# Excursion Sway



## kittybuddy (Apr 29, 2005)

Hi Excursion owners I need some help. We just got back from disney,had a wonderful trip. This was the first long trip I took with the Excursion and I have a little more drift then I would like. I want to put anti sway bars on the front and back and I am wondering if anyone else has any experience with them. I am curious if they will solve my problem.


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

Thats odd, they are stout SUV's. What tires do you have on it ( the load range, D or E?? ) What tire pressure do you run? Start simple and work up. Im sure other owners will chime in, they may know of an issue to help.


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## DernMooseAK (Apr 16, 2004)

I'm pretty sure the front already has one, the rear depends on how the Ex was ordered. There are aftermarket sway bars that are fairly cheep and easy to install.
By drift do you mean body roll/lean? 
Make sure you have LT tires and at rated presure, I have seen lots of Ex, trucks, suv's with P rated tires or to light of load range. 1 because they are cheaper and 2 they give a better daily driver ride.
Worst case would be weak springs, Ex's are known for that.

If its with the TT swaying back and forth, then you need a trailer sway bar between the trailer and TV. Cheap and easy if you have the right hitch.


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## JerseyGirl86 (Mar 30, 2009)

Ours is like a rock! No problems with swaying, but we do have sway bars. For as inexpensive as they are, get some...just to give you piece of mind.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

I remember a particular trip I took with our Suburban and 31RQS one summer. It was just the wife and I and I didn't have the trailer packed with all the gkids' stuff in the back as usual. Too light a tongue weight and the trailer swayed like crazy. Moved a few items around and redid the Equalizer to put more weight on the tv and problem solved.

What kind of hitch are you using.? Do you have a weight distribution system?

Mark


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## KosinTrouble (Jul 18, 2005)

As a side question to this.. I was under the impression that friction sway bars are only good/functional when it deals with trailer less than 26feet is that true!?

Kos


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

Check the ball joints on the truck. My '04 Ram 3500 had sway when towing and it was caused by worn ball joints. Fixed them and no more swaying.


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

KosinTrouble said:


> As a side question to this.. I was under the impression that friction sway bars are only good/functional when it deals with trailer less than 26feet is that true!?
> 
> Kos


Wrong!

We have a 250 Diesel, and a 25rss. DH says there is less sway with the 25RSS with Equalizer WD hitch than there was with the PU without sway bars.


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## kittybuddy (Apr 29, 2005)

I do know it is time to change my ball joints. While I am down there, I am going to change my steering stabilizer and my bushings. I also looked up the price of a sway bar for the back so I plan on putting that on. My problem was slow reaction time on the steering. I think if I tighten the front end up that will fix my problem. Thanks for all of your help; I appreciate it.


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

We had a sway issue with our Excursion at first as well, but found we needed the "e" rated tires and higher pressure-65 lbs. We also went with a Hensley hitch, as that 31 foot trailer has a lot of leverage. Now, everything is rock solid.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Many Excursions need airbags if they are loaded very heavy. Just another idea for ya.

Carey


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## Camping Fan (Dec 18, 2005)

Lady Di said:


> As a side question to this.. I was under the impression that friction sway bars are only good/functional when it deals with trailer less than 26feet is that true!?
> 
> Kos


Wrong!

We have a 250 Diesel, and a 25rss. DH says there is less sway with the 25RSS with Equalizer WD hitch than there was with the PU without sway bars.
[/quote]

It is true that a basic friction sway bar (such as this or this one) are not recommended for use on trailers longer than 25-26 feet as beyond that length and weight of trailer the friction bars are unable to stop sway effectively. The Equalizer hitch and Reese Dual Cam both combine weight distribution and sway control, and are much more effective than a basic friction sway bar.


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## kramdrof33 (Jul 21, 2009)

We could not find an effective hitch to pull our tt without significant sway. the dealer told us that we could not travel on windy days. (I am not kidding, and neither was he) Before dumping our tt in his lot in the middle of the night, we tried the Hensley Arrow....SWEET!! This is hands down the best hitch built that I know of. We have ZERO sway in the wind or passing trucks. (ok, they are usually passing me, but still)
If you can swing it, it is more than worth the cost, and useable on all trailers except the v-line from Keystone.
Hope this helps.

P.S. we tried pulling with 2 friction anti-sway, and it did not help.


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## Mark C and Family (Jan 21, 2007)

kittybuddy -

I have an 05 Excursion 6.0 PSD. It is a towing machine. Pull a 28RDSD. Have gone 4500 miles this summer with another 1000 on the books still.

Don't give up on the Excursion, just be prepared to make lots of adjustments and additions to maximize the towing capability.

Here is my list:
1 - steering box tightening. not much, just a little, will do a wonder of good. best place to find information on this is fte.com. a smart mechanic can do this without overtightening.
2 - Hellwig rear sway bar - easy to install and worth the money. tightens up the back end a bit
3 - Firestone air bags - really helps make up for the saggy butt on the Excursion. if you have considerable tongue weight, even with a weight distribution set up this is worth it
4 - Equalizer Weight Distribution - when dialed in, this really controls the weight and is a great value for the money. sure, there are more expensive versions, but you are going to need the cash to do all the other stuff listed







. set up is absolute crucial...measure and remeasure.
5 - Load Range E tires - a must...no question...absolute must. get name brand...something that you can trust
6 - Air Pressure in those load range E tires should be set at the amount on the sidewall. i increase my pressure when doing a big trip, decrease when running around town. front is just as important as the back
7 - trailer tire air pressure - check to make sure they are at the right level
8 - proper loading of the trailer - ensure enough weight is in the front
9 - as someone has suggested, check your ball joints. they may need replaced
10 - I also recommend an alignment. I get one every spring before the towing starts just to make sure. not expensive, but it can save some rough days.

We drove from Denver to Flagstaff on a very windy day earlier this year. We were headed to SoCA. It was miserable for me because I did not have my Equalizer adjusted properly. That night, I reset the Equalizer - went back through all of the calculations again, verified measurements, then set it up correctlyl. The rest of the trip was much better.

The key to the Excursion is getting all of the peices right. Lots of work, but when done properly, you will find no better towing SUV. I keep a cheat sheet that tells me all of the details I need to pay attention to prior to a long tow. These are things like: truck tire air pressure, air bag air pressure, ensure L-bracket on Equalizer is in the right place, trailer tire air pressure, etc.

Good luck. PM me if you need additional information.

MarkC and Family


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

My in-laws tow their 30' Arctic Fox with a diesel Excursion. They added Firestone air bags to the rear and along with their Reese w/d anti-sway hitch they have no problems. I could feel the difference that the air bags made just driving around town - the truck much better on the road.

-CC


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