My 23 PB does not have enough capacity to tow the travel trailer we want. I am looking at a couple SD's on my dealer's lot.

We are going to bumper pull a travel trailer under 10k GVW. We are going all over, but are not driving in adverse weather, snow, or on unmaintained or unimproved roads.

Do I need a 4x4?

I am looking at a 26 F350 Lariat 7.3, 2WD or a 26 F250 Lariat 6.7 4X4. $12,500 price difference.

The price difference is not a deal breaker. The 2WD had a 1000# greater CCC and a 500# greater hitch capacity.

He also has a 25 F250 Lariat, seems that one should have better incentives.

Opinions?

 

A 2WD 7.3L sounds like it would be the ticket for you.

 

I got a 4X4 in our 26 model because 2wd is not an option with the Platinums. It is a 7.3. I've towed with a 2wd many times and don't find that to be a limiting factor for normal driving. I finally got a thousand miles on the truck and did a 40 mile test tow yesterday. I was very pleased with how it handled our Grand Design Imagine 2600RB with a hitch weight of 800 pounds and total weight of 7500. The 7.3 got it up to speed very quickly. At highway speed (65 mph) it responded well if I wanted to kick it up a bit. I will say the diesel will have more oomph, of course it should. Now sold, but we towed a 14K pound fifth wheel with a 2020 F350 6.7. There is a difference but I'm very pleased with how the Godzilla performed. It will not get as good mileage as our diesel did but the $11K price difference and gas being 70 cents cheaper than diesel around here makes it okay for me.

We pulled the Imagine a couple of times with the F150 you see in my signature and it was not a good experience. Too loose in the front end even with a weight distributing hitch. My new F250 has 3495 payload vs the 1300 I have with the half ton. Way more than I need for our trailer but too much is not a bad thing when it comes to towing. We kept the F150 because the wife liked driving it much more than she did her Subaru.

 

I've never had a 2WD p/u. Then again, I live in VT and expect to drive it year-round. For your purposes, 2WD should be absolutely fine, and the additional GVWR could be handy. They only thing I would say is that there COULD be campsites that are not prefectly smooth/flat, and 4WD COULD be an advantage, allowing you to back/pull in slow and easy, where you MAY need to gun it a bit with a 2WD. Ditto for your home parking arena. Probably no issue, but I'd suggest considering it at least.

 

2wd has advantages as you've noted; cheaper, less to go wrong, increased payload, etc. though I'd note that the diesel is the biggest reason for the price difference, not the 4x4......but before deciding, I'd ask two questions: 1) how long do you keep your trucks because selling a 2wd Lariat is going to be hard. and 2) how positive are you that you won't get caught in conditions were 4wd would be necessary.....even once.

I got stuck towing my 16' travel trailer with my 2wd F150 back in 1995 (became a 5 hour ordeal in the rain and mud with my family) and I've never had another 2wd since. ..... a couple years ago I did rent a 2wd p/u (which I was told was a 4wd) and immediately got stuck the next morning trying to get up the hill out of my driveway in the snow.....if I ever thought in the 30 years about going back to a 2wd, that day steeled my resolve...

2 cents,
Dave

 

My personal opinion is that I would have to be DARN sure I'm never going to need 4WD to get a truck that didn't have it.

That said, given the weight of your RV, the 7.3 would be just fine for you. I pulled a 35', 8000 GVWR travel trailer all over with a Power Wagon, so a Mopar 6.4 with a 6 speed trans, and other than the mileage towing never getting above 11mpg on a good day, it did just fine. The 7.3, with more power and a 10 speed, should do even better.

 

99% of our time will be glamping. I worked my entire life in the weather, now that I am retired, I am sure not going to rough it for free. If the weather turns or the campsite is unfavorable, I am heading to the nearest Holiday Inn.
My previous trucks were split 50/50 2WD/4WD. I never pulled an RV, but found that I never used the 4WD. We have been using a motorhome the last 5 years. I am ready to let it go. too much maintenance.
I do want to spend a few days at a time n BLM campsites out west, but not too far off the pavement. I am very good at risk assessment, I doubt that I would be taking any chances on sketchy roads.
The dealer has a Marsh Gray Lariat with Baha interior, 4WD, 6.7on the way, sharp truck.

