Tow Vehicle Question - F250

[dave11]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

just a question is it a light duty f250 or a heavy duty f250 ford made 2 different models this year, 1 had a towing cap of about 7400lbs the other had a much higher cap. the light duty has basically the same drive train as an f150 but a heavier suspension, the heavy duty has a heavier drive train.

Mine is the Super Duty F250.

 

[skargo]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

Tell that to the Ford Motor Company.

What are your credentials to make a statement like that?

From driving both.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

Surprised this thread has hung on as long as it has, but figured I'd share where I'm headed and why:

As a matter of personal preference and probably for no logical reason:

1. I don't want a diesel
2. I don't want a Dodge.

That leaves Ford and Chevy/GMC. The truck will also be my daily driver. The F350 and 3500 would be a PITA for 99% of my driving. I also need for my wife to be willing to drive the truck if necessary, so the one-tonners are out.

That leaves F250 and 2500HD. Ford V10's are hard to find and I'm not sure I want one anyway, so I discarded those from the list. In the 2003-2006 model years, The GM gasoline V8 trucks simply outclass the Fords in terms of GCWR and tow capacity, unless the Ford is specially equipped with a heavy duty tow package that includes a 4.10 axle ratio. These are NOT easy to find as the standard ratio is 3.73. The GMs, on the other hand, have a 4.10 ratio as standard in the 2500HD's. Even if I needed to (and it doesn't appear that I'd need to) upgrade oil and transmission coolers, I'd be ahead of the game.

Finally, there's a matter of personal experience- I've been driving a '96 Chevy 1500/5.0 (146K miles) for a couple of years and it's been a good truck. My neighbor's 2002(?) F250 is on its 3rd transmission, and not due to abuse, either. GM's are prone to electrical issues, but the chassis, motors, transmissions, transfer cases, etc. are bulletproof.

Now, I "only" need to find a good Chevy/GMC at a price I'm willing to pay. Sellers can be so unreasonable

Thanks to everyone who provided all the good advice I got here.

 

[mattpyle]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

change the 3.73 gears out for 4.10s and the tow rating goes up, sometimes as much as 1500 lbs., which then you would be fine.
Edit: nevermind, i thought you owned it already. I would just look at buying something else.

How's that work? Yes it might make the load easier on the engine and tranny, but much harder on the rear end gears, driveline, exles etc...

Just cause it will feel like it's pulling the load better, doesn't mean parts on the rig are all of a sudden going to have their ratings go up!!

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

Good luck with the search and purchase!

My 20 cents worth of opin is this:
I am by heart a Ford man. I love Fords and towed almost everything under the sun with them.
A bought a 2001 Chev Sub-battleship 2500HD in 2003. Was looking for an F250, but couldn't pass up the deal. It has the 6.0L gas engine and must be built on the assembly line between the Corvette and Abrams Tank. Everyday driving, it wants to run like a race horse. Handling and control at hyper highway speeds is excellent. I take it out during hurricanes to visit the folks and take them supplies (when I lived in FL). Great vehicle. My Fords have always been excellent as well.
The factory rating is of course conservative. It includes safety factors for both what you do and the road conditions. Accelerating, decelerating, uphills, downhills, starts, stops and everything else adds stress to the chassis, brakes and drive train. The engineers (you know those smart guys who get paid little) have determined that based on the system and weakest link, the capacity is ????. Always stay below the rated capacity for your safety and others.
Again Good Luck.

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

I love Ford cars and trucks as well and will probably never buy another GM in my life due to it being ****Motors now but that 6 Litre gas and all the other late model small block Chevy V8's have been kicking Ford trucks gas engine line up since the late 90's.

The Ford V8's are good and tough but the HP numbers are very low compared to Chev's old pushrod V8.

I prefer a gas over a diesel as well and I also prefer small blocks over big blocks.

 

[dave11]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

From driving both.

Yea, I am really impressed with your extensive background. Did you get out of the parking lot?

I have flown an airplane, but it sure didn't make me an expert.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

I'd go find an F250 with a Powerstroke. The old 7.3 version is a brute and will never know that boat is behind it. Be careful of some of the older auto trannies, though - there is a known problem with them in terms of heat. There are cooling fins in the torque converter that tend to warp and separate. The fix for this is easy (welding), but expensive.

I pulled a 35 foot gooseneck behind a '96 F250/7.3 for about 6 years. The trailer (dual axle, single tire) was rated for 14,000# gross and I loaded it that way often. The last I heard, the truck is still going with close to 300,000 miles on it. The tranny was rebuilt, due to the above problem, at about 180,000.

On the day that the tranny blew up, one of "the guys" had the trailer grossly overloaded and was driving up a ramp at the Superdome. The Powerstroke could have cared less about the weight and pretty much "ripped the transmission apart."

As for mileage, I can't really offer a loaded comparison, because we ran the truck at much higher weights than you would. If we got 10mpg on the highway, we were happy. That said, I find the previous suggestion that a 250 with a 7.3 litre powerstroke will get 19 mpg on the highway, even when unloaded, to be very optimistic. About 15 mpg is much closer to what most people could expect to get.

BTW, don't forget that there is such a thing as a single rear tire F350. The allowable combined gross weight rating isn't much different than the dually. What is different is the allowable "tongue weight."

Now, if you really want a truck that could care less about an 8,000# boat, get an F550!

 

[skargo]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

Yea, I am really impressed with your extensive background. Did you get out of the parking lot?

I have flown an airplane, but it sure didn't make me an expert.

Yes, you are the expert, gas is always better than diesel In fact, due to your persuasion I pushed my diesel off a cliff last night and am going to do a Prius engine swap into a 3500 dually pickup now.

 

[quackaddict1]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

Wow, guys, its not that big a deal, those V-10's are nice for a couple things, no waiting for the fuel injection to wind up, no diesel smell, and they seemed to be solid units dependability wise. They did have plenty of power.

I still feel that a diesel is a much better option in that platform, the new 6.0 and 6.4? offerings from ford have gotten rid of a bunch of negatives (less smell, less noise). But the ole V-10 just keeps on kicking!

 

[dave11]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

Yes, you are the expert, gas is always better than diesel In fact, due to your persuasion I pushed my diesel off a cliff last night and am going to do a Prius engine swap into a 3500 dually pickup now.

I never said I was an expert. I do have a lot of experience. I have also driven both gas and diesel pickups. The diesels are really amazing pieces of equipment. They will certainly out work my V10. I did not use an absolute statement. All I said was that I liked my truck with a V10. For me it gets acceptable mileage. It does what I wanted it to do.

 

[airmail]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

Didn't the V-10's have a problem with throwing spark plugs?

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question - F250

I think i can throw one more log on this fire,
I have heard everyone talking suspension and gearing and chassis, but what about where the rubber meets the road?
Yes i mean the tires.
I tow on a regular basis a 36' 3 axle enclosed racecar trailer with all the track gear and a 3000lb car in it. Total trailer weight close to or right at 11,000lbs.
Granted its a 5th wheel but, when i bought my new truck it had "P" tires on it not "LT"s. I hooked to it one time, went around the block, unhooked and went to the tire store for some 10 ply "LT"s.

Your capacity is only as good as the weakest link.

I have an 02 F-250 4x4 with the V-10 and 410 gears empty weight (at the local scale) 6850lbs full of fuel and one passenger. Thats 17,850lbs. total CGW. Set that on a passenger tire and see what happens.