# Towing With A 1998 Ford Expedition



## A and A Brammer

Hello, is you can see im new to outbackers, we have just bought a 2006 keystone outback 29bhs. we have had a 1998 jayco acadia pop-up for the last 3 years and out grew it quickly lol (the wife and I and 4 boys and a dog) we will be pilling it with a 1998 ford expedition 5.4v8 with towing package, the weight of the camper is 5545lbs dry the 98 expy is able to pull 7200lbs or 7400lbs. we will only be camping with in a 100 mile radius, we plan on getting a HD p/u next year or so, so my question is has anyone towed with a expy? if so how did it do? we will not be traveling with full fresh water we have always just filled and emptied at the campgrounds


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## cdn campers

hello and welcome to outbackers, im sure some one will be able to answer your question. welcome welcome.


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## hautevue

Hi. Ours is a 2008 Expy EL. We tow a 29' 8" TT weighing about 7000 "on the road" (not the shipping weight). We have just my DW and our pooch plus misc "stuff" in the Expy, so the TV (the Expy) is not overloaded.

In summary, our Expy tows very well. We, too, do not tow with a full fresh water tank--we have it maybe 1/4 full for flushing while on the road, etc. With both propane tanks full and the grey and black tanks no more than 1/4 full, we are at about 7000# as noted above.

The Extended Length (EL) model does help as it increases the wheelbase. That length is important since short wheelbase TVs are dangerous even though their official towing capacity may be within your limits. But I've seen regular length Expys all the time on the road.

The key for you, as it was for us, will be to get a good quality weight distribution hitch (WDH). A good WDH is not cheap. I suggest that since this device will protect you and your family from all sorts of bad stuff, like vicious sway when that 18 wheeler goes by and blows your doors off, do not go cheap or cut corners here. Either install it yourself, following the directions precisely, or have a recommended dealer do it, and watch them as they do it. Installation is not hard, but doing it right can take an hour, as you bolt and unbolt, and change angles of the hitch ball piece, etc.

There are several very good models on the market; you can do searches here on this site and read comments and suggestions about hitch types and installation. Mine is a Husky with a single sway bar. It is not as good as models like the Reese, etc., but works for us with a 29 footer and no more than about 7000# total TT weight.

Then when all done, and the propane tanks are full and you're ready to hit the road, spend the $20 or so to take your new beauty to a professional driver's weigh station and get all the critical weights. These weights include

1. total w/Expy and the TT
2. TT hitch weight
3. Expy empty but w/you in it. You can manually add the DW and the kid's weights to the scale readout. 
4. TT only, but ready for camping
5. TT when hitched to the EXPY but not including the Expy. 
etc.

There are several places where OB members have listed the sequence you should go through to do the weighing without taking excessive time on the scales. Call ahead to the weigh station and they'll be glad to advise you when is a "slow" time for them. You'll be backing and unhitching and reconnecting and so forth--my trip took me half an hour on the scales so I was glad I'd called ahead and did not tie up their scales when the over-the-road truckers needed to get weighed and get going (it's their livelihood...).

This will help you verify that your weights are within the limits specified by Ford. We've seen folks whose total weights are fine, but the weight on the hitch was either above the TV limits, or excessively light (most recommend 10% to 13% of the trailer weight to be on the hitch). Light hitch load makes controlling the TT an interesting experience!

Then get a good brake controller. Most are in the $100 - $150 range; again, you can buy cheap, but don't do it. You really want to have the brakes of the TT come on when trying to stop--no Expy can stop a 7000# trailer in a reasonable length without help from the trailer brakes. Don't chance it--the brakes can and will save you and your family's lives.

Good luck, and let us know how things turn out.


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