 

Does the 2WD have a locking rear axle? If so, you’re golden.

 

Both will work for you. The only big difference will be range, if that matters to you. The gas will get around 8-9 towing and the diesel 11-13 towing. The gassers always will state between $0.7 and $1 a gallon difference in cost, but if you get the Open Roads TSD card the difference is more like $0.3.

 

If you're entertaining the idea of leaving the pavement towing a trailer onto blm lands out west I would really concider a 4wd option.

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

I have a 7.3 that that tows a 9000lb (dry) fifth wheel and it does great. Could not justify the cost and other issues that go along with a diesel. If you do not go near snow country, or where you could get into more primitive camping where dirt roads and sandy sites are a challenge 2WD should be fine. But as mentioned, depending on where you live, resale on loaded 2WD could be a challenge. The extra for 4WD is not huge like a diesel, which on my 2025 Lariat was an addition $15K. Enjoy the search. That is half the fun.

 

I know you said the cost is not a factor here, so the decision is really 7.3L or 6.7L right? I would seriously advise only looking at 4WD trucks. Honestly, if you think about it, the 1st time you might even think about needing it, and not having it, will be instant regret. And, you'll have a larger pool to hunt down the deal you want. The 4WD functionality is solid - don't ever use it until you need it, and it will be there. I couldn't care less about your motor of choice, but that's where the money is, gas vs. diesel. I'd quickly decide on a 4WD and get that fork in the road out of the way. Now, do you want the 7.3L or the 6.7L. This has been debated so many times on this forum - but the choice is yours. Both are reliable, capable, dependable options - but they are different. Of course, the diesel has more maintenance costs, but the gas motor will use more fuel. In the long run - they are likely very close in costs to operate, leaning alittle more towards the diesel with a slightly higher cost to own. I'd drive them both, then make the call. Personally, I like the 2025 option you threw out there - might be able to get a deal on it, and a Lariat would be nice.

 

So recently I've had the following 4 trucks (all 4x4 Crew Cab lariats except 1), and a trailer that was rated<10k GVWR / Keystone 28V (tall toy hauler)

2022 3.5 EB
2024 Platinum PB
2024 F250 7.3 (added a Whipple as they are dog slow stock)
2025 F350 PSD

We tow long trips, across the country, over IKE pass pretty much annually. Best one by far for towing, 2025 F350 PSD, much nicer ride than the otherwise identical 7.3, mileage 50% better, and plenty of power stock

2024 F250 - personally, I found this truck dog slow when stock (other trucks were all tuned or supercharged F150's) and lousy for passing, towed pretty good, if not passing and not in any hurry, no problemo. Better than F150 in windy conditions, not night and day but better. Added Whipple Supercharger, and fixed all towing power concerns, but getting 5mpg running premium fuel at 75mph was a bit much.

2024 Platinum - Tuned for daily driving, towed with stock programming - needed rear helper springs to run level with heavy tongue, height of trailer was a bit much in winds.

2022 3.5 EB - Tuned for daily driving, towed with stock programming - Best compromise for daily use, no problems towing, just the issue with very strong winds making driving not fun. This is the one I would pick if I was going to be starting from scratch and daily driving the truck, best towing mileage of the bunch, quickest truck of the bunch both stock and tuned.

 

I think you're in the drastic minority with your comments on the 7.3L being dog slow. I'm not sure what that means either because my dog is pretty fast... But how many gas Super Duty owners ever even research a super charger, much less pull the trigger? They are different power plants, the 7.3 and the 6.7 but there's really no need to tune either one of them - not for the standard truck driver towing the standard camper/trailer.

 

Please, please, get the 4WD. you will need it eventually