I just got back from Moab, UT - towed a tandem axle trailer with a modified CJ on it from Richmond, VA to Moab and back to Richmond.

Well, now I know why people buy diesels. My Expedition has the 5.4, 3.73 gears (factory tow pack, etc.) and it struggled over the Rockies - 15 mph in 1st gear! Other than the large mountain ranges (CO, WV, etc.) the truck did great. The "Check Engine" light came on in WV - we inspected, listened, sniffed... and found nothing. It went off in Kansas.

When we got to Utah, we ran into two guys who made the trip from PA in a '99 F-250 with the (gas) V-10; pulling a similar load. They said they struggled a lot over the Rockies as well... that made me feel better.

The Expy got 7.3 mpg on the way out and 9.0 on the way back - Moab is "up hill" from Richmond.

 

Hi

Did you do any mods. to engine etc...if not, something to consider.

I know those long/slow climbs with lots of elevation sure rob HP.

If you do serious towing/hauling then alot more HP etc. would be nice to have. I've had similiar happen to me..did a few mods. that helped out..still im slow on those grades.

You get used to running ? mph. down hi-way...then hit those long/steep grades...you slow down , at the top leveling out or going downhill Thats the way it is.

Good luck...OT

 

Nope.. no mods... yet. The motor, exhaust, etc. are all stock but up to date on factory maintainance schedule.

I can't imagine what a 4.6l with taller gears would've done.

I'm surprised the truck is rated for almost 3,000 lbs. more than I towed! I really don't think that it would've moved that load up the mountain at any speed.

 

I added the K&N FIPK and a Gibson side swept catback.
Helped big time while towing our beast up the mountain
passes.

Good luck

 

Do you have any observations/suggestions (re: that up-hill jaunt) that you'd care to share?

 

Observations... suggestions... hmmm. I don't really know. According to Ford, my Expedition was well suited to tow that load. Granted, 13,000 feet is about as bad as it gets but a Honda could tow on a flat road. I understand that at that elevation, the motor had lost about 90 hp - this assumes it had 230 and lost 3% per 1,000 feet. Pulling 9,500 lbs. with 140 hp (115 at the wheels) is not ideal. But that's about what it felt like.

In the big scheme of things - rare that I tow, and the Rockies were part of a 4,000 mile round trip, I guess it doesn't matter that I spent 45 minutes crawling up the mountain. It definitely doesn't justify a diesel Expedition... although that would've been nice.

What bothered me the most was that I felt as though I was killing my truck. I kept imagining it just collapsing like the cartoon cars once I pulled into the hotel parking lot. It seems like I put more wear on the truck last week than the combined 5 years of it's life.

 

Two things:

a) I'll bet even at those slow speeds, you probably passed slower-moving vehicles, and...

b) You can hardly hurt the vehicle, since it couldn't put out those 90 some HP -- meaning the engine wasn't straining those extra 90 or so HP.

The fuel injection was properly metering fuel, so that's a non-issue.

I ran an '84 GMC Suburban diesel -- 130 hp -- up hills/mountains at WOT for hours (literally) with no fear of heart-attach -- and am looking forward to trying the same thing with my 5.4 -- at literally twice the power (same trailer/wife/dogs/cooler, etc).

My only concern would be unlocked torque converter -- and/but that's easily noticed by careful observation of tachometer.

Q: will the TC lock in second gear?

 

I too think your truck did fine. Those mountains will slow any and every vehicle. I would think gears would be a worthy mod IF you were towing frequently under conditions like that. 3.73's are pretty low already though, and pleanty for all you'll ever do. Did you drive the whole way with OD off or just the hills? How did you end up determining tounge weight? How was sway, braking, handling etc? Any other trailering suggestions for others now that you have done it?

HMMM....

Y2K, good question... Im interested in knowing.

 

I agree - the 5.4 & 3.73 are great for 99.99% of my driving.

We guestimated the location of the Jeep on the trailer - to properly weight the tounge. This is less than ideal, I know. The Jeep has a winch on the front and back - they were both used as anchor points, in addition to ratchet straps. This allowed us to move the Jeep very easily forward or backward until the truck felt good. Once we found the best spot, we marked it. The trailer was basically invisible - we really had to remind each other that it was back there. No bounce, no sway at all.

The trailer has two axles and one set of brakes. The brakes worked perfectly - never felt any push, felt totally confindent even on the mountain decents.

 

Sounds like you made out great to me. I too feel confident that the loading is proper if the if I have the same control and the vehicle rides like it does empty. Loading % can always be subject to many variables and not always exact, so a set up that allowed you to move the vehicle to test its location was an excelent idea.

 

We tow a 29ft camper with out 2001 4x4 Screw...5.4, tow package,
and ORP....3.55 rearend...The truck does OK towing out here
in Colorado up and down mountain passes...I wish we had the
3.73 rearend and 16" ties and wheels...Any steep climb put my
truck in 1st at 35mph at around 4500 rpm's...