HELP! towing w/ exped.

[Digger196]

On sat (9/7/02) i have to drive the expedition to lake norman and tow a motor boat back to greensboro. it is my friends dads. pretty big!!

when we tow, do i turn the OD on or off? and is there anything i should do before we tow? it is a EB edition, V8 and has the class 4 tow hitch.

 

[Flounder]

OD should go off, think about towing mirrors (although if just one trip, you may get away without), and always look before changing lanes or passing. You have some company on the rear.

 

[Digger196]

thank you very much.

what happens if i forget. not saying i will but what if?

 

[Jason_25]

Nothing will happen. With the 4R70W transmission on flat terrain Ford actually recommends that the O/D should stay on. So unless it repeatedly goes in and out of O/D, keep it on.

 

[Alec]

I agree, unless the tranny is hunting, keep the OD on. Though if you feel the revs are too low (like OD at 55 or 60) you might also need to turn it off. Oh, and if you don't have towing mirrors, get a passenger to help you out; I've learned that helps a lot.

 

[Digger196]

alrighty so if i'm going up hills and stuff turn the OD off or what? getting confusing here! never towed anything before.

 

[Alec]

just keep the tranny from hunting too much and keep the revs decent. I've never driven that motor, but I'd guess above 1800-1900 or so.

 

[Digger196]

oh will the tranny automatically turn the OD off and on or is that done by me.

what i'm getting is if the RPM's are high turn the OD off or it is hunting. what that mean?

 

[Alec]

the expy should have the same pushbutton OD off. hunting means it keeps changing gears: into and out of OD.

 

[Digger196]

alright thanks Alec. i'll leave it in OD and if it hunts i'll turn it off.

 

[SaleenEXP]

leave it on, it probably won't even hunt for gears because the 5.4 has a **** load of low end torque. I drove my uncles F-150 Crew Cab pulling his skis and the truck would pass everyone without shifting. You should still be fine even pulling a big boat. What size is the boat anyway??

 

[Crankcase]

Just leave it on. With that motor, it will pull just fine in OD.

When backing up however,if you have never towed before, just remember to turn the steering wheel the OPPOSITE way you would normally turn it.

 

[Digger196]

i dunno the lenght. my guess it 22 feet maybe? something in that range. a medium size speed boat.

thanks for the tip man.

 

[blichy]

Originally posted by Crankcase
When backing up however,if you have never towed before, just remember to turn the steering wheel the OPPOSITE way you would normally turn it.

And you will need to see what you need to do to back up if the trailer has brakes (some have to turn your lights on and change the plug-in).

We have towed a 24' sailboat from Detroit to Key West, out to San Fran and back to Detroit with no problem. This was with an F-150 4.6L, so don't worry about the 5.4L. Just be aware of the extra weight and length.

 

[Digger196]

the trailer has there own breaks.

 

[Fischer]

You can get those little stick on round style mirrors that let you see what is in your blind spot. This is what I use and they work fine for me while towing.

 

[SaleenEXP]

22ft is no problem for the Expedition, even an Explorer would have no problem pulling a 22ft boat. I pulled up to an V8 Explorer towing a 27ft Fountain and he had no problem accelerating because he stayed just right behind me when we pulled away from the light.