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Old 04-21-2013, 03:39 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by BLTOH View Post
i have older model. yes i am close to the top but i am not over as far as my van goes.
since this the Towing section, i just want to clarify for others who may be wondering if they can tow a trailer like yours, with their minivan.
i'm only asking in regards to safety for others. you have decided that your combo is safe.
but i'm trying to understand why you feel you are not over the specs.

the Grand Caravan has an absolute max towing capacity of 3800lbs.
that is rated with only a 150lb. driver in it, nothing else.

now, your trailer has a "dry" weight of 3749lbs.
even if you don't include the weight of the "options" and you're not carrying water, the WDH, battery, any cargo and propane will easily put you over the 3800lbs. number.

so, how can that not be over your Grand Caravan's max capacity?

i'm only asking in regards to the spec numbers.
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Old 04-21-2013, 03:54 PM   #22
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F150 eco boost crew cab with a camper shell this would take of your needs . my .002 cents
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Old 04-21-2013, 04:27 PM   #23
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Since you camp close to home, and it sounds like you don't vary that much, have you considered a seasonal site? You wouldn't have to tow at all. Once of the big benefits. Just a suggestion. We're seasonal and love the convenience and economics of it.
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Old 04-21-2013, 06:33 PM   #24
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Before flying off the handle, maybe read the OP's posts. He said that most of his camping was within a 2-hour radius from home. So rather than buy some gas-guzzling tank, just so the kids and dog can be in luxury for 2 hours, an EcoBoost crew cab would be a great compromise.
JMO

not flying off the handle just merely pointing things out. Have you ridden for any length of time with kids squeezed together plus dog? it is not a fun situation to be in. I have done the SUV and pickup thing now but as kids with my 3 sisters and our dog we traversed the country. The ford econovan was a godsend to my parents.
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Old 04-22-2013, 11:20 AM   #25
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I do camp hosting at several state parks in my area so being seasonal will not work. The dog is only 8lbs.

Thank you to all who has responded. Has been a big help on our researching.
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Old 05-01-2013, 11:06 AM   #26
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A Nissan Armada might be an option too... the SE and Platinum editions both have a tow capacity of 9000#. The SV has a 6500# rating. All three have a 5.6L V8 engine... My SV gets about 14mpg in town and about 18mpg highway. So far I get 10.4mpg towing my Rockwood 2306.
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Old 05-01-2013, 11:55 AM   #27
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Chiming in a little late here, but we have a similar situation. Family of 6 (youngest kid is 10 and they aren't shrinking) plus often an extra kid.

When looking for our new vehicle I did so with the expectation we would be upgrading our popup. We were towing a popup with a minivan. Would have loved to get a crewcab truck, but that doesn't work with 4 kids - there's nothing out there that I would want to drive daily that you can ride 6 people in comfortably across country.

I did a lot of reasearch of what could lug around that many people COMFORTABLY with maximum towing capacity and power, while being a reasonable 'round town' daily driving vehicle.

I narrowed it down to Suburban vs Expedition. Both have tow ratings of over 9,000 pounds when properly equipped. Going in, I was leaning towards Surburban given a little higher tow capacity and a bit more cargo room behind 3rd row.

I test drove both, both drove well. For me the final decision was the comfort in the 3rd row. With teenagers, I needed it to be a real back seat, where they would be comfortable riding back there for hours on end. With the Expedition, the 3rd row is roomy, and has good visibility. In the suburban, the 3rd row felt like a tomb. The 2nd row seat backs were quite high and it felt like you were in a box back there - very much more claustrophic feeling, and my knees were against the back of the 2nd row (I'm 5'7").

While cargo room is less in the Expe, we usually carry our 'luggage' when camping in the camper, so that was a good trade off for a more comfortable ride for the 3rd row riders.

I traded from a Honda Odyssey van to the Expedition about 18 months ago. Wasn't long before we traded the popup for a larger TT. I find that it gets the job done with our TT. We have a 30' V-lite bunkhouse, with a WD hitch and friction sway. The only issues towing I've had is coming down through mtns during a thunderstorm with pretty high cross winds, otherwise the Expe has been very solid TV.

As far as round town, gas mileage averages about 15-16MPG compared to my minivan of 17-18MPG. On the highway (not towing) I get around 18-19. While towing, I get about 8-10 depending on terrain and which way the wind is blowing.

If they were still making the Excursion, I would have looked at it, but it would have probably blown the budget anyway.

One more tip is to make sure you have a rear backup camera - that's one of my favorite things about my Expedition. It's often just the kids and me when hitching up and it's SO much easier to be able to see for myself than relying on a 10 yr old's directions...
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Old 05-08-2013, 06:34 AM   #28
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Expedition XL is the same as the old Excursion I believe.
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Old 05-08-2013, 08:40 AM   #29
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Originally Posted by MN_Outdoors View Post
Expedition XL is the same as the old Excursion I believe.
Actually they have nothing in common. Different frames, different drive-train, different animals.

The Excursion was built on a 3/4 ton truck platform with 3/4 ton axles and drive-train. Different suspension than the F250.

The Expedition has always been built on a 1/2 ton platform using 1/2 ton drive-train components.

Ironically neither has the capabilities of their truck parentage. The Excursion did not have the payload capacity of a F250. The Expedition EL does not have the capacity of an F150.
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Old 05-08-2013, 09:41 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by jeeplj8 View Post
Actually they have nothing in common. Different frames, different drive-train, different animals.

The Excursion was built on a 3/4 ton truck platform with 3/4 ton axles and drive-train. Different suspension than the F250.

The Expedition has always been built on a 1/2 ton platform using 1/2 ton drive-train components.

Ironically neither has the capabilities of their truck parentage. The Excursion did not have the payload capacity of a F250. The Expedition EL does not have the capacity of an F150.
correct, totally different vehicles.
plus you could get the Excursion with a diesel engine, Expy no.
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and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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