F150 EcoBoost with Max payload package Super Crew

My'13 Eco, max tow, HD payload gets 7 to 9 towing 8,000# and 14 to 15 empty. Now I live at 3,500MSL and most towing is at or above that elevation in mountanous areas. I've never had a need for more power and down hills in the Sierra's have not been the slightest problem.

Now as far as those who say their 3/4 ton is 1,000% better, come on, you just threw down $50K to upgrade and it is marginally better, Ya gonna admit that? :B

Well, this thread has devolved into the usual "how big a truck" debate, but to report to the OP my own specifics:

2012 Crew Eco, Max tow, Max pay (3.73 gears). Just returned from a 250 mile each way trip requiring towing the 8,300 lb fifth, return empty, then tow the 3,500 lb boat. All highway - combo of speed limits of 70 mph, 60-65, and small town 35 mph stretches. Yes, did the route 6 times in two weeks!

Non-towing: 20.5 mpg one way, 21.8 the other.
Pulling boat: 17.2 one way, 16.8 the other.
Pulling Fifth: 8.8 one way, 9.1 the other.

As daily driver, non-towing, around town, summer average 16.5, winter about 14.5

With fifth wheel:
Trip Minn. to Maine and back, 11.5 overall
Minn. to Calif, Oregon and back, 10.3 overall.
Minn. to Mobile, AL and back - 10.1 overall.

When towing the fifth, wind makes the biggest difference by far. Was bucking 20 mph winds both times on the latest trips reported above (why are they headwinds going both ways???)

Ford notes, and my experimenting agrees, that you can see up to a 10% improvement in mileage by using premium, which I usually do when towing, except for this last round of trips, as the price difference between regular and premium was far more than 10%, and I didn't really care about getting the additional range before refueling.

On the Mobile trip, a cracked connector disabled the turbos so yes, suddenly it became very hard to tow the fifth with what became a small V6! But otherwise, all has been fine. Have done many 6%+ grades with the fifth up and down for long distances with no issues. Can pass anyone I want, going up, if I want. Engine braking going down in tow mode worked well (but I cannot compare to a bigger engine, so can't say if it is better or worse).

Pooter wrote:

bid_time wrote:
You're a smart man larry, you knew you were being baited and went for it anyways. You don't get to claim some moral high ground now. "two-faced"? kettle meet pot.

The manufacturer's have designed the truck and they have published ratings to be used for towing (I'd be willing to bet they also publish a safe speed for towing). And towing at 100% of those numbers is not "playing roulette" with lives. Sorry, your "gleaned information" doesn't trump the manufacturer's collective knowledge, testing, and designing.

I feel it a little naive to think manufacturer's published ratings are not slanted by the marketing department. If they want to sell trucks they have to be competitive in a whole bunch of category's, including MSRP and fuel economy.
If hitting minimums makes you happy , or justifies your arguments power on, who am I to argue . I have owned a 2011 F-150 and now a 2015 F250. The experience is notably different. Although the F 150 was adequate , the F 250 is relaxing. I tow 10000 miles a year for work plus a 5500 loaded TT. The relaxed towing is worth the $600.00 annual fuel penalty. As far as your "Russian Roulette" comment, I see it daily with the "Adequate" EB F-150 owners blowing by me at 70-75 MPH pulling 28+" trailers on ST tires. Just because they can , does not mean they should.

So do you think your "adequate" with an F250 pulling a 28' trailer on ST tires at 70 - 75? Or is that another case of just because you can, doesn't mean you should?

Actually, none of that has anything to do with towing within a vehicles ratings no matter what size vehicle we are talking about. That is a different discussion. If you're going to tow at 75, you better have both vehicles equipped for the experience.

IdaD wrote:
No kidding. For a good laugh take a look at the 8.8" rear axle on most F150s sometime and compare it to the 11.5" rear axles on a HD truck. An Ecoboost makes good power but there's no way I'd want to approach those trailer weights with a half ton. Not with my family on board.

Not one 3.5L ecoboost has an 8.8" axle. Doesn't exist.

bid_time wrote:
You're a smart man larry, you knew you were being baited and went for it anyways. You don't get to claim some moral high ground now. "two-faced"? kettle meet pot.

The manufacturer's have designed the truck and they have published ratings to be used for towing (I'd be willing to bet they also publish a safe speed for towing). And towing at 100% of those numbers is not "playing roulette" with lives. Sorry, your "gleaned information" doesn't trump the manufacturer's collective knowledge, testing, and designing.

