Hi All!I've been browsing through the forums for awhile and decided to finally join up and post. I am hoping to get some feedback on two tow vehicles that I have my eye on. I am new to travel trailers and towing in general. We are a young family and are struggling with making the right decision on trucks. We don't have a specific trailer picked out yet but most of the bunkhouse ones that we've seen come in right around the 7,000 lb mark fully loaded.I am bouncing between a pre-owned F150 and a pre-owned Tundra.With the F150 I've been looking for a 2013 to 2017 V8 with less than 60k miles, max tow package 4x4 Crew cab with the 3.73 rear end. This is proving to be a very difficult thing to find. The V6 eco boosts are everywhere but I made the mistake of reading too much about them online and am now terrified of getting one and having reliability issues with the turbo in them. BUT the 2018 F150 V8s and newer seem to have bad issues with oil loss. So IDK.I like the 5.4 V8 tundra but the price is a lot higher and their payload is significantly less than the F150. On the plus side it has a 4.41 rear end.I'm just so overwhelmed. I'd appreciate any advice. It's so confusing making sure you find something preowned with all of the accessories that you need to safely tow trailers. I don't want to buy something and realize that I've made a mistake. Been saving too long to mess it up now, hahaha

Avoid the common mistake of starting out with a big heavy trailer and just enough truck. My cousin bought a classic old canned ham trailer. He works in Hollywood and lives in his trailer when not at home. He bought a Tundra new and sold it. He bought a Ford F-250 and now has no problems. Tundras and F-150s have their limitations. If you are new at towing you probably do not want to be anywhere near the max towing limits. What kind of trailers are you considering? You need to have that discussion before you decide on a truck. You might need to consider a larger truck.

May not help, but strictly FWIW, I have a Toyota Sequoia in the fleet and have used it several times in a "oh ****, the truck is out of service" situations.I've used the Sequoia (comparable to the Tundra) on those instances to tow at or slightly above it's tow limits and it's proven to tow "large" loads without any problem.

You're going to end up with a larger trailer, so why not just get that larger truck now? F250.

Don’t violate the rule! Buy or select the travel trailer first. Match an appropriate tow vehicle to the trailer.

Welcome !First, decide if you believe in the OEM's ratings or notIf not, then pure academicIf yes, then read up on how the ratings system works and know that the only person responsible for the setup is the driver. Us advisors here on these freebie forums have no skin in 'your' gameI'm conservative advising any newbie who has to ask for a reason...and personally like to have as much safety margin as I can get. I do keep my automobiles a looong time, so understand the wearing out faster due to higher stresses well...Good luck and post back as your story goesComments embedded below in redRVdreaming2020 wrote:Hi All!I've been browsing through the forums for awhile and decided to finally join up and post. I am hoping to get some feedback on two tow vehicles that I have my eye on. I am new to travel trailers and towing in general. We are a young family and are struggling with making the right decision on trucks. We don't have a specific trailer picked out yet but most of the bunkhouse ones that we've seen come in right around the 7,000 lb mark fully loaded.Best to use the trailers GVWR and actual weight (load it up and weigh it) Most newbies are surprised how much stuff they have loadedI am bouncing between a pre-owned F150 and a pre-owned Tundra.With the F150 I've been looking for a 2013 to 2017 V8 with less than 60k miles, max tow package 4x4 Crew cab with the 3.73 rear end. This is proving to be a very difficult thing to find. The V6 eco boosts are everywhere but I made the mistake of reading too much about them online and am now terrified of getting one and having reliability issues with the turbo in them. BUT the 2018 F150 V8s and newer seem to have bad issues with oil loss. So IDK.Nothing is perfect and they all have issuesA lot depends on your mechanical abilities and/or how deep your pocket book isA point not discussed much...enough...those who chose a TV just big enough will wear it out faster than someone who chose a higher class TV with more margin...it won't wear out as fast, IMHO I like the 5.4 V8 tundra but the price is a lot higher and their payload is significantly less than the F150. On the plus side it has a 4.41 rear end.I'm just so overwhelmed. I'd appreciate any advice. It's so confusing making sure you find something preowned with all of the accessories that you need to safely tow trailers. I don't want to buy something and realize that I've made a mistake. Been saving too long to mess it up now, hahaha

Tow Vehicle Advice For Newbie | Good Sam Community

Grit_dog
Navigator
May 14, 2020
And based on the millions of trucks running around that don’t have manual hubs, it’s not the advantage that it was 40 years ago compare to old school full time 4wd rigs.
Grit_dog
Navigator
May 14, 2020
I’ll repeat. They’re not just a typical manual setup. They’re automatic with a manual override of auto don’t work.
Silly, but Ferd has been doing it for 20 years now. Idk why.
pitch
Explorer II
May 14, 2020
RVdreaming2020 wrote:
So it has manual locking hubs for the 4x4. So that's a bummer. So Ive made the mistake of reading about the Death wobble in the F250's. Now Im terrified of getting one. Thoughts?

