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Random Quote: In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
I tow my Osprey 24 with one (2002 4x4 model with 7.3L). It does GREAT!
The boat with trailer (no fuel, no gear) weighs about 6600 lbs. Add equipment, 5 gal. water and 100 gal. fuel and it should be somewhere in the 7500-8000 lb. range.
A friend of mine tows a 26 Glacier Bay with twin 130 Hondas with a 2000 Excursion PSD. No problems there either.
The Excursion is the most powerful non-commercial size tow vehicle available. If you have the opportunity, get the NEW diesel. Friends who have the new diesel say it's more powerful and quieter than the 7.3 it replaced. The Ex diesel with towing package is rated to tow a 12,000 lb trailer.
quote: The Excursion is the most powerful non-commercial size tow vehicle available. If you have the opportunity, get the NEW diesel. Friends who have the new diesel say it's more powerful and quieter than the 7.3 it replaced. The Ex diesel with towing package is rated to tow a 12,000 lb trailer.
If these numbers are right; then you would want to look at the Dodge Ram 5.9L Diesels.
I've only got the 2002 numbers in front of me. 03's numbers are equal or if not better! The 2500 & 3500 series Dodge Ram Diesel trucks have the biggest brakes in the business. The numbers are as follows:
Garett: I'm not saying the Dodge Pick-um up truck is not a good tow vehicle because I know it is, nor am I a "my truck is better than your truck" person, but your own numbers show that the Ford Ex is rated to pull 20% more than the Dodge. And FYI, there's a little difference in an SUV and a pick-um up truck, and the OP did not ask about a pick-um up truck.
I tow my hydra sports 2500,and occasionaly tow my friends 2800 hydra, this truck pulls and begs for more,In my opinion there is no better suv for long tows as far as luxury and comfort goes,in the gas engine market there are plenty,but the diesel excursion is in a league of its own.
Ruggit,
where in Canada are you going. I'll be in Barkley Sound around the 19th. How do you like your Armstrong, I've been admiring them for a good long time?
I tow my Wellcraft Coastal 270, complete with 188 gallons of fuel and 30 gallons of water, plus all my gear with a 2001 Ex PSD. I moved from MD to NM last spring and towed 2200 miles with a GCW of 20040...that's 7960 for the truck (weighed with full tank), 10040 for the trailer axles, 840 tongue weight (measured with a calibrated tongue weight scale), and 1200 in cargo inside the Ex (compressor, generator, tools, framed pictures, etc). I got 10 MPG at 69 MPG (2000 RPM) and the truck never shifted out of overdrive. Normal around town mileage is 15+ and highway mileage at 75 is about 19.5.
The PSD gets better mileage that the Cummins...6 cylinders vs 8 is not an accurate way to determine efficiency...I used to have a 2000 Cummins 24V with the same rear end gearing and even though it weighed less, it got worse mileage. The PSD is a newer technology engine, doesn't work as hard per cubic inch to make power, etc.
As for the 7.3 vs 6.0 debate...I know 2 guys that "traded up" and have had major problems...like any new engine, it takes a while to get all the bugs out...plus, there's no substitute for cubic inches and the extra thickness of the 7.3L block will certainly translate to better longevity.
The only down side to the Ex is the tranny (supposedly the new TorqueShift is better). Mine died last week while pulling my boat out of the lake (I'm moving to GA in 6 weeks and wanted to get some maintenance done on the bottom, so I hauled early). I lost all the forward gears due to a low clutch failure. Upon teardown, they also discovered the converter was going. In Ford's defense, I have the engine chipped with a 4 way (50, 80, 110, 140 HP) chip, have 35" tires, and have used it quite a bit for towing the boat and the former 7500 lb jeep/trailer rig.
Sorry to be so long winded...bottom line is the Ex is an awesome hauler and is also the only choice if you want a full sized SUV hauler (gas is just too uneconomical in terms of power and mileage).
I tow two different 24'ers with my '01 Ex. No problems so far. Ultimate hauling machine.
Too bad Ford has pulled the plug on them. You only have a couple of weeks left if you want to order one. After that, it's only what the dealers have on the lot.
used one to pull both a 35 marlin with twin 250s and a 36 yellowfin with trple 225s. Don't reccommend the yellowfin deal(wasnt me) but you will have no problems.
Cat-fishn', My apologize; yes you are right, they are two different fish in the water. I should have made a clearer mental note before I had responded.
Before I went in the direction of the Dodge 2500 diesel, I had looked very closely a the Ford F250 power stroke (Dad retired from Ford - Z Plan; I buy below cost). Talked with all the drivers I could find that owned the Ford and Dodge diesels, the deciding factor came down to fuel mileage and If I didn't buy the Dodge at cost, I bought the Dodge.
But I will say, that the F250 diesel was a very nice truck - not a SUV. So sorry guys.
I have a 2002 PSD 7.3 ltr 4x4. It hauls my Shamrock 246 (about 6500 lbs) with big t-top with no sweat. I have hauled it twice to Tampa, three times to Pensacola, three times to the Texas Hill country, Twice to Corpus,and once to Brownsville all from the Houston Area. I don't think twice about hitchin up for a haul of 1000 miles.
