I just got back from a 400 mile trip with my 26 TT in tow. My 150 averaged 12mpg and did alot of shifting from 6th to 3rd. I had the cruise set at 55 and it did a great job at holding but I'm not too crazy about the 4k rpm. I know you guys here say it doesn't hurt anything but I just don't like it to rev that high. As for comfort, and Feel, I think its better than my 93 F250. I think my 93 F250 has the power in the right places (RPM vs Torque) On this same route it never downshifted nor went above 1800 rpm and its MPG was 10.

Don't get me wrong!!! I love my new truck and I know I still have to ween myself from my old F250... give me time....

My next trip will be to Boone, NC. I'll write about that one too

 

Nothing wrong with the motor revving up that high. That said - a 26' TT? What, 8-9K? That's pushing a half-ton pretty hard.

 

its closer to 7k

I have the heavy towing, 5.4, 3.73LS. just will take time to get use to it towing

 

i kind of figured thats how you would feel. so much for that big gas mileage advantage the 09 owners have been talking about too......i said youd get better gas mileage unloaded, but loaded they would be a lot closer than you think. over a 400 mile trip you used 33.5 gallons with your 5.4 and 40 gallons with your 460. saved you a whopping 16 dollars. unless you count the 35k dollar truck......

so you had to hit 3rd gear with only 7k lbs? thats the same ratio as 2nd gear in the old 4 speed. i vaguely remember being laughed at for telling you to be prepared for that..... not quite the same as the guys that said they tow 10k in 4th and 5th gear all day long on any terrain. hows that 11,200 lb tow rating sounding now? lol. im not knocking your truck or anything like that. the 5.4 is a good all around engine and the newer trucks have a lot more comfort features, but when it comes to WORKING the trucks its laughable to compare the two. guess i didnt need to own an 09 to give you advice after all. i dare say your 460 would make that same trip with 15k in tow without downshifting.

just curious, but where was your trip to? what kind of terrain? i know the 5.4 guys say it doesnt hurt it to run it 4k rpm, but the simple fact is that constantly shifting from 3rd to 6th and turning those kinds of rpms is going to make it wear out faster than if you run it 2k rpm and stay in one gear. not saying its going to break down at 100k miles or anything, but it will make it wear out faster. we have two 460 wreckers that have been put through h*ll and have over 400k miles on them(not counting idle time). so its a pretty durable engine too.

 

Did you try the tow/haul mode?

 

I just don't understand it....my 07 (not as much power and only a 4 spd), towed 9,000 and 13,000 lbs without much shifting....the 13000 lb trailer really worked it...it stayed high in 3rd gear alot....but the 9,000 lb bobcat wasn't working all that hard....

What was your total truck loaded weight?? any idea???

 

a lot of it might have to do with terrain. ive pulled 15k lbs with my 5.4 and was smiling from ear to ear. until i hit the first hill. then i almost had to get out and help push lol. i havent been to wisconsin in a long time, but i remember it being pretty much flat. so that may be why yours doesnt have any trouble with 13k lbs.

 

is that an estimate of the weight or the actual manufacturers weight? not saying it doesnt weigh that much, because ive seen several 26 footers in the 7k range, but the majority of the ones ive seen(including the one i own) weigh closer to 4500 lbs. even with a full tank of water, our clothes, coolers, grills, bikes, etc, mine isnt even close to 5k. here are some specs from one i just looked up. it has a GVWR of almost 6600 lbs, but the actual weight is only 5000 lbs. ive never gone camping before where i needed 1600 lbs of cargo, but thats just me. sometimes people highly over estimate the weight of their trailers, so just checking......

<TABLE id=Table1 border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 bg***************><TBODY><TR><TD height=9 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/bar_1.gif colSpan=3>WEIGHTS</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Gross Vehicle Wt Rating (GVWR)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 6,596 lbs. (2,992 kg)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Axle Weight</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 4,390 lbs. (1,991 kg)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Unloaded Vehicle Wt (UVW)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 4,986 lbs. (2,262 kg)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 1,572 lbs. (713 kg)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Hitch Weight</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 596 lbs. (270 kg)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD height=9 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/bar_1.gif colSpan=3> MEASUREMENTS</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Length Feet</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 26</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Overall Length</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 27 ft. 1 in. (8.3 m)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Exterior Height</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 112 in. (2.8 m)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Exterior Width</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 96 in. (2.4 m)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Interior Height</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 78 in. (2 m)</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/vert_bar.gif width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD height=1 background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/divider_1.gif colSpan=5></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fbfaf7 width=150 align=left> Wheel/Tire Size</TD><TD background=http://cdn-9.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/mod_gray/lines_divider.gif width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=186> 14 in. (36 cm)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

