I'm in no hurry, but looking at used (2016 and up) F150's, looking at eng. size and wondering what would be best a 3.5 Ecoboost or a 5.0 L V8 . to pull a 7000lb trailer (TT) I think I"m leaning towards the V8, to pull over hills in Maine. Thanks Rob

Probably would depend on how often you tow. I've heard the Ecoboost is not great for constant use towing heavy. A friend has one and does great with a similar weight trailer so I think it's fine power wise. The F150s are super nice trucks.

Look at more than engine size. It takes a complete package to be able to tow 7000lbs. A 3.5 Eco with a 3.15 gear will struggle, as will as 5.0 with a 3.15 gear. IF you go for the 3.5 EcoBoost. Get at least a 3.5 nothing higher. If you go for the 5.0 get the 3.73. Either will tow fine. Higher gears will kill your fun. just because they all look pretty much alike. Does not mean they all perform the same.

Not sure why you asked this question in the motorhome forum but my opinion is to get the truck with the motor with the highest torque rating, which is what gets you over mountains.

If you are going 1/2ton, I assume this is fairly light duty (ie: you are towing 3k miles per year not 30k miles per year). If you are doing a lot of towing, I would look to bump up to 3/4 or 1 ton and then the ecoboost is off the table as an option.So assuming 1/2 ton, I would go with the ecoboost. Don't expect great MPG when towing...it takes fuel to generate power. But the big reason is performance in the mountains should be better. When you are at 5000ft, you can expect around a 15-20% loss in power due to thin air from the V8... but the turbo in the ecoboost will mean you have lost almost nothing as it force feeds air into the engine to compensate.I wouldn't get too hung up on rear-end ratios...with the newer 10speed transmissions, the truck can select an appropriate gear to convert HP to torque at the wheels. PS: If you do want to look at torque, you need to look at the torque curve not just the peak number. A slightly bigger maximum torque doesn't prove anything if the engine can't get up to the RPM where it generates the max. This is also a plus for the turbo as it allows for better low end torque.On a related note, either engine is probably plenty but make sure the payload (not tow) ratings support 7k lb trailers...you could easily be looking at 1000-1100lb hitch weight plus if you carry stuff in the truck, you could be at 2000lb really quick and the lighter duty 1/2ton could be overloaded even though the tow rating is in limits.

I've towed about 7k a total of about 40k miles with our F150 with EB. The truck will amaze you! Watch your payload, as it will be tight. Comparing the EB to the 5.0 is not just about the total numbers. The EB has a smoother torque curve with stronger numbers down low. 99% of our towing I was less than 3000 rpm. 90% of it less than 2500rpm. Quiet, calm and powerful. I no longer tow with ours, but keeping it anyway, as it is the swiss army knife of vehicles. :)

starting to look at trucks | Good Sam Community

KC10Chief
Explorer
May 31, 2019
I have a 2018 F-150 Lariat with the 3.5 EcoBoost, 10 speed transmission, and 3.55 gears. My trailer is almost 35' from tongue to bumper and over 8,000 pounds fully loaded. Power is not a problem at all. I feel like the truck could pull a lot more weight, easily. However, I feel like I'm maxed out on suspension. I have spent a lot of money to get the truck to handle the weight. E-rated tires ($1,200), Bilstein shocks ($300), Hellwig rear sway bar ($400), and the big one, a ProPride 3P-1400 hitch ($3,000). The truck tows great now. No problems. Gas mileage is about 8 mpg at 65 mph. If I had it to do over again, I'd be getting a 3/4 ton diesel. This setup works great for me now though and the F-150 is an awesome vehicle. I absolutely love it. I do plenty of non-towing driving and the 3.5L has gobs of power. It's like a sports car! No way in hell I'd buy the 5.0. I plan on keeping the truck for a few more years until we go full time. Then I'm getting a one ton dually.
godoz
Explorer
May 29, 2019
MR MAC wrote:
I'm in no hurry, but looking at used (2016 and up) F150's, looking at eng. size and wondering what would be best a 3.5 Ecoboost or a 5.0 L V8 . to pull a 7000lb trailer (TT) I think I"m leaning towards the V8, to pull over hills in Maine.

Thanks Rob

Worth some thought... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkYS6mpwiSM
hvac
Explorer
May 22, 2019
It is a common theme that is getting long in the tooth. Modern half ton trucks properly ordered, set up, and even field modified to xl or LT tires can out perform 3/4 platforms of recent vintage. I find it comical the bigger is best crowd just won't give up.
Grit_dog
Navigator
May 21, 2019
Whoa nelly!!
Took 6 pages to get there, but we've gone from the OP's F150 and 5.0 vs Ecoboost to a 1 ton!
Yay!
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
May 21, 2019
The F250 with the diesel has almost no payload, less than my 1500. You can argue that it's artificially limited by the GVWR number, but if you want to stay within the letter of the law then go F350 SRW if you want to go diesel.

