Hello Everyone,

I'm looking for some advice and guidance. I want to get a F 250 (I think) and need a bit of help sorting through some of the pitfalls.

Basic use:
Daily driver for myself aprox 20k a year in Washington State
I have a 23' boat that I tow once ever week or two. 3500 lbs dry weight
I borrow a trailer from friends for yard maintenance of 2/3rds an acre 2 or 3 times a year
I might get a truck camper, canopy or borrow a friends tow behind camper (16 to 20 feet) in the summer time for camping excursions.
I have a wife and 2 kids. I'm 6'2" and the kids (age 12 and 8) will trend towards that height so we need leg room.
I know I want a Crew cab and a long bed.

That about sums up everything I know. I will be trading in my Tacoma and looking for a truck in the $30k range.

What I don't know would fill an ocean, but what I don't know about the truck I am considering:
Gas or Diesel
Which engine
Models or specific trucks to watch out for
Specifics to check for when I am looking at trucks.
Any help or guidance you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time!
FSL

 

Welcome to the forum. Your boat is kind of light so it can be towed with a wide variety of vehicles. If you are putting a camper in the back the F250 is probably the better choice (I don't have any experience with slide in campers). How big is the yard trailer?

An F150 actually has more passenger rear leg room than an F250. Driving 20K / year you may like the smaller truck better. If you are set on a Crew Cab long bed You may have to go the F250 route. What's your parking situation like? The F250 sits a little higher and wider.

I am a fan of gas engines. They have plenty of pulling power, the cost of entry is lower, it's easy to find fuel, no DEF, no smelly hands or shoes after filling up and routine maintenance is a little lower. With all that said the diesel has a lot of power & will maintain that power even when towing at altitude.

I have both a Super Crew F150 & Super Crew F250. I love both trucks.

 

With our new 15 truck. I made a list of things that we do currently and might want to do with the truck in the future. Then went to ford web site with the list. Picked 2 sizes of trucks with different configurations and interiors. Would up with a lot of choices. Then sat down and prioritized options. Including weight of tow. This is how we would up with the 15 truck. We took several months to do this as it IS a major purchase. Good luck

 

Nothing I tow would be over 6-7,000 lbs.
We have parking room so that's not a concern. Driving in tight parking lots to pick up the kids at school and do the day to day shopping would be the concern with a 250 crew long bed. I guess I'd just have to park at the back of lots and walk a little farther. No big deal.
Do you have the long bed? What do you think about the 150s load capacity for getting bark dust, rock, loading bricks, and so forth?


Thank you, that's sage advise. I guess the reason for this post is really to narrow down the search field. If it seems like I could tow 6,000 lbs around no problem with a 150 and that the bed could hold a substantial load without an issue then there doesn't seem to be a reason not to get a 150. Except I have a friend that is in my ear telling me I'll probably regret not getting a 3/4 ton truck.
When buying a boat it's called 2 foot-itis. Where you always wish your boat was just 2 feet longer. I don't want to end up regretting getting a smaller 150 instead of a 250. It seems to me that my needs fall right on the boarder of the two sizes and lean towards a 150 though. Or if I took out the truck camper part of the equation and could live with a 6.5' bed then it would be a 150 no questions asked.

vacillating

 

Either truck will tow 7,000 lbs well. I always felt boats were easier to tow because the trailer is well balanced and the load is somewhat aerodynamic. The down side is most boat trailers use surge brakes which means you are using a dead weight hitch. F150's come with no tow package, a standard tow package and max tow package. If you're planning to tow 7K+ you'll want to consider the max tow option.

I'm finding parking lot maneuvering to be about the same in both my trucks. Downtown parking garages have height restrictions so I'm limited where I can park the F250.

I opt for the 6.5 ft bed (which is long for a Screw F150 and short for the Screw F250). I've made many rock hauling trips with my F150, they do the job well.

I would drive both trucks. The driving characteristics are very different. You may find you like one over the other. If you think you will will be upgrading trailers in the future, or towing & hauling at the same time you might want to consider the bigger truck.

 

Are you doing a lot of commuting with that 20k miles? If so I would lean towards a Eco Boost F150 or Diesel Super Duty.

IMO a v10 with 20k a year is a huge gas bill, 5.4 isn't much better. Not sure about the 6.2 though.

 

What's a "Screw"?

I think I might test drive some trucks this week to see how I like the ride and the leg room.


The commuting is a big part of the miles but we are also usually doing camping or fishing trips. Some times with, some times without the boat. So I rack up 25% of my miles for family activities. The rest is daily driving.
I have, just tonight, read a bunch about the 3.5L eco boost. I wasn't even looking at that option since my Tacoma has a v6 and feels a bit under powered when towing. From everything I have read though, it seems the eco boost is a viable option. It doesn't seem like i can get a Super Crew with a long bed though, is that right? It doesn't seem like I can get ANY Super Crew with a long bed. Or maybe I can. Trying to figure that one out.

 

I believe the longest bed for F150 is 6.5' and has to be ordered.

Screw+ Super Crew

The newer half tons have fairly similar tow ratings and a more road friendly suspension underneath.

 

Our son tried to tow about 7K with a standard 150. It pulled it BUT at no more than 55 mph and was all over the road. He wished he had gotten it with the max tow pkg. He now borrows bigred to tow trailer and he can just fly with no wiggle down the road.

 

If you can I'd stick with an 150. A gas outfitted 250 sucks down the gas. Mine sits and is primarily a weekend warrior truck so MPG wasn't a big deal. Also I like the bigger truck look and was willing to pay for it. But I could've gotten by with a 150.

 

Thank you everyone for the input. It's been really helpful and educational.

 

Let us know when you get the truck. Pictures are always nice!

 

My car trailer & car weigh about 7,000 lbs. I've towed all over out west & down south without an issue. With the F150 you have to make sure you get the correct tow package. You at least want the standard package however if towing is something you do frequently the Max Tow is the way to go. The EB 3.5 puts out better torque & hp numbers the the 6.2L V8 and it does it in a wider rpm range.

I do not tow a camper & I know that those things are more susceptible to wind and road conditions than a boat or car hauler.

The only way to get an 8' foot bed in a F150 is a standard cab XL. You would probably have to order that configuration. Most Super Crews come with the 5.5' box. The 6.5 is a little harder to find.

There are some nice deals on F250's. I don't know if it's because the F150 is selling so well or if it's because the new design is coming out in about a year. I found myself in an F250 for less money than a F150.

I put about 16K / year commuting and another 10K doing things that involve towing a trailer. Commuting, I was getting between 17 & 19 (most of the time) with the EB F150. Haven't had the F250 long enough for a good estimate. Worst tank 13.7 best tank 14.5. I'm hoping once it breaks in a little I can get 15 since each tank has been a little better than the last.

I sweated this same decision and lost a couple nights sleep trying to decide. My wife kept telling me I was crazy & should just get the F250. Then I went on eBay and saw how much used F250s sell for and thought worst case I can sell it in a year or two and get back into an F150 for not much cost. It looks like the F250 has very good resale.

I think either truck will do a good job for you. It's more a matter of what you want to drive.

 

For comparison sake, here's my F250 parked next to my F150.