The 13000 lb load was on flat land, but i've towed the 9000 in pretty hilly areas....i just let it go into 3rd and put the skinny pedal down.....it revs up...but pulled just fine

 

mine does good on small or short hills with 9k. where i run into problems with mine is really long or really steep hills. ive got one i drive two times a week that my 5.4 wont even climb in 5th gear with nothing but me in the truck. and thats doing 60 mph on a straight road. on that hill, with 9k lbs, i'd be in 2nd(your first) gear before i made it halfway up. i had one i drove two times a week for four years straight that had an elevation change of around 3500 feet and was uphill for 10 miles straight. it was 3rd gear, pedal to the floor, and losing speed the whole way. thats fine for people that only tow that kind of road a couple of times a year. but when youre doing it a couple of times per week, having to run it wide open up the hills, constantly shifting, etc, then youre going to get a noticeably shorter lifespan out of your truck. you really appreciate the "old technology" big block when you have to drive that on a regular basis.

back to his original post of 5.4 vs 460 though. he said himself that with the same trailer on the same road he only got 2 mpg better with his 5.4 than he does with his 460. if his 460 was in the same aerodynamically superior truck with the more technologically advanced tranny as his 5.4, i would be willing to bet that the 460 would actually get better mpg than his 5.4. with the trailer, that is. thats an advantage of the truck the engine comes in, not the engine itself.

 

Holy hell, not the 5.4 vs 460 debate again...

 

this thread is just a continuation of his original thread lol. not trying to stir things up again, just making an observation. for about a month straight now ive heard nothing but 6 speed this, aerodynamic that, mpg's, you dont know what youre talking about, you dont own the truck, get out of our forum, etc. simple fact is his high tech, new fangled, top of the line truck only saved him 15 dollars over his outdated dinosaur that people have been bashing since his first thread. and on top of that it didnt do near as good a job of towing.

i said expect the same mpg with the 5.4 loaded as you get with the 460 loaded. i got lectured about aerodynamics and new technology. his results speak for themselves. i said expect lots of shifting back and forth between 3rd and 6th. i got lectured about the wonders of the new 6 speed and how it will tow in 5th gear all day long. he had lots of shifting between 3rd and 6th. i said expect lots of 4k rpm driving. i got lectured about variable cam timing, peak hp, math forumulas, and how their 5.4 has NEVER had to turn 4k rpm. he said he had lots of 4k rpm driving just to maintin 55 mph. so yeah, i kind of like it when someones real world tests show exactly what ive been saying all along.....

 

When towing a travel trailer (aka brick, sail, parachute, etc) the truck aero package does not mean much. In fact a truck with worse aerodynamics can sometimes get better mileage towing because the trailer can draft behind it better.

A 460 is a big piece of iron that was once the best towing engine you could get from Ford. A fair comparison would be the 460 vs the V10 which would probably make most of the trip in OD and down to 3rd gear on the big hills.

 

thank you for understanding lol. 460 vs v10 is a very good comparison(but no relevance to this forum), which is what ive been saying since the beginning of all this nonsense. some people who have never owned a 460 think its a valid comparison to the 5.4 for some reason(peak hp, math forumulas, etc). im sure the 09 is a great truck and peter will not be disappointed that he bought it. it has lots of advantages over his 93 model, but hooking up to a trailer is not one of them. the advantages like smooth ride, high revving, gas mileage, etc are what make it a great LIGHT DUTY truck and daily driver. those advantages turn into disadvantages once you start hooking decent sized weights to it. his f150 is meant to have a smooth ride unloaded and his f250 is meant to have a smooth ride with a big load on it. two totally different trucks built with two totally different purposes, and sorry to all the 09 owners who get defensive, but towing is not one of your advantages. not saying its a bad truck or you shouldnt have bought it, but its not in the same league when it comes to towing.

 

Should have bought an 08. They tend to shift about 33 percent less.