Pulling 45' Sonic with Excusion ,NJ to FL. Any thoughts ?
 

I have plenty of experience pulling large things .Just NOT with a Ford Excursion diesel. Anyone tow large heavy boats any distance with one ? Give me some input on your experiences .

Have to go from NJ to Sonic in Florida for repairs .

Also any input on getting repairs done at Sonic and by who ? Thanks , Joe

Good luck!

Take your time and slow up if it gets windy. I would REALLY prefer a dually for something that size for more than a 1000 miles. I have no doubt that the truck has the power to pull it, but it'll be a handful.

That's a BIG boat! I'm thinking a ton-er would be the way to go.

Practice a panic stop to see what you've got. Take it easy.

Not enough truck for me!

FWIW, I pull a rather heavy travel trailer(15000lbs.) with my Excursion and while it is not as competent a puller as the Super Duties, it does do the job. It is equipped with air bags which are a must, and the trailer has brakes on it. The Excursion, as Troutly stated is shorter which gives it a somewhat "loose" feel. If you HAVE to use the Excursion, just take your time and it will work, although you will have to "drive" it.

It belongs to a freind .He wants me to drop the rig there and fly home . Then if it gets fixed , he can use it down there for a few weeks . then I geuss I'll fly down again and bring it home.

I am going to bring it back to my shop first ( about an hour ride) to service the trailer .I geuss that will give me a better idea of how it handles . I wish my Kenworth project was done ............ :rolleyes:

Like everyone said, that's a lot of boat for that truck.

If you must do it, take your time allow lots of room to stop and watch the weather for high winds.

What route are you taking? Jersey TP to I-95?
Tolls are going to eat you alive.
Watch the tunnels in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Beltway around DC takes a few twists and turns watch yourself. Virginia will have a few hills but beyond that it's pretty much flat. Watch your speed too.
Should be good till you hit Jacksonville, Fl. Tends to get busy during rush hour. Past that and it's clear sailing again.
Again, watch the weather for rain once you're in Florida. The roads get slick as ice when wet. Be cautious, don't let catch you off guard, especially with all that weight pushing you.

Good luck.

What kind of trailer? Does it have electrical or surge brakes?

Make sure the tongue weight / height is set properly. That'll make ALL the difference. If it's not right, it doesn't matter what you're pulling it with. It'll give problems.

If it's a good trailer and good brakes, I certainly wouldn't imagine going over 60 MPH on the highway -- which is the easy part.

The in-city driving is where you're going to have problems. You know... the whole stopping thing!!!!

P.S. that was a great idea to practice a Panic Stop!

These guys dont have a clue what the Excursion can do, I have pulled a 43 Black Thunder around and pulled my 37 AT back from the factory to VA in 14 hours constant speed 75-80 NO PROBLEMS!!!! Yes, dont tailgate but anyone with a big boat should know this. I would not hesitate to jump in and go anytime. My .02

EXCURSION
 

DONT BE AFRAID OF THE EXCURSION HANDLING YOUR BOAT,THIS TRUCK IS CAPABLE OF DOING HIS TASK.I HAVE ONE EXCURSION V-10 AND ONE DUALLY DIESEL.
THE EXCURSION HAS PROVEN ITSELF NUMEROUS OF TIMES .

I HAVE PULLED TWO 9000 CLARK FORKLIFTS ON A
3000 LB TRAILER WITH NO PROBLEM.BE CAREFULL
IN JACKSONVILLE FL, IT GETS COMPLICATED IN THAT AREA. GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND HAVE A SAFE TRIP.

What about the hitch? Is it upgraded to Class 5?

What about the brakes? Are they hydro/electric?

How much does the trailer/boat weight?

http://www.vxi.cc/phantomchaos/images/DSC00324.jpg

Definately put airbags on the truck, and I recommend ceramic/industrial brake pads on the truck, Make sure to break in the new pads before pulling with several SEVERE panic stops.

Have the transmission flushed, then refilled with the best HD ATF you can get hold of. Might consider a secondary auto trans. cooler, back up to the one that came with the trailer package. Check brake pads, any doubts AT ALL change to HD pads. Watch the weather and enjoy the ride.

Here's the new Formula FasTECH 462.....with triples and number 6 drives. :D :D :D


http://www.uswi.com/new462-footer.jpg

Norty, that is an interesting forward step, or 'squigle' in that case. :D

Picky! Is that better? :D :D

I pulled my 47 Sonic with a 1 ton Ford diesel with a chip. The only time I had a problem was with short braking distance.

Stan

47 sonic?

45, sorry!!!!
Damn dog got my keyboard again!!!
:D

The stock tires are "E" rated so unless they have been changed you are ok there. I would add a cooler and airbags and you will be ok. You need a hose bag also:D It is a long ride and you don't want to have to take your hand off the wheel:D

Don't forget..........the 542 FasTECH :D :D :D

http://www.uswi.com/new542-footer.jpg

I think I would have to recomend against that. That boat just needs a long dually for that job. I pull my 42 Sonic around town with a smaller truck, but I would NEVER try to go over the road with it. Just my two cents.