FYI.....GVWR or gvwr based payloads does not determine how much load a truck can carry legally or safely. There is no laws regarding vehicle mfg payloads or its gvwr as a legal load limit.

This is where any 3/4 ton with the bigger 6000-6500 RAWR can easily,safely/legally carry 3000-3500 lbs in the bed.
afidel
Explorer II
May 20, 2019
OleManOleCan wrote:
bartlettj wrote:
I think 8k pounds for a F150 is a bit heavy as you are going to be light on truck payload if you plan to take passengers in the cab. There's not much of a price premium on used 3/4 ton trucks unless you go diesel.

I've towed with the 3/4 ton F-250 6.4 Turbo Diesel. It was a beast. I loved it.
I've towed with the 6 cyl. 3.5 Ecoboost. Also a beast if it's geared to tow.

The 3/4 ton 6.4 Ford Diesel is my all time favorite.
Towing 8500 lbs, I had to check my rear view Elephant Ear Mirrors to see if my trailer was still behind me.

My EB is good. but it's not a big Turbo Diesel... I still like to drive the EB.

The F250 with the diesel has almost no payload, less than my 1500. You can argue that it's artificially limited by the GVWR number, but if you want to stay within the letter of the law then go F350 SRW if you want to go diesel.

As far as gear ratios, there's a whopping 1400 pounds in tow rating between a 2016 EB 3.15 geared truck and 3.73 geared truck, available payload has WAY more effect on your ability to tow a TT than that, the 10 speed made the rear end a non-issue unless you like to drag race your truck with the trailer attached.
trailer_newbe
Explorer III
May 11, 2019
My work truck is a 3.5 EB 2014. 67K miles and no problems, believe me I’m not easy on it. My tow vehicle is a 2018 RAM Cummins and it is awesome.
tragusa3
Explorer
May 10, 2019
"a lot of problems in the early years" is a bit of an overstatement. The reported problems were a very small percentage of units. If you look at the overall 8-9 year run, it has proven to be one of the most solid engines ever produced. Glad I can say that, at the time, I felt I was taking a gamble with my 2013.
patperry2766
Explorer II
May 10, 2019
Having just traded in a 2013 F150 5.0 with a bad engine for a new 2018 Ram 2500 with a Cummins, I can tell you that there is a world of difference. The remaining 2018's have 11K plus off sticker if that helps.

Now my 2 cents, have a high wall pop-up, close to 4K lbs. By the time we were packed and loaded up for a trip with 4 people and a loaded truck bed, it would do fairly well on flat ground, but once we started getting into the mountains, then I could tell a difference, sometimes more than others. There were a few mountain passes in Colorado where it would take dropping into 3rd and 4K+ RPM's to make it. As a daily driver, it was a good truck. 16ish in DFW traffic and 19-20 on the highway. I know the progressive years brought more HP & torque to the 5.0's and hopefully some better design/problem corrections.

If I wouldn't have lost all faith in Ford's engine design and looking to trade, I'd more than likely go with the 3.5 EB. I know there was a lot of problems in the early years 2011-2014 with water intake from the CAC and intercooler, but haven't heard anyone comment on that problem in years so I guess they got the problem fixed.
GrandpaKip
Explorer II
May 06, 2019
Grit dog wrote:
GrandpaKip wrote:
Slowmover wrote:
Today’s trucks are also far heavier. On better tires, but not much increase in ultimate traction (contact patch). Given they are also TALLER, they’re not more stable than a mid-90s pickup.

The change to the good is 4-whl disc. And some stability/braking programming.

Trailer brakes are what matter.

The less weight per wheel for a given swept area and contact patch is what wins brand discussions. And allied to a low COG.

A pickup is a handicapped vehicle.

Still can’t figure out your point.

The point is, he ran out of kids to yell "get off my lawn" at. So now he's taking it out on pickup trucks!

But I'm not sure wth a person is supposed to pull trailers with. My car has about 500hp. According to slow mover it would be a better option....my truck keeps tipping over on its side when I drive it! Lol

Guess I could try my wife’s Subaru. Low COG, 4 wheel disc brakes, very stable. And I wouldn’t have to worry about the Silverado flipping over all the time.