RE: Towing with 5.4L Triton 3V
My truck is a 2wd but thats the only difference from what you are asking. My trailer is 28 feet and maxes out at 7700 GVWR. I've taken it from CA to TX and back, through the grapevine (passed a few diesels going uphill too!) and from CA to VA when I moved. Never had an issue with the tranny hunting for the right gear with or without the trailer. I average 9.5 MPG with the TT and can easily run 65-70 in 5th gear down the interstate if I want to. The 5.4 is a great engine that will pull hard all day long if you want it to. Don't let the naysayers drive you away from a great truck.
RE: Ownership cost between F150HD,F250 Diesel,F350 Diesel Dually
I found a max payload of 3120lbs for the F-150HD on the Ford website putting it only 600 lbs less than the superduty gasser. The brakes are only .5 inches bigger on an F-250, and i truly wonder how much difference that makes on a truck that weighs almost a 1,000lbs more. Since you bring up the exhaust brake and 3/4 ton diesels, how much payload does one of the models have IN THE REAL WORLD? Using Buck's truck as an example of the 150HD, it has 2171lbs of real payload. I bet a 2012/13 3/4 ton diesel has only 300lbs more, but i could be wrong. (And to make a fair comparison, it needs to be a crew 4wd, 6 3/4ft bed XLT type). But in the end you cant use the payload from a stripped gasser superduty then the exhaust brake of a diesel to try and down play the F-150HD.
RE: Ownership cost between F150HD,F250 Diesel,F350 Diesel Dually
It's funny that most who dimiss the cost are the ones with 1 ton duallys and huge 5th wheels. There certainly is a difference in cost of a 1/2 ton setup vs diesel and heavy 5th. It all adds up.
I can't imagine being any happier with any other setup. Low maintenance, $25 oil changes that last 10k miles, no DEF, no diesel on my hands, same power as the diesels but pulling half as much trailer as most of them, great empty mileage, same towing mileage as any other gas rig, moderate empty ride, great handling tow setup in any conditions. If we didn't want a bunkhouse with separate room, we'd have an even smaller 5th, not bigger.
Also, diesels are not like two ecoboosts. Maybe if you only had 5th gear. We've had this discussion before...
Thats the difference. Pulling 1/2 the trailer. You have a limit on the size of trailer with the 1/2 ton. Not everyone will be happy with a smaller trailer.
Also DEF gives you longer oil change intervals.
I live in Oregon and we can't pump our gas, but the times I've been out of state I've never got gas on me or my truck. I rode MC's for 12 yrs prior to getting our TT and in Oregon you can pump your own gas if your riding an MC. So I pumped my own gas for 12 yrs. Just don't get this false reteric about noisy, smelly diesel stuff. The new crop of diesels are very quiet. And unless you have an EB that has low torque my diesel will be quieter running 60mph up a 6% grade than most V8's. Each to his own I guess.
I wouldnt call a 9,000lb fifth wheel a small trailer. Small is like a 2,500lb Scamp. When are people going to wake up and see that that F-150HD is really a 3/4 ton in half ton clothing? With on average 2200lbs of payload, it's right up there with most diesel 3/4 tons.
As for maintenance costs, my 5.4 can go 7,500 miles between oil chances per Ford, and like Buck said, for 39.95 I get a oil change and usually tires rotated at my local Ford dealership. Further, I dont have to worry about breaking down and hoping i find a competant diesel mechanic out of town since every mecahnic under sun has worked on a 5.4 mod motor (ford did put them in EVERYTHING). To the OP I believe the F-150HD would serve you well and allow you a wide choice of trailers.
RE: Ownership cost between F150HD,F250 Diesel,F350 Diesel Dually
It's funny that most who dimiss the cost are the ones with 1 ton duallys and huge 5th wheels. There certainly is a difference in cost of a 1/2 ton setup vs diesel and heavy 5th. It all adds up.
I can't imagine being any happier with any other setup. Low maintenance, $25 oil changes that last 10k miles, no DEF, no diesel on my hands, same power as the diesels but pulling half as much trailer as most of them, great empty mileage, same towing mileage as any other gas rig, moderate empty ride, great handling tow setup in any conditions. If we didn't want a bunkhouse with separate room, we'd have an even smaller 5th, not bigger.
