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Finally gave in, the 16 5.0 was traded on a 17 250 6.7
On a recent trip back from New Orleans to Atlanta, towing my 24' enclosed inTech car trailer, I decided the constant fighting of the trailer wasn't worth the stress. I was pushing the limits of the F150 with approx 1200 tongue weight and around 9k of trailer weight. With an equal-i-zer hitch set up so I was right at 50% return on the front, the trailer was still moving around way too much. Leaving NOLA, it was incredibly windy and the truck was all over the road. It felt like we were on a roller coaster, and I was having a miserable time driving.
The 1/2 ton had BFG KO2s for a stiffer sidewall (inflated to max cold PSI), Fox 2.0 rear shocks, Road Master helper springs (for squat), and a Helwig sway bar, so there really wasn't much else I could do or add to it to help. Beyond the sway, that little 5 liter just wasn't happy pulling that much weight. I know people will say it is a high-revving motor and makes peak power in the upper RPM range, but having it scream the entire time will not be good for longevity.
Anyway, after many, many, phone calls I was able to work a deal on the 2017 F250 below. Because it is only a 250, and pretty heavily optioned (along with the behemoth of a diesel) the payload isn't significantly higher than most 1/2 tons, but added about 400 pounds of extra headroom. In fact, there are certainly 150s out there with a higher payload. This will however, pull like a train and return much better fuel economy in the process. Just driving it to work this week, I've noticed the truck will stay in 6th gear going up hills where the 150 would down shift to 5th and often times 4th, just to maintain speed.
"old blue" I will miss this truck for sure! I loved how it looked, and it was certainly easier to park!
The new Super Beast
6.7 Diesel, Lariat Ultimate Package, Tow Technology Package, Adaptive Cruise, BLIS, Quad beam LEDs, etc....
I measured my basement garage no less than 6 times before confirming I wanted the truck. I knew it was going to be tight with a 7' door. The truck clears with only about 1-1.5" of roof clearance. Fortunately I have no plans on updating suspension, wheels or tires!
Sorry, that is all I suppose. More of a goodbye to the F150 forum, even though my stay was short I spent a great amount of time lurking, reading, and learning.
Nice.... that is the truck I wanted but I had to compromise with the F150 where I live.
I am happy with it for what I need it for but that truck you have is awesome.
I measured my basement garage no less than 6 times before confirming I wanted the truck. I knew it was going to be tight with a 7' door.
With the PowerScope mirrors that have power fold the F-250 with folded mirrors shouldn't be significantly wider than Old Blue. But yeah, you have to remember to fold the mirrors before you drive into the garage.
I suspect you'll really enjoy that pickup when towing. Better MPG and a lot more torque at lower RPM than the 5.0L. If your F-150 had the 3.5L EcoBoost engine, and you tightened the spring bars to result in the front end being no more than one-half inch higher with the trailer than without a trailer, you probably wouldn't have considered trading for the bigger truck. But that's water over the dam now, so enjoy the new tow vehicle.
Nice truck. I also want to go to a Super Duty next time around, but I think I'll go to the F350 to avoid the payload issues you mentioned. Glad it fit your garage!
Yeah, the truck is, or should be, nearly the same width. It is certainly longer, but it was the height that had me most concerned. The basement garage door is only 7' tall and I had roughly 82.5-83" of actual working height with the frame/seal etc. The truck is all of 81.5" tall so it was going to be a squeeze! Fortunately, I enter by driving uphill and into the garage as a downhill approach may have left me scraping the roof.
My wife snapped this as we were leaving for dinner the first time and she saw just how close it was to the roof.
Having gone from a half-ton at one time to a F250 Diesel, you are going to LOVE the difference when towing. I'm back to a F150 now but don't have with the horse or boat to tow. Best wishes.
This truck shows 2149 on the sticker, a little over 400 more than the F150 it replaces. The 10k GVWR obviously being what keeps the payload from being higher as it is very similar to the 350.
05-02-2017, 10:13 AM
Finally gave in, the 16 5.0 was traded on a 17 250 6.7
