F-150? F-250? Tundra?

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I'm liking the F-150 more and more... 9,500 lbs. is plenty.. I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet on fuel economy though.. That's going to pretty much be the case for anything unless I get a diesel and I did read the pickuptruck.com artitcle that said 130,000 mi. would be needed in order to "break even" on the extra cost of the diesel even considering the fuel savings.. I will go drive the ford AND the toyota, hopefully the wife likes them

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

We are going to buy a new truck as our little 95' V-6 nissan struggles to tow our 2,500lb. fourwinns boat as it is and we may buy a bigger boat next spring.... We test drove a Nissan Titan and neither the wife or I cared for it very much.. The toyota Tundra looks great on paper, better towing capacity, more power, quicker and faster than the titan and better mileage.. I was suprised to see the (relatively) low towing capacity of the Ford F-150 but would consider one as well as an F-250 (possibly with diesel engine)... Out of the above mentioned trucks, would anyone care to comment on durability, performance and mileage?.. I'm trying to educate myself on new trucks but there sure is a lot to digest. We will be looking at boats in the 5000-7000 lb. range.. thanks

I'am really begining to feel sorry for the buying public out there, there is so much disinformation out there it is almost unbelievable, You should probably ask yourself where you intend to drive, flat land....mountianous terrian, windy road's?. Above 7000lbs a heavy duty 3/4 ton is generally the way to go, not so much for the straight line towing ability, but the ability of the truck to control that much weight........If you ever find yourself out of control with that much weight you will wish you had a 1 ton dually......

You want a unbiased opinion just ask some seasoned people that pull 7000-14000 lb fifth wheel's, not the noob's that just bought there 1st trailer. The one's that have been doing it for 3-5 yrs, they will tell you in no short order the safety of heavy truck's and 1/2 tons are not heavy's but they are getting close.......... Just a opinion you milage may vary......

 

[Sherminator]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

another thing to think about is"Diesels "usually" and i stress usually get better mileage, pulling or even empty, diesel is a little cheaper than gas right now, but other than fords new 08 4.4, you need to step up into at least a 3/4 ton to get the diesel. also a few guys were talking about parts and stuff, usually parts for a 1/2 ton are cheaper than a 3/4 ton. just something to ponder about..

 

[Sherminator]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

also what is your price range you want to go with? and what year of truck?

 

[Terry Olson]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Another vote for Toyota / Nissan!!!! here. I've owned many vehicles over the years and the trend without exception has been that the Japanese vehicles outperformed the American vehicles in every respect. With that said, Toyota and Nissan only recently started making honest-to-goodness full size trucks and have to prove themselves in this market. I have no doubt that they will, but I understand the reluctance many have in making the jump.

Brand loyalty is a huge factor in the automotive market. "As good" or "slightly better" isn't enough to convert the buy-American crowd (former member here). "Far superior" is the standard Toyota and Nissan must meet to gain market share. Again, I have no doubt this will be take place.

 

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

O.K.... I'm all ears, I'm trying to educate myself but the only experience I have is towing a 2200lb. 16' bowrider behind a 95' Nissan V-6 4x4 small pickup.I've been reading www.pickuptruck.com and that's a good source. the manufacturers websites are not such a good source of info...I would greatly appreciate the advice from the guys who are towing 5,000lbs. and higher. I hope the seasoned people that tow 7,000lbs or fifth wheels and have been doing it for awhile will chime in.. The drive to our favorite lake is close to 100mi. and it's fairly hilly but not awful twisty or extreme grades. It's good pavement for the most part with some sections being a little bumpy. We also tow 2 snowmobiles much further distances but the weight of the sleds and trailer is only maybe 1,500 lbs. I looked at the air hitch.. Seems like a great idea?.. shock absorber a the hitch so the truck takes less abuse over bumps.. We try and boat once a week so that's 1,200mi. in a typical boating season.. The road trips for snowmobiling are much further but less frequent. 200mi. one way and we may do that 4 or five times in winter so that's about 3,000mi. of towing combined, per year.. This vehicle will most likely become my daily driver as well.. I'll have to sell the car and current truck to help offset the cost of a new truck...Yes, I want to buy NEW.. I maintain everything I own and have only been burned buying used in the past by previous owners that did NOT keep up with even basic maintenance.. Our boat is a prime example.. It's an 88' fourwinns freedom 160. Never winterized to my wifes recollection. She had it when I married her but she had no tow vehicle or mechanical knowledge.She bought the boat about 6 years ago for $2,800. 2 cracks in the block, bad impeller, dead battery etc. etc... I had the bad crack welded and the simple crack between the freeze plugs I JBWelded.Fortunately there was and still is no water in the oil but I feel I'm on borrowed time with it and want to start with new boat and new truck.. Can anyone say "second mortgage" .. More likely will be "second job" but to have found something we both enjoy is worth the investment.. We'd consider used boat and OR used truck if they were pristine and had paperwork to back it up... otherwise, new truck and new boat. The only truck I've ever owned is my little Nissan but it's just barely up to the task of towing the boat as it is and it's getting tired. Very slow up hills.. I don't need to go 80mph but I'd like to at least be able to maintain the speed limit on highways!

