HD F-150 or 3/4 ton truck?

[dodge man]

The truth is you probably can't go wrong for what your needs are.

 

[Farmer495]

I had a 156" 7.3 6-speed F250 3.73

I now have a 157" 3.5 auto F150 maxtow package 3.73

You can get the extending tow mirrors on the 1/2 ton ( I have them)

Verdict still out on the F150, it's rated to tow 1200 lb more on the bumper than the F250, less box payload.

F150 doesn't beat me up just driving around, turns a lot sharper, uses less fuel just bob tailing.

Towing, so far pulling the same loads the 3.5 does it easier, one hill where my 7.3 would just hold 70MPH in 5th (direct), the 3.5 will accelerate in 5th (1st overdrive)... plus it's quiet....and it doesn't rev or shift stupidly, I'm a manual trans guy and the programming on the 3.5 automatic so far has impressed me. Haven't used the M mode much, but again I haven't towed as much with it yet!

 

[WilliamBos]

Buy an F250 6.2 and be done with it. If you want a cushy ride, do not order the 5th wheel/camper package or snow plow prep. Still plenty capable and a better buy than a grocery getter 1500/150.

 

[17 Oaks]

Reading your needs at this time I would go with a new or near new up towing packages and the HD components at the F150 level. If you cannot find what you are looking for then order one. As for the the F 250, why bother, go big or go home and get the F 350.

I just sold my F 350 dually because my needs changed and I decided to step down to a F 250, mostly thinking I could save a few dollars vs the F 350. Well I was right I could save a FEW, VERY FEW dollars and the differences between the 2 trucks is a lot, so I got a 17 F 350 CC SRW KR last Oct and love it, its my 4 th F 350 and I am NOT a FORD man, never have been, but I buy what I believe is the best product for my application...and I got a great deal @ $2250 BELOW Invoice.

Let us know what you do...

 

[sd455dan]

Buy an F250 6.2 and be done with it. If you want a cushy ride, do not order the 5th wheel/camper package or snow plow prep. Still plenty capable and a better buy than a grocery getter 1500/150.

Isn't that the gas Ford V8 that has to rev to 4500 RPM to make about 400lbft of torque??

I would take the Ecoboosts torque curve over the 6.2.
the OP said he liked a diesels low RPM torque and pulling a heavy trailer up a long grade at 4500 rpm might get old fast.

 

[powerstroke444e]

I have a 2015 f350srw diesel cc xl and use it as a daily driver, but I have several large trailers. And before I had a f450 and a Town car there are time I miss the car but more often than not I miss my old f450. If I bought another I would most likely go with gas 350 as diesel engine is greater on power but mpg is only minimum different from buddies new F250 with 6.2 and seems to pull good enough compared to min. So my point is that I would not spend money on a diesel for what you are doing save the $10,000 and order exactly what you want.
I ordered my last 2 vehicles and would never settle for what is on the lot and ordering new I have seemed to get better price.

 

[WilliamBos]

I have a 2015 f350srw diesel cc xl and use it as a daily driver, but I have several large trailers. And before I had a f450 and a Town car there are time I miss the car but more often than not I miss my old f450. If I bought another I would most likely go with gas 350 as diesel engine is greater on power but mpg is only minimum different from buddies new F250 with 6.2 and seems to pull good enough compared to min. So my point is that I would not spend money on a diesel for what you are doing save the $10,000 and order exactly what you want.
I ordered my last 2 vehicles and would never settle for what is on the lot and ordering new I have seemed to get better price.

How long was the wait when you orderded? I have aklways bought lease returns, but may go new next time.

 

[gladehound]

I had a 156" 7.3 6-speed F250 3.73

I now have a 157" 3.5 auto F150 maxtow package 3.73

You can get the extending tow mirrors on the 1/2 ton ( I have them)

Verdict still out on the F150, it's rated to tow 1200 lb more on the bumper than the F250, less box payload.

F150 doesn't beat me up just driving around, turns a lot sharper, uses less fuel just bob tailing.

Towing, so far pulling the same loads the 3.5 does it easier, one hill where my 7.3 would just hold 70MPH in 5th (direct), the 3.5 will accelerate in 5th (1st overdrive)... plus it's quiet....and it doesn't rev or shift stupidly, I'm a manual trans guy and the programming on the 3.5 automatic so far has impressed me. Haven't used the M mode much, but again I haven't towed as much with it yet!

