Well I put this off for too darn long and am now looking at 2017's. Today I drove an F250XLT Supercab, with the 6.2 gas engine and 3:73 axle ratio. I also drove a GMC SLE 2500HD double cab with the 6.0 gas engine and 4:10 axle ratio. The GMC rode a little nicer and seems plusher inside. The Ford sure felt like it had a lot more get up and go though. This could partly be due to the exhaust note of the Ford giving me a little thrill. Both have way more bells and whistles than I want, but unless I factory order one, I will have to take what I can get. I will be towing a 26'Keystone Cougar 5th wheel. Any one own one of these trucks? What are your impressions?

There is no way that you should be thinking you need to take what you can get. I would sit down and go through every option and select the exact truck you want. I'd be willing to bet that if your dealer doesn't have it in their inventory they could find one and have it delivered from a sister dealership within in a week.

yes, your dealer is pulling your leg, they have other dealers who may have the one you want and need.

I am at the point that I just order what I want rather taking what is left on the lots. My choices seem to be too quirky to find what I want on any lot, but I will give the dealer a chance to see how close he can get. Here was an example of my F250 bellow. Every option is what I wanted and I did not pay for items I did not want. This was ordered late February of 2005 and was delivered early May of that year (about 10 weeks).

To answer the OP's question, I have a 6.2 with 3.73 gears. Pulled our 35' Outback very nicely. Should have no problem pulling a 26'.

I have a biased opinion towards the GMC. I had the 6.0 with 3.73, and love my 6.0 in my Express van. It tows my 9500lb trailer very well here in Michigan.

Comparing axle ratios | Good Sam Community

MFL
Nomad II
Mar 23, 2017
That is a great looking truck!! I like white, especially when parking in the sun at CG. I hope you are getting some break-in miles, towing time is fast approaching. I have several other vehicles, even a fancy little sport coupe, that I can drive, but I think I enjoy driving the 250 most.

You'll like the transmission, with all it's features, and the performance of the 6.2!

Happy driving/towing,
Jerry
GMH
Explorer
Mar 23, 2017
MFL wrote:
Congrats on the new 250!! We like to see pics of new trucks, can you post a pic or two?

Jerry

Yeah, took me a while to figure out how. This is a mockup with my old hitch and the weight of the trailer on the truck. I guesstimated where the pin would be.
Dave_H_M
Explorer II
Mar 20, 2017
Does Ford offer 4.10's now.

Way back in 2012, 4.30 was the optional diffy.
MFL
Nomad II
Mar 18, 2017
Congrats on the new 250!! We like to see pics of new trucks, can you post a pic or two?

Jerry
GMH
Explorer
Mar 18, 2017
GMH wrote:
Well I put this off for too darn long and am now looking at 2017's. Today I drove an F250XLT Supercab, with the 6.2 gas engine and 3:73 axle ratio. I also drove a GMC SLE 2500HD double cab with the 6.0 gas engine and 4:10 axle ratio. The GMC rode a little nicer and seems plusher inside. The Ford sure felt like it had a lot more get up and go though. This could partly be due to the exhaust note of the Ford giving me a little thrill. Both have way more bells and whistles than I want, but unless I factory order one, I will have to take what I can get. I will be towing a 26'Keystone Cougar 5th wheel. Any one own one of these trucks? What are your impressions?

Well I picked up the F250 yesterday and I gotta say... these bells and whistles are starting to grow on me already. If I factory ordered one, I would have deleted a lot of the extras and gotten the 4:10 gears, but my trailer is under 10,000lbs so the 3:73s should be fine. That said, I got a decent deal on it and I can learn to live with heated power seats, Bluetooth, power folding mirrors etc. I didn't realize it had remote start, but that is something I would have installed anyway . I just hope all these gadgets are reliable in the long run.
MVH1
Explorer
Mar 17, 2017
Very interesting information! I have been contemplating the new Ford 6.2 and just assumed that the 4.30 gear would be best. Has anyone really compared the 3.73 and 4.30 gear 1st -6th for the new 2017 transmission.
4x4ord
Explorer III
Mar 16, 2017
CampingN.C. wrote:
My buddy pulls a 32ft tripple slide with a 6.2 and 3.73's. However he has 35 inch tires which kills his final ratio and it still pulls good. He gets around 7 mgp towing.

It would be really interesting to see what the new Powerstroke would get for mpg pulling that trailer.

I think it's hard to know which final drive to choose. For 2017 Ford has put a lower first gear in the transmission that gets fitted with the 6.2 liter. They also increased the torque of the 6.2 so with 3.73 gears and 34" tires you could drop to second gear and have 310 to 385 HP available between 45 and 65 mph. So second gear would work excellent for steep grades. On the flats at 60 mph with 3.73 gears and 34 inch tires you could lock 5th and 6th out, if desired, and cruise at 2580 rpm or just 6th if it works and run at 1900 rpm.
CampingN_C_
Explorer
Mar 16, 2017
My buddy pulls a 32ft tripple slide with a 6.2 and 3.73's. However he has 35 inch tires which kills his final ratio and it still pulls good. He gets around 7 mgp towing.
tinner12002
Explorer
Mar 16, 2017
In my opinion if you think you'd ever wish to move up to a larger heavier RV I would probably get one with 4.10s, also, even though the truck they have has more bells and whistles than what you need/want, most dealers order truck/cars with option packages that are most popular and quick selling so if you thought you'd ever want to sell or trade down the road it might possibly easier to sell the one with the options, besides, once you get one with those options, you may decide that your glad you got them.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Mar 16, 2017
3.73 to 4.30 swap netted me a .7 mpg increase when towing, 1mpg in town increase and .5 loss unloaded on the highway.

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