 

[LTP]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

i have both a f-150 and a E350 which is basically a van on a F-350 frame, but the F-150 is still running strong after 14 years of abuse andnot the best maintaince in the world, and we have pulled our 4400 pound camping trailer across country multiple times, we have also pulled a 5500 pound trailer behind the van up to alaska, if you want to really see a test of a vehicles abilty have it pull something to alaska, the way we went we saw nothing for 200 or more miles but dirt roads and heavy grades and the van runs and drives just as well as it did when we bought it

 

[Sherminator]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

this one is going to be a toss up here, personally i would buy the diesel. you will never have to worry if it will pull the boat or not because it WILL!! and secondly if you do up size you still dont have to worry about pulling it cause it will! and you wont loose as much speed going up and down hills as bad as a gaser. IMHO.

 

[ScottG76]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Toyota hand down. They make a far supperior product, they just don't give you as many extras as their american counterpart. If you want a 3/4 ton, so with a duramax. My brothers truck is amazing and with 525 ft/lbs, what else do you need. Oh yeah, and 27 mpg!

 

[KM2]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

To you people you are saying toyota, do you have a new tundra, ever been in one, driven one. If not shut the hell up. Sorry a little sick of hearing how great toyota is. They are having some engine issues with the Tundra engines and have had sludge problems in the cars. They are good but far from "superior".

To the mechanic person who posted he sees a lot more domestic trucks then Japanese in his shop. I would think so! they sell so many more trucks it's not even close. Plus, Anybody with a titan or new tundra is going to be under warranty and will go to a dealer.

The F150 is a great truck. Have one and love it. 2004 model. check out "thetruthabouttrucks.com" to find out more about the F150 and how it compares to the competion.

If I had to tow 7000 pounds fequently and for some miles I would have a 3/4 diesel. Ford, Dodge or Chevy which ever you prefer. All are excellent tow rigs.

 

[beezee28]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Tundra. I went to the Toyota dealership and test drove a Tundra CrewMax and it it sweeeet!!!!. BUT.... the price is a bit beyond me reach at the moment. It can tow the fourwinn boat no problem whatsoever. Good Luck in chosing the pickup.

 

[usda]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

We love Jap cars...wife bought herself a Scion...44mpg hiway.

My recent buy of an old boat...73 19' Seaswirl...pulling it with my Nission V-6 scared the daylights out of me. The boat seemed in control of the road. In a near panic...I ran across an old 1989 Chevy Surburan 5.7/V8, standard shift with a granny gear, 2 wheel drive. Clean as a pin and excellent running...only 154,000 on it.

It pulls the Seaswirl without a problem and brakes well even without electric brakes on the trailer...except my experience pulling trailers is so limited that even now...I seldom hit 50mgh. With more experience...I should stiffen up. I wonder if the shape of the boat...as the bow is kind of equal to the height of the Chevy might have any wind dynamic effects on the towing?

Just in case I bought a 2" strap to hold the boat to the trailer at the midsection...rather than just the bow and stern ties.

Love the Chevy, but I believe I can actually watch the fuel guage drop when towing. No new stuff for me...being retired...used will have to do.

 

