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Old 02-14-2020, 10:23 PM   #41
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Even if the TV will be your DD, my opinion would be the 250/350 is going to be a better tow experience. Personally, I do not care about MPG so a big NA gas engine for a daily is not a issue but the Eco will cost less to operate on a commuter basis. Eco will gnaw through petro towing. I get better economy towing a 40' with my diesel than a buddy does towing a 27' with the Eco. But this is not a oil burner debate.
Man, I've been there. Went to a 1/2 ton for more towing then to a diesel for even more. Wish I had just gone straight to the top to begin with. The truck would be paid for by now. Lol.
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Old 02-14-2020, 10:26 PM   #42
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F 150 5.4 Triton, F 150 Eco Boost, F 250 SD Diesel Supercab 6.75 ft box (liked that config ) and Finally F 350 SRW Crew Cab.

That trailer is too big for F 150, been there done that.

F 250 was a sweet deal on a 1.5 year old with 40 km new on lot.

Plans to upgrade to new Fiver dictated the F 350. Have had 2 new Fivers with the F 350 now I have 16,000 lbs on it.

No Difference in ride between the F 250 and F 350.

Buy the larger truck
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Old 02-14-2020, 10:50 PM   #43
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In trucks bigger is better
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Old 02-15-2020, 11:23 AM   #44
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Originally Posted by bikendan View Post
[...] Your statement of "F-150s are 1,800+ lbs of payload" is incorrect. ONLY if you have it properly spec'd.
So YES, the OP should worry about it. They need to look at the payload sticker on the driver's door before keeping the F150.
You’re probably correct and I’m probably wrong. I’m probably too reliant on recency bias and a small sample size. It seems like every F-150 I’ve seen recently has payload of 1,800 lbs+. That wasn’t the case even 2 years ago. But, today, with the 2019+ trucks, it seems like they are all payload monsters.

But, maybe that’s not actually true. I may be making the all-too-common mistake of using the exception to drive the rule.

The OP needs 1,800+ lbs of payload. Whatever truck he selects needs to have that ... or, alternatively, the OP would have to join the others who agree that GVWR/payload doesn’t matter as long as it “feels good towing.”
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Old 02-15-2020, 11:47 AM   #45
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Too many know the have to upgrade truck for our new camper. I strongly recommend an 350/3500 series truck if you are going to buy a 250/2500. Then you don’t have to think about these payload debates till you get around 16,000 lbs for your trailer and they are not much different in fuel mileage or comfort.

At the differential between gas and diesel prices plus the $11,000 cost for a diesel upfront plus greater maintenance costs, a gasser makes sense for most.

Literally I get 19-20 mpg on my Cummins, my brother gets 14-15 mpg on his exact same trucks but with the 6.4 L Hemi. Capital cost alone plus saying 5 mpg difference between a Hemi and a Cummins, it is like 250,000 miles before you cross over at .50c a gallon difference.

His Hemi is smooth, strong pulling and fun to drive and sounds great. That C on the side of my truck is very cool and I like pulling with this truck but I can’t justify it from a cost standpoint. I may only go over the Ike tunnel 3 or 4 more times in my lifetime.

I should have bought a 3500 Hemi with .410 gears.
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Old 02-15-2020, 12:26 PM   #46
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The OP needs 1,800+ lbs of payload. Whatever truck he selects needs to have that ... or, alternatively, the OP would have to join the others who agree that GVWR/payload doesn’t matter as long as it “feels good towing.”
Agreed.
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Old 02-15-2020, 12:46 PM   #47
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Roachie,
just be sure you check the numbers before signing. It is easy to get trucks with all the bells and whistles with little payload, they are more often aimed at daily drivers. That seems to be more common with the half tons.


Two years ago I had no problem finding an F150 with towing pkg and 1850+, but the salesman was green and clueless about them.


My setup is great, but smaller so cannot comment on 30+ ft.
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Old 02-15-2020, 01:08 PM   #48
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About the 100th thread I've read on this question and the opinion I've gathered from the conservative people in the discussion is <7500 lbs is half ton territory, 7501-12,500 is 250/2500 territory and anything over that is one ton territory, As in this thread, many advocate to buy the one ton if your considering the 3/4 ton as there is generally little to no price difference and some say you save money on insurance.

The longer the trailer, lean more to the bigger truck if you are approaching the next level. Many pull with higher weights than I estimated above but the security you feel with having more truck than you need is a comforting feeling and better towing/handling truck for most. Plus you have upgradability in case you get a bigger trailer in a few years.

Plenty of I tow a 10k trailer with my half tons and it does great posts out there. More power to em. I'm not a fan of walking thin lines with my family when I'm trying to have a fun, relaxing time which is what RVing is for me.
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Old 02-20-2020, 07:23 PM   #49
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I am currently working to upgrade my tow vehicle and I am on the fence between the F150 Eco boost or the F250 gas. I will be using this vehicle to tow a Rockwood 31' travel trailer. Weight is approximately#9000 loaded. I know I will get some good feedback from the Forest River community. Please help me decide which side of the fence to fall on
Hands down 250/2500. Diesel or gas, your preference, for me it's always diesel for pulling my campers. Once you tow with a larger TV you'll understand. Once you tow with a big diesel you'll wonder why you didn't do it before. That's all I can say. Lots of opinions but you gotta figure it out yourself.
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Old 02-20-2020, 07:26 PM   #50
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Go big and be safe, Now some practicality behind this comment, I have always had at least 3/4 ton trucks, we are not going to start the Ford, Chevy, dodge and now Toyota debate so what I'm saying is from personal and many thousand of miles of experience. The bigger trucks are just made to work harder and last longer, on top of towing the weekend 32', 10,000 pound camper I utilize my truck for my self employed contractors business which I tow an assortment of equipment trailers. So for the record my last 2500hd Chevy with a 6litr gas and after 4 years and 113K miles I had to change my first set of brakes.

Everything from stronger frame, better tires better towing abilities with transmission and oil coolers, and the rite size motor for the job, bottom line and in my opinion it is worth the investment. So I ask you, so what is the price of your families safety ?
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Old 02-20-2020, 07:28 PM   #51
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Our Friends and us both purchased new trailers. Our friends purchased the Ford 1500 with the eco boost (fully loaded) and it pulls their 32 ft trailer ok.
I found a new 2500 Ram with the cummins for the same price he payed for his truck (in Idaho). I am so happy I made this purchase, I get much better mileage out of my truck than he gets. I don't even have to use my brakes going down steep grades and it pulls up hill like there is nothing behind it.
I will never go back to gas now...
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Old 02-20-2020, 07:49 PM   #52
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I dont know why people are saying dont get a 3500 for a daily driver. I have a 16 Ram 3500 SRW Mega Cab with the Cummins and I drive it everyday 55 miles round trip to work. The ride is a little stiff but youll get use to it. If it were me i would get at least a 3/4 ton if not opt for the 1 ton srw because you will probably get a bigger camper down the road!
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Old 02-20-2020, 07:52 PM   #53
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I’ve had two F-150s and two F-250s (6.0 and 7.3). Get the 250. You will regret it if you get the 150. Maybe not at first, but eventually.
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Old 02-20-2020, 07:54 PM   #54
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It's kind of been mentioned but the issue is not power, it's payload and weight of the tow vehicle. A 9000 pound 30+footer is going to be a lot to handle for a half ton, even though you will find people who have done it for years. For my comfort, that's 250/2500 territory.
And as others have mentioned, 1800 payload, especially on a 4WD is pretty rare, especially used. If you are looking at 2WD then you may have better luck but I think if you shop around you will find a nice F250 that will you serve you well and not require everything to be balanced to the ounce to get it to tow that trailer comfortably.
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Old 02-20-2020, 08:38 PM   #55
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We have a TT with 7xxx gross weight and a Ram 2500 CTD. I drove class 8 trucks for 39 years and with the 2500 can’t even tell the trailer is back there. Let the air pressure down on the tires when running empty and it rides as well as my lwb 1500 2x4. In my state the license rate breaks at 10,000 gvw and that’s where the 2500 is. Even with the farm tags. I know each state is different. Go with the 250/2500. It may be a little more than what is absolutely required for what you need but when you get in a difficult situation towing you’ll be glad you did. I opted for the diesel but that’s what I wanted.
And when I drop the trailer on the ball it drops the hitch 2 inches measured.
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Old 02-20-2020, 08:49 PM   #56
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Have you watched and reviewed the video from RVSEF on learning how to match TV & TT?
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Old 02-20-2020, 09:15 PM   #57
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I may as well add my two cents. The F-150 3.5 Eco is fully capable of pulling the trailer you describe, on raw specs. The scales may have a different opinion, but we don't have that data.

That said, my 5.0L F-150 Scab was capable of pulling my trailer, but I didn't like how it felt even in the moderate hills in N. Florida. As much as I liked the F-150 and the fact it was paid for, I moved up to an F-250. It's probably overkill for a max 7400# trailer, but it puts the Appalachians back in reasonable reach. I'm sure the F-150 could have handled it but I wouldn't feel good doing it.

TLDR: FWIW, my suggestion is go with the F-250.
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Old 02-20-2020, 09:18 PM   #58
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As someone who upgraded his truck every time I upgraded my trailer, my advice is to go bigger.

I have learned that it doesn’t matter how much they tell you the truck can tow.
The three most important numbers are payload, payload and payload. That’s the first number you will go over, if that sort of thing concerns you.

I would go with a F250/2500 gas or a F350/3500 diesel. The diesel eats up too much payload on the 3/4 ton trucks. Of course, there are exceptions.

Just my 2 cents.
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Old 02-20-2020, 09:19 PM   #59
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Actual Price

When you start comparing actual price F-150 Max Tow VS F-250 gas, in my area of North Texas they are very close in price. Many want the F-150 Max Tow for daily drivers for the better mileage. The dealers can get almost sticker for the F-150s. In the used market, there are many more F-250s to choice from than F-150 Max Tows. W/ a 30' plus trailer, the 3/4 or 1 ton is going to be much more comfortable and safer to tow w/.
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Old 02-20-2020, 09:34 PM   #60
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bigger is better

go bigger with a long bed the longer the wheelbase the better....
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