The difference in price between an F150 and an F350, when similarly equipped, is negligible.

Go with the real truck.

 

You get used to driving a larger truck quickly. I kept my 2009 F150 KR when I bought my 2017 F450 KR figuring the F450 would be a hassle as a commuter. Well, I haven't driven my F150 to work in months. I love driving the bigger truck.

 

I'm not sure you guys are helping or hurting! This has been my feeling during this whole process so I guess you're just confirming my intuitions. I think the biggest hurdle to clear mentally was confirming to myself that I am prepared to get the diesel and the pros and cons that are attached to it.

The one really interesting thing I learned so far is that my boss's 2016 F150 with the tow package and 3.55 gears is "rated" to tow only 1,000# less than a F250 6.2L gas with 3.73 gears. While other factors do come into play (payload, stability, ect), this is why I have a really hard time buying a 6.2L engine at these prices, because when not towing daily, the EcoBoost gets much better fuel economy on day to day usage. But that is another topic.

 

If your worried about the diesel get the 6.2 with the 4.30 gears, it's rated to tow 15,000lbs. If you need more than that you should be looking into a f350 and up territory.

 

Yup, that's where the original search started but lack of dealer inventory shifted the search elsewhere. I agree the 4.30 would be a suitable alternative. There is always the option to custom order the truck but first, I was waiting to see if any EOY deals could be found. If none are found, then maybe a custom ordered 2018 will be the final solution.

 

Your right, unfortunately to get a 4.30 truck you will have to order it, mine has the 3.73 and although the tow ratings aren't that much better than my f150 (5.0) it tows my travel trailer SO much better.

 

I think I probably got a better price on my F-350 because I ordered it rather than taking it off the lot. I asked the Internet Sales Manager if he would give me the same deal on a car and he said only if it was ordered.

 

I think you're actually understating your truck's towing capacity. It appears your truck can tow between 14,100lbs up to 15,000lbs conventionally. Whether you are at 14.1 or 15k lbs depends upon what GVWR your F-250 has, since multiple can be chosen. Likewise, gooseneck or 5th wheel towing will be 14,100, 14,300, or 14,700...again, based upon your truck's GVWR.

 

Driving an F-150 compared to a Super Duty is like driving a sports car compared to driving a tractor. F-150 is not as good as stable a tow platform nor are certain parts of the truck as heavily made as the Super Duty...but the 150 gives you much nicer steering, much better handling, a much better ride quality, better brakes, and a much faster truck. Myself, I would consider a your towing and hauling needs, as well as preference.

1. If you like to be thought of as a tough guy with big trucks, then go for the Super Duty.

2. If you plan to frequently tow near the limit of a 150, then it would probably be best in the long run to move to a Super Duty.

Diesel vs gas? The 6.2L is a very good engine and has different design parameters than, say, an EcoBoost engine in the 150. Those are very powerful motors but the 6.2L is more an engine that is detuned, designed to idle for hours on end, designed to run for several hundred thousand miles. Not saying an EcoBoost won't, but the 6.2L is more understressed in the Super Duty application than an EcoBoost would be.

The diesel obviously has more power. It really isn't much quicker in terms of get up and go, 0-60 times are very close. But, if you strap a heavy trailer to the back of the truck...the diesel engine moves the truck pretty much the same as it always does and the gas engine will start to work harder and struggle and slow down. The diesel engine will achieve better fuel economy, but don't buy it for that reason.

The downsides to the diesel are much more expensive oil changes, harder to work on, and the possibility of some very expensive repairs.

 

I should publish a "Random Towing Capacity" web site. I think it would be almost as accurate as what most people can figure their actual capacity to be. Ford doesn't make this easy.

 

I actually think Ford makes the towing capacity pretty easy based upon that towing guide link. You just need to know your truck's wheelbase, engine type, 4x4 or 4x2, GVWR, and axle ratio. All of that information is published on the truck except the axle ratio...but plugging the VIN number into ETIS or generating a window sticker will supply the axle ratio.

 

If towing will be minimal, I vote for the Ecoboost. Has plenty of power and daily driving will be much better for your needs. If you plan to tow, go straight to a 6.7L

 

The big driving force here is the ability haul a gooseneck trailer (recreational usage). I planned to get a deck over trailer and if I do that it'd be a gooseneck to haul antique John Deere tractors and oil field engines. A trailer like that, I'd be looking at a 14,000 or 16,000# weight rating. As an add-on, I'd probably be hauling some large square hay bales as well as that is becoming a popular item around here that needs moved. So, the 3/4 ton+ style trucks are what I am after. Don't need to win a drag race but I drive lots of hills and twisty roads so the 6.7L definitely is an appealing power source when hauling. Last thing I want to do it buy a truck and hate it half of the year (for example; hate the diesel in the winter and gas in the summer) so this has been an internal struggle of mine for the last 6 months.

(Or I do what my wife says and sell all the tractors)

 

I'd just buy the diesel. I tow that kind of weight with conventional bumper pull towing - pintle hook or 21k ball hitches - just modern tractors and such.

These modern 6.7L diesels have no problems in the winter - they start nearly instantly (maybe 2-3 seconds glow plug wait) and run perfectly smoothly. It will take a little longer for the coolant to warm up; the supplemental cabin heater works fairly well on these trucks.

 

It may be "rated" to tow that much but there is no way you are going to get a properly balanced trailer that heavy on the back end of an F150 without being over on rear GAWR and on the truck's GVWR. The minimum Payload you can get in a 250 is 3300lbs, the max you can get in a 150 is 2600. Assuming about 1000lbs of people and cargo in the truck the max trailer for a 150 is around 10000lbs which I'm sure you're going to need weight distribution to get balanced so you aren't over on the rear axle of the truck. Meanwhile the minimum towing capacity of a 250 with the same 1000lbs of cargo is around 15000 and it'll do at least 12500 of that without weight distribution. There is a huge capability difference between the two no matter what the F150 marketing guys say.