Hey guys,

I just bought an 8,5' X 20' enclosed trailer and thinking on which car to buy. We have a Mercedes ML320 already, but that cannot handle this trailer and I need a car for myself anyway. The Benz will be my GF`s car.

So, the trailer itself is around 3500 LBS with tandem axle and brakes. Most of the times it will only have 2 Polaris Ace inside with some tools and gears, so the total weight won`t be more than 6500 LBS, but sometimes I will have to load it a bit and can be around 9000 LBS.

I will use it in Canada... so a lot of big hills around, but I won`t do more than about 90 km/h maybe 100 km/h on highway.

The main question: will I need an F250 ( 6.2L Flex Fuel V8 ) for this, or an F150 5.0L V8 will do the job? We are talking about 2015 trucks, not older, Crew Cab or Supercrew and 4x4 ofc.

What about the Expedition MAX / EL ( maybe Suburban )?

I prefer the SUV and floor shifter but safety and durability is more important. Also, I will have to use the car for everyday commuting in town.

I really need your advise guys, hopefully we can find the best car/truck for me

 

Here is a link to the various Canadian Ford towing guides. I suggest you look at the closely, there is a lot of good info here.
Towing Guides | fleet.ford.ca

An F150 will pull that load, when properly equipped can be rated up to 12,200 lbs. An Expedition can be rated as high as 9200 lbs, but most configurations are rated quite a bit lower.

If you are going to be towing most of the time when using the truck, then the F250/F350 is a decent option, but I find them a little harder to live with when driving around unloaded.

What I've done, and find works well for a lot of people, is get an F150 with the required options (tow package, rear view camera, Integrated Trailer Brake etc).

You mention the 5.0L V8, and that's a great engine, but you should do yourself a favour and take a test drive in one of the 3.5 EcoBoost trucks. Very strong engine, and much more torque than the 5.0.

What part of Canada are you in? We have some local canadian chapters as well.

 

Go test drive an ecoboost, and tell the dealer you want to hook up your trailer before purchasing. The ecoboost can really pull some weight, those turbos pull like a diesel.

 

This truck will be for everyday use, not just towing. I will probably tow with it every second weekend or so. Mostly short distances, taking my Aces to the trails and back ( about 6500-7000 lbs ), but let`s say once a year I have to load it up full ( to about 9000 lbs ) and tow it a longer distance ( 4-5000 km ).

As I wrote before, we have an other car, so when I go out with my girlfriend for shopping, dinner or events than we can take the Benz ML, but I still have to go to work with my truck.

Ecoboost: I really don`t like turbos. What I like is, the sound of a big V8 I don`t mind spending a bit more on gas.

"An F150 will pull that load, when properly equipped can be rated up to 12,200 lbs."

Those "rated up to" numbers are good for catalogues and TV adverts, but safety far away from that.
I just pulled this new trailer empty ( 3500 lbs ) with the Benz which is rated up to 5000 lbs towing capacity and the 250km flat driving almost killed it. Underpowered, lot of sway, braking problems and more. I was really happy when I finally unhooked the trailer and drove without it. I know it wasn`t set up perfectly and I have no control arms yet, but still, it was an awful ride. I do not want to do this ever again.

I never like to go close to the limits, I prefer to be "over equipped".

Writing all these, I guess I will go for the F250

"What part of Canada are you in?"

Right now I`m in Labrador ( east coast ) but we are planning to move to Alberta, so the towing vehicle has to deal with a lof os steep hills and snow.

 

The Banks aftermarket turbo made my old 7.3 come alive. Pre turbo 55-60 mph @ 2100. Post turbo 65-70 same rpm. Just my thoughts on a turbo

 

So how did a turbo increase your speed and keep the rpm the same? Isn't rpm vs speed a gearing thing?

I agree on the turbo part. If I were in the market for a new f150 I would go Ecoboost over the v8.

 

The only thing I can think of is more air in the cylinders equals more power. My fuel mileage running empty straight highway is 18

 

Yep, more air/oxygen in the cylinder = the ability to burn more fuel = more power. You definitely would be able to handles hills etc better with the extra power. In your original post did you mean weight of the load instead of rpm?

Because, unless I am mistaken, power levels have nothing to do with rpm's at a certain speed. RPM vs speed is completely dependent on gear ratio. To change the gear ratio you have to change your rear end gearing or change your transmission. You can also change your tire size since it reduces or increases the amount of distance you cover per rotation.

 

More efficient would have been a better word. The load has always been the same. Pre turbo 55-60 without having to get on the pedal hard. Post turbo no problem getting to 65-70 . Most of the time it may be 1 lb of boost. During testing after install pulling about 5k up a long hill had 6 lbs of boost

 

You should buy the truck that makes you happy, and it sounds like you have that figured out. Drop by the Alberta chapter some time. It's pretty quiet, but a good bunch of folks.

 

Makes since.......

 

So if you do not like turbos, and like the sound of a big V8......F250 with the 6.2L gasser will pull that load with no problem! And when it sings at 4500 rpm, you would swear you are in a NASCAR event! I had one, a 2011, but my 41' Raptor was a bit much for a SRW, so now I have an F350 DRW with the 6.7 PSD, and it is so quiet when pulling that one could almost think it is electric!

 

"So if you do not like turbos, and like the sound of a big V8......"

This is the case! I had a 5.9L V8 Durango before, but I`m sure the 6.2L Ford engine will sing even nicer

"F250 with the 6.2L gasser will pull that load with no problem!"

I was sure the F250 will do the job, but I was thinking maybe the smaller ones can do this traliler easy. It looks like the smaller ones ( F150, Expedition MAX, Suburban ) will just handle it good enough, but they will be on the border line which I don`t want.

So I decided: the winner is the F250 with SuperCrew, 6,5' bed and 6.2L gasser.

There is a new question: It looks like I wil buy a brand new one and this won`t happen before October for sure so I have 2 options:

1. Find a 2015 model with big discount
2. Buy the 2017 model for MSRP

Is it worth spending the extra 10-15k on the 2017 model? It`s got better frame, susp, brakes, but I`m not sure I will notice this.

I will use this truck for at least 10 years.

 

If you are truly going to keep it ten years, I think it's worth your money to get the newest generation truck.

 

That is probably right.

Some other things I just noticed about the 2017:

- F150 cab, nicer interior and more legroom at the back
- lot of cameras: they will help me get in and out of tight spots in bigger towns
- tow assist: reversing will be much easier with a trailer ( I have a wireless backup camera for my trailer already, but this new system is better )

These are all pushing me to the 2017 model.

All right guys, I have to go back to work so I can save up money for this rig