Absolutely!

 

I picked up my HDPP\MTTP last week, no towing yet (not at 1000 miles).
A few observations,
The truck seems have quite a bit more substantial a suspension then the regular duty. (My daughter drives a 2018 F150). It feels like a different truck.

The ride is fairly firm more like a older tradition truck. Lowered the tire pressure to 42psi rides better and doesn't trigger the TPMS. Will air up when towing or hauling. The stiffer ride is accented by how quiet the truck is.

The Transmission seems to work well very smooth.

Interesting watching the boost gauge and Tach. Transmission doesn't like to downshift and will rely on boost to power up a hill. If you manually downsift the motor stays off boost. I don't know which is more efficient.

I was worried about the 3.73 rear end and the 3.5, doesn't seem an issue, so far averaging for 1400 kms , 11.3 L/100 ( aprox. 22 mpg) on mostly highway. Interestly the MPG didn't seem to change much at higher speeds (70-80).

I haven't floored it yet but I tried a few sprited take offs,. I can see why some prefer the V8. There is very little "aural" experience, there is a wosh and very quickly you are going way too fast! The truck is crazy quick.

The final test will be towing, but after owning it for a week a HD might fit the OPs requirements very well.

 

OP, great analysis! And, you are getting great advice.

My only caution is I think you might be underestimating payload. Unless you have 5 specific people in mind, I'd budget at least 175lb per person (perhaps including a backpack full of clothes for the weekend). That is 875lb. Adding in 850lb tongue weight puts you at 1725lb, which is probably already exceesdng a well-optioned F150. Then, add at least 50lbs for the firewood, 50lbs for two bikes, and perhaps at least 50 lbs for various additional gear (finding chairs, charcoal, a cooler, etc), and you are pecking at perhaps 1900lbs.

 

 

Ah, makes sense then!!

Good luck! I recently asked the same question, and much of my requirements were driven by the 10000lb GVWR required for me to add armor, skids, bed drawers, tools, recovery gear, etc. However, I can absolutely follow all of your logic!

 

A good discussion here! I tow up the same mountain passes. I had a Cummins that died and tried to get by with an Expedition with the 5.4L engine for 2 years. I was about 10-15 mph slower going up the passes than the Cummins but the real issue was coming back down the mountains. I actually felt scared and had a rough time keeping the speed low to control the sway (even with the Equalizer WDH). So I looked at the 3.5EB F150s and the 6.2 F250s. I plan to keep the truck for at least 15 and hopefully more years. I have not heard about any EB engine going much past 100K. On paper the EB and tow rating of the F150 would handle the load but I like the extra margin of the F250 and longevity of the 6.2L.

BTW I tow a 31' Arctic Fox at around 8-9K loaded over those 10,000' passes out of Denver every camping trip and I'm looking forward to towing with my 2019 F250 6.2l SCSD Lariat. It definitely won't fit in my garage both because it's about 2 inches too long, but also because it's too tall. My garage doors are 7' tall and the truck by itself is around 7' 3-4". Adding my Rino Rack puts it at 7' 6'',

 

Just tossing this out for thought. What about the new F150 diesel? It's sound like it's been around for a while, maybe worth checking into if you're dead set on a F150.

 

It depends on if the new diesel engine provides sufficient power, over what the ecoboost or the 5.0L engine can provides. Then there is the whole 1/2 ton versus 3/4 ton platform stability to consider. The small diesel isn't going to help the F-150 feel any more stable than the ecoboost.

I have a neighbor that tried the Ram ecodiesel engine in a 1/2 ton truck. It was terrible (mainly the engine). He traded it in on a 3/4 ton with the cummins diesel and is so much happier with the heavier platform.