I feel it a little naive to think manufacturer's published ratings are not slanted by the marketing department. If they want to sell trucks they have to be competitive in a whole bunch of category's, including MSRP and fuel economy.
If hitting minimums makes you happy , or justifies your arguments power on, who am I to argue . I have owned a 2011 F-150 and now a 2015 F250. The experience is notably different. Although the F 150 was adequate , the F 250 is relaxing. I tow 10000 miles a year for work plus a 5500 loaded TT. The relaxed towing is worth the $600.00 annual fuel penalty. As far as your "Russian Roulette" comment, I see it daily with the "Adequate" EB F-150 owners blowing by me at 70-75 MPH pulling 28+" trailers on ST tires. Just because they can , does not mean they should.

Lantley wrote:
I don't dispute anything you've said. I believe in the towing parameters produced by the manufacturers.
Nevertheless I prefer to tow a RV trailer with a 3/4 ton vs. a 1/2 ton based on my experience using both.

X2

bid_time wrote:
The manufacturer's have designed the truck and they have published ratings to be used for towing (I'd be willing to bet they also publish a safe speed for towing). And towing at 100% of those numbers is not "playing roulette" with lives. Sorry, your "gleaned information" doesn't trump the manufacturer's collective knowledge, testing, and designing.

I don't dispute anything you've said. I believe in the towing parameters produced by the manufacturers.
Nevertheless I prefer to tow a RV trailer with a 3/4 ton vs. a 1/2 ton based on my experience using both.

You're a smart man larry, you knew you were being baited and went for it anyways. You don't get to claim some moral high ground now. "two-faced"? kettle meet pot.

The manufacturer's have designed the truck and they have published ratings to be used for towing (I'd be willing to bet they also publish a safe speed for towing). And towing at 100% of those numbers is not "playing roulette" with lives. Sorry, your "gleaned information" doesn't trump the manufacturer's collective knowledge, testing, and designing.

bid_time wrote:
Oh it was indeed a "baited" question (as you of course where well aware of but took the bait anyways). It's interesting that you (from information that you "gleaned") think your years of gleaned information trumps the years of experience of all of the truck manufacturer's engineers. My, that's a pretty big shoulders. The fact of the matter is, there is a magical number(s). The ones the manufacturer's designed and tested for. You can find them in the Owner's manual and they are not pie in the sky made up from one man's "gleaned information". And yes, I am stupider then the collective knowledge of engineers that designed the truck. That's why I don't try to "infer" that just because I tow with an F250, everyone that tows with an F150 is putting their wife and kids in harms way.

Now you can remain silent (save face)under the guise that I am disingenuous.

I'm not the one that lost face since I was sincere and not being disingenuous and two faced. Your admitted "MAGICAL NUMBERS" are just that magical since almost all TV have specified frontal area limits that exceed that normally found in full profile TTs and the numbers in owner's manuals don't account for that very important variance. Also, speed is a hugh factor which again the owner's manuals don't adjust those magical numbers for that.

Lastly, you failed to appreciate that in my original post I specifically called my assertions as being anecdotal and from reading the many reports by those with the specific experiences with both vehicles and the same applies to my last post and unlike you have admitted there is some wiggle room in what I have given, but you want to say there are some magical concrete numbers which if one believes that then again you are in the "they don't know what they don't know" and you and I have nothing further to discuss since I will not discuss something with someone who has admitted to not be willing to participate in an honest discourse, but is one out to play some sort of childish games.

I'm thru discussing any of this further with someone with your stated intentions since those are clearly IMO a DISSERVICE to the membership in general here which I think is shameful to say the least.

Larry.

Oh it was indeed a "baited" question (as you of course where well aware of but took the bait anyways). It's interesting that you (from information that you "gleaned") think your years of gleaned information trumps the years of experience of all of the truck manufacturer's engineers. My, that's a pretty big shoulders. The fact of the matter is, there is a magical number(s). The ones the manufacturer's designed and tested for. You can find them in the Owner's manual and they are not pie in the sky made up from one man's "gleaned information". And yes, I am stupider then the collective knowledge of engineers that designed the truck. That's why I don't try to "infer" that just because I tow with an F250, everyone that tows with an F150 is putting their wife and kids in harms way.

Now you can remain silent (save face)under the guise that I am disingenuous.