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Old 07-31-2013, 10:57 AM   #21
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Thanks again for the help.
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Old 07-31-2013, 11:05 AM   #22
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Glad to help. I would certainly look at adding that second friction sway bar...minimal cost and there's no such thing as too much sway control.

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Old 07-31-2013, 11:10 AM   #23
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Yeah I will get that on before my next trip. I got a little time before that unfortunately.
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Old 12-08-2013, 01:33 AM   #24
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Not to beat a dead horse but after continuing to have control issues I dug in a little more and got some info from a fellow FRF member and off another forum related to my TV. What I think I am experiencing in relation to my control issues(not mine my TV's) is a TV sway and suspension issue. What I am seeing is that a lot of Excursion owners upgrade their leaf springs to one with a higher weight rating and adding on a rear axle sway bar they have achieved significant improvement in towing control. Apparently Ford put softer springs on the excursion to achieve more of a car like ride. Doing this it created a lot of wander and rear axle steering that creates the white knuckle experience when towing.

So I'm thinking this next year I will upgrade my leaf springs, add a rear sway bar, new shocks and new bushings to front sway bar, upgrade my wd hitch altogether and invest in a better brake control system. Hopefully this will increase my control and lower my blood pressure when towing and allow me to venture more than a couple hundred miles from home with out having a complete nervous break down haha!
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Old 12-08-2013, 03:40 AM   #25
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Originally Posted by simplyrwc View Post
Not to beat a dead horse but after continuing to have control issues I dug in a little more and got some info from a fellow FRF member and off another forum related to my TV. What I think I am experiencing in relation to my control issues(not mine my TV's) is a TV sway and suspension issue. What I am seeing is that a lot of Excursion owners upgrade their leaf springs to one with a higher weight rating and adding on a rear axle sway bar they have achieved significant improvement in towing control. Apparently Ford put softer springs on the excursion to achieve more of a car like ride. Doing this it created a lot of wander and rear axle steering that creates the white knuckle experience when towing.

So I'm thinking this next year I will upgrade my leaf springs, add a rear sway bar, new shocks and new bushings to front sway bar, upgrade my wd hitch altogether and invest in a better brake control system. Hopefully this will increase my control and lower my blood pressure when towing and allow me to venture more than a couple hundred miles from home with out having a complete nervous break down haha!
I hope that helps you, nothing worst then white knuckle driving. Let me tell you this I think Dave is the forum Guru on weights. He really went over board working with me on my weights, til I got it right.... I'm surprised that FORD did that, glad you found out.....
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Old 12-08-2013, 07:01 AM   #26
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Dave has been very helpful...I agree.
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Old 12-08-2013, 10:51 AM   #27
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Sway

Before we took off cross county we added air bag coil springs to the rear of the truck. You might want to look at them before changing your springs.
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Old 03-26-2014, 12:43 AM   #28
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So I installed ride rite air bags, rancho shocks, rear axle sway bar, 2nd anti sway friction bar on hitch and a prodigy p3 is enroute. Hoping this will help to curb some control issues and provide a more relaxed travel. Going to reassess my hitch set up tomorrow and hoping to get some positive results.
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Old 03-27-2014, 01:18 PM   #29
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Not to steal a thread, but reading intently here.

If I use Herk's link:
Travel Trailer Weight Calculator
for my new Chevy 2500 diesel TV, it says I can only tow a trailer that weighs 6,667 lbs. Surely those calculations can't be right. If a 2500 Duramax can only tow that little of a trailer, it'd take a Mack Truck to pull a 5th wheel.

?????????
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Old 03-27-2014, 01:30 PM   #30
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Not to steal a thread, but reading intently here.

If I use Herk's link:
Travel Trailer Weight Calculator
for my new Chevy 2500 diesel TV, it says I can only tow a trailer that weighs 6,667 lbs. Surely those calculations can't be right. If a 2500 Duramax can only tow that little of a trailer, it'd take a Mack Truck to pull a 5th wheel.

?????????
If you're going to stay within ratings, it's more difficult than you'd guess. I have similar calculators here:
Weight Calculators - Towing Planner

You can plug your numbers in and see what it says.
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Old 03-27-2014, 01:47 PM   #31
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My 2008 GMC 2500HD with Allison transmission and Duramax diesel is maxed out due to available payload with a 9,000 pound 5th wheel.

Due to the payload restrictions (vs towing capacity) I can tow a heavier travel trailer than a 5th wheel.
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Old 03-27-2014, 11:42 PM   #32
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Think I finally got it....took the trailer for a spin today and had a lot more control...finally!. Installed the p3 this afternoon. Can't wait to try it out.
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Old 04-07-2014, 12:21 AM   #33
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So I went on a short trip this weekend. About 150 miles. Rain, wind, and somewhat rough roads. The rig handled pretty good with a lot less wander and a lot more control. However the bounce is still pretty bad. Still have some tweaking to do.
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