I've got a '97 Expedition - 5.4, 4x4, 3.73, factory tow pack, electronic brake module (installed yesterday).

I'll be towing a tandem-axle trailer - with brakes (est. weight 1,500-1,800 lbs) carrying a Jeep CJ (est. weight 3,200 lbs).

We'll be driving from Richmond, VA to Moab, UT - 2,000 miles (4,000 round trip), over a couple small mountain ranges and one big one: Vail Pass, Colorado - Elevation 12,000'.

Everything I've read tells me that I'll be fine - Expy rated well above my trailer's weight, got the right gears, got the trailer brakes, got the factory tranny cooler...

But, because this is my first time towing with the Expy and it's such a huge trip, I'm wondering what advise you guys may have for me.

Thanks!

 

Ensure that your brakes work well.

They should be able to lock-up fully loaded.

When you decend the mountains, go at a speed which can be controlled by your transmission (not brakes). This may mean as low as first gear!

Avoid using your brakes (ie: use brakes sparingly), as you may overheat them to the point of uselessness.

Ensure that your brake controller is properly adjusted. For example, it may have a level control -- which you should be able to (you want to be able to) stop on the decline and re-zero for the declination angle -- so that your truck/trailer brakes are calibrated for the initial application (decending a steep grade 'fools' some controllers into thinking that you are applying the brake).

Be sure that the trailer brakes are adjusted properly.

be sure that you have a solid electrical ground between the truck/trailer.

Run your tires at the tires' maximum pressure (written on sidewall).

Be aware that you could lose electrical connection to the trailer brakes at the most inopportune time -- and you should be driving so as to compensate for such an occurrence.

Apply brakes in brief but firm "snubs", rather than a slow/steady drag. This will help ensure that brakes are all working somewhat balanced (will never be perfect); and it will aid in cooling; and it will provide you with a bit of warning that you've reached the end of your braking 'string' (about to fade out).

Observe 55 MPH or less, unless you're really comfortable that the set-up is real stable.

Use Premium fuel (more knock resistant). Turn off A/C on steep up-hill pulls.

Use second or first gear to ascend steep mountains (3500 RPM in 1st or 2nd is NOT harmful to the powertrain).

Tow in a gear low enough to allow the torque convertor to stay locked (prevents heat build-up).

Use the electronic dashboard diagnostics mode to monitor engine temperature (it is in degrees Centigrade -- so make a conversion chart ahead of time) and keep it below 110C (= 230 degrees F).

Be aware that you'll lose approximately 3% HP for every 1,000 feet above sea level (air density reduction).

Enjoy your trip.

Post your observations.

 

Wow! Thanks for all the info'!

I was wondering about the tire pressure - I'm glad you mentioned it. When I bought the truck, the pressure was at 34lbs. It road like a brick. I dropped it to 28 and it made a huge difference... Guess I should go back to 34/35 huh? What about the front? Since I won't be in 4-wheel drive, can I keep those at 28... or are there other reasons to keep them at 35 also?

One more.... Do I need to stop periodically to let the transmission cool or can I just keep moving - following your other recommendations regarding speed, etc.

Thanks again!
-Mark

 

Very good advice above. Just to kinda "add" to that, you always want to make sure you leave pleanty of extra space between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Even with the trailer brakes, it's gonna take nearly twice as far and long to stop in most cases.

Don't even consider passing another car unless you have a clear view of at least a couple miles or your own passing lane. Merging onto the freeways will take much longer too.

Remember to be aware of cars staking up behind you if your're going up a single lane road. These types of roads will usually have turnouts for slow moving vehicles to use. Most states have a five car backup law that states, you must pull over if you are holding up five or more cars. If one of those cars is an officer of the law, you will get a ticket.

Regarding you q's on the front tire pressure, I'd say you only have P rated tires. I would inflate them to the max COLD psi listed on the tires. Front and back. Even though you are not using a weight distributing hitch setup, which would transfer some of the trailer weight to the front tires, I would still make sure they are at max psi. The tranny temp deal is hard to say. Without a temp guage, you really have no idea if it's overheating or not. Basically, if you make it up the hill and don't smell anything, I'd just keep going. While you are going down hill, the extra air flow will cool the fluid faster then stopping, IMO. Even if you do use lower gears to help with the decend. Now, if you find that you are "forced" to pull over, while still asending a hill (because you have the five car thing happening behind you), you may want to just sit there for a few extra minutes with the tranny in neutral and maybe bringing up the rpm's to around 1500 to draw more air past the cooler. This is because you'll have to start up a hill from a stop, and that fluid will heat up really fast just to get you going again. I wouldn't say this would be a "requirement", just a suggestion, if you find that you have to wait for traffic to clear anyway..........

Good luck and have a safe trip. Again, just remember to take it easy and know that you don't need to break any speed records while towing anything anyway.

 

when you take those turns,swing real wide,saves those trailer tires

 

Moab Utah very nice part of the country. I was out there last summer enjoyed went to Arches and Canyon Lands national Parks. Alot of 4x4 trails out there for you to enjoy I wish I rented a jeep when I was out there but didn't but maybe someday I'll make back out that way to do some off roading. Have fun on your trip

 

Also, the proper tongue weight is very important. Too much or too little will cause swaying problems.

