5.4 engine on a 3/4 ton?

[Dovetail]

Still on the hunt for a truck. Saw a 2010 Ford 250 w/ a 5.4 engine.
Anyone using that setup?
My 5ver is at 9000# ready to go and thinking it will be my last trailer.
This engine have enough oomph?

[Ford Idaho]

I see a few running around town and some on the freeway but most are not towing.
The one I remember towing had a Jay Feather behind it.

Where you plan on driving may be the tell.
The 351 is not a bad motor.

What rear end gears?

[MtnGuy]

The 5.4 does a good job pulling my 5500 lb. camper, but might be a bit of a challenge pulling 9000 lbs. A lot has to do with the type of terrain you will be visiting. On level, open road, the 5.4 should not be taxed too much, as all you are overcoming is wind resistance. In hilly terrain, then the 5.4 might be a little under-powered.

I have regularly pull my trailer up 7 & 8% grades, and a few 9% grades.....but again, the trailer weighs in around 5500 lbs.

Another factor would the final drive ratio.

[jlbreaux]

I had a brand new 06 F250 3/4 ton quad cab with the 5.4 when I worked for Level(3) Communications. It was a turd, and once I hooked up a loaded trailer it went from a turd to a bucket of turds. I would not recommend it because of it's lack of power and awful fuel mileage.

[jevanb]

buddy of mine bought my old 99 V10 f250 from me and complained about the MPG`s, then he went out and bought a new F250 CC 4x with the 5.4 and traded it just about 2 months into ownership, said MPG suck worse then the v10 and power was not available to do anything.. but maybe he had a lemon and yours will do better

[EdJunior]

My experience is about the same as MtnGuy, only I did have the F-250. It did great pulling my 5500 pound (as we pulled it) TT. But I believe you will be stretching the limits of that engine, unless you go really deep into the rear end (4.30 or 4.56 gearing). I still would try to find at least a 6.8L (V10) or a diesel to pull that much trailer any further than the relative flats of East Texas.

[acadianbob]

Compared to other v-8's of comparable size, the 5.4 has a good torque curve. A 6 speed tranny helps. Not sure what tranny it would have.

[wrvond]

The 5.4 is a 333 cubic inch engine, not a 351.
Mine works the same as MtnGuy. I live in the mountain state, and it works really well pulling my camper, but if I were to move to something heavier, I'd also move to a diesel.

[09grizzly1]

Here is the 2010 Ford towing guide. I would go with the 5.4l with 4.10 gears.

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...RDUTYsep09.pdf

[jevanb]

Originally Posted by Dovetail

thinking it will be my last trailer.

think again.I said that 3 times ago... and most would agree that is not your last. if you ever plan to upgrade in size, ever, up grade the truck first. it makes the purchase less painful in the long run

[Dovetail]

Thanks to all for thoughts and grizzly for the link.
I'm just closer and closer to a diesel.

My son has a Sanibel and kinda jealous, so mAybe not last trailer!

[jevanb]

Originally Posted by Dovetail

Thanks to all for thoughts and grizzly for the link.
I'm just closer and closer to a diesel.

so mAybe not last trailer!

I knew it!!!!!!! just had to ask....

[Seasonal]

Take an F350 for a test ride. Almost the same cost as an F250 and a bit more stout.

You should also know that oil changes and fuel filter changes cost a little bit more than a normal truck at the dealership. If you do this work yourself, not that much of a difference.

Consider an extended warranty if you buy a 6.7L diesel. Kind of expensive to fix when important parts break.

[Scott Colegrove]

if you don't want to have the expense and the maint of the diesel, consider the new ram with the 6.4 hemi. It is up to the old 454 and 460 specs in a much newer format. Should prove to be an interesting alternative for those who don't only pull with their rig and can't get into the diesel.

[Twisty]

Get too much truck.

[davel1971]

I'm a big fan of too much truck. If you stay with your 9000# setup, you will never hurt the truck because you aren't towing with your right foot on the floor. Lots more stable and safer too. Leaves you room to grow for that "next last camper" too.

[BrianSF-GA]

Originally Posted by Dovetail

Thanks to all for thoughts and grizzly for the link.
I'm just closer and closer to a diesel.

My son has a Sanibel and kinda jealous, so mAybe not last trailer!

Originally Posted by my_crib_too

Take an F350 for a test ride. Almost the same cost as an F250 and a bit more stout.

