I hooked up our 23ft WA 7000# boat the other day and tried to pull it but the 4.6 4x4 did not have what it took. so I guess the SD will have to pull her all the time

 

We've been very happy with our '99 5.4L expy with tow package for mostly family duty and to occasionally tow a 29' Travel Trailer. Never had a problem with the truck in our 2+ years of ownership. Gas mileage around town is 11mpg, but we often see 10mpg towing mostly highway miles (87 octane). With the '99 model, performance around town fully loaded with kids and all is excellent and with towing it can labor up a steep incline if you dont keep the speed up, but it is more than capable for 95% of the roads out there. Like 97Expyguy else said, keep the OD off!

I highly recommend to get an anti-sway system for a heavy trailer and also recommend getting some aftermarket shocks with the stock suspension. The stockers are not firm enough for towing duties. Last year we put in adjustable Rancho shocks for the '99 expy and highly recommend them. We don't have the air suspension and this was a very easy upgrade to do and not expensive at all. For around town driving we set the front on "3" and "3" for the rear and dial it up to "4" in the fr. and "5" in the rear for towing duties. Helps with overall composure and no rear sag at all while towing. Been camping/towing a total of about 8 times with the last two being with the shocks and can say it has gotten rid of any white knuckle moments. Also around town, there is much less body roll in the turns - dare I say it's fun to haul around in normal driving.

Good luck in your search, and I highly can recommend the 99+ models. This past weekend we just took possession of an '03 expy XLT outfitted the same way (just listed our '99 in classifieds). Neighbor has a 2000 model with the 4.6L which is fine for around town, but they purchased a chevy duramax for towing duties.

 

It looks like I'll be picking up a '99 Eddie Bauer this weekend, loaded (5.4, 4WD, everything except the sunroof). I'll do the Rancho adj. shocks, WD hitch and call it a day for the tow mods. Thanks again!

 

Was wondering if anyone has used air bags in their rear coils to assist with heavy loads/towing, etc. I found some in some catalog for like $80/pr and was considering them for this summers towing duties...

 

Well I just got back from Texas. I pulled 5600# over 1400 miles without any issues. In fact it was quite a breeze. The setup was:

'99 Expedition Eddie Bauer
5.4L (235hp without the PI heads unfortunately)
4WD
Towing Package (3.73s, etc)
Stock 17" wheels/tires

Ran great and pulled around 70-75 MPH without any problems. Thanks guys!

 

Nate,

Are you sure you don't have the PI heads and if so how did you know? I was under the impression that all '99s with the 5.4 had the PI head.

- Dae

 

I'm sure. I know because I checked the head castings and the intakes are different as well. The early '99 models do not have the PI heads. It was a mid-year change for Ford. It really sucks, but oh well. All of the Mustangs got the PI heads. I guess that's where mine went =)

 

wow posted this awhile ago, anyway i got a 97 5.4 expedition,
airbags, etc.. well the g/f left me, so i should of got a f-250. oh well next year. anyway im borrowing a aluminum trailer, its loaded in my garage . heading out to wfc6 on thursday morning.
i guess ill see how it pulls, thanks

 

97expyguy,



I have a 97 Expedition I use to tow my Jeep on a car trailer. Trailer with Jeep is 5,600 lbs. I also have 400-500 lbs of gear and spare parts in the back of the truck. I installed AirLift bags in the back coils. It was $79.00 for the kit. Drop the rear sway bar bolts, unbolt the bottom shock bolt and let the rear axle drop then remove the coils. No need for a spring compressor.
I think they work great. I keep them at 7psi when empty air them up when I put a load on to level it out. Rides and steers perfectly. No sway or bouncing at all. I live in MN with high summer temps and extremely cold winter temps. No leaks. I've had them in now for about 9 months.

 

Had a 98 Expy 5.4 with 3.73's. I towed a 6000 boat and trailer.

Pulling was fairly easy! Braking was under par in my book. Make sure the brakes on the trailer are in good working condition. Might want to upgrade the pads on the tow vehicle to ceramic pads AND flush the brake fluid and add a super heavy duty brake fluid. I had the fluid flushed at a JiffY Job type of place and they used cheapy brake fluid. I had some brake failure under high temps and hard stopping. Once I added the high temp super heavy duty fluid I was ok.

I also added a Perma-Cool combination 6 pass cooler. 4 pass cooled the trans and the 2 pass cooled the engine oil.

ALWAYS use a good oil and filter when towing. Might even want to change to synthetics everywhere. The differentials can get quite hot.

Little time, money, and planning can save headache and your vehicle. Might even make it last a lot longer. Some may not agree with this, but it cant hurt!

 

I got the 4.6L-

I towed a 12x6 U-Haul, loaded to the rim last summer, for 600+ miles, at 50-75 MPH, in 95 degree heat, and she didn't miss a beat.

I had a tow bar installed (Aftermarket) 10,000# rating.

I'd estimate the trailer loaded, at 3,000 lbs, minimum- and it was slightly taller than my Expy- so I had wind-resistance too. After the tranny hunted for the first 10-15 miles, she found what she was looking for, and it was like there was nothing behind me after that..

Not to mention, I had 4 adults, two dogs, and luggage inside the truck.

The only mods I'd done to my truck then was 20" rims & window tint! (Nothing that's help tow...)

Well, I had a K&N air filter... (Woohoo!)

You can't go wrong with an Expy- but, if you want to tow 5,000 or more pounds routinely- I'd go with an F-250.... Probably a lot easier to find one of those with a factory tow-package than a used Expy...