FordExcursions.com Forums
E. Long
 
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• Subscriber since 1/1/2001 |
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• Atlanta, GA, USA |
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• Registered on 1/23/2001 |
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• 2,228 posts |
• 1 Vehicle
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 Posted:12/5/2004 23:00 |
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| Quote: | | Well, I’ve had Landyots radius rods installed for a couple of months now, time to put in my 2 cents. First off, unlike most others, I’ve had NO wandering issues with my X. As a matter of fact, there is a short flat stretch of interstate on my way to work which my hands free driving record is 4 tenths of a mile (tires crossing white lines). I became interested in the rods because of a wiggle I have when towing (as a previous poster mentioned). I have an Equal-i-zer brand WD anti-sway hitch which I am sure is adjusted as good as it can. I ordered a set of Landyots rods, installed them, double and triple checked the installation. Took it out for a test drive,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I noticed absolutely NO difference from stock. Remember, I had no wandering before hand. I needed to wait for a tow (the reason I bought the rods). Went camping this past Thanksgiving, ~300 miles round trip. Hooked up the TT, got on the interstate,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,NO difference! I have never heard a negative comment about Landyots rods, so I was hesitant to make a comment. I’m absolutely sure that those that have installed them and said there is a night and day difference are being completely truthful. But in my case I had no wander before and have no wander after, I had a wiggle when towing the TT before, I have the wiggle after. |
Roger,
It's good to hear your results. It does seem a bit too good to be true if every single person benefits from them! I'm curious to learn about your setup on your X. Your registry entry doesn't indicate 4WD/2WD, engine, shocks (factory or aftermarket), etc, etc. Yours is a 2004, maybe there are some differences that we as a group have not yet learned about when compared to the 00-03 models? LANDYOT will probably know a bit more about the 04s, I certainly don't know much other than that they have much cooler interior features than my '00 does. 
I'm writing an install article on the radius rods (installed them this weekend) and am interested in finding out if there are any differneces in the '04 model that are worth mentioning when describing the wondering/tracking characteristic that seems to plague Excursions.
-Eric
'67 Galaxie 500 - 390 FE, .030" over, FE to AOD adapter, disc brake conversion. The Daily Driver.
'00 Excursion - 7.3L PSD, LANDYOT Gen-II Radius Rods, Factory Tech Valve Body, 200K+ miles and going |
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THETURK
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• baltimore, MD, USA |
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• Registered on 11/25/2004 |
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• 24 posts |
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Posted:12/8/2004 05:43 |
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I am interested in a set. Can you tell me what results I could expect and how much they cost.
Thanks and Happy holidays
...."THE TURK"
ENJOY THE BEST TRUCK ON THE ROAD BOYS!!!!!!! 7.3 liter PSD, 4X4, Banks Turbo back exhaust, Air intake sytem, Superchip, 35" tires, A/R wheels 16 X 8, Pioneer Tune system with XM/ Navigation/ Rear Camera / DVD ,sub amps etc. ,Rear dvd , Cross drilled/slotted rotors, 2.5" Pro Comp, tint, All Black exterior, black grill and bumpers, black Rangehand front grille guard, and a amazing 36" sunroof |
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THETURK
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• baltimore, MD, USA |
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• Registered on 11/25/2004 |
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• 24 posts |
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Posted:12/8/2004 05:51 |
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So you make the swat bars too?? Do you recommend the rods and sway bars or just the rods???
...."THE TURK"
ENJOY THE BEST TRUCK ON THE ROAD BOYS!!!!!!! 7.3 liter PSD, 4X4, Banks Turbo back exhaust, Air intake sytem, Superchip, 35" tires, A/R wheels 16 X 8, Pioneer Tune system with XM/ Navigation/ Rear Camera / DVD ,sub amps etc. ,Rear dvd , Cross drilled/slotted rotors, 2.5" Pro Comp, tint, All Black exterior, black grill and bumpers, black Rangehand front grille guard, and a amazing 36" sunroof |
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E. Long
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• Subscriber since 1/1/2001 |
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• Atlanta, GA, USA |
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• Registered on 1/23/2001 |
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• 2,228 posts |
• 1 Vehicle
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Posted:12/8/2004 08:44 |
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| Quote: | | So you make the swat bars too?? Do you recommend the rods and sway bars or just the rods??? |
LANDYOT makes the radius rods. Sway bars can be purchased through Summit Racing or Jegs. The brand name is "Hellwig." Both items are recommended for the Excursion as they fix/improve two different characteristics of handling. Throw a new set of shocks into the mix and you'll have a very different (and much better) handling X!
-Eric
'67 Galaxie 500 - 390 FE, .030" over, FE to AOD adapter, disc brake conversion. The Daily Driver.
