The F-150 has better options. Plus, why get a Super Duty if one is going to tow a trailer only a few times a year, say once every other month? It would be different if one towed a trailer more often.

However, for 2011, the F250 does look more attractive than the F150, towing and pricewise. To get the same towing capacity of the 2010 F150 5.4L, one has to get the 6.2L. To get the 6.2L, one has to get the Lariat or better. One can get the 6.2L with the F250 XLT, which is considerably less expensive than the F150 Lariat, and get another 1000 lb. towing capacity (without getting duallies) and more incab storage (lockable under front seat storage). What bites is the fuel mileage is down from 2010 on the F150 (I haven't found figures for the F250), the F250's shortest bed is 6.5' (the 5.5' screw sticks out enough when parking it) and the sound system only has a single CD player. The 6 CD player I have in my '08 F-150 screw has been a Godsend on long trips. It's even better than satellite radio (I wasn't too impressed with it). The only real advantage I see with the 2011 trucks is the tranny is better (you can lock in a gear if hunting becomes a problem). Frankly, if I need to upgrade my screw to get more towing capacity, I'm going to give some serious consideration to looking for a good, used 2010 F150.

 

No you don't need the 6.2 to get the towing capacity of the old 5.4, you need the ecoboost which is available in the XLT.

 

Good point but I have yet to see gas mileage ratings for the ecoboost. Also, the idea of trying to get so much HP from so few cubes makes me nervous. How much stress does that put on the engine parts? Will fuel consumption skyrocket when using full boost (as when towing a trailer) as compared to what a 6.2L will do in the same conditions? How reliable will the ecoboost be over the simpler 6.2L? The ecoboost will have more parts to break. How much more expensive will the ecoboost be over the 6.2L?

 

They are supposed to release the epa numbers for the ecoboost in January. I think that with the torture tests Ford has done on the engine I am not worried about reliability. But like you when something does break after the 5 year powertrain warranty the costs will be higher. I just hope that since it has direct injection and turbo like a Powerstroke the repair bills aren't as high as those diesel bills are.
As far as initial cost the ecoboost is $1750 over the basic 3.7L engine. The 6.2 is I believe $2995. So the 6.2 costs more up front. It also forces you to buy a more expensive trim than XLT and fuel mileage will be lousy. Ecoboost should deliver at least 5% better than the 5.0 and hopefully more.

Like you I wonder about fuel economy while towing. I have read several places that mileage while towing should be within 1 mpg of a larger V8. I have also read somewhere where it said they should be "comparable".

I will be buying the ecoboost for the unloaded mpg. The mpg of the 6.2 is just too low for me to even consider. If it gets 12/16 in a 4x4 F-150, the mileage must really be bad for an even heavier F250.

 

Congratulations, is it a supercab or supercrew? I'd be real eager to hear what your actual mileage is on the first couple of tanks.

 

The more expensive trim for the 6.2 (Lariat up) is the reason why, if going with the 6.2, the F250 looks more attractive pricewise. The XLT with 6.2 would cost as much as the F250 (around $30k), which has the 6.2 as the base engine. With the F250, one gets a heavier duty driveline and brakes.

I find it curious Ford doesn't list MPG figures for the Superduty.

The ecoboost has twin turbos (one for each bank). I would think maintenance on those turbos and the direct injection would be just as expensive as on the diesel. Those turbos spin at 250k rpm; I can't see anything spinning like a hamster on speed in a wheel lasting very long (especially the hamster). It wouldn't take many expensive repairs to more than offset a drop in gas mileage.

 

That's because they are not required to - yet.

Lady - exactly how much do you WANT to tow? If you want to tow anything more than the 5.0 with it's biggest tow package can handle properly, you need a Superduty. I do believe you can get a 5.0 rated for 10k.

 

Actually, the max tow package offers about 400 pounds more payload which is the only way to get even close to a crew cab towing 10k pounds safely with a half ton.