Also, diesels are not like two ecoboosts. Maybe if you only had 5th gear. We've had this discussion before...
Totally agree with all of this. Not everyone wants or needs the big diesel dually to rv and be happy. If I remember the OP's post in the 5'er section, he plans on using his "new" TV as a DD for a few years so asking about insurance costs and maint. costs makes sense to me.
I love my F-150 and as bad as I may want a F-350 diesel sometimes, financially I cant get it to make sense. If you can be happy with a F-150HD and a TT/ properly sized 5'er then do it!
Sometimes a smaller truck can be a good thing. I would rather drive an F-150 on fire roads/4wd trails than a monster dually, but I like having a truck that doesnt force me to park in the back 40 or choose for me where I can drive it.
RE: Going to test drive new to us TV
I would jump past the 09-10 F150 and go to a 11+ if you can. While the 5.4 is okay the 09-10 6sp leaves a lot to be desired. It wants to hunt for gears all the time when towing. We had a 10 5.4 6sp 3.73 maxtow and pulled a 7300lb TT. You can't lock out OD or select a lower gear with the 09-10's. When we had our 08 4sp you could lock out OD and tow in 3rd. The new 11+ has the select shift capability. IMO just get a 250.
Why does everyone here hate on the 5.4/6-speed setup? I've pulled all over CA and now cross country with this setup and i have yet to see this constant gear hunting that people complain about. The 5.4 has great power and is a more than proven power plant. To the OP, don't be scared away from a 09-10 F-150 if the price is right and optioned the way you want. With the max tow option i have 1787 lbs. of payload as per the sticker, way more than every tundra i have looked at.
RE: For those who have owned both Michelin P and LT
Put them on today.
LT 275/65-18 Michelin LTX MS-2
the tire guy set them at 46 psi and they ride nice, quiet and smooth.
when I go back in a few days to retorque the wheels I'll get him to set psi at 40.
thanks for all you help guys.
I have had the same tire on my '10 F-150 for about 4,000 miles now, 3,000 of which was pulling my fully loaded TT (didnt weigh it this time) cross country. I was loaded heavy, thats for sure. The tires were great. Much more solid than the Michelin P-rated that came stock. The overall ride isnt that much different I think. Handling is improved and the LTX M/S-2 is great in snow and rain. I run mine at 45psi with no complaint.
RE: New TV service
Less expensive versus dealer. Follow mfgs quidelines and file the receipts. I use Jiffy or similar on my GMC when traveling.Not necessarily true, two of my local GM dealers offer a "standard" oil change for $13, synthetic for $23.
One even has a "Fast-Lube" lane.
I'm not going to get dirty for that price!
Diesels are more, mine was $65 last Spring.
Might be worth a check.
Same here, the local dealer is $15 less than Jiffy Lube.
X3 here. Local ford dealer charges 39.95 for oil change, tire rotation, and they wash the truck before they give it back. This way I get the recommended Motorcraft filters and it's $20 cheaper than jiffy lube(at least last time I used them for comparable service)
RE: Towing a Race Car....Suggestions???
I assume your trailer is a conventional hitch type trailer, not a 5th wheel. that being the case you may be best served with a light weight slide in camper on a very "bad" duely truck like an F 450 or even one of the big Dodges.
This might be the best option IMO. You already have a great truck. Since you have a gasser and not a diesel you have more payload to play with. Find a nice lightweight TC and go racing. Even if you find one that hangs over the bed, as long as it doesn't eat up your payload, I believe a torklift super hitch with extension will handle the tongue weight. Cheaper than a class C, and one less vehicle to maintain. Just an idea.
RE: Load Range C less that P tires?
My concern with running load E is:
1 Can the rim support the higher air pressure?
2 Will I get premature tire wear d/t running lower air pressure?
3 What is the effect on the TPMS on the vehicle?
As I stated earlier, I don't need to run my LR-E at 80psi to support my load. My old tires had a max psi of 44psi which is what I had to run them at in order to have BARELY enough load capacity. When I looked at the tire load pressure chart for the LR-E, 45psi is more than enough to cover my GVWR. I figure if my wheels can handle 44psi, 45 should be a safe bet.
