Get my 7.3 Ford Excursion Unstuck...

[snowaddict91]

Whoa, small world! Do you still live in Gunni? We do talk about selling the F150. It's occasionally very convenient to have and (in our opinion) kinda cool, but it spends most of its time just sitting there. Its 4wd with a straight 6 and 4speed manual... If your interested

Duratracs are the other tire I'm considering along with the Coopers. I'm mildly concerned about the DT wearing out quicker and getting worse mpgs.

Nope, moved to SLC a few years ago but make it back to the valley often to see friends and the mountains. Hope to get back there for good someday.

I have a thing for the old fords too, looks like a good mountain rig!

I'm currently running Cooper AT3s on my F250. No problems with them in the snow either. If the ATWs were out when I got tires last I would probably be running them.

 

[Double_Eh]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I've got the excursion scheduled to get a new set of Cooper ATWs installed next week, and will get some maxtrax on order.

My other rig at the moment is a 19yr old 5speed Subaru Outback (aka the greatest car ever made) with snow tires. It eventually has its limitations, but it never ceases to impress me. Even in this last storm (over 4 feet of grin inducing skiable powder here in Crested Butte) I could brush off the Suby and drive away. No drama at all. In comparison I've been pretty underwhelmed by the Ex so far. Even with chains on I'm struggling.

I'm keeping an eye on all the other excursion builds here on the site and hoping to get some more ideas. Planning on a mild lift in the spring to remedy the worn out shocks and leaf springs and also building in some storage and sleeping arrangements for my wife and I. I'm missing the no-drama reliability and predictability of my Suby and wishing I had gotten a diesel land cruiser when I had a chance. But I still have hope for the excursion...

 

[INSAYN]

Tire chains
or
Move

 

[ExplorerTom]

What pressure are the current Transforce tires at? If they are super pumped up, that could also be a factor.

But new tires, aired down a smidgen, is still the best answer. The Coopers should be better than the Transforce.

 

[Double_Eh]

Tire chains
or
Move

Did I mention that there's skiing here? Really, really good skiing... Plus climbing, mountain biking, and general backwoods exploring the rest of the year. No plans to move. :26_7_2:

And I have chains on right now. I hate them with a passion.


^Yesterday

 

[Double_Eh]

What pressure are the current Transforce tires at? If they are super pumped up, that could also be a factor.

But new tires, aired down a smidgen, is still the best answer. The Coopers should be better than the Transforce.

Transforce are at 55psi all around. They were up higher for a road trip, pulling a heavy trailer. Probably should bring them down a touch more, but even the empty truck is pretty dang heavy. Not sure how low I can go?

 

[kmlacroix]

Like others have said, get winter tires. They are designed to grip in snow and ice. They have softer rubber compounds to stay more flexible in cold weather. The winterforce is the best rated for your truck, on Tire Rack. Some sort of traction aid would be nice also.

 

[onemanarmy]

Or just drive the Subaru. Why drive a huge truck on street tires and complain of getting stuck when you have a proven snow vehicle sitting at home?



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[ExplorerTom]

Transforce are at 55psi all around. They were up higher for a road trip, pulling a heavy trailer. Probably should bring them down a touch more, but even the empty truck is pretty dang heavy. Not sure how low I can go?

What's the sticker on the door say?

 

[Double_Eh]

Time for a little update and yet another request for advice...

The Excursion is in at the local shop. It's getting new shoes (Cooper ATWs) and a new locking hub on the front left. I've learned that highway rated tires + 2.5 wheel drive + over 100" of snow in a week = lots of swearing and lots of shoveling.

I also realized just how bad the shocks and springs are. I'm awful at skiing moguls, but driving the Ex through the ice and snow to the shop made me look like an Olympian in comparison. Lots of bottoming out plenty of unnessecary upper body movement.

I was planning on putting off any suspension work till the spring or summer but now thinking about moving that up. I wanted to jump on getting the coopers installed but now I'm worried that I should've waited and done the whole shebang at the same time... Here's my (il)logical thought process:

- the v/b code swap seems swell, but I'm nowhere near a scrap yard to find used springs and don't have anywhere that isn't buried in snow to do the work myself anyway.

