Movin' on Up

[Buzam]

Well, I can now proudly say I'm among the 3/4 ton crew. Upgraded from our 2011 F150 to a 2015 F250 with the 6.2L.

I was never happy with how our F150 towed. Sure, it had plenty of power, but I was constantly trying different things to stop it from porpoising. And I hated always playing the payload game.

So now I can take some firewood in the bed of my truck, a full load of water on the trailer and I have room left to upgrade the trailer in a few year. 🙂 Can't wait to get these break in km's under my belt so I can hook up and tow.

[minnow]

The rear sag on the F250's is one reason I'll be going directly to the F350 for than extra leaf spring. Don't know why Ford has not addressed this known rear sag issue on the 250's. Chevy and Dodge's don't have this rear sag on their 3/4 ton offerings.

[Buzam]

Dave H M wrote:
I tow with a 2012 2WD like yours only not the F (whatever it was) package.

Here is my take on it setting level when empty. I like it that way. Nice for tooling around in. If one wants the butt up I spose you could install some spacers.

My answer is air bags. They are the best of both worlds for me, since I can ride level when empty and ride level when loaded. If i am just doing chores with it locally so what if it sags a little and gets on the over loads.

I think this may be the best way to go. I watched a youtube video of the install and its something I can do in my driveway and they can be adjusted for whatever size of trailer I end up with.

I just got back from a 1000km round trip to the Okanagan here in BC, truck towed great. I made some adjustments to my hitch at the campsite and it towed even better on the way back. Pretty pleased with how balanced it feels with the trailer hooked up! 🙂

[Buck50HD]

Another vote for air bags. The ride gets significantly worse even with only 10psi in the bags so if you were stuck with something that stiffens the suspension permanently, it would kill the relatively "soft" ride of the 250.

Anything like overloads or timbrens will not keep you level, so they are out, IMO.

[Dave_H_M]

I tow with a 2012 2WD like yours only not the F (whatever it was) package.

Here is my take on it setting level when empty. I like it that way. Nice for tooling around in. If one wants the butt up I spose you could install some spacers.

My answer is air bags. They are the best of both worlds for me, since I can ride level when empty and ride level when loaded. If i am just doing chores with it locally so what if it sags a little and gets on the over loads.

[Kevinwa]

Buzam wrote:
Took the trailer for a test tow today. Truck rides the same with the trailer on the hitch as it does unloaded, made me very happy after dropping all the $ for the upgrade. Can tell the 6.2 has more low down torque than the 5.0 did. Kind of wish it had more rake to it so it sat level while loaded. But, I'm within Ford's spec for WDH hitches of reducing half of the front end rise, and the rear leafs aren't even on the overload leaf.

I am not sure why, but the most popular and common upgrade to 3/4 & 1 ton trucks around my area is a levelling kit. Essentially a lift on the front only so that it sits level when completely unloaded. To me it makes no sense because as soon as they have even a small load on the truck it looks so squatted in the rear.

I love your truck, and I can't wait to make a similar upgrade next year.

[gmw_photos]

MFL wrote:
.....snip......

. It will not ride like a car, .....snip.....

Yep. Thank goodness for that !!!! ( I too like a truck )

[Buzam]

Thanks for the tips. I have a feeling I will be doing some mods over the winter to address this, shocks for sure, then maybe add a leaf or airbags or Timbrens. No one tell my wife 😉

[Greene728]

OP,
The 250's are notorious for sag under a load, even within spec's. As already stated, you may can adjust some of it out by adjusting the hitch set up. Two things I did that greatly improved mine are.....
1. Bilstein 4600's on all 4 corners.
I know it sucks to replace new OEM equipment, but the shocks that come on these trucks are sub par at best. Even the FX4 package Rancho's are nothing more than Ford shocks painted and stickers that say Rancho. They will work for a while if need be, but many replace them before 500 miles if towing much. Yes, there's that much difference.
2. General Springs (Out of Kansas City Mo.) Custom long add a leaf.
I pull a fiver with mine and even within all specs the truck sagged badly. Like you said, no rake from the factory. This is a long custom made AAL that made a tremendous difference towing! Also, the ride didn't change unloaded much at all. Yes, maybe a touch stiffer, but honestly hardly noticeable. My towing experience improved tremendously with these two upgrades. All of it was done for roughly $500 bucks as I installed it all myself. Now the truck sits basically identical to a 350. And when loaded and hitched up, I sit dead nuts level and dips and overpasses and such are absorbed effortlessly! Otherwise the truck is stock and goes very well. I hope this at least gives you some options if you can't adjust the sag out. It's a shame that mods have to be made to make a 3/4 ton truck handle a 3/4 ton load, but it's a common issue on these trucks in the factory set up.
Good luck and enjoy that beautiful TV!!!

[dwayneb236]

I also went from the 150 to the 250. Best decision I made. So much less stress towing. And the truck just looks big. Have to climb in..

[Buzam]

It's the FX4 off road package. Basically: some skid plates, rancho "branded" shocks, hill descent assist button on the dash and some sweet decals 😉

[Dave_H_M]

I haven't followed Ford since we got the 2012 F250.

What does the decal on the rear of the bed mean?

[badercubed]

Looks identical to the one i just got! You will love it!

[campigloo]

Looking at your pic I think readjusting your hitch would help a lot. Trailer looks nose high and truck squatted. Adjust hitch for more lift and try dropping the ball a notch. Happy towing, you're gonna like the extra beef.

[Buzam]

mkirsch wrote:
This is why the side that tries to tell people they really should get a bigger truck is so adamant about it. Sometimes your definition of "just fine" doesn't match someone else's definition of "just fine" and it ends up costing you $40,000.

Ha, this is pretty much what I need to say to my buddies that all tow with their 150's. It just wasn't "good enough" for my taste. 🙂


Thanks for the tire pressure advice people, I'll try a couple of different things the next time I tow.