Millions of f 250s on the road. Not million of fatalities from "death wobble"

Drive it put it thru its paces. Manual Locking Hubs would be a major major plus for me. Not having to spin an entire drive line, except when needed is good.
PA12DRVR
Explorer
May 13, 2020
Can only speak to my experience:

- 3 Ford Trucks (2011, 2013, 2019: F350, 550, 250). No wobble on the 1st two nor the 3rd so far (only 6500 miles though).

- In 45 years of driving to the cabin (requires 4WD), I've had automatic hubs fail twice (admittedly back in the '90s). Never had manual hubs fail, although I've had to replace them due to accumulated time in water, etc.
Grit_dog
Navigator
May 13, 2020
RVdreaming2020 wrote:
So it has manual locking hubs for the 4x4. So that's a bummer. So Ive made the mistake of reading about the Death wobble in the F250's. Now Im terrified of getting one. Thoughts?

Thoughts?
Either stop reading now, or keep reading more about the truck and subject, because the smidgen of knowledge you think you've gained is not cause for alarm.
Super Dutys have had manual locking hubs since day 1 and still do. They also have auto locking and the manual hubs are essentially a redundant system and maybe considered a selling point. If the auto lcoker doesn't work, can still manually lock them. I know this sounds dumb and confusing, and I think it is as well. Either the vacuum auto lockers are unreliable (they're not, in my experience) or it's just a marketing ploy. No cause for concern.

Death wobble? It's possible in any solid front axle vehicle. Rarely happens with newer, lower miles, not worn out, stock size tires trucks. I've seen it in a newish Ford years ago, only 1 truck. Who knows, a bad tire, a bad caster setting, whatever, but the millions of solid axle trucks on the road the DO NOT have death wobble is where your head should be.
Or get a GM with IFS if you can't shake an irrational fear of death wobble.
RVdreaming2020
Explorer
May 13, 2020
So it has manual locking hubs for the 4x4. So that's a bummer. So Ive made the mistake of reading about the Death wobble in the F250's. Now Im terrified of getting one. Thoughts?
K-9_HANDLER
Explorer
May 12, 2020
RVdreaming2020 wrote:
So I after a TON of searching I found a pre-owned *1 owner local trade in* 2015 F250 for sale about an hour and half away from me. They have it listed at $24,000. It has about 60k miles on it. Does this sound like a good deal? Think this would be a reliable purchase that fits our towing needs?

Its a good candidate. To determine price: What model is it, XLT? What cab is it? 4 or 2 wheel drive? Bed length? Ask for a service history and OASIS report to see if there are any chronic/ reoccurring repairs. If its a local trade ask seller why it was traded in. You are basically trying to piece together the vehicles past history to see if its worth purchasing or you can rule it out and move on.
Grit_dog
Navigator
May 12, 2020
Yes to both questions. Seems reasonable, depending on condition and options.

Upside to pre-2017, I believe, 6.2s, is they have a very similar trans to the Powerstroke. Same model, 6r140, but some differences. Bottom line, the trans is basically overkill for the 6.2 and a bulletproof combo that works very well. Not that the newer trans behind the gassers is weak, but it is lower rates than the 6r140.

I had a 2012, or 13, I forget, and a 2015 F250. Both 6.2 3.73 trucks. Both were the best gasser combo I've had to date, compared to 20+ new company trucks over the last 20+ years.
Only "better" combos, IMO are the new 7.3/10speed ford or 6.4/8speed Ram. But I haven't had any time with these.
APT
Explorer
May 11, 2020
That 2015 seems reasonable. I'll assume 6.2L gas engine. It if is a crew cab with whatever else features you want, it should last all your towing years! I just recommend about $1000 to flush all the fluids and some new shocks. Enjoy!
RVdreaming2020
Explorer
May 11, 2020
So I after a TON of searching I found a pre-owned *1 owner local trade in* 2015 F250 for sale about an hour and half away from me. They have it listed at $24,000. It has about 60k miles on it. Does this sound like a good deal? Think this would be a reliable purchase that fits our towing needs?

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