Love that new 542 "FasTECH"

Nice stretch job Nort!!


The PSD 'X' is one helluva tow machine, but as most enthusiasts of the vehicle know, it requires a little modification from its stock form to make it that way- most of which are not expensive at all.

Mitch is right- they come with 'E' rated tires, but this started in 2003. Earlier models to year 2K have the D's - adequate for most towing apps. The original Firestones suck on anything but dry pavement!

Front springs on all the 'X's were inadequate- the distance from the spring to the frame was less than desirable. Mine were replaced under warranty with 'U' code springs, which made the truck perfectly level.

Rear air bags such as Ride Rites are a must with a boat that size to keep the vehicle level (I'm sure the tongue weight is substantial.)

Class V hitch will have to be done custom- the stock hitch is classified by Ford as part of the sub-frame and uses special hardened rivets to fasten it to the frame, not bolts. There are no after-market hitches listed in any catalog from any mfg. for this vehicle- they didn't want the liability (I researched this with all of them). I think Nort will testify that it can be done, however....:)
The stock unit looks almost identical to several of the aftermarkets' top hitches though: it's a stout piece.

Brakes are about the same as the F250- I've had to change out rotors once under warranty, and if needed again, I will go with aftermarket units. This truck weighs over 8000 pounds fully loaded and fueled- and is a load to get stopped in itself, let alone a boat like that on the back. I hope the trailer is well equipped, and if you decide to tow that monster down there, give everyone a wide berth. The engine is certainly up to the task.

Trans- well that's a toss-up with all the mfg's with diesel- I've known folks that tow that have had problems with all of the big three car makers diesel truck trannies, especially when running a chip. Mine has held together fine so far, but what do I know- I'm only towing a little 28' Thunder.....;)

I would just be real carefull and take your time. Better to get there late then not at all. Trip should get easier as you go south and I would get off the road at rush hour.

Jon

Do the math on the GCVWR and such. I kind of think you will be overloaded. I realize that it can be done, but I would worry about liability if you were in an accident. Would your insurance company back you up, or jack you up?

Mucho over......(2003) I think the older ones had lower GCVWR, but not sure.

http://www.uswi.com/towing.jpg

Wouldn't worry much. Pulled 12,000# excavator on 6500# trailer from Dallas to Atlanta with 2000 7.3 2wd excursion with no problem. Had a trans. temp. gauge and showed no problems either.

I use a 2000 X V10 to haul my 2 car trailer (13k-15k loaded) cross country to different car shows for my company. Pulls great. I had to go with Art carved rotors the stock one's keeped warping in the mountains. I would recomend pumping up the tires to 60lb or above. Lots of sway under 60lb. Mine came new with E rated tires. As far as the engine and trans I'm over 100k/ 300+ cars towed with no problems.

Joe,

Tell you what, you find one of those 4 position chips from WD laying around and we will take my 4x4 dually south!:D


Good talking to you the other day. I can't wait for the UPS man to get here w/ the intake!:)

Buy a GM!!!!;) ;) :D

We have towed a 43 Black thunder all around the country with a excursion with 35,s and a lift with no problems , and i have a 45 sonic and its not any bigger than the BT, Youre not going to stop any 15000lb boat quick with any 1 ton truck

Keep in mind everyone, that the trans and brakes on the X are the same as on the 350 superduty. The suspension is soft, but several have posted improvements there. the length is an issue, as is the SRW, but if the trailer is set right, and Boot knows how to do that, you should be okay. I might be wrong, but I think the GCWR is the same between the one ton and the X. (Be gental on me if I'm in error!)

One other thing to keep in mind - if you get in an accident, I hope you can foot the whole bill for damages and (God forbid) injuries if someone else is involved. I'm betting that towing 12K+ on a vehicle rated for 10K = "claim denied" every single time...

I thought I would give you my two cents. I was pulling my 43ft Black Thunder to LOTO with a F 350 PSD crew cab. It was not a dually. It was raining and I lost traction and had to put the truck into the ditch. Long story short, totaled the truck and my 43ft Black Thunder and I and the passenger are very lucky to be alive! I would NEVER pull a boat that size without a dually!
Again just my two cents!
Mike

:D:D:D You should get a longer Ex also.

:

MIke

The insurance issue is VALID. I was told by several insurance companies, that IF you are involved in an accident towing something, THE VERY FIRST THING DONE IS TO DETERMINE IF WHAT WAS BEING TOWED EXCEEDED THE FACTORY TOW RATING OF SAID TOW VEHICLE. IF IT DOES YOU ARE NOT COVERED. CASE CLOSED. I had to upgrade trucks just for that reason.

I have to agree with Bulldog. It's not that the truck can't do it, it is can it do it legally? What is the GCVW that you are registered for. If it is not 20,000 lbs plus, then you could have an insurance issue, nevermind a big ticket issue!!