- The local shop can do a pro-comp lift (~4-5" on an excursion) with new front springs, an add-a-leaf in the rear and some bilstein shocks for less than replacing the stock springs.

- According to the all-knowing internet and the ExPo forum, 35" is the tire size to use with a 4" lift.

- The cooper ATWs (getting installed as I write this) are ~32" (285/75/16) and don't come any bigger.

So what would y'all do?

1. Quit whining, bounce around on the coopers with the sagging suspension until the snow melts (August?) and deal with it then. (This seems like the wise decision)

B. Quit whining, keep the coopers, add the lift, and stop being so vain. Your 17 year old truck will look just fine with 32's. Especially parked next to your 19 year old clapped out Subaru. The 37 year old F-150 will always be cooler anyway.

III. Suck it up, add the lift, swap out the coopers for some 35" BFG KO2s and keep pretending that your truck is remotely as cool as the one Chris Cordes is building.

Four: Scrap the whole thing. Sell the Ex, buy Betarockers F350 bulletproof 6.0 powerstroke with the manual transmission you wanted, ARB lockers, lift-kit, traction bars, etc... Add a vegetable oil system.

V: Some other, much better idea that we seriously can't believe you didn't do already...

PS- I'm also looking for name suggestions for the excursion. "God-dammit, why are you stuck again" doesn't have quite the ring I'm looking for...

 

[Buliwyf]

Time for a little update and yet another request for advice...

The Excursion is in at the local shop. It's getting new shoes (Cooper ATWs) and a new locking hub on the front left. I've learned that highway rated tires + 2.5 wheel drive + over 100" of snow in a week = lots of swearing and lots of shoveling.

I also realized just how bad the shocks and springs are. I'm awful at skiing moguls, but driving the Ex through the ice and snow to the shop made me look like an Olympian in comparison. Lots of bottoming out plenty of unnessecary upper body movement.

I was planning on putting off any suspension work till the spring or summer but now thinking about moving that up. I wanted to jump on getting the coopers installed but now I'm worried that I should've waited and done the whole shebang at the same time... Here's my (il)logical thought process:

- the v/b code swap seems swell, but I'm nowhere near a scrap yard to find used springs and don't have anywhere that isn't buried in snow to do the work myself anyway.

- The local shop can do a pro-comp lift (~4-5" on an excursion) with new front springs, an add-a-leaf in the rear and some bilstein shocks for less than replacing the stock springs.

- According to the all-knowing internet and the ExPo forum, 35" is the tire size to use with a 4" lift.

- The cooper ATWs (getting installed as I write this) are ~32" (285/75/16) and don't come any bigger.

So what would y'all do?

1. Quit whining, bounce around on the coopers with the sagging suspension until the snow melts (August?) and deal with it then. (This seems like the wise decision)

B. Quit whining, keep the coopers, add the lift, and stop being so vain. Your 17 year old truck will look just fine with 32's. Especially parked next to your 19 year old clapped out Subaru. The 37 year old F-150 will always be cooler anyway.

III. Suck it up, add the lift, swap out the coopers for some 35" BFG KO2s and keep pretending that your truck is remotely as cool as the one Chris Cordes is building..[/COLOR]

Four: Scrap the whole thing. Sell the Ex, buy Betarockers F350 bulletproof 6.0 powerstroke with the manual transmission you wanted, ARB lockers, lift-kit, traction bars, etc... Add a vegetable oil system.

V: Some other, much better idea that we seriously can't believe you didn't do already...

PS- I'm also looking for name suggestions for the excursion. "God-dammit, why are you stuck again" doesn't have quite the ring I'm looking for...

I would hve gotton 33" or 34" Cooper ST Max's or GY Duratracs. But those 32's may work ok. You'll need Bushwacker fender flares with 35's, unless you like Co rocks being thrown through the sides of the truck. My 34" tires don't even stick out and allready I need to go back to the body shop for rust and nick fixes. With the even bigger cutout flares, you can run 38" tires with a mild lift.

Pro comp sucks. Check out BDS. Upgrade to rear springs, not just 5" blocks. Upgrade to single tube Fox 2.0's as well.

