I have been driving F-250 diesels a long time, and when I traded down to a 2005 F-150 Supercrew last year, I really enjoyed it. It was a daily driver, and then I didn't haul much. Now, I currently have a 2006 F-250 Crewcab Powerstroke, and every time I hitch up to our 4,200# camper to it, I can't help but think that my 2005 Supercrew (5.4L) would have had a rough time pulling it with ease - and if the truck was loaded, too, it probably wouldn't have gotten out of it's own way. Is this true? I really love the ride in an F-150, and since I use it as a daily driver, it woudl be a smarter choice, again. But, I certainly do not want to head our on a weekend trip that is supposed to be enjoyabe and fight towing my trailers loaded down and watching my gas gauge drop as fast as the accellerator does to get the thing moving, and have to keep the A/C off, too. What are your experiences? How would an F-150 Supercrew 5.4L (Lariat) run loaded hauling a 4,500# camper? What kind of mileage can I expect hauling? My 2005 averaged 16-17 highway unloaded, and had plenty of pep, but it was unloaded. I am thinking of going the F-150 route again now that it has the longer bed available on the Screw, and hopefully the F-150 diesel will be close the next time in case I do not like the 5.4L, but I'd like to know all of your experiences. Thanks.

 

thinking about selling the 250?
i doint know i cant help you on this....just wondering how you like the 250 over the 150 and vice versa

 

I think that this is comparing apples to oranges wrt the 250-150. The 250 is going to handle the camper much better with power to boot. A 4500 lb camper is not going to make the 150 totally unproductive, but may not handle as well. I think the the 150 will get the job done, but the mileage and handling will suffer.

 

I've towed 2,000 lbs worth of concrete before which was actually my first experience towing with this truck. It handled the weight quite well and didn't have any problems at all. However, it was only on a short trip (15 minutes one way) so I couldn't accurately judge what it did to my gas mileage.

I will say I definitely felt like I was stopping a much heavier vehicle. The trailer was a POS that was not rated to have that much weight on it and didn't have trailer brakes.

Duke

 

I pulled my buddies 20' deck boat the other weekend without much problems.
I ran ~70mph for half the trip and ~60mph for the other half. Burned about 1/2 tank of gas for ~180 miles.

 

I have an 05 F150 with 5.4 and 3.73 gears and I pull my 25' travel trailer very successfully. It has an empty weight of 3,600+ lbs and a GVWR of 4,700 lbs. I probably tow about 4,200-4,300 lbs. With my Equalizer hitch and Prodigy controller, it pulls and stops very well. I generally get around 12 MPH towing at 60 with overdrive locked out and sometimes a little less. The truck is a standard cab and I get 14-15 in normal driving and can get a little over 18 on the highway at 70.

 

I haul a 16' enclosed trailer to race motocross, and the truck pulls it just fine. Sometimes id go so far as to say it feels like it rides a tad smoother with this trailer hitched up. It pulled the trailer right down a muddy road to get to the race track, handling wasnt great, but I made it. I also pulled a 18' dove tail car hauler to Dallas and had no problems, when i was down there we tore down a shed and loaded her up on the trailer i think at the dump the gross weight of the shed was something around 12,000 pounds, and i think these trucks are rated for 9,900?? pulled it just fine, front end was way up and i had to fill up after that trip to the dump. I think the f150 pulls just fine in all my experiences and I tow a trailer quite often.

 

There's REASONABLE, and then there's POSSIBLE.

These trucks may be rated larger capacities (possible), but much above 5K# (reasonable) consistently and I think you'll be disappointed.

As far as "pulling it with ease"... your 250 will win (hands down) every time.

 

I pulled our race trailer last year both with my 05 f150 4x4 scab 133"wb 5.4 w/373 rend and with another crew members 3/4 ton dodge w/hemi scab long bed. We figured the trailer at about 5500lbs (2 snowmobiles, cooldown cart, toolbox, fuel, etc.). My f150 would pull the hills much better on the bottom end and the hemi needed to rev to really make power. This was a vnose 2 axle w/elec brakes, but no distribution hitch. It towed the trailer well all through the hills and mountains of new england. I certainly knew the trailer was there, but had no problems pulling, cornering, or braking. It's my every day driver and I don't want a superduty. I also don't care for the feel, or lack of, from a deisel so I can't help you there.

 

I pull about 5,500 lbs. with my 2005 F150 5.4 3.73 Supercrew. It pulls it very well. I average about 10 MPG running about 70 on the interstate, a little better running around 60. I have plenty of power and it pulls and stops very well and is stable. If you don't tow in lots of big hills, I say go for it. If you have a lot of big hills, the diesel is probably worth it.

 

I have towed over 15K with it(a 1600 gallon water trailer and a 100+ gallon roundup container). It didnt exactly do it with ease but It got the job done and I was satisfied at how it hauled the load. I pull the water trailer by itself quit often and it does a pretty good job but nothing like a f-250 PSD.

 

I towed this through PA on the turnpike with no problems. 450 miles one way I was getting 9-11mpg. I have 3.55 gears. About 6400lbs. You could tell you were towing something on some of those hills.
Josh

 

My f150 handles my 18 foot atv trailer well, but actually getting it moving my grandcherokee would do it faster.:o

 

Will the F150 do the job yes! I have towed 14,000lbs (Bobcat S250 with 84" bucket and 90" indst. grapple on 20' tilt bed equipment trailer) numerous times with my 04 F150 SC FX4 5.4L 3.73LS gears. The truck will do the job, and actually does it better than the 03 1500HD 6.0L Chev of my buddies that we used once or twice. But then the same load hooked behind my fathers 05 F350 SC, DRW FX4, PSD , there is no compairison.

Lets put it this way, you will be disappointed with the F150 for towing after having a F250 diesel. I love my F150 and do tow with it, but I will only tow over 10,000lbs with it when I am forced to, i.e. my dad needing his truck. And I am afraid that if I keep this up that I will wear the truck out before the 50K mark.

 

THanks to everybody. You all supported what I thought. Yes, a 150 will do the job. Yes, the 250 diesel will outperform the 150. Yes, I could be satisfied with a 150. Yes, I will be more satisfied towing with the 250. Yes, I would be more satisfied with the 150 for a daily driver. It will be a hard decision when I get there, as I tow between 3,000# and 4,500# (depending on trailer) about a dozen times a year - mostly in summer and the fall, and to regress would be rough (in the towing department), but sitting in the saddle for about 50-55K each year makes my butt say "who cares about the 12X you tow... what about the other 45K when you are just carting me around?"