F350 CC versus Excursion

[flattj]

Hi, I used to hang around here back when it was Ford-Diesel. I bought an F350 CC longbox back then and have been very happy with it. I'm now looking at trading it for an Excursion. Basically, I changed jobs so I no longer drive the F350 on a dialy basis and want something the wife can drive with the soon to be 3 children. The truck being CC longbox and a manual is not that appealing to the wife. She drove a used Ex the other day and seemed like she could handle it.

Basically, I have a few questions. Anyone else have both at some point or another? I'm wondering what the general consensus is regarding the 7.3 vs. the 6.0? I drove an 05 Ex as well as the 01 that my wife drove. I really liked the 6.0, more specifically the trans. I bought a manual in the truck and liked that besides the more reliable nature. So the new trans is actually more on my mind than the engine. Mileage seems similar from what I've researched. As far as towing, I use the truck for flat towing my Jeep. The wheelbase of the truck makes it very stable when flat towing. Anyone flat tow with an Ex? I'm going to have a hard time letting go of my truck if this happens. But after driving the 05 I think I would be happy with the Ex.

Thanks, sorry its so long.

Brian

So anyone interested in a trade?

[Bruce1954]

An X properly "Deficiency Corrected" will tow just fine I have towed over 10K with mine without a WD hitch and it tows just great. See my bio below. You are also correct it is a great family vehicle, Last trip we made with ours was over Easter, about 1825 miles in about 80 hours total while visiting family 6 adults traveled in comfort, my children are mostly grown.
BTW my 02 has 107K on it and will be for sale soon as I ordered an 05, identical; we love our X it just will not be new enough for me in 8 or so years from now when I don't need one any more.


Bruce

[flattj]

What do mean by "deficiency corrected"? I'm not going to be towing anything more than a Jeep on a trailer for the forseeable future. As it is, I use a towbar on the Jeep. The issue with that is there is virtually no tongue weight. Braking into a downhill turn on gravel can get a little exciting, even with my CC. Otherwise highway handling is great. I would imagine the X has more weight on the rr. axle than my empty CC anyway so maybe it would be better. I'm also thinking maybe a E350 w/ the diesel. That is what I wanted originally before the F350, but wanted 4wd. That is still an issue with the van. I looked into Quigleys back then, and it just seems easier to get the X than mess with that. Altough, price wise it would be the same. That was the decideing factor between the 350 and the van before.

[Bruce1954]

Interesting, I had an E-150 Prior to the X
All Xs have known suspension problems due to Ford's desire to lower the vehicle for marketing reasons.

A typical used X has about 1/2 of travel to the bump stops there is a bit more on 03 and up they have a little more as they revised the stops in late 02. OE set up produces a rough ride up front.

Also no sway bar on the X until it was optioned in 04

The front shocks are very poor and the rear springs are low with limited travel for some, they may be ok for you.

Many posts here on how to fix an X going back almost 3 years. It is not that expensive and the posts here will help you get your desired results.

Over all the van was great for traveling but for traveling and day to day driving the X has it hands down for us. There is no better vehicle in snow and ice that is a within reason family vehicle. Overall the X feels much safer and more stable than the van,

Hope this helps

Bruce

[boatpuller]

The X is right at 8000 pounds curb weight, with nearly 50/50 distribution on the two axles. That makes it great for lower traction conditions like snow and gravel. Your 350 may have weighed similar, but probably with less weight carried on the rear axle (unloaded that is). You have a longer wheelbase in the 350, by about the length of the back door. The X's wb is close to a standard cab longbed pickup.

Common suspension improvements on Excursions:
- Strong front springs, as the stock ones are so soft the axle hits the "frame" in normal driving. Some replace with stock 350 springs, others add additional aftermarket leaf
- Improved shocks (probably have the same problem with the 350)
- Rear anti-sway bar on eariler models without them

Not as common, but a good idea:
- Radius rods to keep the rear springs from allowing the rear axle to flex out of perpindicular(sp?) alignment to the frame. It's another unexpected result from softer stock springs used to make the X comfortable as an unloaded grocery getter.

If you do the work yourself, and it's not that hard, you'll have $500 - $1000 in parts depending on how you get springs and which shocks you choose. Pay a local shop, and they'll need a few hours to do it.

The Excursion tries to be both a mild mannered suv, and a tough diesel truck, and does a remarkable job at both. The factory just missed on the above, but if you correct them, you'll have a great handling and riding vechile.

[Bruce1954]

Boat Puller, Well said!

U and V code springs up front are the most common, both are upper end SD springs

Ws are for 450s
Xs are for 550s and SD with Snow Plows



Bruce

[DR.billZ]

I had a '01 F-350 CC with a 7.3. It tows much, much, much better than an X. I have done some mods to the X but it still is about 3/4 the tow vehicle the CC was.
Can your wife stand to drive a CC with an auto? If so, get it if you want a good tow vehicle.
If you want room for the family, get the X. For family comfort the X beats the CC hands down. But you will always know in the back of your head it doesn't tow as well as the 350.

Powerwise everything is the same. Suspension-wise the X is a wallowing turd. That is about as good as I can put it [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[flattj]

Thanks for the responses. As far as the susp. sitting low, that shouldn't be an issue. Thats one of the problems the wife has w/ the CC, she isn't short, but its tough for here to rig carseats in the back of the pickup without climbing in the seat herself. I drove an '01 that had a noticeable kick in the rr. that I attributed to hitting the bumpstops. Otherwise it rode much softer than my pickup does unless carrying significant weight in the bed. I also drove a new '05 and that one rode much better, possibly just the springs not being settled in. I can deal with soft springs and low ride height. I have a TJ Wrangler that runs with no sway bars and soft springs almost sitting on the bumpstops. Modifying it if need be isn't an issue. I worked at a Jeep dealer for many years and it still keeps me busy repairing and modifying it. The point of the F350 and now the X is to have a vehicle that I can leave stock and not deal w/ constantly working on it. Also, the 350 sits in the garage %90 of the time now, as I have a job where I don't drive it daily anymore. Its a lot of truck to just have sitting there. If we get the X, my plan is to also sell the wifes car and she can drive the X dialy. Dr. Bill, towing wise, I only flat tow my Jeep right now, which means no tongue weight. If I end up with a trailer at some point, I would think the X could also easily handle that w/a Jeep. Combined trailer/Jeep weight shouldn't be more than 5-6K.

[ScaldedDog]

[ QUOTE ]
If I end up with a trailer at some point, I would think the X could also easily handle that w/a Jeep. Combined trailer/Jeep weight shouldn't be more than 5-6K.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's exactly what we tow with our X, though it's a 4Runner on the trailer and the two of them weigh about 6K. I've got air bags, though, if I had it to do over again, I might have done a WD hitch first. Even with the bags I still need WD to keep the front end from feeling too light.

Mark

[DR.billZ]

Well it's not necessarily the tongue weight. It's the pushing in turns, g-out bumps and stopping that is the problem. The suspension just sucks(stock). Granted it's a lot better than a smaller SUV or a mid-size truck but it is much worse than I was expecting. An F-150 is better. Just want you to realize what you are getting into before you make the leap. I think we all take the F-350 for granted when we have it.
The 350 rides great and pulls great.