Ford Expedition - upgrade standard to heavy duty tow package

[tsalmon]

I have a '06 Expedition XLT 5.4 4x4 with a 3.73 gear ratio and a 4-speed transmission but it has the standard tow package (rated to tow up to 6000 lbs). I'm currently towing a 23 Trail Lite camper and it pulls it very easily. I'm looking to upgrade the camper to something bigger. So, I'm looking to upgrade the Expedition to the heavy duty tow package if possible so I can safely tow a camper in the 6000-7800 lb GVWR range. I have already upgraded to the 7-pin connector and have the brake controller installed so that part is done. I have called Ford and found there is also a heavy duty tranny cooler that I should get ($190+install) and possibly a heavy-duty radiator too. The Ford parts guy told me I would probably be OK with not getting the heavy-duty radiator (as long as I don't go up into the mountains) as long as I get the tranny cooler installed (does that sound OK?). I also have the class III hitch receiver instead of the class IV. The sticker on the hitch receiver says it can tow up to 8950 as long as it has a weight distribution hitch (which I already have). Is the class III hitch going to be OK as long as I have the WDH? The Ford guy said everything else between the '06 with and without the heavy duty tow package is the same (springs, struts, brakes, rotors, etc. are the same with both). Has anyone done this type of upgrade to the tow package that could help with putting my mind at ease that this is going to be safe to pull a camper in that 6000-7800 GVWR range? Is there anything else I need to do?

[tsalmon]

Is the Cruiser RV Shadow Cruiser S-260BHS within the capabilities of my Expedition (dry weight 4595 lb, GVWR 7540 lb) if I keep the cargo under 1000 lbs (so 5595 lb total)? Also, do I need to be concerned with length (is 26 ft trailer doable as long as it's a lower weight)?

[tsalmon]

Thx Green728. Sounds like good advice.

[tsalmon]

Here's the numbers I'm running. I'm thinking (after upgrading the trans cooler) that a max GVWR I should be comfortable with for a trailer would be 7200 lb and a max tongue weight would be 720 lb. I came up with these numbers from the calculations below. Do they hold water? I'm also looking for feedback from those with similar vehicle specs who have real world towing experience close to those max numbers and how the trailer handles for them. Don't want a white knuckle ride (been there done that). Can anyone help me out (I have the 3.73 gear ratio)?

My calculations
------------------
TRAILER
7200 lb GVWR. (With tongue weight about 10% of total trailer, max tongue weight for Expedition is 860 lb and max trailer weight rating is 8600 lb GVWR. Take 15% off for safety and ease of towing cushion).

TONGUE WEIGHT
860 lb (max rating) - 140 lb (15%+ cushion) = 720 lb

GCWR
6580 lb (vehicle GVWR of 7300 lb minus my tongue weight of 720 lb) + 7200 lb (trailer GVWR) = 13780 lb (5% less than 14500 lb max rating)

VEHICLE
7300 lb (GVWR) - 5600 lb (Vehicle weight) = 1700 lb (Cargo weight max for in vehicle)

CARGO WEIGHT
720 lb (tongue weight for me) + 500 lb (3 extra passengers) + 300 lb (cargo in Expedition) = 1520 lb (under the 1700 so OK)

[Greene728]

tsalmon wrote:
Thanks mbutts. That's concerning. Were you using a weight distribution hitch? Anyone else experience this or not experience this with a 6000+ lb trailor?

Weight distribution hitch or not, a 10yr old Expy will probably not be a comfortable tow vehicle for the weight your considering. Now you can do the upgrades to help for sure, and it will. I'd say at a minimum upgrade trans cooler, LT tires, probably new shocks (highly recommended the Bilstein shocks BTW), maybe some enhancements to the rear suspension, and as you already know, a quality properly set up WDH. But just remember that the Expy was built to ride well and be a ok tow vehicle, towing heavy (even with modifications) just isn't it's strong suit. Think of the tail wagging the dog saying that I'm afraid your gonna experience. And it's obvious by your post that safety and towing comfortably is important to you, as it should be. I'm just afraid that even after the mods with anything at all over 6500#'s or so your not gonna be happy.
Best of luck to you either way!

[tsalmon]

Thanks mbutts. That's concerning. Were you using a weight distribution hitch? Anyone else experience this or not experience this with a 6000+ lb trailor?

[mbutts]

I went from a 4,400 lb. trailer to a 7,300 lb. trailer with my '04 Expy with HD tow package. Although I was technically within specs, it was all over the road. Rear independent suspension and passenger car tires made the rear end way too loose for me. I would recommend staying as close to 6,000 lbs. as you can.

[tsalmon]

Thanks for the input patperry2766. Do you really think it's necessary for 6000-7300 lbs? If so, how would I go about beefing up the rear suspension? What exactly does that entail?

[patperry2766]

With it being 10 years old, I would think it might be time to beef up the rear suspension.

[tsalmon]

I definitely plan on adding the heavy duty trans cooler. On the fence though on if I'm going to really need the Class IV hitch or heavy duty radiator though to tow 6000-7300 lb (using WDH) in non mountain areas. Don't want to spend more $ than I really need to but ultimately I definitely will if it means causing a safety issue. Please chime in with an opinion here. Looking for some guidance.

[APT]

I would upgrade the trans cooler whether you tow a larger TT or keep the same one. Visit any transmission shop, or Etrailer has them for closer to $50.

[cmeade]

While you are at it, I would recommend an aluminum radiator instead of a factory heavy duty and then no worries where ever you want to go.

[tsalmon]

Yes, that's a good point. Looks like TW is 600 lb without WDH and 895 lb with so that's correct, I can only do 895 lb here and this may be the biggest limitation. Any idea what is an average weight of a WDH? What are your thoughts on the rest of the specs/add-ons related to my wanting to upgrade the tow capacity?

[eluwak]

If I recall correctly, the receiver TW is limited to ~900 lbs. A 6000 lbs camper would have a TW of 720-900 lbs (12-15 percent), and then you have to add the WDH into that. A 7800 lbs trailer would be over.