Excursion Suspension

[Willie_up]

OK... I need some help.

I have decided to turn the Excursion into the permanent tow vehicle (instead of Grocery getter). Because of this I think I should fix the suspension – apparently it isn’t safe according to Utah State and a shop I talked to. It currently has stacked blocks in the back and drop brackets in the front. While pulling it sways way more than my old truck and really rocks back and forth when going through dips.

Here are some pics of the drop bracket (hope this works)

http://photos.thedieselstop.com/show...amp;thecat=500

http://photos.thedieselstop.com/show...amp;thecat=500

I’ve have been reading on the forums where guys are taking the springs off of a Superduty Truck and putting them on the Excursion with good results. In my research this is what I think I should do.

U or V Code Springs in the front (this is where I am a little confused) recently it appears it works to mix them. Is this still recommended when you are pulling an 8-11K pound trailer and 7-8 people?

Bilstien HD Shocks - appears these are better than Edelbrock

Helwig Sway bar

Replace stacked Blocks in rear with single block

Possibly replace drop brackets if I can figure out how to keep the lift or should I drop the tire size down to 33’s with the new springs

Air bags in the rear

Anyway I am really confusing myself… If it were your vehicle what would you do? I really like it and plan on keeping it a long time as it only has 60,000 miles. I am looking for a balance of reliability, fuel economy and performance.

Thanks in advance!!

[06Clone]

I bought my X to pull a 40 foot 14,000lb boat and I would not have done that to my front end, but if it works for you, great. They do make firestone front air bags to replace the rear front shackels. It will always bounce and rock with big tires. I went back to narrower OEM Goodyear ATS 275/75 20 E's just as soon as they started making them. Major improvements all around over the big silly tires I had on it. The higher it is the worse it will tow - period. A major drop down receiver hitch will help but the center is the center and if you are towing at or past it its limit, ride and tire height is always going to hurt you no matter what. Aside from that it sounds like you know what you are doing with springs and bags. Good luck.

[BadSuperduty]

The shackle/hanger kit you have doesn't have anything to do with the ride. They are totally safe. All you need to do is replace the front springs with X code or a good aftermarket spring (i.e Deavor). The factory front Excursion springs are worthless. Or, you can have another leaf added to your factory ones and rearched. The addition of different front springs and a good shock set-up as you mentioned (Bilsteins) is all you need for the front. Although, your ride height will increase. The rear, as you mentioned, will be improved w/air bags and a Helwig bar. Remove the two stacked blocks and put one single in it's place. This will drastically improve the handling of your X.

I just have F-350 springs on mine that have been rearched w/another leaf and descent aftermarket shocks up front. The rear springs are factory with F-350 blocks, shocks and airbags. This made my X handle great.

Good Luck,

[Willie_up]

What is better adding a leaf in the front or changing to the X code springs?

With the additional height I will be gaining will I need a new pitman arm?

[BadSuperduty]

Since you already have a spring hanger lift (probably 3-4 inch), you'll need a 4-6" Pitman arm and Track bar drop bracket (keep drag link and track bar parallel). I've done both ways in the past, as far as the spring options go, and they were both good. If you can find some F-250 or 350 springs, that would be the easiest and least expensive though.

Take Care,
Lane

[JohnBoyII]

OH - you don't have the stock suspension on it NOW

Was wondering - from your intial statements it seemed this was another bash Ford thread....

so,
it's really a bash me for buying a used Excursion ? or
I should take off the stuff I did to it ? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[clamgulch]

Stacking blocks is illegal as far as I know. I tow 11,000 and want all spring and no blocks. I goofed when I ordered the front springs and they were 4" taller than I had planned for, so I have blocks in the rear. I'll probably get different front springs so there are no rear blocks- and I'll still be jacked up at least 6" above stock.

My springs are Skyjackers which are VERY stiff and excellent for towing with Skyjacker Platinum shocks- it's an armoured car ride though. No porpoising on bumps with my ex, trailer or not.

Traction bars or radius rods are needed on the excursion to stop the rear wheel steering problems caused by axle wrap at highway speeds. Also tighten up your steering box, but not so tight that is jams up the gears or they will break. Hellweig sway bar was a great improvement but I hate the end links. Keep in mind that you are towing way over the rated capability of the vehicle and your insurance might object to paying claims. Lastly, the hitch receiver is part of the frame so modifying or changing it requires some forethought.

Just be safe, what ever you do. You don't need towing problems with that many people's lives at risk. Make sure you always check the brake adjustment after every time you stop or switch drivers- if the controller resets, you could end up in trouble. That happend to me and we spun out towing our 30' enclosed trailer, which almost rolled down into a deep canyon shortly after my wife took the wheel.

[SoLoMax]

Hey Ya'll, I have a 2 wheel drive 2000 X. I am putting Airbags on rear monday, so do I still need to go the Hellwig bar route too, or is rear airbags enough to improve handling and towing? Also what if any modifications should I do to the front end? Is the stock front ok on 2WD or should I get some beefy bilsteins or something? I was not sure how to post this as a separate thread and figgered may as well tag it on here,,Thanks in advance, Lomax