TV upgrade / experienced opinions please...

[Bayoubass]

I'm looking for opinions, want to upgrade TV in a a few months when I retire so if I want to go back to the Rockies I won't have issues with towing . My present TV is a 2003, Ford Lariat 4.6l ,3.55, tow package, WD hitch/ sway bar,67,000 on the clock and I love the truck except towing my keystone 19' hideout ( 4100 lbs. dry) is an issue somewhat. Have made 3 short trips ( less than 200 miles round trip, on flat land) and planning a longer trip down the gulf side of Florida as I speak. But I want to go back to Yellowstone , Montana , Utah , Colorado where my heart is since the 70's! Don't think the 150 will make it easy and I don't want the stress at my age. So, without overkill, what TV would u suggest? After researching this, and my situation- maybe 7-10 trips a year when retired, truck will be my everyday vehicle , think diesel is overkill since my camper is small and will not get a bigger camper .Eco boost seems like the logical way to go but I want to hear from experienced campers to see what u think. I like Ford but know that the market is competive . Thanks for your input ..... Kenny

[Need-A-Vacation]

Congrats on the new beast!!!

[Bayoubass]

Haha....amazing what one zero can do...... yes, it was $12,000

[APT]

Get something with turbochargers. Pick your poison, gas, diesel.

[mowin]

Congrats on the new truck. Doesn't matter it it was $1200 or $12k off sticker. If your happy, that's all that matters. Enjoy the retirement and happy towing....

[riven1950]

I hope that was 12000.00 off the sticker!!

[Bayoubass]

I just up-graded, bought a new Ford XLT 2014 just after Christmas. Love it so far but have not towed the camper with it as of yet. Got the 5.0L with tow package, 3.55 locking , screw, 303A package. I was looking to buy used but the end of the year incentives vs. a ford certified truck didn't make sense so I got a brand new one in the color I wanted, and leather..... dealer took $12000 off sticker, sold!!!!

[jerem0621]

Bayoubass wrote:


Jerem0621- hearing the engine turn up those rpm's scares me some- should it? By the way, what kind of grades will I face in the Rockies , mainly Passes, 7-9%?

The RPM's should not scare you at all and you should get use to them after a while. Soon that will be the sound of your motor working.

The modular V8 will sing at 4500-5000 RPM's all day long. V10 and 5.4 trucks do the exact same thing. The truck was designed for this. It's just different because unloaded the RPM's do not have to be sustained for that long.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[riven1950]

I had a 2004 4.6l F150 3.73 4 spd 4x4 that I traded in for an ecoboost. TT is about 4000lbs loaded.

The 04 did ok on two trips to the Keys but not so impressive in the NC mountains. Don't get me wrong it pulled ok and no overheating, but I guess I am one who does not like turning up those high RPMs...felt something was getting ready to break on me. Have not taken the ECo to the mountains yet, but have been back to the Keys and SC foothills. I can tell you it is night and day difference. I hardly think about pulling the TT now. Before i was always anticipating hills / overpasses and worrying about downshifting. Could not use OD except on flat flat roads. Now with the 6 speed and tow haul I just set it and forget it.

Do pay attention to payload on the ECO. Mine is a 4x4 offroad and the skid plates etc are nice but take away from your payload. I my case I am ok as there are two of us and my tongue weight is low. A heavier TT and I would be close to going over, at least on paper. I loved my "old" f150 too but glad I made the switch.

good luck

[Fordlover]

jerem0621 wrote:
Need some more information.

The 4.6 is more than up to the job of towing a 5000 ish lb trailer. What makes you feel like its struggling? Is it the RPM? Speed?

Basically, we need to know what your expectations are when towing so that we can help make a recommendation. Believe it or not the biggest obstical you have when pulling a trailer is punching a hole in the air for the trailer to go through. 19 ft or 34 ft the hole punched in the air is the same.

If RPM's are what make you uncomfortable then you want an Ecoboost or a turbo diesel. It is really that simple.

I had a 97 F150 with a 5.4 V8.... I pulled 7000 lb travel trailer and it was a comfortable relaxing pull every time. The truck revved to make power but I expected that and was fully comfortable.

I upgraded the TV to a V10 Dually... not because the F150 was not capable but because we wanted to haul a golf cart in the bed. The V10 turned the same RPM as the 5.4 over the same highways.

I tell that experience to let you know just upgrading to a bigger motor will not make the RPM go away.

So help us out.. is it the RPM that is scaring you or something else?

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I have a 4.6 V8 mated to a 5 speed auto and 3.73 gears pulling 5K. While I'm happy with my setup, I wouldn't call the 4.6 abundantly powered. The 4.6 with a 4 speed auto and 3.55 gears would be lacking IMHO.

