Question
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Followup To
Question -
Shayne
Am looking at buying either a used 03/04 250 Crew Cab deisel to tow a 5th wheel or a Ford 03/04 Expedition to tow a lightweight 30 ft travel trailer.
Question 1. Whats the min size bed required for a 5th wheel tow pkg? Can a short bed work?
Question 2. A std tow package on an 04 expedition is 6Klbs. Can the Expedition be upgraded to the 8400 lbs for heavier trailers?
I've ask 2 Dealers/ answ: Not that we know of and sure you can but not here, 1-800 FORD tech service/answ: Huh? We dont know, 1 after market tow rep/answ: there are no after market hitches made for 03-07 Expeditions period.
Is it because Expeditions have two types of hitches? or based on the larger transmision cooler and radiator? both?
Thanks
Gibbs in Dayton
And for extra points & the real $40k question?
Given the choice of going fifth wheel or travel trailer for summer/fall seasons (4 wks total/yr) traveling out west & around the midwest with the wife and 3 boys (ages 3,7 & 9yrs), what would be your preference?
Answer -
Gibbs,
Great questions! A truck with a 4.5' bed can tow a fifth wheel. It's just a -very- expensive setup. I would not buy a truck with a bed shorter than 6.5' (regular short bed). With a shortbed truck you will need a slider hitch that moves the trailer away from the cab when you want to jacknife it (into a campsite for instance). This usually means getting out off the truck, pulling a lever on the fifth wheel hitch, driving forward (manu. reccommends lowering the landing gear but not always ness.) and making your turn. Before continuing down a road, you need to push the lever the other way and back the truck up to push the hitch into it's forward position (where it will lock itself into place). The other option out there is a SuperGlide hitch that slides itself back when you make a turn (keep in mind this means it will move back if you put the truck sideways on a slippery road). The downside to the SuperGlide hitch is that you cannot use the hitch to tow a trailer that has not had their adapter plate installed on the pinbox. Also to tow your trailer with another truck requires a separate adapter. Oh, and did I mention that the hitch and mounting kit come in at roughly CAN$3,500 (plus labor, brake control, and accessories).
On to question two. I would not want to try to upgrade an Expedition to tow 8400#. If Ford said you could do it with other options, I would say go for it. Make sure there is an Aux transmission cooler and keep an eye on the coolant and tranny temps. The hitch I have on hand for the -02 Expedition is rated to 6k alone or 10k with weight distribution. I would check the hitch to see if it does infact top out at 6k for weight carrying or for weight distributing. True there are no aftermarket hitches for that truck, however there are plenty of people around who can make one from scratch or who will reinforce the current hitch to take more weight. Make sure to use someone reputable.
Finally, if I were travelling for four weeks per year, with a family in the vehicle... If I'm not worried about having the kids within arms reach? It's a toss-up. I can't reach them to hit them in the Expedition but they can reach me in the Crew Cab. ;-) I would take the CrewCab hands down. (As long as your kids can sit on one bench without killing each other) The diesel is going to be much better on your pocketbook with hauling around a trailer and all the bits that are required to support a family. Also, a fifth wheel is going to tow like it's not there you will always have an easier drive than with a travel trailer.
Let's not forget that you will be able to upgrade the trailer as the kids grow. With the Excursion you're starting out pretty close to it's capacity.
End result: F-250 Crew Cab (6.5' bed or longer {not SuperCrew}) with fifth wheel trailer and at least one DVD screen to keep the kids quiet. Unless your kids can tolerate each other and are well behaved, in which case don't get the DVD player as they won't remember the trip at all. It's supposed to be the journey, not the destination.
Do whatever you choose in the safest way possible, not 'good enough'.
Good luck,
Shayne Peterson
MobileHitch
http://www.mobilehitch.ca
Execellent answer.
Follow up ?. I have heard thru radio news with prices of gas going thru the roof, the SUV and truck market have hit the skids. So why is it that the SUV/truck prices in the used market dont reflect any skid, any reduction at all? What do you think is going on? Check out any used deisel 04 ( Ford, GM, GMC etc. on cars.com). They are all $28-$29K! I know your not a economics guru, but maybe you got one up on Clark Howard ( fyi: he's the radio $ saving guru,,to some).
Maybe I should just offer less?
Thanks again, Gibbs
PS; Yes I do love your point that there is an advantage of being within striking distance of my "children of the corn". :). ,,,,,thank goodness the wife doesnt read this.
AnswerGibbs,
You should be noticing (or at least it should be happening) a slight drop in the prices of vehicle such as the Expedition. As more people opt for smaller vehicles like the Explorer with a V6 (see http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=55979 ). However, I don't think the same holds true for full size pick-ups (esp. Diesels) as those of us who are needing a large truck understand that it will cost us a fortune on gas and we're fine with that. If you have or want a 36' travel trailer you won't be buying a Geo to tow it with. Gas prices will not slow the purchasing of large trucks, it will only boost the sales of gas misers as it now makes sense to have a little city car in addition to your Ford Bohemuth.
"It's only money"
Shayne Peterson
MobileHitch
http://www.mobilehitch.ca
