# Lincoln Navigator As Tow Vehicle



## lb2513

Hello All,
I am new to this forum, new to outbacks and new to towing anything bigger than a pop up. We purchased a 2009 280rs and was assured our Lincoln Navigator 5.4 liter with tow package would do the job. The weight of the trailer is well within the tow limits even fully loaded, but we are having a heck of a time with sway. I have a regular reese weight distribution with one sway bar that the dealer set up for us when we picked up the camper. Come to find out this is not a very good tow vehicle for this camper. Since we can't change the tow vehicle any time soon any ideas to help make it work would be greatly appreciated. I know I need to go with a better hitch, equalizer seems to be a good one, again any ideas?


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## Camping Fan

Welcome to Outbackers!









A friction sway bar won't cut it, as you've already discovered. You'll want to upgrade to a Reese Dual Cam, Equalizer, Pro-pride or Hensley set up.


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## hautevue

If I recall, the Navigator is the Lincoln version of the Ford Expedition, I think. If so, I tow with my 2008 Expedition. Your Nav should be able to handle substantial trailer loads. The door sticker and the owner's manual will tell you the limits. And if the Navigator is the Lincoln version of the Ford Excursion, you are even better off--the Excursion tows one helluva lot of weight [grin!}.

You need to check your TT weights. Specifically, get the trailer gross weight unhitched but including your personal gear, propane, batteries, water that you travel with, etc. Then get the weight on the trailer tongue that sits on the hitch ball. The ball on the TV receiver should have in the range of 10% to 14% of the trailer weight. If the tongue weight is too light, the tail will wag the dog, and that may be a contributor to your sway.

As for the Reese Dual Cam, Equalizer, Pro-pride or Hensley set up, they are great towing assembiles. But I tow my 7200 lb Outback (factory weight plus 20 gallons of water, owner stuff added including propane, batts, plus all our personal gear) with no sway and it's very solid on the road using a Husky. I have two 1200 pound bars plus a friction anti-sway device. If I had to do it over, I'd go with the Reese Dual Cam, Equalizer, Pro-pride or Hensley set up, but I have spent the money and the towing system seems to work on my setup.


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## Northern Ninja

I also use a Husky on our 280. We use a Centreline and it's solid as a rock. Depending on what you'll be putting in the garage, you'll want to get the bars to match.


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## Dave-Gray

*"We purchased a 2009 280rs and was assured our Lincoln Navigator 5.4 liter with tow package would do the job."
*
Rule Number 1: Never assume the dealer is right. Did the dealer ask anything about the specs on you vehicle? Did the dealer look up the specs in a towing guide? Every buyer's best chance to buy the right towing combination is to ask the dealer to prove his or her's assessment.

*"Come to find out this is not a very good tow vehicle for this camper."*

How do you know for sure? I'd like to provide additional help but there is lack of information about your vehicle to do so. When I did a general look-up of a Navigator, you may not be exceeding the tow rating. But you could be exceeding the rear axle rating.

There is a new calculator available for free online that could have assisted you with your purchase. Now that you have your new RV, you could use it to verify the weight limits. Visit Before You Buy RV

As stated above, you may find out you just need to upgrade you hitch assembly.


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## sptddog

I tow with an Armada, and engine wise was fine (similar engine), but sway was awful.

I, like you, had Reese weight distribution hitch, with frition given to me by the camper's previous owner. I knew from on here that friction probably wouldn't cut it (though I did give it a fair shot and drove it). I went with the Reese dual cam, because for the price, it was easy to add it to my current set up without replacing all the stuff I already had. The dual cam is AMAZING. Ask your dealer about getting the parts (it's just the parts that attach to the trailer, everything else is probably correct). My dealer actually had a set from a used trailer, and sold them to me - I was happy and lucky. It might be cheaper for you to go with that, than purchase the whole hitch system.

The other thing that helped me with sway was making sure all the truck and camper tires were at the right tire pressure - I can tell almost immediately when either of my two rear armada tires is low because, while the dual cam keeps it straight, it feels softer and I get more bounce than if they are correct.

Last, realize that the dealer might not even have the basic hitch angle right for your vehicle and the tongue weight. Search on here and read up - then you can tell them what to adjust, or adjust yourself if you're handy. The right 'dialed-in' is huge too.


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## lb2513

Thank you all for your replies. Yes it is the same engine as the expedition. I was told by a rv repair man it is not the size of the engine, but the short wheel base of the truck that is the problem. Nothing I can do about that right now, but I am going to load up the camper with all of the toys that we would normally use and take it to get a better hitch and have it set up correctly. I am not that handy and new to this whole thing so I think I will leave the set up to a professional Hopefully that will help, it has to, we love our new camper, just a little afraid to drive it..


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## rsm7

lb2513 said:


> Thank you all for your replies. Yes it is the same engine as the expedition. I was told by a rv repair man it is not the size of the engine, but the short wheel base of the truck that is the problem. Nothing I can do about that right now, but I am going to load up the camper with all of the toys that we would normally use and take it to get a better hitch and have it set up correctly. I am not that handy and new to this whole thing so I think I will leave the set up to a professional Hopefully that will help, it has to, we love our new camper, just a little afraid to drive it..