Since you will be hauling 5000 pounds, tongue weight should be 10% or 500 pounds. You may have to adjust the jeep on the trailer to achieve this. Your 500/5000 pound combination puts you at the max limit for the standard class 3 hitch.

I don't know if having the tandem axle changes any of the above.

 

Short of going to a weight-station, is there a way to figure out when I've got 500 lbs. on the toung... can't imagine how...

 

http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm

read the trailer towing guide...

 

Manhattan -

Take a common bathroom scale that's reasonably accurate.

Get yourself about a 3' length of suitable metal, perhaps some 2" square tubing or the like.

Cut a 2 x 4 piece of lumber about 10" long.
Set that on the bathroom scale in the center.
Measure the height of the 2 x 4 and scale combo.
We'll say it comes in at 5" total just to pick a number.

Cut another piece of 2 x 4, maybe 6" long and stack shims, wood or metal on top of it until you match the 5" height of the scale 2 x 4 combo.

Mark the center point of the 3' piece of metal.
Make a mark near the ends of the 3' piece of metal.
Perhaps about 6" in.

Set the 3' piece of metal on the 5" stationary block and the 5" scale 2 x 4 combo centering the end marks of the 3' piece over both the scale and the stationary block.

Place the trailer jack - the screw-up device at the front of the trailer that supports it when parked by itself - on the center mark of the 3' piece of metal.

Crank the trailer jack up until all the tongue load is on the 3' piece of metal.

This will give you a lever arm - think it's called - that makes the scale read half the weight of the actual tongue weight.
As you can see, the half-weight read comes about because the trailer weight is half on the stationary block and half on the scale.

Since most bathroom scales go to 300#, you should be able to get a fairly accurate weight.

Accuracy can be improved a touch if the final piece on both the scale 2 x 4 combo and the stationary block is a 1" square piece of tubing so that the centerline is well maintained when the scale goes down.
Usually it's not a problem.

With a little more thought about the length of the horizontal load bearing piece - the 3' piece as mentioned here - you can use the bathroom scale and a multiple that will allow the expected weight of say a trailer tire to be read on the bathroom scale.
Weigh each tire individually and add up the weights for the actual trailer weight.

C9

 

Let me take a crack at it...

Get two bathroom scales and place them the on the ground on either side of the tongue.

Lay a 2x4 across the two scales.

Stand another 2x4 piece (i guess about 12 to 18") up between the tongue and the 2x4 on the scales.

lower the tongue until it rests on the board and your trailer wheel clears the ground.

Read scale one amount and scale two amount.
ADD.

(Take your neighbors broken scale back to him and tell him you don't know what happened to it.)

 

10% is the least recommended toung weight. Usually 15-20% is preferable. Too little tounge weight and your trailer may sway, especially down hill. Not a good thing at all. Too much, and usually the worst that happens is a rough ride or sagging back, but less of a safety concern than comfort. Also, you want the trailer to be level once its loaded. Usually it should sit a little high to the truck until you get wieght on it. As far as weighing it, that seems like a lot of work there. I would just put it on there by your best gestimation and take it for a spin. If it feels "loose" especially at hwy speeds, you dont have enough tounge weight. If it bounces rough, too much weight. Your tranny temp should be fine as long as you keep moving and not stopping and going a lot especially up hill. If you get stuck sitting somewhere, drop the tranny in N or put it in park. If the tranny "hunts" for a gear, manually put it in the lower one. Dont be afraid to downshift and turn OD off, just mainly dont let it shift back and forth a lot. So basically, what they said, and yup, inflate tires to max. I pulled a 4,000lbs car + 1,500lb trailer 1,300 mi @ 70mph with it loaded properly on my f-150.

 

6-8% when trailering Boats, due to the fact they are more aerodynamic. up to 10% when trailering campers and what not.

Think about it, if your tailering a boat and trailer that weight 5,000 lbs and you have a tounge weight of 15% thats exactly 750 lbs of tounge weight, talk about ridiculous.

a 5,000 lb boat and trailer should have approx. 350-450 lbs of toung weight, whereas a camper weighting 5,000 lbs should have the max tounge weight of 500 lbs..

 

Someone tell me how to do this while driving my Screw and
towing my trailer !...See below..thanks in advance

Use the electronic dashboard diagnostics mode to monitor engine temperature (it is in degrees Centigrade -- so make a conversion chart ahead of time) and keep it below 110C (= 230 degrees F).

 

Thumb on odometer button, turn ignition to on -- wait 5 seconds until odometer goes into diagnostics mode, release thumb.

Start engine (without turning off ignition switch).

Use the odometer button to scroll thru to degc (I'm going by memory -- so cut me some slack) where you'll read the temp in degrees celcius.

You may scroll to engine RPM or vehicle speed (mph/kph), or monitor some other useless functions (like system voltage and oil pressure and fuel gauge -- which are not direct-reads) as you go.

Now -- I'm wondering if the console temperature gauge will go high enough (3 digits) so that I can repsition the temperature sensor on the transmission fluid output line so the temperature gauge would be truly useful).