FORD F150 or F250

[Rlundy]

Considering a new truck. I do not pull my travel trailer or tractor (Ford 5000) very often. I am not interested in purchasing diesel power.
The new 4WD F150 Eco boost V6 tow rating is 13,200lbs. 4WD F250 gas powered is rated at 15,000lbs.
4WD F-250 operating & maintenance expense is more and getting in and out of parking spaces in town may be more difficult, (the difference in purchase price is not an issue).
I am asking for experience/thoughts out there from anyone that may have been thru this scenario when buying a new Ford, what did you buy and are you happy. Thanks.

 

[Jstpssng]

You might get better responses if you repost in the "Trailers/Transportation" category, a bit farther down the page.

 

[deserteagle71]

That F150 Ecoboost may be rated for 13,200 lb but I don't think you'll be too happy towing that much with it.

I have a F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost. Yes, it has the power to pull a lot of weight. But crosswinds, passing 18 wheelers, etc - it is not a very stable feeling with a light F150. Last fall I brought home a 12,000 lb load of wood pellets with the F150 and I would best describe the towing experience as "wallowing".

That's why I also have a Dodge 3500 dually; previously had a Dodge 2500 and a Ford F350. Any of those 3 would have absolutely no problem with 12,000 lb - stabile, stress free towing experience.

 

[caver]

My 2015 6.2L F250 4x4 rides like a log wagon. In that aspect I miss my previous F150's. One thing I don't like about the Eco Boost is below 87 octane is not recommend. When towing out west the 87 jumps way up in price vs east of the Rockies.

 

[Grumpycat]

The new 4WD F150 Eco boost V6 tow rating is 13,200lbs.

Uh, no it is not. There is one or a few F-150s rated to tow 13,200. Some are 7,000 pounds. Download the tow guide and get overwhelmed by the options.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/content/...-guides/2020_Ford_RVandTrailerTowingGuide.pdf

 

[Tomtint]

I have both a new F150 with the 3.5 and a 18 F350 ... As far as comfort for a daily driver...Hard to say. My 350 is a Platinum so it has all the creature comforts. My 150 is a alt sport so it has power seats and a few electronic gizmos.. I guess for banging around town, the 150 is easier..If I'm going any significant distance I would rather take the 350. ..that said, my 150 was just in for service and they gave me a 150 Limited to drive for the day....and that thing was real,real ...real nice....I could easily drive it every day all day. I have had probably 11K behind my 150..It did fine but for any length of time, particularly on the highway, I would rather the bigger heavier truck. Maintenance wise I think the 250/350 would be a wash. the oil changes and other standard things are a wash. The brakes may be a bit more on the 250/350..but would likely last 2x longer than the 150...It may be my driving style but I typically get 70-75k out of a set of front pads....longer for rears. Last thing I will throw in is that there is so little difference between the 250 and 350 ...so I would expect I would have the same review of the two.

 

[Hay Dude]

I guess it would depend on the weight of your tractor and trailer combined.
Look at the brakes and suspension of each truck carefully. Compare them. Its not so much the engine. Just about any of the available Ford engines would pull your trailer, but handling and emergency stops are another story.
About 10 years agoI pulled a 20 ton trailer and backhoe with a 210HP dump truck. One day a guy made a comment to me that his Cummins powered pickup had twice as much HP as my old IH dump truck. I asked this rocket scientist if he wanted to hook my trailer up to his Cummins and bring it to a stop (I thought it was a Dodge). He sort of shut up after that.
A bit of an extreme story, but what Im trying to say is if you are towing a load at the limits of a 150, versus below the limits of a 250, the 250 will be much more forgiving.
All the above is a moot point if your trailer is well within the towing range limits of a 150. The 250 will still handle it better than the 150, especially as you approach the limits of the 150.

 

[Peter 315]

The gas mileage is a lot better on the f 150. I have a f 350 srw and get around 11 mpg all around avg.....

 

[blackd]

witht hI agree with Peter315. If you are comparing the amount of empty vs loaded/towing time the 150 beats it hands down. I also agree with your diesel vs gas analysis. Having owned both, currently have a 2003 F350 6.0 liter, and the engine maintenance costs are much higher. I took my F350 on a near cross country US trip when it was ~ 1+ YO and got 16.8 MPG going at turnpike speeds (maybe a little faster ). Truck was empty with only 1 other driver/passenger.

I also owned a Nissan V6, and I had to be very careful of wind resistance when towing mu 16' 7,000lb landscape trailer. With the trailer ramps up it got nearly 6-8 MPG. With them taken off and stored in the truck bed it got ~16MPG, same trailer same trip. I take the ramps off if not needed when towing with the F350, just because I know it gets better performance. I got the F350 to pull this trailer loaded to max in a small business I owned early-on.

My .02 cents worth of experience.

 

[Hay Dude]

witht hI agree with Peter315. If you are comparing the amount of empty vs loaded/towing time the 150 beats it hands down. I also agree with your diesel vs gas analysis. Having owned both, currently have a 2003 F350 6.0 liter, and the engine maintenance costs are much higher. I took my F350 on a near cross country US trip when it was ~ 1+ YO and got 16.8 MPG going at turnpike speeds (maybe a little faster ). Truck was empty with only 1 other driver/passenger.

I also owned a Nissan V6, and I had to be very careful of wind resistance when towing mu 16' 7,000lb landscape trailer. With the trailer ramps up it got nearly 6-8 MPG. With them taken off and stored in the truck bed it got ~16MPG, same trailer same trip. I take the ramps off if not needed when towing with the F350, just because I know it gets better performance. I got the F350 to pull this trailer loaded to max in a small business I owned early-on.

My .02 cents worth of experience.

Maintenance (and repair) costs on the Ford 6L and 6.4L diesels are extremely high and are sort of an anomaly compared to other brands of Diesel engines. As an owner of 3 of them, I can’t see using those discontinued, very controversial Diesel engines in any relevant comparisons.