Considering downgrading from my F250 to a F150.

We tow a 24ft toy hauler that is about 7,500-8,000 loaded down. We don't tow that much (5-6 times/year) or that far (200 miles max each way) but do tow up steep 6-8% grades in the mountains. I'm getting tired of driving the big 4x4 Superduty everyday so I'm considering going back to an F150.

I used to tow the same trailer with an 02 F150 5.4 & 3.55 gears. It could do it, but it was definitely at the limit. The old 260HP 5.4 with 3.55s had to go down to 1st gear on some of the steeper climbs. Chassis-wise the truck did fine, although if I had kept it I would have added airbags as the rear end was very squatty (I was running the weight distributing bars). After a couple of tows I decide to sell it and upgrade to the F250 which is fantastic at towing.

Would be looking at a 11+ F150, crew-cab 4x4 with 5.5ft bed. The tow rating show a 9,600 lb for the 3.5 Ecoboost and somewhat lower for the 5.0 depending on gearing (7,700 for 3.55 and 9,300 for 3.73).

I know this is a very common truck. I'm curious about people's experiences towing 7500-8000 lb with this type of truck? Both motors have about 100 more hp so I imagine they would do a lot better up in the hills than my old 5.4?

I imagine the rear suspension is very similar so I would probably still need air bags to keep it from squatting way down? The toy hauler is very tongue heavy, especially when there aren't any toys in it to help balance the load.

 

No problem doing it. I've towed with my work truck, a 2WD v6 2012 and also with a 2012 crew cab ecoboost. The EB impressed the hell out of me towing. Even the little V6 work truck did well but the trailer wasn't as heavy. You will love it, but the engine braking sucks compared to the 6.0.

 

All summer long I tow my over height 17' cargo trailer at 7,500 lbs loaded. This is my job and I travel all over the Northwest. I usually tow around 10,000 miles per summer and I have been using the F150 for 5 summers. There is absolutely no problem with power. I can fly up any grade. Meaning 60 mph at WORST. I did add airbags and they are really nice. I towed the same trailer with a 5.4 expedition and a 6.0 diesel ford. I will take my Ecoboost over all of them. No questions asked!

 

The new trucks do a really impressive job with large trailers. Here are some of the things I've done with mine:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...o-the-max.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...heavy-tow.html

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...heavy-tow.html

All of these are with heavier trailers than your camper, and the truck did a fantastic job with them. In the first link my '13 was faster than V10- and diesel-powered Super Duties up the hill with a 15,000 lb trailer.

 

Thanks Tom, that was VERY informative. I about crapped myself when I saw you backing the Excursion into the 28ft enclosed trailer. g

What were you running for rear suspension? Just the stock setup and managing tongue weight?

Looks like the truck had the "max trailer tow package" based on the big towing mirrors. Does that change anything on the rear suspension?

I see you've moved up to the newer body style. Any major differences from the previous?

 

I know for a fact that the 5.0L isn't up to the task while towing in the mountains, so go with the ecoboost if you want the F150. I've never had a ecoboost so I can only recommend it by what I read here on the forums.
I ended up selling my F150 5.0L 3.55 gears for a F350 SD 6.2L with 4.30 gears, I am 100% pleased with this SD.

 

I've towed a flat bed trailer with a 67 F100 on it across the country. That setup weighs about 7,000 lbs. It tows fine with a weight distribution hitch on my 2013 F150 5.0 FX4 but I didn't haul it over any mountains. I live at 7400 ft, but the climb from low land America to here isn't steep.

What year F250 do you have? I was thinking up selling my F150 to get a 4X4 F250 with at least a 6.4 ft bed and the 6.2L engine to be able to haul a cab over camper.

 

Technically it was my wife...I needed someone to watch angles and didn't trust anyone else to do that. Was a REALLY tight fit!

Mostly...I did have Torklift Stableloads that made a difference when loaded up. I measured squat at the OH meet at around 1/2" less with them engaged, but it wasn't an earth-shattering difference. Seemed to have less rear-end shimmy with them engaged.

Yup, it had the max tow package. I believe the springs were slightly stiffer, and it had a 4,050 lb GAWR on the rear axle. Nothing huge though, the biggest difference was the 3.73 rear end gears(which weren't really needed IMHO) and the upgraded radiator.

Yup, just about everything is different except for the powertrain. I don't have a large trailer anymore, and I haven't pushed this one like I did my '13 yet. Seems to handle weight on the rear suspension just as well though. Here it is with a 750-lb ATV in the bed:

 

It's in my sig. '05 F250 Crew-cab, "short" bed (6'-9"), with the infamous/yet really a great engine 6.0. It's a beast towing.

 

And, by the way, if you look at the videos of the OH meet you'll quickly see how much of an animal the EcoBoost engine is with a trailer. My little F150 was the fastest thing up the hill with 15,000 lbs behind it, compared against V8 and V10 Super Duties of gas and diesel flavors.

It's tough to overstate how well this engine and transmission handle a heavy trailer, you run out of chassis and cooling system capability long before you run out of power.

 

I did watch the videos. Very impressive!

Did that include any 6.7L superduties?

 

Nope, not that time. I believe the newest was a 6.0L truck.

 

Damn trucks have gone up in price since I last bought a half ton! Looking for just a normal XLT without all the frills and they are still almost $30k with 50k miles on them! I bought my 02 F150 back in 2006 with 70k miles for $15k!

Might have to look at an older truck. How bad really are the 04+ 5.4s 3V for towing? Their HP isn't that much more than the 2V I had in my 02 which makes me nervous about using it for my towing duties.

I've already read about all the horrors with cam phasers, chain tensioners, etc, but that's just negotiation power with the seller and it doesn't sound that terrible to fix properly.

 

The 3v engines are noticeably more powerful, and I really liked my '07 5.4L truck for the time that I had it. It was new though, and it was traded at 23,000 miles, so it never gave me any issues.

I wouldn't own one now, though. They can be fine engines, but they seem to have a LOT of problems with that VCT system.

Used trucks are high at the moment, but you can find deals on new ones. A '13 SuperCrew 4x4 was selling for $31,980 with 19,000 miles on it when I bought my '15. My '15 is almost identically configured, and was purchased new that day for $33,500.

 

Thanks Tom. I hadn't even thought of new. Never bought a new vehicles before...always been a cheap ***. Will have to consider.

On the tranny side, I didn't realize they kept the 4R70/75 all the way thru 2008. The 6R80 looks like a pretty big upgrade. 4.17 1st gear???