look at a 3/4 ton SUV if you are dead set on that trailer or maybe look at a smaller trailer if you really want the Expy.

I have to agree with this. Get a bigger truck if you want those trailers. It's not just the weight. You have to figure in length too. We had a 2006 Expedition that we loved. We used it to tow our little 19ft Puma, no slide. We didn't even know it was there~! We traded up to a 30ft Springdale and holy cow, what a difference. I just about worked us to death on long drives. We never felt unsafe--that is, until the day it got out of control and we flipped 3 times. That was a costly lesson for us. Never again will I try to tow a trailer with an F150, unless it's a Casita or an rPod.
Cotay
Explorer
Mar 23, 2014
We tow with a 2007 Expedition EL and I would echo those who advise that you to limit yourself to an approximate dry weight of 5500 lbs (7500 GVWR) for your TT. Our TT is approximately 5600 lbs dry and about 6500 pounds loaded (without water). I generally have no issues towing those weights. One campground we like to frequent has an extremely steep grade getting into the park and we get bogged down on a lot going up, but the grade is short and we manage. If we knew we would be towing on extreme grades regularly, I'd move up our scheduled timetable to purchase an F-250. If you are on flat or otherwise low grade roads, the Expedition will serve you well. What your cargo capacity in the TV and the rear axle max and you can do it. We have six of us with four children ages 1-6...I am not counting on the Expedition as our long-term TT towing solution. As soon as my boat is paid off, I get a new truck! :-)

Forum Discussion

2014 Ford Expedition Towing Capacity

About Travel Trailer Group

Related Content

Expedition tow vehicle

Towing capacity

Towing capacity question

Towing Capacity Question

Ford Expedition - towing experiences