Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill
Ford puts out a particularly good and complete Towing Manual each ear, and as Dave suggests, you really should get a copy. A quick Google search on "Ford towing" shows that you can download it from https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...06_default.asp. Please do it. I think you will find that you are in very good shape. The rest of us can guess at an answer, but you need to determine the real authoritative answer for yourself by looking at your particular vehicle in the towing guide. You should print it out and have it with you for those "I wonder if ..." moments.
Bill |
That looks like a great reference. However, it is still important to find the GCWR for any particular vehicle. Tow ratings mean little to nothing (on most vehicles) without knowing the GCWR when it comes to towing a camper, camping gear and passengers..
Looking at the info from ford.com link that Bill posted, it looks like if your 2006 Eddie Bauer Ford Expedition with the heavy duty towing package came from the factory with a class III or IV hitch (which it probably did) it may have a GCWR of 14,500# and a tow rating of well over 8,000#. This would put you in very good shape for towing nearly any travel trailer, much less any TM built. However, the payload rating of 1474# is rather limiting for the TV itself. That's a bit confusing based on the GCWR........ I guess that the brakes may be plenty sufficient for a big load but the suspension may not be....not sure about that. Your concern is genuine but I would confirm that # with the sticker on the vehicle (if you haven't already). I think that I would write to Ford and ask them why the payload rating is so low on that vehicle.
This is one of the reasons that it is so important to know ALL of the ratings on any particular vehicle and not exceed any of them. This stuff can be very confusing. I'm glad that you caught that. I think that most people would have ignored it.
Correct information is valuable, incorrect information is dangerous at best. It is better to have an under-rated vehicle and know it than to
think that you have a properly rated vehicle and not know the difference. It will change the way that you drive and that is a large percentage of the battle.