10susan

I need a truck to tow my toys.. 76 Bronco, 69 Ranchero GT & a 69 Stang fb 428 CJ 4 sp++ that I bought June 1969.

Last Ford truck was a 2000 F350 Crew dually diesel auto 4X4.. for 10 yrs prior 78 F150 5,0 auto 4X4 Lariat - owned that one about 20 yrs,, 69 F350 Camper Special 360 4spd 4X4 about 10 yrs.... I buy one and keep it.

So I am looking for feedback on the +- of the different yrs probably 2001 to 2012. I now live in the SW desert so hauling the 8mpg Bronco to where I play and be able to haul it back IF I break it. Although 70-100 miles of open desert running cam make a long way back to your tow vehicle. Both my 69s are streetable but when its 200-300 miles from where you want to play or show they are somewhat lacking in all modern creature comforts. And if anything does go wrong when playing far from home.

xcntrk

You sure a half ton is the best choice for you? My 66' EB on my open-car hauler weighs 7000# and in my enclosed hauler weighs 8,500#. Obviously you can "pull" either behind an F150 but payload (lack there of) and MPG's are going to be your biggest challenge.

10susan

I was guestimating a weight of 4,500 for the Bronco and about 1,800 for trailer. Seemed reasonable as I pulled similar weight with my 88 F150. Big thing is the door tag. Thought modern engine would have better power than that old 5.0.

Thanks for the feedback -- I'll start looking at F250s Bigger issue would be larger brakes on a 250 for the mountains. There are a couple of CAT scales about 75 miles from here. I'll stop the next time and get my Bronco actually weighed.

smokeywren

Power to PULL the weight is not the problem. The new 5.0L Ford engines are rated to pull trailers up to about 9,000 pounds, And you can special order them to have a tow rating over 10,000 pounds. And the EcoBoost engine with twin turbos is rated to tow trailers up to about 11,000 pounds. Payload capacity, not drivetrain power, is the problem. Payload capacity includes the weight capacity of the frame, suspension, tires, wheels, axles, etc. A properly equipped F-150 can pull a lot heavier trailer than it can haul the hitch weight of that trailer.


My F-150 EcoBoost has enough power and torque to pull a 21,000-pound equipment trailer across the Hill Country of central Texas with no problems with lack of power to climb the hills. Been there, done that. With that heavy equipment trailer, I had 8,460 pounds on the 4 truck tires, with a GVWR of only 7,100 pounds. 1,360 pounds over the GVWR of the tow vehicle. We made it, but I won't try that again. My F-150 is even overloaded over the GVWR of the F-150 with the hitch weight of my small TT that grosses less than 5,000 pounds when wet and loaded on the road.

So yeah, you need at least an F-250, unless you order a new F-150 with the very rare HD Payload package. And if you are considering a Ford, then also consider the F-350 SRW (single rear wheels). It looks and drives exactly like an F-250, but has 1,500 pounds more payload capacity and costs only a tiny bit more. Then if you need to tow a heavier trailer than an F-250 can haul without being overloaded, no problem with payload capacity for hitch weight with an F-350 SRW.

10susan

I first started towing a 22' boat 28 miles to the lake & back in 1964 so been at it awhile. Towed in snow ice rain on some roads that are barely legal under today's construction standards for width & ROW from New Hampshire to Oregon and to many race tracks in Eastern Canada. I'd love to have my F350 crew dually again but it sucked as a grocery getter and what I get will replace my Forester for "daily" run around transport. Haven't had a "tow" truck since 2005 when my company supplied dually went to another person as my job changed to more supervisory role. That was the first time I haven't had a "tow" truck since 1969. As my 78 F150 4X4 had been an excellent hauler --one trip NY to Astoria OR & back -6648 miles in 7 days 9 hrs by myself delivering my 67 GT500 to the buyer. Got caught in a hell of a blizzard outside of Rawlings WY where they shut the interstate down for a day 1/2... I thought that an 2000's F150 would do the job. BUT maybe the Bronco is heavier than my anticipation. Maybe I should be looking at the Cummins 2500 for 2000's tow truck.