I'm very interested to hear more about your experience. As you probably know from my opening post, I also had a 156" 7.3 6-speed F250 3.73. What I'm looking to possibly get is the 157" 3.5 auto F150 maxtow package 3.73 (with max payload also... do you have that?). So you've been where I was and have gone where I may go. How much have you towed with the F150, what kind of trailer and conditions, and how'd it do?

Also, how is the fuel mileage empty with the 3.73 gears?

 

[gladehound]

Isn't that the gas Ford V8 that has to rev to 4500 RPM to make about 400lbft of torque??

I would take the Ecoboosts torque curve over the 6.2.
the OP said he liked a diesels low RPM torque and pulling a heavy trailer up a long grade at 4500 rpm might get old fast.

Yes, these are exactly my thoughts. With the ecoboost I will only get more low end torque but I get about 15% less GCVW when pulling my TT due to the lighter F-150. I figure those two factors combined will keep me in a more relaxed gear with the F-150 compared to the F-250 on any terrain. And for this reason, I'm heavily leaning towards the F150HD over a gas 3/4 ton.

 

[Poke]

How long was the wait when you orderded? I have aklways bought lease returns, but may go new next time.

When I ordered my truck it was 6 weeks.

 

[Poke]

Yes, these are exactly my thoughts. With the ecoboost I will only get more low end torque but I get about 15% less GCVW when pulling my TT due to the lighter F-150. I figure those two factors combined will keep me in a more relaxed gear with the F-150 compared to the F-250 on any terrain. And for this reason, I'm heavily leaning towards the F150HD over a gas 3/4 ton.

Some other factors to consider, will you ever upsize in camper or travel trailer? That was another factor in my decision for 3/4 ton, because I knew I would buy a gooseneck trailer to haul my tractor.

 

[gladehound]

Some other factors to consider, will you ever upsize in camper or travel trailer? That was another factor in my decision for 3/4 ton, because I knew I would buy a gooseneck trailer to haul my tractor.

It's a good thing to consider. In our case, my wife and I have already agreed that we will down size the travel trailer once our girls go to college and that our current one is actually bigger than we need for our family until then. When that time comes, we can have a whole other discussion on "Class 3 vrs Class 4 truck for a large slide in camper?" Look for that thread in about 8-9 years. :thumbsup:

 

[Farmer495]

I'm very interested to hear more about your experience. As you probably know from my opening post, I also had a 156" 7.3 6-speed F250 3.73. What I'm looking to possibly get is the 157" 3.5 auto F150 maxtow package 3.73 (with max payload also... do you have that?). So you've been where I was and have gone where I may go. How much have you towed with the F150, what kind of trailer and conditions, and how'd it do?

Also, how is the fuel mileage empty with the 3.73 gears?

I'm in Canada, so I converted my fuel usage, but I've seen 20 US MPG according to the lie-o-meter in the dash on 55 MPH roads, about 18 MPG on the 70 MPH roads. Towing mileage plummits, more like 11-12 MPG, but again I haven't had the truck long enough to get a real good feel. Based on that, it will use less fuel than my manual trans 7.3, that seemed to get only 15 MPG empty, and towing one trip I know I only got 9 MPG. So far I am impressed with the power the 3.5 makes, all at diesel like RPM.

I only tow light compared to most, approx 6000 lb travel trailer and 5000 lb loaded stock trailer. Some hills, some flat. The 3.5 has diesel like torque and turns about 1700 at 70 MPH, stays locked in 6th (double overdrive) empty on the highway and doesn't shift. My 7.3 turned about 2100 at 70 MPH.

I don't have the max payload, truck is 7700 GVWR where my 250 was 8800 GVWR.

 

[gladehound]

I'm in Canada, so I converted my fuel usage, but I've seen 20 US MPG according to the lie-o-meter in the dash on 55 MPH roads, about 18 MPG on the 70 MPH roads. Towing mileage plummits, more like 11-12 MPG, but again I haven't had the truck long enough to get a real good feel. Based on that, it will use less fuel than my manual trans 7.3, that seemed to get only 15 MPG empty, and towing one trip I know I only got 9 MPG. So far I am impressed with the power the 3.5 makes, all at diesel like RPM.