'00 Excursion - 7.3L PSD, LANDYOT Gen-II Radius Rods, Factory Tech Valve Body, 200K+ miles and going |
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85MH325
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• Eastern, IA, USA |
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• Registered on 3/20/2004 |
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• 54 posts |
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Posted:12/8/2004 20:26 |
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| Quote: | | But in my case I had no wander before and have no wander after, I had a wiggle when towing the TT before, I have the wiggle after. |
Roger, I find that pretty interesting too although I profess that I know far less about this stuff than most of the folks who post here regularly. I tow a 34' Airstream tri-axle using a Reese Dual-Cam hitch setup. The hitch weight is around 900 lbs and the total trailer weight is probably 8700 lbs or so.
I can tell you that there are a variety of other factors besides the rear-axle steering that affect your tow 'feel', the most significant being the tire pressure. I was a victim of the dreaded "D" rated Firestones and now have "E" rated Firestones on my Ex. At 55psi towing they're a nightmare . At 70 psi they're smooth as silk. Sidewall flex under load does awful things. The length of your draw bar can also affect the tow quality. I had a long bar intended for use on a van with a rear-mounted spare. As soon as I replaced it with a standard length bar, more of the problems disappeared.
Not that you're necessarily experiencing the same things I did, but they can all contributed to a poor quality towing experience.
Roger |
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Roger Medbery
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• Stockbridge, GA, USA |
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• Registered on 8/11/2004 |
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• 8 posts |
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Posted:12/9/2004 17:30 |
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My X has the E's that I keep at 80 when towing. I have the rancho adjustables at 9 (rear) when towing. With 5 people, gear and the TT Im well over the Xs GVWR, Im sure that has a lot to do with it. My wiggle comes from bursts of wind side loading (overpass exit, semis, etc..). Many say its a fact of life and I should live with it. Its really not that bad, I just thought I could improve it.
Eric,
The X is an 04, 4X4, PSD. Ken sent me an email with some sugestions. The leaf springs are a little different on the 04s (at least mine), I think he knows about it but the installation is the same. |
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LANDYOT
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• Subscriber since 11/23/2003 |
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• Newport News, VA, USA |
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• Registered on 7/15/2003 |
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• 1,110 posts |
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Posted:12/9/2004 19:09 |
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As Roger said, we have been in contact. His explanations of how he proceeded with the installation left no doubt in my mind that the task was performed to perfection. His ability to describe the process was very thorough and methodical. Hence, I have the utmost respect for his comprehension of the entire installation.
Admittedly, I am stumped as to why there has been no felt ride improvement. On the other hand, I am also quite curious as to why there was no wandering prior to installing the radius-rods. This would be the first Excursion with OEM suspension components I've heard of that did not suffer from spring wrap.
Indeed, the 2004 and 2005 have different spring-stacks than earlier models. Some of the leaves and the OEM traction bar are different lengths than those found on the 2000 thru 2003 models I've seen. But like Roger said, the installation is basically the same. I know of six other 2004s with the radius-rods. Four of those folks raved about the improvement (three of them within this thread), and I haven't heard a peep from the other two. I am at a loss to explain why there was no felt improvement in the ride quality of Roger's Excursion. |
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LANDYOT
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• Subscriber since 11/23/2003 |
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• Newport News, VA, USA |
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• Registered on 7/15/2003 |
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• 1,110 posts |
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Posted:12/19/2004 19:54 |
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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus ... or at least a Mrs. LAND YOT! (I love this woman!) My wife told me what she was getting me for Christmas because it was too large for her to get it home. I spent most of today bringing home a new (and considerably larger) metal-cutting band saw ... one with a coolant / lubricant recirculation system. (yee-haw) Now, I will need to sell my old one (I'll do that locally). |
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Orf
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• Pittsburgh, PA, USA |
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• Registered on 8/29/2003 |
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• 143 posts |
• 1 Vehicle
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Posted:12/20/2004 11:09 |
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Love is...
A woman who knows how to buy tools.
Congrats, Ken. |
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BRIAN TOWNSEND
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• Mitchell, NE, USA |
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• Registered on 8/14/2004 |
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• 2 posts |
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Posted:12/21/2004 01:04 |
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I would go back and double check the U bolts that clamp around the springs. Be sure and torque them to the right specs (23-25 ft lb if I remember correctly). I had mine installed by a shop along with rancho 9000s and Helwig bars for 150.00. I didn't notice much improvement so I crawled under and evey thing looked fine. So got out the torque wrench and guess what they were about 12 lbs. I could see where they had been sliding back and forth about 3/8 of an inch. Ride much improved now, but don't have a lot of miles on it after the fix. Will know more in a week because we're going on a 2500 mile trip. |
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