Chance to upgrade?

Gunnergm1 · 05-28-2010, 09:18 AM

Hello everyone,

Those of you who have read a few of my posts know that I have a F150 2010 w/tow package 5.4 etc. I found an F250 2008 w/tow package and all the goodies but it is a 5.4 also. Can anyone tell me if this would be a better truck to trade for? I know it's tow capacity is greater than mine but the truck itself is already more truck for the given motor. I drove the truck and it seems to not have as much get up and go as my F150. The gears are 3:73 vs my 3:55. There is only 29000 miles on the truck. Would it be worth the hit of giving up my new 2010? Thanks

blake2727 · 05-28-2010, 09:53 AM

Is your camper to much for your F150? I have a F150 and I drive a F250 with the 5.4 a good bit thats one of our company trucks. Personally I like the 150 a lot better. The 250 is extremely weak. You would be gaining a little bit with the gears and suspension but if your within your weights on the 150 I wouldn't trade. I don't think its worth giving up a 2010 for a 2008.

MtnGuy · 05-28-2010, 10:12 AM

Gunnergm1, if I remember correctly, you are probably approaching the GVWR of your F150, which I also believe had the 3.55 gears. The 2008 F250 is probably not rated to pull much more than your F150, but the extra weight capacity should help. Depending on the cab design, 4x4 vs. 4x2, the F250 is rated to tow 9200 to 10,100 lbs. with that engine and final gear ratio. That is not a lot extra towing capacity over your F150, but might do a better job with the lower final drive and heavier truck. If the f250 has a longer wheelbase, that would help, also.

My SIL and DD just did a trip with us, and he has the F350 with the 5.4L and 3.73 gears, and his 2004 model has less towing capacity than my 2006 F150 with the same stats.....go figure. I think Ford puts the smaller towing stats on the 5.4 Super Duties to encourage people to buy the V10 or the diesel.

08flagvlite · 05-28-2010, 11:03 AM

Just keep what you have, and test drive the camper at the dealers when it comes in. Thatway, they can recommend any improvements that you may need. Remember, I have basically the same setup as you, but with you having 4WD, you should already have beefier springs than me, and you can get aftermarket mods to wake that 4.6 up, so your only real issue would be the gearing, on your current vehicle, and as long as your'e not pulling through the smokies, it shouldn't be that bad. The plusses for that truck you mentioned are not that much better, for an older truck, in my opinion. Randy

dezolen · 05-28-2010, 12:39 PM

An F250 with a 5.4 does not make a whole lot of sense. Should you want a bigger trailer as in 2 foot itis you will be trading tv again.
Now if it were a V10(rare) or deisel that would make a big difference.

grhodes50 · 05-28-2010, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunnergm1

Hello everyone,

Those of you who have read a few of my posts know that I have a F150 2010 w/tow package 5.4 etc. I found an F250 2008 w/tow package and all the goodies but it is a 5.4 also. Can anyone tell me if this would be a better truck to trade for? I know it's tow capacity is greater than mine but the truck itself is already more truck for the given motor. I drove the truck and it seems to not have as much get up and go as my F150. The gears are 3:73 vs my 3:55. There is only 29000 miles on the truck. Would it be worth the hit of giving up my new 2010? Thanks

I was in the same situation and I bought the F-250. I don't regret it at all. It won't compare to the V-10 or a diesel, but even though it's heavier and the gears are 3:73, I can't tell any difference in towing power compared to my F-150, 5.4, 3:55 gears. As far as handling the tounge weight, braking and stability, it's way better than the F-150. Semi's, high winds, rain have no adverse effect. That was the reason I traded, not for more power.

Having said that, I'm not too sure that the F-150 with the MAX tow package wouldn't do just as good. Never tried it so I can't say one way or the other.

I would try the truck you have now and see how it works. Good luck whichever way you go.

Gunnergm1 · 05-28-2010, 10:23 PM

Thanks everyone for the input. I am going to hold off on the trade. I too think an F250 with a 5.4 does not make a lot of sence. Thanks for you help.

Gunnergm1 · 06-29-2010, 10:32 AM

UPDATE:

Ok, we picked out TT up last Thursday and my F-150 really seemed to have a tough time on the hills. It handled very well but really felt like it was struggling with the lack of power. It could be me because I have not towed anything in a while but it really made me second guess my first trip which will take us over the West Virginia mountians.

MY SOLUTION:

Yesterday I found a new (well almost new) toy. I traded my beloved F-150 for a 2009 Dodge Cummins Diesel 2500. Yep I did it. Yes I took a slight hit on my F-150 but an acceptable hit when I consider the piece of mind that comes with this towing monster. I have posted some pictures of the camper and truck. If this will not tow it then I am going for a smaller camper. I have good friends that tow with the Cummins diesels and they say I have no worries what so ever with this setup. I really did not want to have to trade my Ford but I do feel much more confident with this setup. Happy camping everyone.

SaskCampers · 06-29-2010, 11:58 PM

You won't be sorry. We have a 2500 Megacab with a Hemi and it tows the V-Lite like a dream. A diesel is in our future as well just need to keep this one for a couple more years to get the payments down.

blake2727 · 06-30-2010, 06:40 AM

You won't regret that trade. We run some of every brand truck gas and diesel with our company and we bought some 09 diesels not to long ago and those things will smoke the competition. In my opinion you probably have the best diesel on the market right now.

08flagvlite · 06-30-2010, 07:41 AM

Great truck, gunnergm! My father in law has an 06 Ram 2500 4x4 HD cummins thunder road, and he just loves it to death! He sits outside in his lawn chair admiring his truck! (and he WAS a LOYAL GM guy for years! I've been buyind Dodges for a while now. Good Luck, and you'll be happy with that truck. Randy

Gunnergm1 · 06-30-2010, 08:06 AM

Thanks guys,
So far so good with the Cummins. It drive so good. Set the cruise and it never deviates off the speed and you can not even feel this thing change gears up hill. I'm sure when I tow it will be a bit different but MPG's have been great and I love the sound of the turbo. Boys will be boys. I have not got to tow with this yet. I work out of town and my dealer has to adjust the height of the hitch before I can hook up again. I will do that Friday and maybe hook up just for a test run before my first real trip the following Wednesday. Happy camping!

Steve & Kathy

Gunnergm1 · 07-13-2010, 08:34 AM

We are back from our first trip with the new WRLS 30 and the Cummins. We were on some pretty steep grades up and down and the truck did great. If my calculations were close we had about an 8600lbs pull. The only time sway was an issue was when the big dump trucks would pass me. I did feel some sway then but not when a regular tractor/trailer would pass. We had a good time. The only bad thing that happened was my fault when I forgot to secure the walk in closet door and it came off it's track and pulled the screws out of the top of the door. My fault. I thought when we left that my fresh water tank was full. I even added a little more the morning we left. However we ran out of water the end of the third day. We did not use the shower. They has very nice facilities there but we did use it for cooking and some dishes and an occasional freshining up. When I stopped on the way home to dump the gray water it sure did not seem like 45 gallons dumped out of the tank. I stopped using water because it sounded like my pump started to cavitate. Is it normal to hear the pump make noise if the valves are just open a little? Other than those issues we had fun and really enjoyed our camper.

You may also like: