tduncan53

Looking for a truck to tow a TT, off road for hunting and daily driver when needed.

TT 7000 loaded HW 600, truck with 4 people and dogs (big ones!!!)

How close is the F150 EB w/HD payload to a F250 in terms of suspension, drivetrain and brakes?

Same question for a F150 with max tow?

Thanks Tim

dereku

You would need hd and max tow with an ecoboost to even come close to competing with a 250.

But at the same time a 250 has bigger everything so it can handle more abuse.

If you are only towing a TT i would assume its once a week at most correct? Then an f150 will do just fine.

tduncan53

Yes, once a week at most
I've read a lot of the post on here and other towing forums and am respectful of the braking, handling and wear and tear issues.

I live in SoCal and plan at a least a couple of longer trips a year which will always involve mountains.

Thanks for the help.
Tim

brulaz

The 2012 4x4 Ecoboost Screw with 6.5" bed and HD Payload has a (max) payload of 2310# and 11,100# tow capacity.

A similar F250 with the 6.2L has a higher payload (over 3000#) and tow capacity (12,200# with 3.73 rear end), but it doesn't sound like you need it.

And the Ecoboost will give you much better mileage than the 6.2L especially when not tow/hauling.

Me? I would go for the Ecoboost with HD payload.

willieboy

^x2

Actually, that is exactly what I did. I am towing a very similar trailer with a very similar payload as you. My truck has to wear several hats, including weekend TT hauler and weekday commuting. The F250 does not fit in many of the parking garages I need to go in and out of, and certainly does not turn in those garages as well as the F150. The fuel economy and cost differences for similar equipped trucks substantially favored the F150. With 1500 miles on the new truck, and the first big tow coming this weekend, it is still proving itself, but as of today, I can say it is the best truck I have owned!

EcoboostKev

The F150 Ecoboost will work perfectly fine for you. If you are not going to tow anything heavier than the trailer you mentioned you will even be fine with just the Max Tow Pkg. The F150 rides like a Cadillac compared to a F250 and when not towing the fuel mileage would be so much better. I would suggest if you decide on the F250 to get the diesel. You can tow anything you want and your mpg will be much better than the 6.2L gasser.
Just for the record I only have the Max Tow Pkg on my truck and my trailer is 7500lbs loaded and my hitch weight is 900lbs. I brought my setup to a Cat Scale and I'm under all my trucks ratings. The truck tows flawlessly and i couldn't be happier with the power of the mighty little V6!!

tduncan53

Anyone know if short vs long bed make much of a difference towing?

There are some local trucks with max tow right now and one HD package soon to arrive. Can't be too picky with these models they're hard to find around here.

Thanks for the feedback.

Tim

brulaz

Generally, the longer the wheelbase, the better for towing. But the longer vehicles are more difficult to maneuver, so it's a trade off.

It's not shortbed vs longbed, it's wheelbase that counts, so the cab style as important as well.

smokeywren

Your problem boils down to payload capacity. You obviously need a CrewCab 4x4. Your wet and loaded hitch weight will be a lot more than 700 pounds - probably closer to 840 pounds and maybe as much as 1050 pounds. Your wet and loaded F-150 will be about 6,500 pounds. Without max tow or HD payload pkg, your GVWR will be 7,200 pounds, so you'll be overloaded with the trailer. With max tow your GVWR goes up to 7,700 pounds, so that should be adequate if you can hold the weight of the wet and loaded F-150 down to 6,500 pounds. However, you won't have much wiggle room for hauling more weight in the bed without exceeding the GVWR of the truck.

The F-150 EcoBoost with max tow pkg has a GCWR of 17,100 pounds, which is more than enough for a 7,000 pound TT.

So the answer is the F-150 EcoBoost SuperCrew with the max tow pkg.

The HD payload pkg adds 500 pounds more GVWR than the max tow pkg, but you have no choice in tires or wheels. If you don't want 7-lug wheels with LT245/75R17E tires, then you don't want the HD payload pkg - unless you must have the extra payload capacity for the hitch weight of a small fifth-wheel RV trailer or a heavier TT.

I would never consider trying to find one in stock with the options I want. So do what I did and order exactly what you want. Go to Ford.com F-150 build&price, and choose the F-150 SuperCrew with EcoBoost engine and 3.73 e-locker axle. That will automagically add the max tow pkg to your want list if you choose Lariat trim, or it will make it available as an option you can add with XLT or FX4 trim. With any other combo engine, and axle, you will not be offered the max tow pkg.

That exercise doesn't actually order the truck, but will give you all the info you need to order from a dealer.

Increasing the GVWR requires heavier-duty frame and suspension. Increasing the GCWR requires heavier-duty brakes.

The F-250 is heavier duty, with GVWR of 10,000 pounds and GCWR (with the 6.2L gasser engine and 3.73 axle) of 19,000 pounds.

The F-150 EcoBoost with HD payload pkg has GVWR of 8,200 pounds and GCWR of 17,100. 1,800 pounds less payload capacity and 1,900 pounds less pulling capacity.

GVWR 7,700, GCWR 17,100. 2,300 pounds less payload capacity than F-250.

SkiSmuggs

Max Tow does NOT require the 6.5' bed, but the HD Payload package does. Also, differential selection affects what options show up for the online build; i.e., if you select the 3.73 e-locker, HD Payload does not show as it requires the LSD.