2001 Ford Excursion Towing Capacity

In this article, we are going to take a look at the 2001 Excursion's towing capacity, to see what they're made of and to see just how capable they really are. I think you might be surprised to see some of the data I found!

Essential Information You Need for Calculating Your Excursion's Towing Capacity:

You really only need to know three main things about your SUV, in order to find out your maximum trailer weight rating from the chart I have listed, and these three things are: 

• The engine that is installed, with the three different options including the 5.4L, 6.8L, or the 7.3L diesel engine.
• The axle ratio, higher ratios seemed to have better ratings, overall.
• Whether your SUV is 2-wheel drive (2WD) or 4-wheel drive (4WD).

It is also worth mentioning that understanding other related specs like the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), and the payload capacity can provide even more information that you might need to use when figuring out more complex calculations, especially for heavier loads.

2001 Ford Excursion Towing Capacities By Engine:

Overall, the maximum towing capacity for the 2001 Ford Excursion (across all engine types) ranged from 6,200 lbs to 10,000 lbs, with the highest ratings being found in models that were equipped with either the 6.8L (V10) or 7.3L diesel engine.

2001 Excursions with the 5.4L Engine (V8):

• 2WD models equipped with the 3.73 ratio, had a maximum towing capacity of 6,200 lbs., which was substantially less than the 4WD versions that had a 4.10 axle ratio and a maximum towing capacity of up to 7,200 pounds.

2001 Excursions with the 6.8L Engine (V10):

• Models that had the 6.8l (V10) engine equipped, with a 3.73 axle ratio had a maximum towing capacity of up to 10,000 lbs for the 2WD versions and 9,600 lbs. for the 4WD versions.
• The same models (when equipped with a 4.30 axle ratio), had the same towing capacity rating of 10,000 lbs., no matter if you had a 2WD and 4WD variation.

2001 Excursions with the 7.3L Engine (Diesel):

• Models that were powered by the 7.3l diesel engine, only had one axle ratio option (3.73), but offered a maximum towing capacity of up to 10,000 lbs, for both the 2WD and 4WD versions.

Finding the Necessary Details For Your 2001 Excursion...

As I mentioned earlier, understanding your vehicle's towing capacity requires you to be familiar with 3 specific details about your Excursion. Let's quickly dive into how you can obtain this information, shall we?

Utilizing a VIN Decoder To Find The Engine and 2WD/4WD Variations...
Using an online VIN decoder (free) is an easy way to get two of the needed pieces of information about your vehicle, the engine you have equipped and the drivetrain configuration (2WD/4WD). All you have to do is enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) into any VIN decoder, and it will tell you what engine you have and whether your vehicle is a 2WD or 4WD model.

You can find your SUV's VIN in a couple of easily accessible places on your vehicle. The easiest location is found on the dashboard on the driver's side, visible through the windshield, on the outside looking in.

Another typical location is on the safety certification label, which is either on the driver's side door pillar or the door itself and once you find it, it will have the VIN displayed somewhere on the label.

The image below was used for a 2000 model but works the same for any year...

Determining the Axle Ratio...
Finding the axle ratio of your vehicle may require a bit more effort than using the VIN decoder method, but is still fairly straightforward.

Start by opening the driver’s side door and looking for the safety certification label (shown below), which is usually somewhere on the door pillar or the door itself. At the bottom of this label, you'll find the term "AXLE" followed by a code and this code is the key to identifying your axle ratio. You can search for this code online to determine the specific axle ratio of your vehicle.

If the safety certification label doesn’t provide an axle code, you have a couple of alternatives. One option is to contact a dealership and ask them to run your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see if they can figure out the axle ratio for you.

The last option would be to look for an identifying mark yourself, which involves getting under the vehicle and locating a tag on the rear differential. This tag should have a number stamped onto it, indicating the axle ratio you're trying to find.

Related Hitch Information:

Using A Step Bumper: If you are just using a rear step bumper, with a ball, the Excursion is only rated to pull a maximum of 5,000 lbs and can handle a maximum tongue weight (the downward force on the hitch) of 500 lbs (or 10%).

Maximum Ratings & Weight Distributing Hitch: For a hitch receiver setup (the most common type people use), the weight-carrying capacity is listed at 5,000 lbs (maximum), with the same maximum tongue weight of 500 lbs., like we saw with the bumper hitch However, when using a weight-distributing hitch (specialized towing system designed to equalize your load) the maximum weight capacity increases to the maximum trailer ratings that are found in the towing chart.

The data presented in this article has been meticulously gathered from Ford's Towing Guide, which is a resource that is publicly accessible for anyone seeking more detailed information.