Airstream International 28' and Ford ExpeditionI

[robertj]

I am planning on buying a 2008 Airstream International Ocean Breeze and a Ford Expedition tow vehicle that has the heavy duty towing package. The GVWR for the Airstream is 7300'. The towing capacity of the Expedition with the towing package is 9200', and is 9000' for the Expedition EL. I need help in answering the following: do the Expedition or EL have sufficient towing capacity to tow the Airstream? If so, will the Expedition or the EL work best as the tow vehicle? What kind of hitch should be used? What about an anti sway bar? Thanks for your help. Robertj

[Airhog1]

Hey Robert,

Welcome to the forums...a wealth of info here.

Several of our customers have been using the Equalizer brand hitch with built in sway control...no chains and it seems a lot easier to hook up.

I also have some folks towing with the Expedition EL and it seems to be working really well for them.

Good Luck!

G

[mustang]

You should also consider wheel base when buying a tow vehicle. There are many good weight distributing hitches out there just make sure you also have a sway control system also. 1 more thing make sure your tires on your tow vehicle are correct also.

[holmestk]

I bought that same trailer in Dec, and have been towing it with a E350 Van. We also have a Ford Expedition, both have the 5.4l V8. The Expedition isn't setup quite yet, but we plan to add the brake controller soon to allow for some flexibility. So far the E350 seems to work great with enough power to get around, the primary difference from the expedition is the longer wheelbase, as pointed out this has some advantages.

I ordered the Equalizer hitch from Ebay, best deal was from a trailer place in Eugene OR. Do the setup yourself based on the instructions, my airstream dealer eyeballed it (they don't rep them) and it wasn't correct. MUCH better after we tweaked it, several threads here discuss how to use a weigh station for optimum results.