stevie44

Since I am still at the beginning of this process I thought I would do a post or series on what I am thinking and my experiences with dealers. And after delivery I will continue with first impressions and technical details as to loads and mileage etc.

What Brand?

My buddies have an assortment of truck brands. And so the conversation is usually buy what they did or get a diesel. My really sharp mechanic friend says they are all good, its just in the details of what you will do with it. Some have more issues than others, pick your poison. He does like his duramax but is not negative on the fords.

I currently own 2 fords. A Taurus for the housemouse, and an E350 with the 460 jamboree class c rv.

I previously owned a 83 f150 with no issues that I can remember and so I am partial to Fords. Especially the advertising about the tow ratings. I am going to be retired soon and towing either a 5000lb boat or a 6000lb trailer.
Tow capacity is a deal breaker. So is a crew cab.

My original thought was to buy a good used truck for under 20k and started online shopping. Problem is I am not much of a mechanic and would have a hard time test driving a truck and knowing if there was an issue. My first question would always be "why is he selling it?"

So a new truck it is going to be. "ouch, that's a lot of money"! But still less than I paid for the boat. Priorities you know.

stevie44

Confusion!
So after deciding which brand how do you want it set up?
I went online and started shopping dealer inventories. The ads don't always show much so I would cut and paste the VIN and search it online. That would give me the pdf window sticker and I could instantly eliminate about 99% of the trucks as they have the 3.55 and a short box. So after a couple nights of this I decide I gotta order it the way I want it from the factory. Never done that before. Kind of fun but also traumatic.


Attention Ford, you have a problem.
The build it yourself section on the website is really cool. Assuming you know what you want and can sort your way thru all the packages. If you have been there and done that it is not bad, but for a newbie, it can be a nightmare.
I would suggest for us really dumb people they ask questions about what you will do with the truck and where you will drive it and how many people will you haul to the beach etc. Then they could start with a recommendation and explanations as to why you want this package over the other.

A spread sheet of all the options and packages would help a lot. Maybe?
I knew I needed the 5.0 and the 3.73 cause my mechanic said so. And after awhile of staring at the brochure I figured out the tow ratings but the load ratings still elude me. Its not just dummies that struggle with it. I went to a dealer to look at a truck that I think is real close to what I need and they struggled with explaining the packages to me.

So I went to another dealer and he was a bit more savvy on the computer build stuff and he still had to call in the guy who orders their trucks to figure it out and then they both struggled with it for awhile. Max tow with that engine kept coming up invalid. With the 302a package I get the towing package and rear view camera and brake controller etc.

And so I am still wondering what is the difference between max tow and regular tow packages with the way this truck is set up. The second dealer looked thru it and best we can tell is I would be paying an extra 700 or so for telescoping mirrors? So still some confusion.

The first dealer obviously wanted me to test and buy right then. I told him I am going to study and thoroughly understand exactly what I am buying before I do this. And so today I am reading a bunch on this board. Wow! There is a lot of really useful information on this board. And I got the picture book and I am going to struggle as I must with deciphering the website and the build section.

stevie44

So as of this moment and subject to change I am planning to order a 2013 F150 XLT Crew cab with 5.0 v8 6.5 box and 3.73 rear end. 302A package, Xlt chrome package, XLT convenience package, XLT plus package, pwr sliding rear window, rear defroster, rearview camera, Rev sensing system, Sat radio, trailer brake controller, select shift tranny, adjust pedals, pwr driver seat,

I plan to have somebody local spray in a bed liner and put on a roll up tonno cover.

According to the picture book that package will get 15100 GCWR and a max tow rating of 9100. Since my heaviest load is expected to be 6000 I should be just fine. I am guessing the payload will be at least 1730 but I really can't figure that one out. The picture book may explain but so far I missed it.

Papa D

Couple of useful links, you may or may not have seen already.

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/payload/
This has different tabs to see different options.

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...rv&tt_f150.pdf


There seems to be good incentives for new, but buying a pre-owned from a dealer with low miles is pretty safe. I am completely happy with my recent purchase. It had 14,055 miles on it and it was showroom clean. Had some warranty left, but I bought another one giving me new purchase coverage for an additional 6yr/75,000 miles.

I got mine from a Chevy dealer BTW. Look around.

stevie44

I have seen the second link but not the first. So according to that I either have a max payload of 1570 or 2330. When I select the box, engine, rear end on the build it website I get a note of 2330 payload and 9200 tow. But the notes or 2330 says "Requires max tow and max payload"?
Best I can figure is the only difference between Max tow and regular tow packages is the extending mirrors and a upgraded bumper. That would have negligible effect on payload.

That is what is so difficult about the website. Options either include or cancel out other options/packages. By the time I understand this maybe Ford will pay me to hang around and answer questions. So does my truck come with max tow and max payload or is the website in error? Dose selecting that box/rear end change other things besides the axel? Like the springs?
Please send me the fairy ford mother to explain all this in detail.

Papa D

Max tow isn't an option for the XLT, so the only thing you can get on the XLT is the Heavy-Duty Payload Package.

That puts you at 9200 for a 157" 4x4 with the 5.0.

The */‡ = either one, on this page - http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/payload/ - so you would be at the 2330 and a GVWR of 8200 with the Heavy duty package, 157" supercrew, 4x4, 5.0.

I think the difference as you noticed are appearance/options between the heavy duty and max. The max is for higher priced base models. If you want the further reaching mirrors etc, you would have to go to a different base model. The tow capacity is the same.

I think...

stevie44

Thanks Papa D for clearing some of that up. On the website the 3.73 is $1935.00
I am guessing the max payload pkg is already incorporated when you select that combination? Or the tow package for that rig is virtually the same mechanically as Max Tow. Either way I get 2330 and 9200. I like those numbers.

Cover Dog

According to the 2013 Ford F150 brochure I have in front of me you can get two different towing options on the XLT. You can get a Trailer tow pkg. or a Max trailer tow pkg.

Packages as worded from the brochure:

TRAILER TOW PACKAGE: (required for towing over 5,000 lbs.) includes Class IV trailer hitch receiver, 7 pin wiring harness, upgraded radiator, aux. trans. oil cooler, and select shift auto trans.

MAX TRAILER TOW PACKAGE (required 301A or 302A; restrictions apply; required for towing over 5,000 lbs.) includes Class IV trailer hitch receiver; 7 pin wiring harness; upgraded radiator; auxiliary trans oil cooler; trailer brake controller; upgraded rear bumper; select shift auto trans;and manual-telescoping/-folding trailer tow mirrors with power heated glass, integrated turn signal indicators and security approach lamps.

I am in the process of specking out a Lariat and know this brochure inside and out.

stevie44

When I select models and get the 5.0 and 3.73 and 6.5 box, I can't find Max Tow available in the packages. There are restrictions for the screw and 6.5 box. The regular? Tow package is part of the 301a all of which is included in equipment group 302a. As far as I can tell there is very little difference. But I could easily be mistaken.

Welcome to the fun part Cover Dog. How are you planning to set up your truck?

Papa D

Looked again. There are three Max tow packages listed and one of them is optional. Guess I looked at the wrong one in the compare models chart.