SD package / option questions (new truck order)
 

Hi everyone, we're planning to order a new 2019 6.7L F350 so that we can upgrade our current RV (~6000 lbs) to a larger TT or 5er. I've got a '17 F150 3.5EB w/max trailer tow now. This is my first SD and so I had a few questions about some of the options and package bundles. I figured it would be easier to start a new thread for my build instead of dirtying up other folks' threads with my Q&A. I appreciate any and all feedback. (BTW, I'm not new to ordering new vehicles, but this is only my second Ford truck - I also have a GT350).

Before I start with options, I'll say I'm not 100% sold on the 350 vs. 250. We have not been able to test drive a 350 yet, but did get to drive a 6.7L 250 on Saturday and found the ride to be just fine (this will be my daily driver and our long-drive vehicle, with or without the RV). The notes for things like the hvy service front suspension (required for the locking 3.55) and camper package mention the upgraded and/or helper springs in the 350 - the camper package in particular notes that it "may result in deterioration of ride quality when vehicle is not equipped with camper" and the suspension notes "may result in deterioration of ride quality when vehicle is not equipped with front end utility attachment". We probably don't need the capability the 350 gives over the 250 right now, but I'm a fan of planning ahead and hate to have to buy a new truck in several years if we want to upgrade again vs. spending the extra ~$1000 now to get the 350. I'd love any thoughts on this conundrum.

Anyhow, onto the options and my Q&A:

Lariat Ultimate Package (96U)

• I mostly went with the Lariat trim to make sure I could get the LED headlights (the halogens on my F150 are, simply, horrible). The Lariat Ultimate seemed like a no brainer, but nothing in this package that can't be had elsewhere is a "must have" - except Ford sticks it to you by making it mandatory before getting LEDs, power running boards or ACC. :-arrgh
• The "must haves" for me in this package are PowerScope mirrors, Tailgate step, and Sirius/XM - all available independently.

Tow Technology Bundle (96T)

• I don't see any real value here. Wiper feature comes in the Lariat Ultimate, and all I want is the Trailer Tow Camera system.

Locking 3.55 rear axle (X3J)

• I made sure to get the 3.55 on my F150 for towing. I know the 6.7L has a lot more grunt, but I may go up one size or two on tires (35" at least) and know this will make the ratio more like a 3.3 or 3.2, so I figure this is a "must have".

Quad-beam LED headlights (53Q)

• Any negatives or reasons not to get this?

Power running boards (60B)

• Our test drive 250 had these and the family loved them. Seems like the Ford ones are cheaper than AMP and covered by warranty. Any downside?

Adaptive Cruise Control (527)

• I don't use the cruise control on my truck now because the EB is highly sensitive to throttle input when it comes to mileage. Ex: I took a trip from Atlanta to Roanoke where I followed our BSA buses, which mean staying around 60-65 and no real passing. I averaged 30.5 MPG. Driving on my own would be more like 20-25 and using CC would be more like 17-22 because of trying to maintain speed on hills. This feature sounds useful - with and without towing, but just wondering if I'll actually use it and/or whether the 6.7L is as bad under cruise control as the 3.5L EB.

BLIS (60B)

• Seems like a no-brainer for towing, but I tow now without even having the tow mirrors and don't really have an issue. Granted, the SD will be at least a foot longer and our camper will be at least 10' longer, but is this a "must have" or "nice to have" for towing?

Ultimate Trailer Tow Camera (874)

• Again, seems like a no-brainer for towing, but I don't have anything like this now and wonder how much I'll actually use it.

Power Moonroof (43V)

• This was on my do not get list for fear of leaks, but we made the mistake of test driving a 250 with it and the wife/kids love it. I had this on my Raptor order (which I cancelled after it sat idle for 6 months without being taken up for manufacturing), but did not get it on my 150. Talk me into or out of this.

Upfitter Switches (66S)

• Normally, I would plan to add a bumper, winch and either small light bar or some cubes. I don't know what I could use 6 switches for, but seems like a "better to have and not need, than need and not have" if I'm going to wire in anything additional.

I think that is everything (at least from a factory option standpoint) that I'm considering and/or have questions about. I would love your feedback on any or all of these - personal experience or second hand knowledge - but feel free to throw out anything I haven't mentioned or you think is valuable.

How big of a TT or 5er are you considering? The 350 has a lot more cargo capacity which will help you handle larger pin/tongue weights. The rest of the options look great.

