This summer year we've been out only twice with the TT and I'm happy with that because I'm getting tired of towing with this '06 Expedition. I'm constantly correcting driving at low speed (< 55) on rural highways. It was pretty windy the last return trip but I'm just tiring of having to worry every time I have to move the steering wheel one way or the other.
I have the Reese 1200# WDH with anti-sway. It was setup on the F-150 I used to have, and when I got this Expedition I took it back to the dealer to set it up once again.
Is it the lack of a solid axle that make me fight my TT or is my setup all wrong?
I miss my F-150.
2006 Jayco Jay Feather EXP 26L
2006 Ford F-150 Super Crew, 150" wheelbase
Central Square, NY, USA
Not sure what the problem is, I tow our 26L with a 1500 Suburban and have not had problems. You may need to adjust the WDH (dual cam?) Also note that the 26L is pretty easy to remove tongue weight off of, with all that storage space rear of the axles. I moved 4 6v batteries to the rear, and had to compensate by adding a very large tool box to the to tongue. If your hitch is adjustable, I'd try dropping it a bit to put more tension on the WDH, making sure you've got 5 links on tension.
As mentioned above, we've always towed with LT heavy duty tires, that might be worth a shot as well.
Jayco 2008 26L behind a 2005 'Burb out of the Great White North, eh!
1 DW, 1 DD, 1 DS, 1 SD (shedding dog)
4 x T125's, 300W solar, Yamaha 2000IS
Wondering if the F150 was the fake half ton...what was it's GVWR?
World of difference if it has the +8K GVWR (bigger frame, bigger
suspension, next higher class tires, etc, etc). There is a member
who normally just say he does it with his half ton and any half ton
is good for it. I got two different PMs where they took that advice
for their 'regular' half ton and had problems. That guy's is a "HD"
option, which is a fake half ton and more 3/4 ton than half ton.
What is the GVWR of the Expedition?
Also, setup for one vehicle isn't necessarily going to work for any other TV
Several potential reasons, but not limited to these below. There
might be many more differences.
Bumper height differential
Shorter wheel base vs the super crew
Rear spring rate curve
Yes, the IRS might be a cause. How many miles are that 06 Expedition? I'm not
a fan of IRS for towing, as I believe the OEMs do not size the precision pivot
points for Towing long term and worse for towing heavy
Since it doesn't have a panhard rod, the lateral forces are managed by the
way they angled the lower A arm. Or to be honest, the first versions I did not
see a panhard rod.
Finally, any SUV will be heavier than the pickup it was derived from. More glass,
more insulation, more seats, more sheetmetal, etc. Meaning the rear will most likely
drop more than the pickup. That then means the WD setup must change to account for that
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
I'm going to say it's your setup. We towed our 27' 6000lb TT with a 02 Expedition. It had the air Ride. I took my time setting up the hitch. Once done. The TT followed the Expe with no sway, no wiggle, no crazy bouncing. It made a great TV.
neighbor had similar symptoms to yours, was ready to sell the expedition. I took a look at his setup and the WDH was grossly misadjusted by the dealer. No were near the weight shift to the front it should have had. spent about an hour setting it up to get the front end back to unloaded height and the difference was dramatic. No more wandering etc.
He's thanks me multiple times commenting on how well it tows now and what a huge difference it made.
I suspect the issue is a soft suspension, passenger car tires and the high front end results in severe oversteer with the weight shift and change in camber off the front end.
First thing I'd do is read the info on WD setup on this forum and check yours. I'll bet it needs adjustment. FWIW I've yet to see a dealer set up a WDH anything near optimal. Tendency is to move very little weight to the front whih defeats the purpose of the WDH.
2011 Keystone Outback 295RE
2004 14' bikehauler with full living quarters
2004.5 Silverado 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison
We towed with a solid rear axle Expedition, and then the same 30' trailer with a new independant rear axle Expy...no issues...no difference with a Reese WD AntiSway hitch.
Get thee to a hitch shop that knows what they're doing! We used a "mom and pop" hitch shop that has been in business 30 years.
My posts shouldn't be taken for factual data. They are purely fictional, for entertainment purposes and should not be constituted as actually related to scientific, technical, engineering, legal, spiritual or practical advice. Amen.
There is a user on here who had a Nissan Armada and he could not get his rig to tow right. A lot of people tried to help him get his hitch set up right. Eventually (sooner rather than later) He traded for a 3/4 ton truck.
After the trade he mentioned something he remembered about the Armada. The technicians could not get the IRS aligned correctly due to some corrosion issue or something like that.
He may read this and clarify what I am saying. I can't remember the users name.
I mention it because you have IRS. If yours isn't 100% you may have big time handling issues. If I remember correctly his Nissan drove great without the trailer.
Also make sure your WD hitch is set up correctly.
Thanks,
Jeremiah
TT: 1995 Layton 2910
Tow Vehicle: 1999 F-350, v10, 2wd, Crew Cab, Dually
Hitch: Draw-Tite Trunnion WD Hitch
Sway Control: Valley dual friction sway control
Brake Control: Tekonsha Voyager
"It's Kind of Fun To Do The Impossible"
~Walt Disney~
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