Tow vehicle decision - two trucks - need help

[40oz]

Sorry for the delay, but here are the pics

[40oz]

Update: Things didnt work out so well with the 5.4L and now on the hunt for a new truck. Anyone towing with Ecobeast? What about the 5.0? GM owners....5.3 or 6.2?

[malibu2004]

So what happened with the 5.4?

[Falko]

The 5.3 would not be high on my list for a towing engine. I can't say I'd place a lot of faith in a 5.0 either, but have never driven one so place no weight on that statement.

I don't know what happened to your 5.4 but the one we had wasn't too bad. If you expected it to tow like nothing was there, it would disappoint. I got rid of mine due to the amount of strange noises it made, and the box it came in (Expedition) was falling apart around it. If you can swing something with the 6.2, yeah, go with that.

[Tims]

I have an F150 with the 6.2 and it tows great!! Nice simple engine with lots of power. I average 14.7mpg which includes around town driving and towing. You set the cruse at 65 and it will get 18mpg. The ecoboost and the chevy 6.2 are great engines for towing as well.

Good luck.

[oldjeep]

Update: Things didnt work out so well with the 5.4L and now on the hunt for a new truck. Anyone towing with Ecobeast? What about the 5.0? GM owners....5.3 or 6.2?

Hemi </thread>

(But only if an 09 and up Ram 1500 is in your budget)

Edited June 19, 2014 by oldjeep

[wakebrdr94]

No chance for a diesel? Duramax is awesome! Just saying

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[oldjeep]

No chance for a diesel? Duramax is awesome! Just saying

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Diesels are sweet but overkill/overpriced for occasionally towing under 6K lbs.

[Nitrousbird]

Update: Things didnt work out so well with the 5.4L and now on the hunt for a new truck. Anyone towing with Ecobeast? What about the 5.0? GM owners....5.3 or 6.2?

What happened with it? And if you are getting another truck, I'm surprised you are considering another Ford. Are you looking used or new?

The 5.3 would not be high on my list for a towing engine.

Depends. If 2014+, then it should be high on your list. If 2013 or older, it shouldn't be all that high, but will still perform well enough if equipped with a steep enough rear gear (read: 4.10). Otherwise, the 6.2L would be the way to go.

[40oz]

Looking at used trucks.

The 5.4 came with issues. It began to feel like every time i broke out $300 to fix a problem, there was something else that needed attention. The final straw was the oil leak (that it didnt have-or I didnt see- when I bought it) was getting worse. Also the best mpg i got with it was 13.5. That was driving interstate from Mobile to Destin and back.

I am open to anything, budget is 20k or less. Would like low mile older truck or high mile 1 owner newer truck. I like the reviews on the 5.0 ford so looking there, but would go with a 6.2 chevy.

Also, a few 5.7 Tundras have poped up in my area. I dont tow long distance too much, but want to be able to when needed. I would be happy with 16mpg average not towing.

Edited June 19, 2014 by 40oz

[mrnate450r]

My ecoboost pulls like a dream. I can pull my 2014 23 LSV down interstate at 75 mph in 6th gear without a problem. I don't even have the max tow package.

[40oz]

My ecoboost pulls like a dream. I can pull my 2014 23 LSV down interstate at 75 mph in 6th gear without a problem. I don't even have the max tow package.

Dont you miss the sound of the V8??

[oldjeep]

Looking at used trucks.

The 5.4 came with issues. It began to feel like every time i broke out $300 to fix a problem, there was something else that needed attention. The final straw was the oil leak (that it didnt have-or I didnt see- when I bought it) was getting worse. Also the best mpg i got with it was 13.5. That was driving interstate from Mobile to Destin and back.

I am open to anything, budget is 20k or less. Would like low mile older truck or high mile 1 owner newer truck. I like the reviews on the 5.0 ford so looking there, but would go with a 6.2 chevy.

Also, a few 5.7 Tundras have poped up in my area. I dont tow long distance too much, but want to be able to when needed. I would be happy with 16mpg average not towing.

What cab configuration do you need?