OP, I'd suggest you familiarize yourself with the Ecoboost option list, and decide what you want, and buy or order it. I believe you'll be mighty impressed by the performance, but shocked by the sticker price. Good luck. I'd also seriously consider the Dodge light duty Diesel, but not sure I could justify the price and the unknown long term robustness of Rams enging/tranny in that configuration.

[Tystevens]

Bayoubass wrote:
So, I'm thinking in the mountains out west ( and I have driven out there many times, just not pulling a 'house') the 4.6 is going to really have a tough time or am I wrong? I would hate to head west and have to turn around because of lack of power. Maybe I'm just nervous that I will 'break down' out there. Keep in mind that I love my Larait and would like to keep it, but not sure it has the backbone for mountains. I value your opinions, so fill me in and thanks again.
Jerem0621- hearing the engine turn up those rpm's scares me some- should it? By the way, what kind of grades will I face in the Rockies , mainly Passes, 7-9%?

You wont run out of power and have to turn around. The 4.6 wont win any races, but it will pull you up any hills you will encounter. A friend of ours tows a hybrid (probably 3500 lbs or so) w/ a 4.6 and he goes wherever in Utah he wants. Just not that fast!

That said, you'll find lots of improvements to the F150 line (or its competitors) since 2003. Six spd transmissions are terrific, they have tow/haul modes that help out a lot. Engines have a lot more power and are probably at least as efficient. Better chassis, all of that. So you won't go wrong buying a newer one. But you can probably get by with your '03 as long as it is in good repair and you like driving it!

As far as grades go, it depends on the type of roads. Interstates wont have anything above 6% overall; they may have short stretches that hit 7%, but that is about it. State roads and highways can be a lot steeper -- we have some here in Utah that get up to 10 or 11% according to my Garmin. That grade plus elevation (they are most all above 8000 ft) makes for slow going, but the roads have lots of curves and bends, so you couldn't go fast anyway.

[TexasATM]

If you're not planning on upgrading your trailer, I would stick to a half ton truck; any of the big three will be plenty for that kind of load. Keep in mind that a 2014 model is light years ahead of your 2003; all will have significantly more power, stiffer frames, better suspensions, brakes, etc, etc.

[AlmostAnOldGuy]

Congratulations on looking to retire in a few months and I can't thing of a better destination than Yellowstone and the other beautiful areas in that country (Glacier, Waterton, Banff, Jasper).

I drove a 4.6L for years and went to the above destinations which include some pretty good grades at elevation, but I was only pulling a small pop-up. With that load the truck did fine, however I was not a big fan of how the 4.6L delivered power to the wheels. Yes, it had to make RPMs to make power (which is okay) but on my '99 for some part of the range I actually felt like there were spots where I would increase RPMs and would lose some torque (the torque curve on that '99 4.6 was not really consistent). That just meant leaning into the pedal harder to get past the 'flat spot' in the power curve. While I do not have experience towing a larger trailer with the 4.6L I think it would be working pretty hard.

The routes I traveled in the Rockies were typically not especially steep, but they were long and at higher elevations. One in particular I recall was on the way to Jasper from Banff. That grade is over 8%.

Jasper Web Site

The EcoBoost has a distinct advantage over most gas engines when operating at elevations due to the turbos. The F150 with the Max Tow package should tow your rig well. I have not made it back to the Rockies with mine, but hope to get out there again in a few years. You may wish to send a private message to SkipnChar who has towed into the Rockies with his EcoBoost several times.

Good luck to you,
Stu

[2112]

I had a similar TV and TT, 1997 XLT, 4.6L, 3.55 towing a 5000# Sportsman. I changed the gear to 3.73 and that made a big difference.

With that said, I never towed through the Rockies and doubt it would have done well. I understand your concerns.

If you decide to get into an EB realize they are not all the same. The more bells and whistles it has the less payload you will have. Some are as low as 1200#-1400#. Look for a Max Tow with 1800# payload or better or go up to the HD. The HD is not cheap or easy to find but it is the most capable 1/2 ton on the market.

[Bayoubass]

On flat land , at 60 mph I'm turning right at 2400 rpm's with CC off. When going over a bridge with ,I'm guessing a 3-6% grade , of course I feel the drop in power. So, I'm thinking in the mountains out west ( and I have driven out there many times, just not pulling a 'house') the 4.6 is going to really have a tough time or am I wrong? I would hate to head west and have to turn around because of lack of power. Maybe I'm just nervous that I will 'break down' out there. Keep in mind that I love my Larait and would like to keep it, but not sure it has the backbone for mountains. I value your opinions, so fill me in and thanks again.
Jerem0621- hearing the engine turn up those rpm's scares me some- should it? By the way, what kind of grades will I face in the Rockies , mainly Passes, 7-9%?