Need to tow 10K

[Bob_Young]

Well...I guess we'll find out. Signed the papers yesterday for a new F150 with the 5.0 V8, 3.73 gears and the tow package. Nice truck, lotsa options, rated to tow 9400#. Was going back and forth between that and a new but less nice Super Duty for about the same $. The truck drove very well empty and the gas mileage display quickly ramped up to some respectable figures.

Have to be honest, my towing requirements aren't that severe. If I was hauling equipment for a few hundred miles every month on the Interstate, the Super Duty would've made sense. As it is, it'll amount to a few hundred miles a year on 55mph state roads. If the F150 is tough enough to do this without damaging itself, it should be the better choice. I traded my old 6 w/stick '95 F150, so the 2WD Cummins Dodge will still be around if the new truck can't hack it.

I hear you on the Eco-boost V6, DP. The figures are amazing for that size engine. But I was put off by the complexity and new-ness of that approach. The 5.0 V8 should be a lot simpler than that V6...relatively speaking anyway. I have a bad attitude about complex vehicles. Heck, the 6-speed auto tranny in this truck will be the first automatic transmission I've owned in a vehicle since 1965. Gotta sorta ease into these things
Bob

 

[slowzuki]

I'd disagree, I find most Chev's wallow around a lot empty, but also they usually come with P tires or less ply LT's to make them ride nice. They also seem to be very lightly sprung unless you picked your order codes right, can't put much tongue weight to them.

A lot of it has to do with the particular trucks state of repair, I find my friends chevs always are lose in the front, always at least one ball joint or idler arm worn out making it sloppy. People seem to hate to let the Ford 5.4 rev out to where it needs to be to make power.

I've done a lot of towing with a 2004 F150 with the 4.6 in it, I think the door sticker max trailer is 5000 lbs or something, most of my loads including trailer have been in the 8500 lb range hauling equipment on a 14,000 lb bumper pull float. Pulls great in our pretty flat terrain, we do have some 8% grades that drop you from the 70 mph speed limit to about 50 mph but its mostly because I don't want to floor it for 6 miles.

If your stuck on Ford then go with the F-250. One thing I find consistent with Ford is that they over-rate the tow capacities of their trucks. At about 75% of the rated tow capacity, the truck already feels over-worked and under-powered. I've had comparable Dodge and GM trucks to max tow capacity and you know it's there but still feel safe unlike the fleet of F-150/F-250's we had. I would make sure the truck you get is rated for at least a couple thousand pounds more than you need.

I'm sure others on here (DP...) swear they've towed 20k lbs with an F-150 up hill both ways with no problems but that's just my experience up here where nothing is flat, most the roads are dirt, and it's not cold until the mercury freezes. :thumbsup:

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well...I guess we'll find out. Signed the papers yesterday for a new F150 with the 5.0 V8, 3.73 gears and the tow package. Nice truck, lotsa options, rated to tow 9400#. Was going back and forth between that and a new but less nice Super Duty for about the same $. The truck drove very well empty and the gas mileage display quickly ramped up to some respectable figures.

Have to be honest, my towing requirements aren't that severe. If I was hauling equipment for a few hundred miles every month on the Interstate, the Super Duty would've made sense. As it is, it'll amount to a few hundred miles a year on 55mph state roads. If the F150 is tough enough to do this without damaging itself, it should be the better choice. I traded my old 6 w/stick '95 F150, so the 2WD Cummins Dodge will still be around if the new truck can't hack it.

I hear you on the Eco-boost V6, DP. The figures are amazing for that size engine. But I was put off by the complexity and new-ness of that approach. The 5.0 V8 should be a lot simpler than that V6...relatively speaking anyway. I have a bad attitude about complex vehicles. Heck, the 6-speed auto tranny in this truck will be the first automatic transmission I've owned in a vehicle since 1965. Gotta sorta ease into these things
Bob

Congratulations on the new truck. We need pictures and real world mpg ratings when you get it.

What gear does it have?

Chris

 

[Baucom]

Congrats on the new truck, it sounds to me like you made the right decision going with the F150. Sure, you're close to the max rating, but Ford wouldn't have rated the truck for 9400# if the truck couldn't pull it safely. You tow this load infrequently enough that a F250, while it could be justified due to wt., is really not required.

Now we need pics...and your opinion on the new 5.0 when you get a few more miles on it.

I hear what you're saying WH. The question has boiled down to whether I want a pretty truck that struggles to tow or an ugly truck which handles the load easily. I expect to tow a dozen or so times a year over distances of about 25 miles on state roads, usually at around 8500-9000#. There are some hills here, but none on the routes I normally travel.
Bob

 

[flusher]

Looking at new trucks. Primarily F150s and F250s. Need to tow a Big Tex 10PI and want 4WD. Can spend up to around 36K. About a third of the towing will be the 10K trailer. The rest will be a 3K boat. I've got an econo-box for commuting and grocery getting, so don't need a 20mpg truck (it'd be nice, tho).

Can the 2011 F150s be spec'd out to tow 10K? If so, where do I look to find out how it should be equipped (axle ratio, tranny options, etc.)? Spending 36K on an F150 will give me a nicer truck than going Super Duty for that money, so I'm leaning that way.

Does anyone have experience towing 10K with the 6.2L gasser/6-spd auto combo in the F250? I'd like to hear how that setup is working for people.

I've got an old 2WD Cummins Dodge to do the heavy pulling now. Only complaint is that it gets stuck easily.
Thanks.
Bob

Here's the info you need.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/2011/2011_default.asp

 

[Bob_Young]

No pictures yet. Drove it around 150 miles today in light snow; not towing and mostly empty. Got covered with salt. Had to hit the car wash when I got home. Pictures will follow when we get a nice day.

Average gas mileage (on the display) worked its way up to around 18.2 mpg in town and country driving using cruise when possible. It would go higher in the country but then drop down to 18.2 or a little less in town.

Starts, runs, and handles well enough but I've been feather-footing it. Missed my old 4.9L stick-shift '95 a lot at first, but less now. The 5.0 V8 is responsive, but not the smoothest. No shakes or shudders, just a somewhat irregular beat to it.