I only tow light compared to most, approx 6000 lb travel trailer and 5000 lb loaded stock trailer. Some hills, some flat. The 3.5 has diesel like torque and turns about 1700 at 70 MPH, stays locked in 6th (double overdrive) empty on the highway and doesn't shift. My 7.3 turned about 2100 at 70 MPH.

I don't have the max payload, truck is 7700 GVWR where my 250 was 8800 GVWR.

Great information! Thanks for the reply. Your travel trailer is even similar to size as mine. Incidentally, our next road trip with the trailer might be to Nova Scotia! Any sights you recommend?

 

[Farmer495]

Great information! Thanks for the reply. Your travel trailer is even similar to size as mine. Incidentally, our next road trip with the trailer might be to Nova Scotia! Any sights you recommend?

I am impressed so far with how it handles the trailer, I was skeptical, it wouldn't pull like the 7.3. but from what trailering I've done so far....I have to SLOW DOWN, speed creep is silent... Big thing against my 7.3 towing the travel trailer was it was ok in 6th @ 70 MPH, but you had to shift to 5th for most hills and then you were screaming at 3000 RPM and you had to postpone a conversation or miss out on radio song/chatter...

I like the integrated brake controller and extendable tow mirrors that are way larger than same style my F250 had.

With the max tow package there is something called "load leveling suspension", all I know is the truck sits perfectly level WITHOUT the load distribution bars when the travel trailer is hitched. Truck sits higher in the rear empty.

Nova Scotia has lots to see, major tourist draws are the Bay of Fundy (world's highest tides) Cape Breton Island/Cabot Trail. Provincial campgrounds are very nice, limited or no hook ups, but outdoorsy, most private campgrounds a full hook up but are more the parking lot style.

 

[Monster5601]

Powertrain technology is allowing more power while maintaining good economy when power isn't needed, like towing. May be the time has come where the old nomenclature of 1500, 2500, and 3500 is out the door. One thing for sure, the line between 1500 and 2500 has become very fuzzy.

 

[cford36]

I went thru something like this recently and I have had all the vehicles you are considering. Start with my 2011 F-250 6.7 diesel. Always wanted a diesel, was planning on getting a bigger boat so I got it. Mainly a daily driver with minimal towing. Of course the price of the truck put the bigger boat on hold. After 3 years and just out of warranty I got concerned about any issues down the road. Truck ran great, regened more often due to my short trips. Ended up trading to a 2013 F-150 Ecoboost. (did not have max tow or max payload) Drove great, good gas milage. Was very happy with the truck. Now the bigger boat came into the picture. End to end about 30' of trailer, weighted about 6000 lbs. Pulled it fine but I knew that it was back there. The problem came when we went on our yearly summer trip. Boat pushed 7500lbs loaded and GCVW became a big issue. I weighted everything I put in. In the end lets say I was very close to GCVW. It handled it fine, basically flat terrain, but I was uncomfortable being at the max and it constantly reminded you it was back there. (difference between your situation and mine is that with a boat much less % on the hitch and much less drag than a travel trailer). Next came my current truck, 2016 GMC 2500 6.0 gas. Great truck and back to not really knowing the trailer is there. Yes the gas engine will rev higher pulling up a hill, but it's what its designed to do.

To sum it up:

Diesel: loved it but concerned about long term issues due to not "working" it with my daily driving.

F-150 Ecoboost: will probably do everything you need but you will know that trailer is back there!

Gas 3/4 ton: I think best of both worlds. Just handles the weight much better. Only downsides are a little rougher ride empty (GMC is much better than my 250 was) and gas milage sucks.

 

[cford36]

Powertrain technology is allowing more power while maintaining good economy when power isn't needed, like towing. May be the time has come where the old nomenclature of 1500, 2500, and 3500 is out the door. One thing for sure, the line between 1500 and 2500 has become very fuzzy.

I agree with this. On paper the numbers work, but in reality the 3/4 ton just simply handles the weight better. Wider stance, bigger brakes, heavier truck, etc. Not saying the 1/2 ton can't or shouldn't do it, just saying, it is far more pleasurable drive with the bigger truck. IMHO

 

[powerstroke444e]

It took about 6 weeks

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have bought about 20 new vehicle's and ordered better than half them. I always gett a better deal ordering in the long-run and on average i get them in a week or two quicker than quoted.

Usually 4 to 5 weeks