Would a 2017 XLT w/ Luxury 302A pkg w/ max tow & 3.5L EB or w/ trailer tow pkg & 5.0L engine and including the 3.73 or 3.55 E-Locker rear axle be enough truck to tow a 6500# travel trailer? I tow about 50% of the time.

I would most interested in a used truck w/ HDPP if I could find it.

Or should I start looking for a F250. I don't prefer a F250 since they ride much harsher than a F150 does.

 

Is the trailer 6500# dry or GVWR?

If you are towing 50%, i feel like you should be going ecoboost. Also, if you can swing it, go for a 2018+. The 3.5L got bigger turbos in 2018 which will help the truck make more consistent power if you are towing at high elevation.

for example, right now my 2014 turbos are just about maxxed out at 6500’ just to make stock power. A 2018 would be able to make stock power and still have a lot of wiggle room above and beyond that.

 

The trailer is 6500# GVWR, so 6500 would be the max it'd ever carry. The last time I took it to the Cat scales, it was several hundred pounds below 6500#.

I currently have a 2014 Supercab with HDPP. We took it on a two month jaunt through the Rockies and northern plains in 2018. Got it new in 2014 and now have over 83k miles, with about 1/2 of it towing. I'm thinking about changing due to we're getting tired of those front opening doors when we're taking the twin grandson's around. Obviously, if I do nothing, I'm in pretty good shape. What I'd like to do is find a used Super Crew 4x4 but that will be a near impossible task, so I'm seeking a combo that will work, such as a 7050 GVWR truck with about 1800#+ of cargo capacity.

I was thinking 2017 model year, price is a factor, due to it having the 2nd gen 3.5L EB.

 

As I see it, what you have described would be no problem at all. You probably even have a good weight distribution hitch too. If you could find a few in the general description if not exactly what you want, check their door stickers for GVW, axle loading ratings and payload, then you know for sure where you stand and if it's worth pursuing. Let your mouse do the walking, salesmen thinking they have a sale on the hook love to take and send pictures. More options is the killer of payload so trim your wish list one way or the other. An HDPP truck would insure capability but know they only came during MY 2016+ in Lariat 500a trim and are hard to find. The SCrew 4x4 is probably one of the most popular combos sold so I don't see finding one like that a problem. My suggestion is to look for a 6.5' bed as the extra space and longer wheelbase are pluses for various reasons. If you can wait a bit, next year the new models come out and I'm sure the premium you see for a 2017+ will begin to fade.
Scroll through this post to get an idea of what to expect. I haven't seen anything posted lately but it helped me figure out where I needed to be. Be warned, the last 30 pages or so are pretty much barren of good input. Some members really know how to derail a thread and probably why it quietly went away.
https://www.f150forum.com/f82/post-your-payload-332538/

 

Yeah, I'm good with the hitch and everything. The good thing is I can just wait, and look, until I find what I'm looking for. My current 2014 truck, with it's 83k miles on it, is fine. If need be, I can keep it and not look back. I'm just looking to see if I can find a truck with 4 real doors that meets my tow requirements. I'd like to find that most rare of unicorns, a base Lariat with the HDPP and Max tow. The reason I prefer a 2017 is that's the year Ford came out with the 2nd Gen 3.5L Ecoboost, which has both direct and port injection And different timing chain design.

 

I think you would be fine at 6500# GVWR as long as you are not a fully optioned platinum or something. An XLT Supercrew 4x4 can have ~1750-1900 lbs of payload depending on options which would be plenty in my eyes.

And HDPP 2017 and 2018's are out there. I have searched a few times and you can find them, but you may have to travel to buy one.

The 2017 is a 2nd Gen 3.5 as well, but in 2018 they went to a larger turbo compressor. Supposedly the reasoning was that they were overspeeding the smaller 2017 compressors at altitude trying to compensate for the thinner air. The 2018 compressors are BIG and will handle elevation without much issue at all. They should be able to produce the stock 375hp right up to 11,000 ft without the risk of overspeeding.