Get 10-12 mpg while towing depending on wind direction and hills. Avg 17mpg in mix of hwy and city. I do not have mine chipped and don't plan to. Loged 50,000 miles in the last two years. Only mod I am planning is lift bags under the rear axle to help with harsh road conditions on I-10 east.
Get the 4x4. I do change my tranny fluid often.
Greg of
"Cosmic Thing"
2003 Shamrock 246 WA 5.7 Crusader MPI
We should pull into Campbell River around the 19th of July, and we will drop the boat off in Browns Bay.
Will go out with a charter skipper we have used out of Campbell River for a couple of years on the 21st, and spend the rest of our time up there until the 25th fishing out of Browns Bay in our own boat.
I like my Armstrong, and would certainly recommend them.
Although you did not ask, I have the 2001 V10 Ex and it tows a 26' Shamrock just fine. If you go to the Ford enthusiast site, you call talk to people who tow 11,000 lb boats regularly with the v10. Downside is mileage which is 11 in the city and 16 hwy. I love the vehicle.
I've got 59850 on the clock of my 25 month old Ex, towed through the mountains of PA, VA, TN, NM, etc. Changed the tranny fluid every 15K miles, and only added the chip about 8K miles ago. The tranny with the 7.3 is the weak link...if yours has not shit itself yet, it will eventually.
Garrett,
I bought my Ex with an X plan (also below invoice). Paid 10K less than sticker for a vehicle ordered to my specs. As for the mileage thing...I spoke to a lot of guys who told me a lot of "facts" about their mileage, but having had both, I can tell you for sure the 7.3 beat the 5.9 hands down...heavier rig, better mileage...pretty simple math. But I sure do like the looks fo the new Dodge Dually!
Lots of discussion here on the merits of towing with the Ford 7.3 and new 6.0 diesel. You're Excursion is basically a truck Superduty frame with a full sheet metal body. Very little difference in towing capability vs the F-250/350 diesel Superduty. I've just bought my third Ford Supercab and the second with a diesel. Had my choice of 7.3 or 6.0. I stayed with the 7.3; the motor is bullet proof and is not a "Cash Cow" for maintenance. I concur with the thoughts regarding the Ford 4 sp/OD auto for years earlier than model year 2003. The new 5 speed auto that is packaged with the 6.0 is a sweet thing. However, if you have the 7.3 you're stuck with the 4 speed and its not bad. Keeping the oil cool is a must for long distance towing with heavy loads; you're 7000# qualifies. Make sure the vehicle is equipped with a high capacity oil cooler such as Ford uses in its "Towing Package". Watch the tranny temp gage on the dash for elevated temps when towing and use good common sense, ease into the load and when towing uphill deselect the overdrive (OD) feature if the engine starts to labor and engine RPM is getting lugged down. The issue here is that you won't harm the engine but the tranny runs at the same speed as the motor. Lower tranny RPM means lower tranny fluid pump speed and consequently lower fluid flow. This fluid is cooled via the transmission cooler as waste heat generated in the tranny. If you keep engine speed up (by selecting a lower gear)when towing uphill the transmission will run cooler due to increased fluid flow to the cooler.
With regard to torque and horsepower the later 7.3 auto tranny Powerstroke's have 250 hp and 525 ftlbs torque. The new 6.0 has ratings of 325 hp and 560 ftlbs torque. The new motor is stronger. However, you have to twist it tighter to see the performance benefit of the increased power. The 7.3 has more torque below 2000 RPM where most of the towing will occur. Horsepower for the 6.0 is elevated RPM dependent as well, due to decreased displacement. Some simple and reletively low cost mods will pump the 7.3 up to and above the 6.0 power. Beneficial is an aftermarket air filter, such as K&N its worth 5hp and .5 mpg at highway speed. Next is a new downpipe, get ride of the stock 3" downpipe and install a 4" after market unit. Use the 4" to 3.5" transition piece to mate with the stock exhaust. This mod is the most beneficial of all aftermarket add ons. It will provide 15 or so free hp and reduce turbo Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) by 100 to 200 deg f. This alone is good when towing. The K&N airfilter with 4" downpipe is good for 20 hp and 30-35 ftlbs of torque. These two simple mods will have the 7.3 pumping out equal or better torque than the 6.0 and at lower RPM; read more efficient. One of the Ford owners has added performance chips to tailor the fuel and boost curve for more power. These work good. However, I would not recommend towing with recalibrated power curves modifications unless the larger (4") downpipe is installed. The EGT's are higher with enhanced power and the danger of turbo exhaust impeller/volute damage is real. Besides the larger 4" downpipe provides additive gains to the chipped motors because it has 77% increased swept volumn flow over the stock downpipe. My Ford has all the above mods and is chipped/flashed programmed as well, I like power on demand. My 2003 7.3 is an every day driver and sometimes hauler. I estimate its hp conservatively @ 375 and torque @ 700 ftlbs. This is with better mileage than stock configuration, I picked up 3 mpg @ 70mph (17.8 stock - 21 now). Great motor and will live for years. The 4sp/OD tranny will survive due to easy throttle application when towing. But, will eventually fall victim to the beastly torque. One more thing I test drove both the 6.0 and 7.3. The 6.0 is somewhat less noisy at idle and low speed. However, when both motors are cruising at highway speed where most towing will occur the noise difference is negliable.
Towing with Ford Excursion with Power Stroke 