[dbric36]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I think it depends on what you will be towin in the future. You say 5k to 7k what kind of boat are you looking for in the future. If is is a cruiser type boat it will be over 7k when you load it up. For this I would go for the 3/4 ton truck. The 1/2 ton will have a hard time even though they are rated for up to 10k. I tow my boat a Sea Ray 270 WE about 8500 lbs loaded with a Ford F-250 6.0L diesel. Pulls the boat fine. I tried pulling with 2 different 1/2 tons and both had a hard time pulling it. The F-150 did the best though even though it had the least hp/torq with the 5.4 it pulled as good and it handle the load better. If you are staying under 7k any of the 1/2 tons will do the job. Just get the one you like the best and can get the best deal on.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I'm can't believe all these people blindly yelling that toyota's are FAR SUPERIOR to american products when they ARE NOT. Toyota has slipped quite a bit in quality in the last 5 years and they keep on dropping while Domestic products have caught up and even surpassed them in the last few years. I worked at a dealership that sold Toyota, Mopar, and GM products and every year there was an noticable increase in warrenty repair on Toyota products which outpaced there increasing sales numbers at the dealership while Dodge and Chevy warrenty repairs seem to drop off a cliff. Once your out of warrenty I wouldn't even want to touch a Toyota, parts run 2-3 times as much as domestic parts. In the 80-90's toyota built a Superior product IMO, in the 2000's they DON'T.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I think it depends on what you will be towin in the future. You say 5k to 7k what kind of boat are you looking for in the future. If is is a cruiser type boat it will be over 7k when you load it up. For this I would go for the 3/4 ton truck. The 1/2 ton will have a hard time even though they are rated for up to 10k. I tow my boat a Sea Ray 270 WE about 8500 lbs loaded with a Ford F-250 6.0L diesel. Pulls the boat fine. I tried pulling with 2 different 1/2 tons and both had a hard time pulling it. The F-150 did the best though even though it had the least hp/torq with the 5.4 it pulled as good and it handle the load better. If you are staying under 7k any of the 1/2 tons will do the job. Just get the one you like the best and can get the best deal on.

That's your best advice right there. If you're going with the diesel, make sure to get the OPTIONAL pre-heater. It seemed that you lives in cold climate so a pre-heater will be needed for the winter, otherwise you'll be waiting a long time for the engine to warm up. For better gas milage, use a K&N non-disposable air filter, believe me it will make a different.

To you people you are saying toyota, do you have a new tundra, ever been in one, driven one. If not shut the hell up. Sorry a little sick of hearing how great toyota is. They are having some engine issues with the Tundra engines and have had sludge problems in the cars. They are good but far from "superior".

Yes, Yes, and Yes! My Tundra is still as good as day one. Of all the guys that fishes the Indiana Bass Federation trail, only myself and one other guy have a Tundra. Nobody have much problem with their truck but we both have better gas milage then the rest of the Ford, Chevy truck. My truck is better, since I have K&N air filter, then the other guy but he's rich and he don't really care. You always hear about the problem ones but not much about the happy owners.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I have towed the same 7000# boat with the following 3 trucks:

2002 3/4T Chev Suburban 4WD 6.0L 3.73
2004 1/2T Ford F-150 5.4L 3.73
2000 1/2T Checv Siolverado 5.3L 3.73

The Suburban and the Ford were very similar in the towing power with the Suburban getting the nod because of its weight and brakes. In looking at the engine specs, both engine have similar torque numbers.

The 1/2T Silverado was underpowered pulling that load.

 

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

It's a difficult decision.. I would be happy with a smallish (under 25') cuddy but the wife has dreams of a sportcruiser.. I really don't want to tow a 28' 8,500 lb. loaded boat with ANYTHING on a regular basis. Ford is offering some great end of year clearance incentives on the 07' F-150's right now. My japanese car has been great for 16 years but not so happy with the nissan truck I have... F-250 just seems so big and with mixed reports of the diesel engines it currently uses, I may just opt for the 5.4L V-8 gasser in a decked out Lariat F-150.. I notice the drive ratio is 3.73 on the Lariat, not 4.10.. This is another difficulty in picking a truck.. You pick one trim line and it has this or that but NOT something else that you really want.. I can't seem to find the max tow capacity of the different models of F-150's on their website...Thanks for all the opinions guys.. Still have yet to drive the Ford or the Tundra or a Chevy.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I would not want to tow any more than 7000# with my F-150. I think that would be my limit. I would not be comfortable towing 8500# even though it may be rated that high.

 

[dbric36]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I tow my boat almost evey weekend (Sea Ray 270 WE about 8500 lbs loaded with a Ford F-250 6.0L diesel). Also towed it in June 700 miles each way to Maryland. If you have the right truck it is really no problem towing. My 2003 F-250 6.0L diesel hase 139600 miles and I have never had a problem still runs like new. My Dad says a diesel is just getting broken in at 100k.

 

[DaveM]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Decisions, decisions. I find it interesting how many are fiercely loyal to a particular brand. I am loyal to no one in the auto world. I drove a 1/2 ton for 12 trouble free years before going to a 1 ton diesel. The brand really didn't matter considering how I care for vehicles.

My advice is to go with a 3/4 ton. I don't think I would ever go back to a 1/2 ton truck, they just don't have the same capabilities. I would not put much stock in an "almost" 3/4 ton, or a "really heavy" 1/2 ton. Go with the real thing and put an end to any doubts whether your towing/axle/breaks/frame/transmission/what have you is up to the task.

That's my advice, and remember you get what you pay for!