I haven't had a chance to do the chalk test to see about the wear pattern yet so I can't comment on that yet. But seeing how many people with HD trucks run their tires around 50psi empty, and those things weigh more empty than mine is supposed to loaded I'm not real worried yet.
So far my TPMS doesn't seem to care. Don't know why it would as it lets you know when your tires are low, so I don't know what slightly higher pressure than stock will do to them.
RE: New 2013 Ram Truck 2500/3500HD Information now out
No 8' bed with the Mega cab = me not buying.....period.
They should have added air ride as an option just like the light duty trucks. :(
Mav
With the size cab on my 2011 dually I really don't see why anyone would want a Mega Cab???????
Please explain.
The storage behind the seat gets used alot on our trips. Cramming two adults, two teen boys and three dogs in the cab doesnt leave room for the other stuff unless it's behind the seat.
Mav
I'm with Mav on this. While I don't have a Mega Cab, I want one! My wife HATES the seat design in the crew cab, with the middle seat cut out for the cup holders. Not good for kiddie car seats. The Mega Cab would be heaven for my three kids in car seats and my 70 pound dog. I love the size of my Supercrew, but I REALLY want a Mega Cab.
RE: Load Range C less that P tires?
You found a LR C tire in 275/65R18 tire size?? If that's the case, you should share the make and model of tire! I'm sure there are a lot of new truck owners that would be interested too! :)
Mitch
Tirerack.com has 4 different brands in a Load Range C LT tire in 275/65R18.
I stopped at the local (and respected) tire store on the way home. The manager there was quite informative. He pretty much agreed that "E" range tires would be an overkill, but not many options out there for my size. He said I can go with the "E" and only inflate to 50 PSI towing and 40 PSI empty if I want an LT tire. Or stay with the P Metric that I have, which are rated for the truck and would do just fine, as he stated. He didn't carry any of the "C" tires I show above, but at least he didn't pressure me into the "E" tire. We probably talked for about half an hour and it was good listening to the manager.
This is just my point of view, but since I just went through with this I'll let you know what I did. My TV in sig came stock with P265/60R-18, Michelin LTX A/S. They were decent tires for a grocery getter but crumby for towing( poor traction). I wanted to get "real" truck tires. I started researching LT tires and was willing to lose a bit of MPG for a higher rated tire. I ended up getting LT275/65R-18 Michelin LTX M/S2. I only looked at one of the load range C tires in the link above ( Firestone Tansforce I think) and it weighed 49 pounds according to tire rack, or one pound more than my LT-E's. So as for the argument of higher weight for the E's that's a moot point for me. Price is about $10 more a tire for the Michelins, again a moot point for me. I don't need to run them at 80psi to acheive my weigh rating either so don't care about that argument. So far I have not noticed a rougher ride or decreaced MPG, but it's too early to tell. I wanted upgraded tougher tires and I feel like that's what I got. YMMV.
RE: Getting Rid of my Dual Cam system
Mike,
My vote is for the Equal-i-zer. I set mine up with basic hand tools on the dirt pad that I keep my TT on. The new bracket design doesn't shift around. At least mine hasn't. It controls sway quite well and allows for very tight turns. Our rigs seem to be very similar except I have a 2wd MAX TOW and my TT is about 1000lbs heavier and a foot shorter. Our first trip was a 2600 mile trip from CA to TX and back. I made a few tweaks while on the road and by the time we were back home it pulled like a dream.
RE: What is the real SAE Certified Horsepower? Torque?
Well I can tell you from personal experience that the Cummins puts a higher percentage to the ground than the Ford. In Las Vegas in May my truck Dynoed 304 rwhp out of 350 advertised and the truck from BD 321 rwhp out of 400 advertised. You do the math I am very happy with my power to the ground.
Just drove from SoCal to NW WA and towing my combined 27,000# the ONLY rv to pass me was a Ford that had a combined load of 20,000#. I was only towing at 60 mph. Oh I also have 3:42 gears. As they say proof is in the puddin.
How did you get a Cummins High Output with 3.42 gears and a 6 speed manual? I thought the HO motor required the automatic and 4.10 gears? According to the Ram website, the manual only has 610 lbs/ft of torque...which would also put you 8,000 lbs over your max combined weight (according to Ram's website).
