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Old 01-22-2018, 04:31 PM   #1
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Help - husband and I do not agree on truck

Hello all,

This is my first post on the forums and it is to gather opinions on a new towing vehicle.
We will be purchasing a new pick up for towing a new camper that weighs about 5500 pounds. Travel will be all over the united states (hopefully).

The husband is partial to Ford and is looking at an F150.
His first thought was to go with a V8. I have been doing a little research and I think that what I am finding is that the V6 with eco-boost (possibly the 2.7, but probably the 3.5) could deliver similar or higher power with savings on gas millage. He is in disagreement - but I fear that is because it just goes against what he has always known. This situation is similar in the Chevy trucks.

I KNOW all of you have opinions on this and would love to hear them - educate me please!!
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:40 PM   #2
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You will receive many differences of opinion.
The F150 with the tow package, LT tires, and ecoboost will pull the camper. When towing, forget about printed fuel mileage. You'll be lucky to get 8-10 MPG.
Will it be a good driving experience? That depends on how the WD hitch is set-up, type of hitch, and how the truck and camper are loaded. If you can afford it, move up to the F-250. Its a little overkill, but if you move up to a 5th wheel you will not have to trade in tow vehicle. 5th wheels pull considerable better.
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:45 PM   #3
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I never thought about moving up in size again! Which is bad because it is exactly what I am doing (bought a camper last year - trading it in on something bigger
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:47 PM   #4
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I pulled an 8,000 lb camper with a 3.5 Ecoboost and did just fine, topped out wolf creek pass at 50 mph and half throttle. No problem with the power to get the job done. The 5.0L engine is no slouch either, I think either would pull your trailer no problem.

The idea of getting an F250 is good one if there is ANY chance you may be upgrading your trailer in the next several years.
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:51 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DougW View Post
The idea of getting an F250 is good one if there is ANY chance you may be upgrading your trailer in the next several years.
What he said. You won't regret it, be it gas or diesel.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:01 PM   #6
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If it was me and we were to travel the country I wouldn't hesitate, 250/2500 NO DOUBT. Me, I'm a GM guy, try one, you won't be disappointed. But I'm sure, I guess, that a Ford SHOULD get the job done, maybe.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:08 PM   #7
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Yep, agree with the 3/4 or even 1 ton truck suggestion. I had a half ton pulling a 32' TT and it did get the job done. We decided to get a 5th wheel in a couple years so I bought a Silverado dually diesel a few days ago. Having a heavier duty truck will come in handy if you decide to upgrade and you will not be limited.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:10 PM   #8
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:14 PM   #9
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All over the U.S.? Go with the 250 or a Chevy 2500 and diesel if possible. We have a similar weight pull behind and tow with a GMC 2500 with the Duramax. So happy we over bought on the truck.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:20 PM   #10
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Haha Mr. Dan!! You are all making this harder! He says that Chevy does not have the towing capacity that Ford has.
The 250's are so expensive!!!! And expensive to drive even when not towing. We had such a hard time narrowing down the camper choices to the two that we are interested in. Now the decision on the truck. I just want to go camping!
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:24 PM   #11
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I recently purchased a slightly used F150 3.5 Ecoboost to tow our new TT, which has a factory UVW of 5,000lbs.

I absolutely love it. I bought the 3.5 because we live out West and have to get through the Cascades, Sierras, Rockies and Siskiyous.

At one time, a 5th wheel was in our future when we retired. So a 3/4 or 1 ton was something we were going to buy.

Once we retired, the DW decided that driving across the US wasn't appealing. So we found something smaller that we can snowbird comfortably.

So a 1/2 ton fits our needs, since we don't plan to ever upgrade to something bigger.

But if it was, I would've skipped the 1/2 ton.

F150s have the best payload/towing capacities in the 1/2 market. I used to own a Chevy 5.3 1/2 ton and I chose the F150 because nothing GM has comes close.
Neither does Dodge or Toyota.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:35 PM   #12
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Our trailer is dry weight 5300 pounds and on the scale for a trip about 6700 pounds. Our 3.5 has towed cross country 3 times totaling 20k miles. There were only 100 miles of that that it even crossed my mind I would have preferred a 3/4 ton. Once was going downhill on a rocky mountain grade...the Ecoboost offers very little engine braking. Second was with heavy Kansas crosswinds. Both cases we were "okay", but "bigger truck" crossed my mind.

Don't get the Ecoboost if you think it will save on fuel economy. Do get the Ecoboost over the 5.0 if you want your torque to come on at relaxed rpm's and to not loose power at elevation.

I'd buy ours all over again.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:41 PM   #13
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tragusa3 - are you saying that the gas mileage in the 3.7 would be similar to that in the V8? Because the truck is driven without towing something most of the time. I would think there would be some gas savings there. Otherwise, what is so great about them, because off the lot they are more expensive than the V8's (according to my dear husband). What am I missing here?

Thank you all for your opinions - so much food for thought!
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:53 PM   #14
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Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, when you are not towing the mileage is great
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Old 01-22-2018, 06:09 PM   #15
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My first question is the trailer is 5000 lbs dry weight or gross weight???? Do not go by dry weight by the advertised weight. Dry weight is as it leaves the factory (probably heavier than advertised dry weight as well) without anything added, no propane, no water, no dealer installed options, no gear.

You will need to compare the rated gas mileage of the truck too many apples and oranges............ My one ton duelly gets 8 mpg better than my 1/2 ton truck did........ but it is apples and oranges.......... also expect a serious drop in mileage while towing...........

But you can never have too much truck...........


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Old 01-22-2018, 06:24 PM   #16
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Bigger is better.
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Old 01-22-2018, 06:30 PM   #17
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I was looking for the V8 but bought the 3.5 ecoboost. It is a torque beast. No problem with hills and the power comes on strong at low rpms, less noise makes long distance rides less tiring.
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Old 01-22-2018, 06:49 PM   #18
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Being someone who’s owned all sorts of sizes and lengths I wouldn’t buy anything other than a 250/2500 minimum with a diesel for a tow vehicle. You leave yourself closed for more options later with you decide to ever upgrade... just my [emoji1365] pennies.
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Old 01-22-2018, 06:53 PM   #19
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Old 01-22-2018, 07:03 PM   #20
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I will chime in here. We had a 1500 Chevy Silverado and I wanted a bigger camper. I did my research and purchased/special ordered an F150 EB with the max tow and HD package. It was a HOSS!!

We put 50,000 miles on it and pulled a 36' TT (8000 lbs) all over the east coast.

I got to thinking about another RV and we went with a 39' 8900 lb fifth wheel - totally loaded was 9500 lbs at the scale. The F150 towed it great and it was not over on it's payload before anybody starts chiming in here.

DH got concerned about the longevity of the EB, so he went with an F250 crew cab 4X4 6.7L diesel in 2015. I decided to upgrade the fifth wheel and we knew we would need a different tow vehicle since it weighed much more. We now have a 2017 Ford F350 dually 6.7L Superduty and a 43' fifth wheel.

I LOVED that F150 EB and if I was in need of a daily driver, I would get another one. It rode as good, if not better than DH's Cadillac Deville, it got good gas mileage (18.5 and above) and was just a fun vehicle.
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