Excursion Towing a 2016 Jayco 287BHSW

[theboneskes]

We have narrowed it down to the TT we are gonna buy now. We have decided on a 2016 Jayco 287 BHSW, my wife and I are happy with that choice. We have to buy a tow vehicle now, and locally we can find a good Excursion with a V10 for between 4 and 7K which we can afford no problem.

I already have a Prodigy Brake controller, and we will probably get a Equal-i-zer WD hitch again like we used to have... Will the Ex be a good choice for towing? I see it is rated for 11K, and if it doesnt have Load range E tires, I will get the right away... Thoughts? Concerns?

[rowekmr]

I had 2 Ex's the first was a stock Ltd 4x4 V10 with 4.30's with Magnaflow exhaust that I put the most towing miles on. I used Prodigy P2 and Equalizer WD hitch also.I bought it as a neglected truck and spent the $$ to get it up to shape and it NEVER let me down. I towed my TT across country in the best/worst weather in that one. I could get 15+ mpg empty and 7-9 mpg towing depending on conditions. The only downside to that one is the 4R100 trans would shift mushy towing sometimes for my taste and sometimes would shift out of OD needlessly in hot hilly terrain. It ran like a sports car empty and like a freight train loaded though if I got another I would tune it, upgrade exhaust/y pipe and get the trans built.

The 2nd one was a neglect 03 Ltd 6.0L that I spent more $$$ getting it up to snuff and modding it. I could get 12 mpg towing the same trailer and 22 mpg on highway empty no problem.

For reliability and budget constraints I would favor the V10 hands down its a bulletproof engine. The only issues I know is sometimes they can spit plugs if not installed correctly and the coil packs (10) can go out causing engine roughness. I only had to do normal maintenance like U joints, Auto Hubs replacement (pricey), and brakes. Some people say the stock brake pads/rotors warp easily while others say its the pads causing issues with the rotors but both many use upgraded brake pads/rotors (mine were stock).

[Kalabin]

I'm towing a 30' 8000lb loaded travel trailer with my 2001 V10 Excursion with 3.73 gears. It's one of the best I have used so far, and I have towed with the following vehicles, 2008 F250 6.4 Diesel, 2008 Chevy 2500HD 6.0 Gas.

I did add a Hellwig rear sway bar, new KYB Monomax shocks all around, Air Bags, 5-star tune, and some other goodies cause I wanted em. The best handling for towing was the rear sway bar.

Just let the V10 rev up and it will tow that unit without much issue. I tow larger hills around 55-60mph which is within posted limits, no complaints!

[dodge_guy]

I'm towing a 35ft 9200 lb loaded TT with an 02 V-10 X with 4.30's. They are great tow vehicles. They do need some work in the rear suspension area. Mostly they need a rear sway bar if it doesn't already have one. Installing F250/350 springs is a big step in getting the X to handle a heavy TT!

A V-10 X has an 8900 lb GVWR, while a diesel X will have a 9200 lb GVWR. Either way you will love it. Spend the extra money and look for a low mile well taken care of X. It will pay off in the long run!

[shadows4]

We had a 2000 Excursion V10 with the 4.30 rear end. It was an awesome tow vehicle. Fuel mileage was around 7.5 towing and 13-14 hwy nontowing. Added an SCT tuner from 5 Star and what a difference!!! Fuel milage went to 8-8.5 towing but the truck felt like it had lost about 500 lbs. Ran like a sports car!!!
We would still have it if I hadn't decided I had to have a 5er. It was probably one of my favorite vehicles I have ever owned. Oh TT we had was 30ft and about 9500 lbs.

[4famfun]

I tow a 30 ft keystone springdale with a 2000 excursion V10 with no problem (that is except for the gas it likes to drink!!) but overall happy camper!

[Ivylog]

Go wit a E 265 tire. The 235 is too narrow a tire for it.

[Golden_HVAC]

The Excursion made great towing vehicles. While the diesel option made the curb weight pretty high, the V10 is about 400 pounds lighter, and thus can carry more hitch weight before going over it's GVWR limit.

I would rather have the V10 for a tow vehicle than the diesel. 2 WD is also about 400 pounds lighter than the 4X4 version.

I don't know why anyone would put anything but E rated tires on the Excursion. You should have 235/85R16E or perhaps 245/85R16E. Some have installed the slightly wider 265 tires, I guess it looks better, and will have a slightly higher tire weight rating, but on some trucks it is known to have problems when turning sharply that really wide tires might rub something under the chassis.

You can look up the towing guide here.

http://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/ Select a year. Older models will be very close to the 2002 ratings.

Good luck,

Fred.