I think you'll also like the keyless Push-to-Start features included with the Lariat Ult Pkg.

If you're going for the UTTC option, then you may also want to consider the "Customer Placed Trailer Camera" (option 65B). This additional camera could be placed on the rear of your camper and might be handy when backing up.

Don't rule out Adaptive Steering... IMHO, there's a whole lotta crankin' goin' on with the regular steering.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

Note, the BLIS is disabled if you hook up to a fiver. It's only supposed to work with TTs. I didn't have it on my 1/2 ton with TT, so I really don't miss it on my f250 with fiver. It seems to work fine when not towing, but I haven't really leveraged it that way much yet.

I stayed away from the power running boards because I heard they had issues in the winter, between the salt, snow and ice. The included boards on the Lariat were good enough for me, so I didn't worry about upgrading those. However, now that I'm hooking up a fiver, I do wish I had at least considered the extended runnings boards to make reaching into the bed easier. I can reach, but that extra step up would help a lot.

I wasn't sure how much I'd use the 360 Camera, but I love it now that I have it. Not for towing as the CHMSL Camera is good enough for hooking up to the fiver, but just parking in general. It's great to be able to get the rubber right at the curb without having to tilt the passenger side mirror down, and I've used the front camera to tuck it right up to the wall in a couple of parking garages that used angled parking and I couldn't back in.

I thought steps / running boards were standard on the Lariat DRW, but optional on the SRW? Part of the reason for us ordering the Chrome Pkg on our new Lariat Ult was to get cab-length step bars.

Regards,
Jim / crewzer

Looks like it's a Canadian thing. Standard feature on the Lariat here, but on the Ford.com site it looks like it's an option. Didn't realize that.

I'll only speak for the options that you are asking about that I actually have on my XLT.

Ultimate Trailer Tow Camera-haven't seen a tremendous benefit of it for towing, but like Kaadk said, just for parking in general it is really handy to have. I have a CC LB so I love it.
F-350 vs F250-All depends on how big a future trailer you are looking for. I went with the F-350 because I wanted as much capacity as possible. I got the long bed so in my opinion the ride on the highway isn't bad at all. On regular streets it can get a bit stiff but I have gotten used to it. I didn't even drive a F-250 though so I don't have any comparison. I was getting the F-350 all the way.

Locking 3.55 Rear Axle: The locking feature is nice because with the pull of the switch, both bock tires are locked together which on something like a slick boat ramp is amazing. Once again on the gearing I was preparing for the maximum size trailer I would be towing so I got the lowest I could get.

Upfitter Switches: I didn't think I would use them, but I have already wired in a dashcam. I don't plan on adding any exterior lights, but who knows what I will add over the years. I don't see how you could power something like a winch off of it though due to the amp draw. It is handy not to have to add tap fuses and accessory switches when you want to add stuff though. Ford did make it quite challenging to get to the wires that run though the firewall due to their short length.

About 35' - 38' long, dry weight around 8500 and GCWR of no more than 11,500. I think we have pretty much ruled out any FW at this point due to wanting a bunkhouse in the back for kids. Speaking of potentially ruling out 5er trailers, if we skipped the 5th wheel/gooseneck prep, could we add it later at the dealer or is that factory-only?

Here are the ones we have in mind now:

Keystone Sprinter Campfire 33BH
Forest River Wildcat 343BIK
Forest River Flagstaff Classic Super Lite 832BHIKWS
Keystone Outback 325BH
Keystone Sprinter 325BMK
Jayco Eagle HT 324BHTS
Forest River Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite 8327SS

I have the push button in my GT350 and its okay, but nothing I'd pay for if it weren't included. Of course it is manual and doesn't have remote start, whereas my F150 does. Getting in while its running without having to dig my keys out might be nice. I will look up 65B - to be honest, I just passed over it and had no idea what it was for. For $1000, I think I'd rather spend another $300 and get the moonroof for the wife and kids. ;)

I worry about the length of the long bed, but I would really like the extra fuel capacity. I really might consider it for another $200 and 15 inches.

Thank you for all the feedback so far!

We are looking at ordering a 19 and have narrowed it down to the following must haves:

F350, Larriet, Diesel, CCLB 3.55 ld, why limit yourself on capacity when the ride is pretty much the same
I like the larriet value package because I don't need all the bells and whistles just remote start and heated seats for Montana.
Tailgate step and extended running boards because I'm not getting any younger
High mounted camera so I can hook up the fifth wheel without drama with the wife.
i will probably add navigation, upfitters, and roof clearance lights since it's not a heavy duty truck if you don't have lights on the roof.