Unfortunately finding a professional isn't always that simple. It's best if you can understand the installation directions so you can make adjustments yourself. Sometimes adjustments need to be changed just based on how you load each trip. Unfortunately you're wheelbase is a little short for a heavy 30 foot trailer so the hitch setup is even more critical. You may have to drive a little slower to help keep the sway down. High winds will cause you alot of trouble, possibly to the point of parking and waiting it out. These 30 footers can give even a 3/4 ton truck a hard time. If money is no object you could buy a Hensley or ProPride hitch. They will fix your sway problem but they run around 2,000 dollars I think.


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## Stance

Make sure you don't have all of your stuff loaded in the back of the TT. You want 10%-15% of the weight of the trailer on the tongue.

The dealer set up my hitch and it was decent for when the trailer was lightly loaded. I got much more sway once we got all of our stuff in there and needed to adjust the hitch a bit.


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## mcsquid86

We added the timbren suspension system to our expedition. Pretty simple to put on. We also have a equalizer system. Both work great.


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## Robv

I have a 2005 Navigator with the Reese Dual Cam towing a 28BHS. The Navigator is an excellent tow vehicle for this size trailer. When setting the proper hitch height, make sure the truck is running because these vehicles have an on board air compressor that pumps up the suspension that affects the ride height. When properly set up you can feel assured the Navigator is a good vehicle for your needs.


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## TwoElkhounds

lb2513 said:


> Thank you all for your replies. Yes it is the same engine as the expedition. I was told by a rv repair man it is not the size of the engine, but the short wheel base of the truck that is the problem. Nothing I can do about that right now, but I am going to load up the camper with all of the toys that we would normally use and take it to get a better hitch and have it set up correctly. I am not that handy and new to this whole thing so I think I will leave the set up to a professional Hopefully that will help, it has to, we love our new camper, just a little afraid to drive it..


Your better off buying the hitch and installing and adjusting it yourself. I have had to readjust every single hitch I have ever had installed at a dealer. I am convinced that they either do not know what they are doing or just don't care. Probably the latter.

Adjusting a hitch is not difficult, it just takes a little time and patience. It is an iterative process. Read the directions carefully and follow them and you will discover it is not that hard. You may need to buy some larger wrenches and sockets, but you should have these anyway when you are on the road. When you get done, you will not only have a properly adjusted hitch, but you will also understand how the hitch works and is adjusted. This will benefit you down the road.

Bottom line - Don't waste your money having the dealer adjust your hitch.

DAN


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## muddy tires

You may also want to check your tires. "P" rated or passenger tires are much softer. Going with an "LT" or light truck tire will give you a much more solid base. Make sure you air them up to the maximum pressure on the sidewall. The pressure listed on the doorjamb is for a lighter load.


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## rsm7

muddy tires said:


> You may also want to check your tires. "P" rated or passenger tires are much softer. Going with an "LT" or light truck tire will give you a much more solid base. Make sure you air them up to the maximum pressure on the sidewall. The pressure listed on the doorjamb is for a lighter load.


Not necessarily true. Handling is always a gamble when you change manufacturer specs. I put E rated tires on my Excursion and put 85 lbs in them, which was the max tire rating, but the vehicle specified 45 front and 55 rear, it handled so badly it was almost dangerous. The front end darted side to side with every steering input. I put the tires back to vehicle specs and problem solved.


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## Dave-Gray

rsm7 said:


> You may also want to check your tires. "P" rated or passenger tires are much softer. Going with an "LT" or light truck tire will give you a much more solid base. Make sure you air them up to the maximum pressure on the sidewall. The pressure listed on the doorjamb is for a lighter load.


Not necessarily true. Handling is always a gamble when you change manufacturer specs. I put E rated tires on my Excursion and put 85 lbs in them, which was the max tire rating, but the vehicle specified 45 front and 55 rear, it handled so badly it was almost dangerous. The front end darted side to side with every steering input. I put the tires back to vehicle specs and problem solved.
[/quote]

I agree with rsm7 but I'll add more to the point. Step 5 on the FWS website shows how to set proper tire inflation for the tow vehicle. Having correct tire pressure is based on the load on the axles with your trailer attached. (Fully loaded of course.)

Example: On my dually truck, the placard states to run the rear tires at 65 PSI (loaded). But after weighing my rig and following the tire chart, I only inflate the rear tires to 45 PSI. I routinely measure tread depth to ensure proper wear.

Go to: Step 5


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## Irishcampers

We towed a 26 foot Outback with an Expedition. We were able to tow into mountains and 2,000 miles to Florida and back. We used the Reese Dual Cam and it worked well for us.

I will say that we just upgraded to a Ford F150 (with Ecoboost). There's not comparison that the new truck is a better tow vehicle. If you upgrade your hitch, you'll probably be happier. When you are ready for a new tow vehicle, you should consider moving up.

Good luck!


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## Stance

rsm7 said:


> You may also want to check your tires. "P" rated or passenger tires are much softer. Going with an "LT" or light truck tire will give you a much more solid base. Make sure you air them up to the maximum pressure on the sidewall. The pressure listed on the doorjamb is for a lighter load.


Not necessarily true. Handling is always a gamble when you change manufacturer specs. I put E rated tires on my Excursion and put 85 lbs in them, which was the max tire rating, but the vehicle specified 45 front and 55 rear, it handled so badly it was almost dangerous. The front end darted side to side with every steering input. I put the tires back to vehicle specs and problem solved.
[/quote]

Agree - The tire listed on the placard in the door jamb is for the vehicle GVW and GAWR's. Tire pressures are carefully selected to ensure they can handle the loads safely and maximize tire life.


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