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Old 03-25-2015, 09:00 AM   #45 (permalink)
WE3ZS
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: SE PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DaGuru View Post
As others have mentioned about towing with the Ex, Ford designed the Ex to be a mom-mobile. Thus, it had to fit into a standard garage. To accomplish this, they went with weaker leaf springs (pre 2002/3, which have coils). These springs will begin to droop within the first 50K miles. We bought our Ex at 96K miles and the frame was resting on the bump stops. This is part of where the initial mileage benefit came from. Now, Ford would have done better to have gone with a better spring pack and a spring-under design, but that's water under the bridge. On any used <=2001 model, if the springs are still stock, plan on replacing them. To use it as a tow vehicle, a modified rear B code pack will work for a fairly light trailer, but anything of any size, I'd suggest adding bags or look into a straight super duty rear spring and add the overload horns to the frame.
Just to clarify for a potential EX shopper, ALL 4X4 Excursions ('00 through '05 And '06 in Mexico!) came with the leaf spring front suspension, the ONLY EXs with coil fronts were 2X4s. In all 6 years of EX production the same springs were used for the fronts of all 4X4 PSDs (both 7.3 produced until mid year '03& 6.0 produced mid year '03 till end of production in '06) the factory "D" code springs were rated at 4080 lbs per set and all of the 4X4 V-10s got the "C" code 3680 lb front springs, all of them had the same rear "G" codes.
The Exs never got the 4X4 coil front redesign in '05 with the rest of the SuperDuty line as Ford knew it was the EX's last year of production so they were kept the same as previous years and only got the front clip cosmetic upgrades in '05.
My modded rear 'B" code springs (2 extra leaves) handle my 11k trailer's 1450 lb tongue weight just fine with the proper 1400 lb spring bars on my Hensley Arrow WD hitch.
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