As far as the camper this year we switched from a 30ft bumper pull bunkhouse to a 38 foot fifth wheel toy hauler and couldn't be happier. I hated the idea of having all the wasted space just for the kids to sleep in so now I have a 12ft garage that has two queen beds and the bottom converts to a dinette for rainy days. The wife even let me get a side by side to put in it but it is really handy for bikes and gear with no toys. You also get huge tank capacities with most toy haulers over regular campers.

Good luck

Lariat Ultimate - The LED headlights are worth it. As are the Power mirrors and step.
Tow tech bundle - it's all about the trailer camera system. Make sure you also get the trailer camera - handy for backing up when your spotter is either not present, or may as well not be present.
LED headlights - I know of no downside. Love mine. Don't know how I saw before.
Power boards - I'm in NY - snow, slush, ice, mud. They work fantastic. I've never had them freeze up. And since they're up when driving, no getting loaded with slush. I'll always have these in the future.
Adaptive Cruise - I've got the 6.2, but use the ACC all the time. Including when I'm towing. Normal cruise sucks now.
BLIS - I have it - it's nice when I'm not towing, since we sit so high.. prius's hide easily. When I'm towing, it only works my one of my 3 trailers.. handy, but not as much.. I don't really have a blindspot alongside the trailers.
Ultimate Trailer Tow Camera - don't forget to also actually get the user-installed trailer camera. Very handy for backing up - especially in parking lots where you want to make sure nobody just pulled behind you in the 10 seconds it took to get into the truck.
Moonroof - I like mine - especially in the winter. In the summer, my bald head gets toasty on sunny days, so i close the shade. Need to see if there is a way to knock down the heat.. maybe a ceramic tint?
Upfitter Switches - get em. hard or impossible to add later. Couple mods you may want - 1) truck reverse lights disabled by upfitter so you don't get the reflection off the trailer. 2) 2Lo mod for the 4wd.

The FW Prep is both the pucks AND the in bed 7-pin. While you can add both a set of underbed rails and a 7-pin later, if you you know you're going fiver anyways, why not do it right from factory now?

Among those, I'd have to rule out the Flagstaff/Rockwood (same trailer, different decals, built on the same line), the Outback, and the Jayco because it doesn't look like the bathroom's available while the slide's in on any of those. Among the two Sprinters and the Wildcat, the Wildcat appears to have the better entertainment inside, but the Sprinter's have a nice outside TV setup with it in their outside kitchen like they have. They're all nice units though. Unfortunately, the separate bunkhouse was something I had to sacrifice with ours and I do miss it at times. But part of going FW was making sure I could fit in the driveway hooked up to the truck, so I was limited to 31' bumper to kingpin. Found most of what we wanted in a Surveyor 275BHSS:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...ff01af865f.jpg

I got it with our truck, but now I kind of wish I hadn't. It's nice that it's wired, clean picture, no interference, but it does have it's limitations:

1) You need to get the cabling from the back of the fifth wheel to the king-pin, not exactly an easy task. Ended up having to go to the dealer for help, so extra money in install fees.
2) It's designed for replacing the 7-pin on the bumper only, not the -in-bed 7-pin plug, so you need to buy a different adapter from a third party company to move it (extra money).
3) Putting the truck in reverse defaults to the tailgate camera, even if the trailer is hooked up, so every time you swap to reverse you need to stop and switch to the auxiliary camera.
4) It only works under 5 MPH. So unlike the Furrion 'Observation' camera, you can't use it to check behind you while going down the road.

Now, on the plus side though:

1) It's wired so no connectivity or interference issues.
2) It's right in the head unit, so no extra screen cluttering up the dash.

Great feedback! Our kids are just 9 and 11, so we have many more years of needing the bunkhouse. By the time they don't want to camp with us any longer and/or have moved out, we'll be ready for the Class A with the pull behind Rubicon. ;)

More good feedback! I had moonroof/sunroof on most of my cars when I was young, then realized I never really used them as I got older and they only made the car hotter. My wife loves them, but I haven't had one in over a decade. I think that might change. :(

Tell me more about this 2Lo mod - what does it do/how do you use it and set it up?

Yeah, plus the CCLB on the 250 has a lower tow capacity than the CCSB unless you add the trailer tow package, and then you've just spent more than the cost of a similar 350. 350 is where we are going.