the best engines

It's not just the plow weight - its also the weight of the heavy wet snow one would try to push & stack into a pile - this will eventually fry the electric steering motor & components

gwpfan

That's what I was thinking, then my wife said we'll just buy a tractor when we move back to snow country. Still thinking my next truck will be a F-250, shifter on the column, hopefully chains allowed on stock tires, etc...

dwilli

Sno-way model 26 will work with a '12 EB. A Ford dlr in NJ said Snoway will backup the drivetrain warranty if anything happens (I did NOT see that in writing). The installer they use has installed them on many F150 Ecoboosts without any problems. He told me that there could be an electrical drain if 1.raising the plow while 2.turning the plow and 3.turning the truck...all at the same time; very unlikely. They need to cut into the plastic shroud for mounting and you'll likely loose some ground clearance. He recommended Timbren Rings (similar to airbags) that will cushion the weight but not affect the trucks ride when the plow is not on as 1/2 ton trucks are really made to ride like a car. I couldn't find ANY pics of what the truck would look like without the plow on it: huge bar, etc. I opted for an ATV w/a plow.

the best engines

I have to say not that unlikely - last huge snow storm up here in north east - helping a neighbor i needed to raise my electric winch type homeowner plow wile turning & floor boarding throttle up a narrow drive way to pile wet heavy snow ( off to the side) on top of previous piles of snow from earlier storm as I worked my way up there to house - in a perfect world an electric steering rack would be fine but in this situation it would be toast -

twweber

This is an interesting one for me as I plow my driveway with a 2010 FX4. I like the mileage increase of an ecoboost but suspect a 6.2 will be a step back. So I keep the 2010 and, if something happens to it, then I look for a stripped down 2009 F150 or even a F250. Also, I could buy a Chevy or Dodge but really hate that idea.

I don't see why anyone would void their warranty on a new truck to plow but am confident that someone will put a plow on a 2011 Ecoboost when the warranty is done.

Also, for everyone who tells me to just buy a 250, 250's are typically stripped down work trucks, have a much harder ride and are significantly less comfortable in almost every way. Also, the load for residential plowing is very different (i.e. much less) than for commercial. Just because Ford won't oblige, why can't we dream about one truck doing it all?

Been plowing since 2004 and have no plans to stop.

SR2K

Am I the only one who finds this whole thing incredibly stupid on Ford's end? In the manual on my 99 it says that plowing is fine with a F150 so long as its 4wd (duh) has at least the 4.6L motor and is an automatic. Why would ford make a change like this that severely limits one of the main functionalities for a truck? (at least from my perspective living in the northeast)

willieboy

Because they sell more F150 trucks in Houston than they do all of the Northeast combined. What is a major factor for you, is a small portion for Ford. At the end of the day they have to meet these stupid cafe standards. The way they get around it is to build lighter fronts ends that clearly are not made to handle the extra stress of a plow (I say that since they say no plows on all 2013s, including the 6.2 with hydraulic steering). That is why the EcoBoost/5.0 makes great MPG numbers is the standardized test, but is well below those numbers in real life. They figured out the sweet spot in the tuning, and went from there. Anyway, in an economy of scale, the plowing contingent using 1/2 tons is very small as compared to the total number of F150s. Plus, they would rather push people to SuperDutys anyway.

richf28

I have checked numerous Ford lots in my area and noticed that they are stocking F150 and F350 models. When I asked one salesman where the F250's were he said that Ford is pushing the F150's and F350's. Are they thinking of phasing out the F250's I wonder if they're changing to a light duty F150, medium duty F350, and heavy duty F450 or 550.

dereku

Thing is the 250 and 350 are identical trucks with different badges thats about it. And a sticker on the door that says it can haul more. It would be dumb to phase out a 250 some people buy those to keep cheaper plates and sometimes they get out of state inspections too if the gvrw is below a certain number.

twweber

Willieboy,

I certainly understand what you are saying and have posted that as recently as last spring. Since the mileage boost from EPS is rather small, I wish Ford permitted a configuration that I use. That's back to my comment about wanting it all.

For me personally, what Ford has really done is made it such that I am unlikely to buy a new truck ever again. Given my past history with vehicles, it seems I should thank them as it will save me money in the long run.