Help with tow recomendations

[hockey11]

We just got our 21ft TT the max wgt is 7100#. We tow with an E150 Ford Conversion Van. The max tow on the vehicle is 7000#. We have not towed our TT to max wgt, however, our Van is having a hard time. We have been out on 2 trips & it will tow at 65mph or less. MN hills are a struggle, we are thinking we need to upgrade. We are not fulltimers, so we need an everyday vehicle. No more children, 2 german shepherds. We are thinking the f150 ecoboost. Any info, experience, or suggestions would be helpful!!!

[donn]

While there are lots of glowing reports of how well the eco tows, IMHO there is no substitute for cubic inches. Small block motors simply cannot produce the torque required for proper towing. And the only advantage you will see is a bit better fuel economy when not towing, but no better when towing. Since it appears you are locked into Ford IMHO you would be better off looking at the V8 version.

[LadyWindrider]

Plenty of reports on here about ecoboost. Do a search on here, and see what others have said. Good luck with your decision.

[bikendan]

by the way, your trailer is 24' 6" long, not 21'. the 21 in the 2102 has nothing to do with the trailer's actual length.

you need to post the van's engine size, rear end ratio and if it has the factory tow package, to give us an idea of the van's capability.
because it's a conversion van, the extra weight of the conversion lowers the van's towing capacity.

that said, the Ecoboost had many happy owners and is a towing beast.

[hockey11]

Just wanted to add that we are not set on the ecoboost, we are open to all trucks as a possibility. We just want something that will tow our trailer with ease in both flat & mountainous terrain. Also off road would be good!!! We want to do some boondocking. thanks

[Rsgtivr6]

I pulled our TT with little trouble behind the Ram (roughly 5800lbs for now) and got 9 avg going through towns, short hwy stretches and some small hills. Never felt like it was out of power when I needed it.

The new ones have a 10k max tow on a CCSB 1500 Express (cheaper decently equiped model) with 3.92 gears. Also, with the hemi you get 20mpg hwy due to the multi-displacement design. (seen most people state between 17-19 avg's at hwy speed limits). That is on par with Ecoboost real world numbers. Also sporting 390bhp and 407 lb/ft torque naturally aspirated is not too shabby. For around town, it has the coil rear suspension instead of the springs for a smoother ride. And then there is the Hemi exhaust note...

I am a Ram fan, so just showing the other side of the fence. Not trying to say one is better than the other (however biased I may be--blue oval hater from the crib, lol), just dropping some info for you since you asked for it. In your weight range, the only real factor that will be an issue is looks and percieved quality from a new truck. In either case, do your research and make sure you find your best fit! Check F150, Ram, GMC, Tundra or whatever vehicle you are looking at, forums for issues and concerns, or just reasons why they love/hate their trucks. That's how I came to my decision that FR was the right product for me.

[LadyWindrider]

Ford F250 with the new (sort of), 6.2 Liter V8, gas, super cab, 4x4, with tow package. Has a little more grunt than the ecoboost, and the suspension for towing. Mileage when empty should be no worse than the van you have now.

No I don't have one, but I want one. I'm towing 7000 pounds with a F150, and 5.4L, in the mountains of North Carolina. It works ok, but I want a new truck.

[Barnman1]

I have an 11 ecoboost. I love it. It is my daily driver, 80 miles per day. Just look at the specs and get what you are comfortable with. Mine came with P tires standard, after pulling with them a few times I went and got LT tires and notice a big difference pulling with them.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by donn

While there are lots of glowing reports of how well the eco tows, IMHO there is no substitute for cubic inches. Small block motors simply cannot produce the torque required for proper towing. And the only advantage you will see is a bit better fuel economy when not towing, but no better when towing. Since it appears you are locked into Ford IMHO you would be better off looking at the V8 version.

Actually, the V6 ecoboost is the F150's top towing engine with plenty of lower RPM torque and more than enough HP.

I have the 5.0 V8 in my 2011 F150 and it tows my 6200# trailer with no problems but the ecoboost has a little extra oomph compared to mine..

[saskrick]

hockey11, I'd like to refer you to a post by Acadianbob regarding his ecoboost. It is under towing hitches and toads and the the topic is F150 review, 3300 mile trip.

I too recently bought an f150 ecoboost. I have not towed with it yet but it does have a diesel like torque. What I mean by that is the power comes on a low revs. This is what I was looking for since, I did not want to have something running down the highway at 3500-4500 rpm just to keep speed. My 97 f150 with 5.4 was doing just that. I tried to keep it in 3rd gear around 2400rpm as much as possible, but I was basically only good on the flat ground(my trailer is a North trail 31bdss with a gvw of 8600- not sure on actual weight yet). The alternative I looked at is a gm max tow with a 6.2. That one also had great power, seemed a little better on fuel than the ecoboost. But the power of the ecoboost still comes on at lower revs and the screw cab was a little bigger. I have five kids, so I need all the space I can get.

[bignugget]

Hockey11, I am not trying to put down anyones tv and I don't no your situation but you might want to also look at a diesel. I have been towing with my 06 cummins for years now and there is no comparison. My wife and I travel with two other couples that recently went from a gas truck to a diesel and could not be happier. I will also give you room to grow if you ever want a larger camper. My tt fully loaded is somewhere in the 6500 to 7500 pound range. I went from a half ton v-8 dodge to my current truck and I can tell you I will never own another gas truck. If I was going gas I would really have to look at the ford ecoboost.

[WEMig]

I have a 2012 F250 Lariat with the new 6.2L gas engine. I'm getting 9 mpg pulling a 12000 lb 5th wheel and 13-14 unloaded on the highway.

[saskrick]

To hockey11, bignugget is right about the diesel. New ones are double the power of any gas and you have a heavy duty vehicle. Decision to go this route would depend on how much you tow and the terrain. The extra cost for a diesel is usually the upfront cost. Most is recouped when you sell. But definately the most power available is from a diesel.
But check out that write up from acadianbob. Maybe the new gas is enough for you.