f150 vs.f250

[globehopper]

i'm thinking of trading my 2013 f150 xlt v8 5.0 ltrs. with "towing package." for a 250. i tow a 24 ft. keystone hideout at 5780lbs. i just recievd and offer to trade, do you think there is difference? is the gas mileage much worse? new to all this.
tnx

[coolbreeze01]

If you want more truck, skip the 3/4 and buy a 1-ton.

[nohurry]

Globehopper, you say you're new to all this. Not having experience towing, you may have a misconception of how your truck should act towing. Not trying to be rude, or obvious, but it will be quite different than when empty. When you tow with that 5.0 let it rev! Especially on the hills. Your power/torque is in the 4-5000 RPM range, and it won't hurt it a bit. You may think it's screaming, but it's actually screaming for joy that you're using it properly. Your 150 is a great match for that trailer, and your mileage in the 250 would be similar towing, and a lot worse empty. Unless you want to haul a ton of extra goodies in the box of the truck I'd stick with what you have.

[TomG2]

That "cushy ride" is the reason we see so many people on here asking about Supersprings, Timbrens, better hitches, and LT tires. The HD F-150's and F-250's will tow better, if we are talking about control and safety with bigger brakes, better tires, stronger frames, and gearing for towing, not mileage.

[skipnchar]

If you want to make the trade then go for it, there is no reason NOT to but you certainly would not NEED to make it unless there is something drastically wrong with your current truck. It won't TOW any better than your current truck but depending on your engine choice it will probably have more power, use more fuel (if you go with a gasser)and won't have the cushy ride most F 150s have.

[Vulcaneer]

Big difference in ride quality. Some in fuel mileage. Maybe 20% or so.

There is a saying..."You cannot have too much truck." In your case this does not apply. Keep the F150. You be much happier with you trailer.

If you think you might want a larger trailer...maybe over 10K GVWR...then think about a larger truck. Then skip the 250 and go for the 350.

[TomG2]

APT wrote:
Not $10k better!

The OP said he had "An offer to trade", not that it was going to be ten thousand dollars. It might be worth a lot of money if his current vehicle is inadequate or dangerous to drive. Some F-150's have low power and payload, some have much more. I have seen some with double the payload of others. I am sure he will take a big hit trading in an almost new vehicle, but if he wants/needs something else, it is his money to spend.

[APT]

Not $10k better!

[TomG2]

If you have one of the HD F-150's, there is little to gain by changing. On the other hand, there are variations that are not nearly as capable. That is why we are asking for some numbers. I rented a F-250 before purchasing one. It only took a 100 mile weekend to convince me to trade for one.

[Golden_HVAC]

The F-150 should tow it fine. The only difference in the F-250 is that the curb weight is about 700 pounds more. It might offer a little more stability.

The fuel mileage might be close, the 2011 and later F-250 will come with the 6.2L gas or a 6.7L diesel. Sure the diesel will get better mileage than the 5L while towing or driving solo, but the $6,000 - $8,000 additional cost will never be recouped by driving even 15,000 miles a year.

I would keep the F-150, and not upgrade unless you are going to tow more than 10,000 pounds, or the GVWR of the loaded F-150 is being exceeded. You might have a light duty or heavy duty F-150. Post the GVWR on your drivers door, and we will be able to tell you if you have the heavy duty version or not.

If you change, just to increase the payload, think about a F-350. It has a 4,000 pound payload (+- 300 pounds) while the F-250 is close to 3,000 pounds, and the F-150 with heavy duty package and ecoboost engine has closer to 3,300 pound cargo rating, mainly due to the lighter engine, transmission, frame, and overall a bit smaller than the F-250.

Fred.

[old_guy]

well my two cents worth, I used to have a 150 and I ways always trying to get it to pull my 24 ft better. put all kinds of stuff on it. one guy told me I should have bought a 250 instead. I did and he was right, this is one time I'm glad he was right. pulls better and handles great, gas mileage about the same.

[TomG2]

Curious as to what the payload is on your F-150? (It's on the yellow door sticker) The F-250 will be a better tow vehicle, but at some cost in fuel, ride, etc.

[spoon059]

#1 The F-150 is fine to tow that trailer, its well within the 150's payload and towing capabilities. Their is a big difference between a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton... However, unless you need the additional payload that a 3/4 ton offers the 1/2 ton should be fine.
#2 Without knowing what engine is in the 250 its impossible to compare gas mileage. A diesel will get better mileage, a similar gas engine will get worse.
#3 You are probably going to take a HUGE financial hit trading in a brand new truck.

If you have specific questions I would suggest one you either search through the forums and find the answer yourself (I guarentee you that you will find more information than you could ever possibly need if you simply looked through existing posts) or ask specific questions for which you need specific answers. Your post doesn't make sense or ask a specific question, nor does it provide sufficient information to answer any questions.

Best of luck.

[EcoBullet]

Since you already know what your 5L gets, there's a thread on the 6.2L F250 a couple of pages deep in this forum.

[downtheroad]

What engine is in the F250 ?

Your present truck should handle that trailer with ease..Gosh, it's brand new.