Gladehound

OP - one more thing. If you're going through the time and expense to buy another vehicle, make sure to leave a good buffer on payload.

Consider the time horizon over which you'll have the next truck and plan accordingly. Maybe a non-HDPP F-150 is enough, maybe an F350 would be the better choice. All depends on your future plans. Just give it some thought and look hard at yellow door stickers and hitch stickers.

kehyler

OP, maybe I missed it. What faction of time will this truck spend towing?


That’s fair, though I think we should present OP with al the options.




Im curios, do you think the 2.7 engineers who designed the 2.7 neglected to accommodate its smallness in the design of its cooling system? I don’t generally hear issues related to the 2.7 cooling. (Though, I’m sure one could dig them up as with most problems by tailoring a google search.) This doesn’t strike me as an issue of substance.





This is a valid point. though I’ve also personally never heard of a F150 overheating its brakes so I’m unsure if it’s an issue of substance. TFL went up and down Ike with a 2.7 ecoboost without encountering brake issues.





Its also a smaller engine, which means less internal friction. Perhaps it gets better fuel efficiency actually? I’m unsure, would be interesting to test.


you can in 2x4 flavor, which I’ll assume OP is not interested in. This is perhaps the issue you raise that has the most substance, but I doubt it raises to the level of a deal breaker. OP could get a weight distributing hitch with good sway control, which for certain use cases would be more valuable overall than dragging around an extra foot of truck 100% of the time.

OP, when you ask for truck recommendations from people on truck forums, know your source is people who like trucks and there is a bias towards recommending big trucks since this is our hobby. I’m glad I bought the minimum truck I needed.

nickf2005

Just an FYI and data point for you. My '15 XLT SCREW 6.5' Bed and 302A package has a 1,750 Payload rating. Tow package, but NO HDPP. I believe you could get away without the HDPP, but, as others have said, it would add a security blanket.

smokeywren

You have plenty of time to order the exact truck you need, so plan on ordering it and waiting about two months for Ford to build it and deliver it to your dealer.

Most F-150s you'll find in stock at Ford dealers will NOT "do the trick" without being overloaded.

Your best bet is an F-150 with heavy duty payload package (HDPP). You probably won't find an F-150 with HDPP in stock anywhere, so plan ahead and order your vehicle. But Ford may not build exactly what you think you want.. HDPP is wonderful, but has numerous restrictions you may not like, Although it's possible to build an F-150 without HDPP that will have enough payload capacity to tow your trailer without being overloaded, life is much more pleasant of you have excess payload capacity for your load. So if you want an F-150, then plan on getting HDPP. So your sweetheart can throw in some of those pretty rocks she saw in the mountains without overloading your tow vehicle.

Comments.:
XLT Mid (301A) is cloth seats and not at all fancy. Not comparable to your QX. But that's as fancy as you can have with 2019 HDPP. You cannot order HDPP with Lariat, King Ranch, or fancier trim. If you want more luxury, then the F-250 or F-350 SRW has no limits on trim and luxury options.

No shorty bed. On a SuperCrew, you must order the 6.5' bed, which is the "long" bed on a SuperCrew. On a SuperCab, you must order the 8' bed.

Suggestion: Study the 2019 F-150 brochure and decide if you can live with XLT 301 trim. If you can then order:
F-150 XLT 301A
3.5L EcoBoost engine (Yes, you want that engine, especially for towing in mountains)
Max Tow Pkg
HDPP
Power tow mirrors, not include unless you odder them as a separate line item, and you gotta have tow mirrors
(Max tow pkg includes the trailer brake controller)
Plus any other options you can add without deleting HDPP.

Change gears. You decide you don't want the F-150 with XLT trim. So move up to the F-250 or F-350 SRW.

No restrictions on what you can order. So your big choice is engine = 6.2L V8 or 6.7L turbo- diesel. The gas engine will probably be plenty for your needs, but it is not turbo-charged so it will probably struggle on high mountain passes. You'll make it to the top, but you'll probably wish you had the turbo- diesel.

