Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives At what percentage of miles, do I become a tower?

I've been putting 30K+ every year on my 2009 F150 5.4.

About 12K of those miles every year is pulling a 12 utility trailer or an enclosed 10' trailer. So, maybe 1/3 of my miles.

As I think about looking for a new truck, should I be looking for something with higher torque, better puller, whether that be a diesel or ecoboost or should I not be thinking that way?

That 5.4 pulls good but you know when you are hooked up to a trailer. Traveled to ND this past year with a buddy with a power stroke and an enclosed trailer and when I drove, I would forget that thing was back there. Maybe that's the way I need to go?

There are no free rides, but I take comfort in knowing I have more power than I need (F350 4x4 crew cab diesel).

You don't mention what the trailers weigh. That makes a lot more difference than length.

Sorry, meant to put that in.

4-5K lbs.

I wouldn’t want the added initial cost, maintenance, and fuel costs of a diesel for towing something that size. If you feel comfortable with the braking and handling of your current half ton then an Ecoboost might be a good fit. They are a powerhouse and pull more like a diesel due to making power low in the rpm band. Fuel mileage takes a hit towing with them, but I’d guess it’s not going to be worse than your 5.4.
If you get the feeling the trailer is walking you around or braking leaves something to be desired it may be time to look at a gas 3/4 ton. Ford’s 6.2 and GM’s 6.0 are both proven long lasting engines with more power and better trannys than your current rig. Mileage unloaded will probably be comparable to what you have but they’ll feel like a racehorse in comparison.

Will you be driving the truck every day? What’s an average days driving look like?

Anything diesel from ‘07 on has a particulate filter and everything with a particulate filter makes for a cruddy short-tripper.

Lots of highway miles but not a daily driver.

Most of that towing is highway speeds 65-75.

The 5.4 handles what I do now, so maybe I should stick with a 1/2 ton.

Stick with a 1/2 ton.

That's the story for my diesel. Highway drives to go hunting/shooting, pulling a boat @ highway speeds in the summer, pulling a 14' snowmobile/ATV trailer loaded w/icefishing stuff in the winter. Other than that, it sits. When I bought it, I was towing my boat (4K#) ~500Mi/weekend pretty much every weekend from mid-Apr until mid-Sept. I now have a spot I can leave my boat @ the lake so my towing is decreased by probably 80%.

The biggest thing with any DPF equipped diesel is to get it up to full operating temp and let it complete DPF regeneration cycles regularly. This is independent of which manufacturer you prefer, they all have DPF, the DPF needs to be run through regen cycles, and the motor has to be @ full temp for some time to do it. It can take 10min+ for the engine to get up to temp during the winter, idling will not bring it up to full temp, idling will get it "Luke-warm" @ best.

You're sure not going to save any $$ by going with a diesel, but, they are very enjoyable to drive with a load. For the small things you're towing a diesel certainly wouldn't be required. It's not required for the relatively small things I tow either, but I like it.

I bought my '08 Dodge diesel with 60k miles on it. I didn't know it at the time but it had been DPF deleted. The dealer didn't know it either. It has a chip under the dash with a flashing light. The dealer thought it was some kind of performance chip but I got the numbers off of it and went online to find out what it was. Turned out to be a gizmo that resets the time to the next regen to max every time I start it.
A friend has an '07 identical to mine that has not been deleted. When we're up hunting on the back roads for more than a few days, he has to go find a highway to run it up and get it hot for a regen or it really starts bogging down. It's a real PIA.

I could "drive around town" for an hr in the winter and never come up to full temp.

I wish there was an "off-road" mode that would allow one to bypass the DPF @ low speed.

Doesn't sound like there's any compelling reason to jump from a 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton unless you're just wanting one. You can get into a gasser 3/4 ton for about the same price as a 1/2 ton.

Go 3/4 ton gasser. It’s as much or more about the frame, suspension, brakes, etc as it is the motor. There is a world of difference between a 1/2 and 3/4 ton. Gas is better than diesel for non-towing duties.

4-5K trailer? Another vote for a half ton. Had a 16' double axle flatbed (removable racks) for the past 14 years and thru three different GM half ton 4x4s.

10K max load for that trailer and it doesn't matter if there's a tractor on it, or 2.5 cords of fire wood. All three 5.3L trucks have snatched it along with no issues. Drops the highway mileage from 20-22 down to about 12-14, depending on the load. Plenty of go for coming back from the mountains with a jag of wood on it. Also have an 8' steel sided box trailer that I can haul a Farmall Cub on, or a cord of wood. Don't even know it's back there.

Fetched one helluva mess of oak butts home this fall, on a buddy's 14' dump trailer. Closer to three cords, than what I can tote on my flatbed. Nary a miss. Damn near everyone I know that has been driving diesels for some time, is happy with the newer ones.

Thanks for info everyone.

My 5.4 averages 8.5 mpg when I'm towing 75 mph. I didn't buy it for fuel economy, but I'm not pulling that much either. Luckily, I've got a 35 gallon tank.

Sounds about like my '10 5.4. I don't tow heavy but get about 12 pulling 3k lb....and only about 14.5 empty

If you're considering a new truck just for the mileage, remember that you can buy a LOT of gas for $10,000.

Do any of the newer diesels have the DPF any more? Aren't they all using DEF now?

They all still use a DPF, even the ones that have the SCR (DEF) system.

Everyone I know with a diesel truck plans to go to a gas engine next time if they haven't already done so. With the initial cost ( about $9000 with Ford) along with higher fuel and maintenance costs the are much harder to justify economically any more. Especially for recreational use. If someone tows/hauls heavy on a regular basis and they use their truck to make a living then maybe. But for guys who pull a travel trailer of boat a few times a year you'll never break even on costs. Our local school system has bought new school buses with gas engines the last 3 years. Diesel just got too expensive.

And then there is payload. The diesel engines are so heavy that they eat into trucks payloads. I have a friend who recently traded his F250 diesel for a 1/2 ton. His F250 was rated to TOW 15,000 lbs, but due to the weight of the diesel engine he only had about 2000 lbs payload. He was over loaded with a 10K trailer and 3 adults in the cab.

You don't list trailer weights, but I'm of the opinion that a 1/2 ton, properly equipped should be OK up to about 7000-8000 lbs. Not all 1/2 tons will be OK with that so "properly equipped" is the key. There are some 1/2 tons rated to tow over 10K, some as much as 13K, but I'd feel much better with a 3/4 ton over about 8K.

I don't plan to ever tow over 5 or 6K so I'm OK with my F150 which is rated for 7700 lbs. I wouldn't pull over 6 K with my truck due to payload ratings though. But I've considered an F250 with the 6.2 gas engine for my next truck. The price just isn't that much more. And for guys wanting a more basic truck I could probably find an F250 gas engine truck cheaper than a fancy F150.

They're coming out with stronger and stronger gas engines. It wasn't that long ago when the 350 cid was the norm for towing with a few larger engines available. Now there are all kinds of strong towing gas engines on the market. Admittedly, "camp" trailers (mobile luxury suites) are getting bigger and heavier, too.