 

So they added one more spring- You could add either a helper spring or air bags and have your own max tow if you are worried about the truck's payload. As far as I know the axle is NOT heavier for a max tow over a regular tow or for that matter even a "non tow". The only way to get the heavier axle is with the heavy duty payload package. Everything else has the regular 9.75" rear end with the exception of the ecoboost which is getting a heavier axle due to it's torque breaking the pinion gear in the standard rear ends.
Everything else in the tow v.s. max tow are the same except you get some different bushings and a different steering ratio- big deal!
Both have larger radiators and tranny coolers.

 

Ford's load charts say that the F-150 with ecoboost or 6.2 can handle up to 11,300 with 3.73 gears. If I was towing frequently, I would agree the F250 would be better but for only occasional towing, the F-150 should be fine.

The 5.0 can handle only 9400 lb. My '08 screw (everything I've discussed is for the screw) can handle 9500. I'll keep my present screw before I'll even consider a 5.0.

I don't know how much I will need yet (I won't be buying my travel trailer for a year or two) but it will probably push 10-11K. I can pick up another 1k if I get an F250. but, as I stated before, the F250 is about 1 1/2' longer and I would be surprised if it got the same mileage as the F-150.

I was looking forward to the 2011 with the "manual" automatic but the engines they are coming out with aren't making a lot of sense to me. The 5.4 I have now has plenty of pep for me for regular driving. The new engines are more powerful but I don't see the sense in that extra power if towing capacity stays the same and gas mileage drops. Again, I might have to take a hard look at seeing if I could find a used 2010 (the 5.4 can handle 11,300 with 3.73 gears). And it is pissing me off that Ford is forcing people to get a Lariat or higher just to get the 6.2. I need a Lariat like I need a another hole in the head. I'll get an F250 XLT before I do that.

 

You will get no less than 300 pounds more payload with Max Tow than without. In a Supercab, it might me 800 pounds more. Payload is almost always the limitation for determining what half ton trucks can tow.

Not to mention the upgraded rear bumper, tow mirrors, and trailer brake controller included in Max Tow.

A 10k pound travel trailer with 15% tongue weight is 1500 pounds. Most crew cab half tons do not have that much payload, and the truck still needs to hold passengers.

Max Tow also includes 3.73 axle ratio for all the non-FX4 trucks.

 

Regarding the 5.4 towing 11,300 lbs I think that you will find that Ford over-rated it. Ford is going to the new SAE standard and for 2011 they have lowered their ratings to meet this standard. Sure the 5.4 with 3.73 will tow it but so would the new 5.0 and probably even better because it has more power.

 

My point is that even though max tow isn't available with the 5.0 you can equip the truck to tow that amount.
3.73 is an option without getting max tow. I don't tow heavy bumper pulls so the bumper is just added weight. I don't like the big tow mirrors and trailer brake controller can be bought as an add on.

If you want to get a 5.0 and tow 10-11k lbs, get the trailer brake controller, regular tow package, 3.73 rear end, add a spring if needed and get after it. As Lady said, if you haul that much very often you need a F250 anyway but for those that tow infrequently a 1/2 ton will do fine.


As far as a SCREW goes I have never had one and don't want one. I have always had regular cabs but this time am getting a SCAB mainly because regular cabs are hard to find (unless you just want the 3.7 and a basic work truck). I read somewhere that regular cabs account for something like less than 15% of sales.

 

Not from the factory you can't. Maybe if you added the upgraded bumper, springs and a EB or 6.2 engine. The argument was why didn't the 5.0 get the max ratings. Simply put it is because it is not the max tow truck. I don't even know why you are even arguing this.

 

The statement "because it is not the max tow truck" is not a reason. That is just your statement which means nothing without facts as to why Ford chose to do so.

We don't know why Ford said that it can't be a max tow truck. I say either because Ford wants to push ecoboost sales or with the new towing standards the 5.0 doesn't have the power necessary.

Unless you know the real reason you don't know any more than I do.

The facts known are:
1. Even though the 5.0 has more hp and torque than the 5.4 it is rated to tow less
2. This is due to the fact that Ford chose not to sell the max tow package on the 5.0

Everything else is speculation unless Ford tells us the real reason.