20K will get you close to an 09+ Hemi Ram, Quad cab for sure and maybe a crew. Nothing beats them except maybe an ecoboost - and not in every situation.

[mrnate450r]

Dont you miss the sound of the V8??

No, it's replaced by the whistle of the turbos spooling up!!

[40oz]

What cab configuration do you need?

20K will get you close to an 09+ Hemi Ram, Quad cab for sure and maybe a crew. Nothing beats them except maybe an ecoboost - and not in every situation.

For whatever reason, in my area, the Dodge is way cheaper than the Ford and GM. What king of mpg do you see from your 09+ Hemi?

[oldjeep]

For whatever reason, in my area, the Dodge is way cheaper than the Ford and GM. What king of mpg do you see from your 09+ Hemi?

Mine is a 2wd crew cab Hemi SLT with 3.21 gears (worst gears you could get for towing capacity, but good on mileage)

Unloaded mixed driving - 15MPG

Pure Highway - 18-20MPG (if you keep it around 70)

Pure around town - 12MPG

Towing 4-5K on the highway 13MPG or so (8 if you run at 80 - only did that on the way down to Lake of the Ozarks one year)

The beauty of the thing is the transmission, the 09 and up have a really nice one - 5 or 6 speed depending on what you consider a gear

103K miles on it so far and the only things that I have had to do to it.

Brake pads at around 50K - needs rotors and pads now

Shocks replaced a few weeks ago

Trans lines replaced - one rotted out for some reason about 6 months ago, but I live in MN so stuff rusts

Plugs - replaced a couple times, all 16 of them

Other than that just oil changes, diff fluid, tranny fluid changed twice, and I think I had the coolant changed out

Edited June 19, 2014 by oldjeep

[40oz]

16 plugs???

[mrnate450r]

16 plugs???

The new hemi has two plugs per cylinder.

[oldjeep]

16 plugs???

Yup, and a couple of them are a real pain to replace.

[That Guy]

I love our 5.0 Ford for towing and that is coming from a 5.3 and a 6.0 in two GM's. Not sure they sub $20k price yet but worth a shot. Crew cab has tons of room as well.

[Pnwrider]

I don't think you'll be able to find an ecoboost below 20k. May as well just up your budget to get what you're happy with it. I tried to find a cheap (relative terms) tow vehicle and I ended up losing a lot of money trading it in on what I really wanted a year later.

[shawndoggy]

This is going to be my epitaph.

I tried to find a cheap ______________________ and I ended up losing a lot of money trading it in on what I really wanted a year later.

[jwl019]

Looking at used trucks.

I am open to anything, budget is 20k or less. Would like low mile older truck or high mile 1 owner newer truck. I like the reviews on the 5.0 ford so looking there, but would go with a 6.2 chevy.

Also, a few 5.7 Tundras have poped up in my area. I dont tow long distance too much, but want to be able to when needed. I would be happy with 16mpg average not towing.

Just picked up a 2010 Toyota Tundra TSS crewmax 5.7 4wd for $22k with 87,000 miles and I do like the power vs my old 06 Tundra with 4.7. I am averaging around 14-15 mpg with mix of towing the boat and daily commute to work. First time towing the boat I almost forgot it was back there coming from that smaller one I had!

[40oz]

I love our 5.0 Ford for towing and that is coming from a 5.3 and a 6.0 in two GM's. Not sure they sub $20k price yet but worth a shot. Crew cab has tons of room as well.

What did you think about the 5.3 compared to the 6.0?

Does the new 5.0 do better than both?

[OhTwoBu]

I have the 5.0 and it's an awesome pulling engine, and the transmission is even better. With the tow/haul engaged it always seems to know where it needs to be to keep in the powerband and downshift on the downhills. I have an old 7.3 diesel in an F-350 and I can say the 5.0 pulls better than that truck. Plus, the market is always flooded with F-150s and most with the 5.0. I was looking at buying two year-old lease turn ins but they were still bringing top dolllar, I ended up with a smoking deal leasing a '13 STX in February this year that needed to go. I like the STX since it has all the options I need and none that I don't, but still has the 5.0 and tow package.