Family of six looking for tow vehicle

Wes Tausend wrote:
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I still think the Expy is a reasonable match for what you are trying to do. It is made for large families and towing, and Ford does not even feel the need to sell a larger SUV any more.

Wes
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I'm a little confused why you are arguing this point. It has been pointed out mathematically why the expedition isn't the right option, but you continue to say it will be perfect for them. Conservatively a family of 6 people all 5'8' and larger will weigh 900 lbs. Using American average weights and assuming one male it's 996 lbs. they have a payload of 1500-1600 lbs. A 5000 lb trailer is going to kick off at least 500lbs your weight distribution is going to be 100. and nobody has taken anything with them in the expedition and you only have 1/4 tank of gas. The math does not work.

Yes you probably could do it with very careful planning and loading, but it will not be a pleasant experience. When I bought my first trailer I was at my maximum on everything and towing was stressful, I didn't want to drive more than an hour because it was exhausting. My new set up is so much better I'm comfortable driving as many hours as the kids will let me.

If they already had the expedition and were asking about using it I would say give it a try and see how things go. However they are buying a vehicle to tow lets try and get them into something that will not make them hate the experience and push the limits of the vehicle and safety.

Back to topic, if you are anything like my wife she was dead set against a van because they are ugly, so the van was off the list for us. Suburban 2500's are hard to find but not impossible. The down side to the Van in my opinion is they are only 2wd, Yes you can use chains but you have to put them on when you need them, if you can even legally use them where you are.