If you plan to continue with a TT, then the shorty bed is fine. But if you may upgrade to a 5er in the future, then I would get the long bed. My CrewCab F-250 with the 8' bed was about 22' long, tip to tail. Worked fine in my purpose-built garage that was 24' deep, but you may not be able to close the garage door on most attached garages in the city.

kehyler

This is a good point, OP. You have a weighed need of 1450 payload and 6500 towing. Two questions for you:
(1) Are these the worst-case scenario that you can reasonably see into the future?
(2) Do you need luxury features? (Download the F150 brochure for a reasonable idea as to what the different trims offer.)

acdii

Or take two vehicles. That way you can dedicate the truck to towing and leave the other vehicle for the passengers. Thats what I did, and it worked out great. Was rather nice to have a car for the wife to go one place while I took a kid or two to another.

bikendan

I tow a 26' TT that weighs around 6000lbs loaded and a loaded tongue weight of 750lbs. I have a 2014 F150 XTR SCREW 4X4 3.5 Ecoboost with the Max Tow package. Payload is 1828lbs.
I've towed all over the West Coast, over numerous mountain ranges and have had ZERO problems. That said, I wish I had found one with the HDPP but used ones are scarce.

all50states

This Forum is great! Thanks for your comments! I watched Big Truck Big RV last night on YouTube and he had an episode on the F150 with EB. Not sure of the bed size but the payload was 1885 lbs. That should work!

Here is some answers to your questions:

• I have a Freedom Express 231 TT. Dry weight: 5558 lbs. GVWR: 7500 lbs. CAT Scale weight: 6500lbs. Length: 26' 10"
• The specs say the hitch weight is 585lbs. I got 800 lbs of hitch weight at the CAT scale
• This year I have 8 camping trips planned. Most trips are 2-4 hours from home (NC). Once a year, I'll be taking a 3-4 week trip and will be working remotely from the road. The big trip will be out west. This year is Rockies. Next year is the Grand Canyon. I'm turning 60 this month and my 60th goal is to hike the Grand Canyon. I've entered the Phantom Ranch lottery 3 times now (the lodge at the bottom of the canyon) and have not won. Will keep trying
• I'm 6'5" and the ceilings in the front bedroom of the 5ers are too low for me.
• I'll probably be towing this TT for 5-6 years with my soon to be new awesome Ford truck until I retire. Then would most likely move to a Class A for full timing
• My preference would be a short bed so that I can fit the truck into my garage. But know if I need to go the F250 route or need the larger F150 bed, that is not going to happen. The length of my garage is 246"
• Other than the 8 or so camping trips a year, this truck will be my daily driver. I drive about 6 miles to work. Most of my trips during the week are short and less than 8 miles at a time
• We do like to bring stuff! On our first trip to the beach when we weighed at the CAT scale I had firewood, a Blackstone griddle, case of water, rocking chairs, a 20 gal propane tank and tent stuff for my son. However, could learn to manage a 1885ish payload
• I did drive the F150 3.5 EB and loved it! Great pick up.
• I do like the higher trim levels. My QX56 so comfortable and it floats over bumps. It's a great ride. However, when towing, did not like the floating feeling too much. We'd hit a bump and we'd be bouncing.
• I have towed a popup camper for 22 years. Our family goal (two kids) was camp in all 50 states. One of the things I disliked are the high RPMs towing up hills. I was driving an E150 van. On any kind of slight incline, the transmission would drop into a lower gear. That got really old on long trips. I remember leaving Telluride and having to put the van in 1st gear to get up over the mountain. Recognizing mountain driving really will be once a year so downshifting no big deal
• I want a vehicle that my wife will feel comfortable driving too. Would like to have help driving during our 3-4 week big summer trips. Don't want any knuckles turning white.
• I have a 1000/10000 Equalizer WDH hitch
• I've test driven a F250 twice. That is one big truck. Would prefer this not to be my daily driver, but will do so if I need to
• I may take my wife out Friday to test drive both a EB and a 250

You guys Rock! I appreciate the sharing of your experiences as I search for a new truck.

Pic of the maiden voyage with our new camper.

kehyler

You also rock for figuring out how to keep your family and others on the road safe and be within spec. OP, I also selectively quoted your post below to focus on what (I view) as the important points.

Unfortunately, all your desires can't be met by one truck, so you'll have to decide which are hard-requirements. Of course, these are just my opinions.

Here are the options, as I see them, with my humble recommendation for you in bold (disclosure, I went with the first option for a load and use-case similar to yours):

• F150 XL or XLT with short bed, no options. If 2.7, need payload package. Upside is drive-ability and can fit in your garage. Downside is not luxury, and you'll need to keep options sparce (I added seat covers, bedrug, winter floor mats, and wheel well covers only to a 300A XLT.).
• F150 XLT with 3.5 ecoboost, max tow and HDPP. Add as many factory options and aftermarket items to make it luxury (say, up to 400 lbs worth). Only real downside I see for you is that it won't fit in your garage.
• Superduty gas (250 or 350) or diesel (350). Upside is towing experience, downside is it won't fit in your garage and will get perhaps 2x worse gas mileage unlaiden and the ride is harsh if you are used to luxury vehicles.

Enjoy! and let us know what you decide.

all50states

Since I probably won't find a F150 with HDPP on the lot, how does the ride compare with a regular XLT? Would the ride be firmer (more like a 250) or more like a regular F150?