Ford or...?
I notice that a very large number of the people who post here tow with some sort of Ford product. I'm wondering if they are that much better than Dodge Rams or other hefty vehicles. What is it about...
Forum Discussion
Margaret,
I don't think you are trolling at all but are asking a genuine question. Let me tell you our towing experiences. First tow vehicle was a 2005 Ford Explorer towing a Sunline 19 foot trailer. We towed one time with that combination and went out and bought a used 2006 Expedition which towed the Sunline perfectly.
Then the bigger trailer bug bit and we traded the Sunline on a North Trail which was 29 feet overall. Towing with the Expedition was okay but not great so an F150 replaced the Expedition. The F150 had the 5.4 engine and towed well on flat ground but was not cutting it in the mountains. Due to our standard poodles traveling with us, the crew cab is a necessity.
My husband always wanted a diesel truck so in 2013 a new F250 Lariat made its way to our driveway. It pulled the North Trail like it wasn't even there (LOL) so of course we had to get a bigger, heavier trailer and traded the North Trail on an Open Range that is 33.5 feet long with a GVWR of 9800 pounds. The diesel tows the new trailer with no issues, even through a bad rainstorm with high winds.
When we started this odyssey into RVing, we made all the classic newbie mistakes on not understanding payload and buying tow vehicles that just could not do the job as well as we expected. So three trailers and four tow vehicles later, we now have the perfect truck for our needs.
I have to agree with the folks here talking about payload and how it varies from truck to truck. Our crew cab has only 1950 pounds of payload due to the large cab and truck features but I would not trade them for anything. It is a comfortable truck to drive and gives us the room we need for us and the dogs. It will be getting airbags in the next couple of months due to a "squat" of about 1-2 inches from the tongue weight on the new trailer (1,000 pounds dry).
This truck is not a daily driver so spends most of its life waiting for camping trips but I have no problems taking it to the local shopping centers by myself and I do drive it while towing. It is a pleasure to tow with it. One issue is that these larger trucks will not usually fit into urban parking garages due to the height of the trucks. Before I retired, I could easily fit the Expedition and then the F150 into the garage where I parked but I never attempted to fit the F250 into that garage.
If you do look at trucks, pay particular attention to the yellow sticker showing payload and remember that most salespeople do not tow and do not understand what we who do need. So what we learned the hard (expensive) way is to do our homework and buy the truck that will do the job.
Diane
I don't think you are trolling at all but are asking a genuine question. Let me tell you our towing experiences. First tow vehicle was a 2005 Ford Explorer towing a Sunline 19 foot trailer. We towed one time with that combination and went out and bought a used 2006 Expedition which towed the Sunline perfectly.
Then the bigger trailer bug bit and we traded the Sunline on a North Trail which was 29 feet overall. Towing with the Expedition was okay but not great so an F150 replaced the Expedition. The F150 had the 5.4 engine and towed well on flat ground but was not cutting it in the mountains. Due to our standard poodles traveling with us, the crew cab is a necessity.
My husband always wanted a diesel truck so in 2013 a new F250 Lariat made its way to our driveway. It pulled the North Trail like it wasn't even there (LOL) so of course we had to get a bigger, heavier trailer and traded the North Trail on an Open Range that is 33.5 feet long with a GVWR of 9800 pounds. The diesel tows the new trailer with no issues, even through a bad rainstorm with high winds.
When we started this odyssey into RVing, we made all the classic newbie mistakes on not understanding payload and buying tow vehicles that just could not do the job as well as we expected. So three trailers and four tow vehicles later, we now have the perfect truck for our needs.
I have to agree with the folks here talking about payload and how it varies from truck to truck. Our crew cab has only 1950 pounds of payload due to the large cab and truck features but I would not trade them for anything. It is a comfortable truck to drive and gives us the room we need for us and the dogs. It will be getting airbags in the next couple of months due to a "squat" of about 1-2 inches from the tongue weight on the new trailer (1,000 pounds dry).
This truck is not a daily driver so spends most of its life waiting for camping trips but I have no problems taking it to the local shopping centers by myself and I do drive it while towing. It is a pleasure to tow with it. One issue is that these larger trucks will not usually fit into urban parking garages due to the height of the trucks. Before I retired, I could easily fit the Expedition and then the F150 into the garage where I parked but I never attempted to fit the F250 into that garage.
If you do look at trucks, pay particular attention to the yellow sticker showing payload and remember that most salespeople do not tow and do not understand what we who do need. So what we learned the hard (expensive) way is to do our homework and buy the truck that will do the job.
Diane
