# 2005 Expedition And 23rs



## TheLynches (Jul 16, 2005)

I have a 2005 Ford Expedition with the Heavy Duty Tow package and I would like to use it to tow a 23RS. The vehicle has a GVWR of 7100 lbs and a GCWR of 14500 lbs. Sounds like plenty of towing power but.......

I used the weight stats of the 23RS from the Outback website and then used the formulas from the Ford towing guide as follows:

base curb weight + cargo weight + passenger weight + tongue load = *GVW*
5600 + 180 (full tank of gas) + 750 (5 pass.) + 480 (fully loaded 23RS) = *7010 lbs*

GVW + loaded trailer weight = *GCW*
7010 + 6000 = *13010 lbs*

While I am fine on the GCWR, my dilemma is that the GVWR is only 90 lbs from the vehicle limit. It is hard to have a family vacation if you have to leave the family behind because of weight limitations!

Is this margin too thin? Also, will the real world weights be better or worse than I have used in my example? I have noticed that there are several people towing TT's larger and heavier than the 23RS without an issue but maybe they are driving alone??? Would a good weight distributing hitch help? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

My combination is very similar to yours. I have a 7300 GVWR. It pulls fine. I have a challenge with the steep hills but otherwise it's a nice pull. Not like having an F-350 but still does just fine.

BBB


----------



## TheLynches (Jul 16, 2005)

I did notice that I added fuel weight which should not have been. That gives me 180 lbs of margin that I didn't think that I had. Still, I am thinking of looking at the 21RS instead to give myself even more margin. The last thing I want to do is stress the vehicle since I wan't it to last for a while.

EDIT: Just calculated that the 21RS does not give me anymore margin than the 23RS because of the hitch weight. Anyone here ever own an aerolite in a previous life?


----------



## outbackmac (Feb 1, 2005)

TheLynches said:


> I did notice that I added fuel weight which should not have been. That gives me 180 lbs of margin that I didn't think that I had. Still, I am thinking of looking at the 21RS instead to give myself even more margin. The last thing I want to do is stress the vehicle since I wan't it to last for a while.
> 
> EDIT: Just calculated that the 21RS does not give me anymore margin than the 23RS because of the hitch weight. Anyone here ever own an aerolite in a previous life?
> [snapback]45559[/snapback]​


are you looking at a aerolite if so which model as i have looked also.


----------



## TheLynches (Jul 16, 2005)

I am looking at the Aerolite 21qs. Hopefully our local dealer has a model that we can tour. It comes in at 6000 GVWR but it has a dry weight of 3956 and a hitch weight of 275, which would give me a little more cushion on my tow capacity.


----------



## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

See signature...
We have the 27RSDS and it tows just fine








We are not in a race to arrive anywhere, we just take our time.
We travel an average of 62mph.
MaeJae


----------



## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Very wise on your part doing your homework. Watch out for the listed dry and tongue weights, they can be off by quite a bit. The listed tongue weight on the aerolite would be too little compared to the total weight, it will need to be 10-15% for a stable tow which will put you right back in the same boat.

I've been towing our 21RS for 3 seasons now for a total of about 12k miles. It's pretty much right at GVW and seems to be holding up just fine. I've added a trans temp guage and a larger transmission cooler along with LT tires. If you are careful with your loading, use a properly set up wd hitch and travel light you should be okay.

Mike


----------



## rdowns (Oct 20, 2004)

you did right in adding your fuel weight. It counts toward your gvwr on your truck. Most people report their trailers come in heavier on tongue weight.


----------



## eyeguy (Sep 7, 2004)

I think it is great that you are looking at the number before purchasing. Here is my 2 cents from real world experience. We have an 2003 Expedition and tow a 25rs-s with no problems.







I have not weighed it frankly I am not sure that I want to know. I sure I am over weight at times.







That being said I feel comfortable when towing. We will not win any races over the passes, but it goes up hills better than my VW Vanagon did. The only white knuckle driving was through the Columbia River Gorge on a VERY windy day and even then just slowed down the trailer an TV would move around as one unit, no sway. Get a good hitch and a brake controller and watch the trans temps and you will be fine. Iâ€™ve never heard any one say that wished that had went with a smaller trailer.


----------



## TheLynches (Jul 16, 2005)

Thanks to everyone for replying to the post. I am still searching for a trailer. I did find a used non-Outback ultralite with a GVWR of 4900 lbs. and a tongue weight of 370 lbs. Not sure if the layout will work but I will be checking it out.

I wanted to buy a used Outback but they are running only slightly less than buying a new one. If we don't find a used TT that we like, we will probably wait until early next year and buy a new 23RS.

This is a great forum and even further leans me towards getting an Outback beacause I know that there is a strong support community for them.


----------



## caleb22 (Jun 13, 2005)

I tow my 2006 26rks with my 2005 Expedition 3:73 5.4L 4x4. It tows great and seems like I have plenty of power.


----------



## Martybeech (Mar 13, 2004)

You won't win any races or be happy with fuel mileage but you should be fine with a good WD hitch and anti-sway.


----------



## TheLynches (Jul 16, 2005)

I ended up purchasing a used Fleetwood Wilderness 725R. It is an ultralite with the bunks I need for the kids. The seller is providing everything that I need to get started; a WD hitch w/anti-sway, a RV cover, and tow mirrors.

We ended up winning this fine deal on Ebay for $6300. Of course, we inspected it before bidding. Thanks for everyone's help from the board. I do hope to own an Outback one day but I am not sure that the rest of the family will enjoy RVing as much as I did as a child. This is a cheap way to find out.


----------