Better yet, F the lift. Don't do it. Get fresh F350 springs front and rear. One of the hardcore old Ford guys here can help you with exactly the right spring. But plow or camper springs up front and fresh rear springs and maybe a taller rear block should be perfect, and not too tall for the 32" tires you just bought. If you still want hardcore 35-38" tires, add Bushwacker cutout fender flares.

Get some sort of locker in the rear. Detroit lockers are best for an Excursion in Ohio snow, especially heavy lake effect snow storms. ARB sucks in Ohio. But you're in Colorado, the snow and roads are different there. Maybe an open ARB diff is best on those roads, and lock it up when your stuck (if it doesn't freeze open).

 

[cbattles]

Especially for slick roads, I'm always going to vote limited slip in the rear, something like a true trac, and selectable locker in the front is nice for more extreme situations.

Actual lockers make it way too easy to break both rear tires lose and exacerbate any traction problems on the road. Limited slips are way more predictable in those kinds of conditions.

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[cbattles]

Also, your bouncing would be solved by a good pair of shocks.

You may also need springs, but unless there's some major sagging involved, you can probably do them whenever.

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[lstzephyr]

When I lived outside of Aspen I never had trouble getting around in beat up old pickups with 4wd, all terrain tires and rear limited slip differentials in deep snow. I think a decent set of tires and a rear limited slip would help keep you from getting stuck.

I consider springs and shocks to be a maintenance item now with old vehicles. I would replace the springs with a mild lift in the 2-3 inch range and keep the 32s until they are worn out or undesirable.

 

[Elkhntr121]

A lot of good suggestions. I don't typically post but the earlier comments about excursion in the snow got my attention.

I wanted to offer a Couple quick thoughts - 1st to dispel the notion that excursions are bad performers in the snow. Quite the contrary and I've got plenty of experience to know. At about 8000 pounds and fairly heavy in the rear (unlike a pickup) with appropriate tires and perhaps a limited slip in the rear you should have a solid snow capable rig. Weight is fairly balanced over each axle which is an asset. Not suggesting you go break trails over the sierras in multi foot deep snow, but that's not what you described wanting. I'm also not suggesting excursions are the equivalent of snowmobiles - they are not. But they're definitely not inadequate snow vehicles.

I've got an 05 6.0 ex and it is great in the snow. I find the earlier post by chris to be odd at best about excursions being noted as poor snow performers for what you are describing.

This is my 2nd Ex, traded my 03 with about 60k for the 05 once I learned Ford was going to stop making them. The 05 has 200k+ and going strong. Between the two I've got a lot of miles in snow, both on and off roads between commuting, runs up to Ski resorts, and countless deer and elk hunting trips all over Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Canada with the two excursions. Not to mention countless taxi trips for friends, family, and employees that can't get around because of snowy roads.

We've got a pretty decent snow dump in Portland right now and a couple so far this year. (Portland is not equipped to deal with snow - any snow. It's comical how paralyzed everyone gets here when the flakes start to fall!).

I typically drive the Ex because it is so good in the snow - and I've got other options -

I have a 2016 Rubicon Unlimited with AEV's full kit and 37" bfg at ko2's, a second set of 37 gy mtr on AEV bead locks. Also a Jeep J20 on 39.5 IROKs (best deep snow tire I've ever seen), Dana 60's, Detroit s f&r, nv4500, f/I built AMC 401 and on and on and on... I've had plenty of others, early broncos, cj's, TJ's, JK's, f250's, f350's, j trucks, and even an M715 (still have the m715). Again plenty of miles in the backcountry including snow.

I'd happily choose the excursion when it comes to the snow unless its deep trail breaking snow runs (the 8k weight is not an asset in the multi-foot deep stuff!).

As it's been said, I think you have a tire problem 1st and foremost. A limited slip would help a lot. You'd be surprised what can be done with appropriate driving technique with only those two things.

Currently I'm running 285 75r16 bfg at ko2's and can say with confidence they are great winter traction tires. Both my excursion had limited slip rear (I had the luxury of ordering them that way). They are also a great back country and even road tire. There are other great tires out there - just select ones that fit the balance your looking for. Whatever you have now clearly isn't the right choice.

Good luck on your build!