You should also know that oil changes and fuel filter changes cost a little bit more than a normal truck at the dealership. If you do this work yourself, not that much of a difference.

Consider an extended warranty if you buy a 6.7L diesel. Kind of expensive to fix when important parts break.

Originally Posted by Twisty

Get too much truck.

Originally Posted by davel1971

I'm a big fan of too much truck. If you stay with your 9000# setup, you will never hurt the truck because you aren't towing with your right foot on the floor. Lots more stable and safer too. Leaves you room to grow for that "next last camper" too.

All of these ^^^^^ ... it depends if you enjoy "white-knuckle" towing or relaxing towing. A gas powered truck is fine if you are trailering across town, but, out on the open road, especially, with significant grades, you will be glad to have opted for a diesel.

I went with the new Power Stroke (800 ft-lbs) ... pretty damn stout, but the Duramax and Cummins are damn stout as well. Its all about preference and the deal you can find unless money is of no concern.

You may also want to consider hanging out on the truck forums for the manufacturers you are interested in. Ask questions and be an educated consumer.

If Ford is your interest, the new Power Stroke (2011+) is very impressive. It will also get a bump in hp/torque in 2015 (production to start March 2014-rumor is 425bhp/875ft-lbs.) with a larger single sided turbo and injectors as well as a switched exhaust brake. When the new 2015's hit the showrooms, the dealers will be giving away the 2014's.

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by BrianSF-GA

All of these ^^^^^ ... it depends if you enjoy "white-knuckle" towing or relaxing towing. A gas powered truck is fine if you are trailering across town, but, out on the open road, especially, with significant grades, you will be glad to have opted for a diesel.

I went with the new Power Stroke (800 ft-lbs) ... pretty damn stout, but the Duramax and Cummins are damn stout as well. Its all about preference and the deal you can find unless money is of no concern.

You may also want to consider hanging out on the truck forums for the manufacturers you are interested in. Ask questions and be an educated consumer.

If Ford is your interest, the new Power Stroke (2011+) is very impressive. It will also get a bump in hp/torque in 2015 (production to start March 2014-rumor is 425bhp/875ft-lbs.) with a larger single sided turbo and injectors as well as a switched exhaust brake. When the new 2015's hit the showrooms, the dealers will be giving away the 2014's.

I'm with Brian on this one. Had a 3/4 gasser and after 3-4 hours of driving through hilly terrain, I was whooped! It was a mental exhaustion from trying to keep the speed up and the rpm's down, a constant battle. I will admit it was an '06 Chevy 2500 with a 6.0, 4 spd, and 4.10 gears. I was only pulling 7200lbs, but had a big wind drag. I will never go back. I've had 7 new trucks in the past 18yrs, and 4 of them have been diesels. Each time I pulled a TT it was with a diesel except for 1 time, which was the instance stated above. If you are pulling max weight within a 3-4hr radius, a gasser may be fine for you and/or you are OK pulling at 55-60mph in a lower gear to maintain a constant speed and keeping the rpms down, a gasser may be fine for you. There are exceptions to the rule, but a diesel will make your travel experience much better.

[Dodge Guy]

There is a guy over on RV.net that bought an F250 with the 5.4 it had 3.73`s and he swapped to 4.30`s. he said it turned it into a workhorse and is very happy with his choice. If you do buy it I recommend going to the 4.30`s, which is what many over there recommended to him, including me. the towing mileage will go up slightly because the lower gearing makes the truck not work as hard.

Just curious how towing with a gas F250 is "white knuckling towing" when compared to a diesel?

[EdJunior]

Originally Posted by Dodge Guy

There is a guy over on RV.net that bought an F250 with the 5.4 it had 3.73`s and he swapped to 4.30`s. he said it turned it into a workhorse and is very happy with his choice. If you do buy it I recommend going to the 4.30`s, which is what many over there recommended to him, including me. the towing mileage will go up slightly because the lower gearing makes the truck not work as hard.

Just curious how towing with a gas F250 is "white knuckling towing" when compared to a diesel?

I went from 3.73 to 4.30 in my 5.4L F-250, and it did not transform it into a "workhorse". It helped, especially in the "get up and go" part, but overall, it was a modest upgrade. It did fine for my TT (5500 pounds), even in the hills/mountains of Tennessee. But the workhorse is the diesel. Period.