150 or 250, that is the question

[jamesrxx951]

Originally Posted by schrederman

My F-150 (5.0) mileage runs about 22 mpg on road trips and goes down to about 10.5 towing. I don't think a 3/4 with the bigger engine will come near that when not towing. Towing it will probably be about the same. YMMV

JW

When I worked for Ford I had 4 door F250 with the 6.2L 4x4. On the highway during the winter it would get 15 -16 MPG. During the summer expect 1-2 more. The 6.7L was a few more MPG better during the winter. Never got a chance to drive them over the summer though.

[Muddypaws]

I towed a small trailer with an F150 for years and thought it was OK.

I dealt with lack of power, instability, overheating, broken transmissions, bad suspension and totally inadequate brakes. And that was with only a 23 foot tag trailer.

My first F250 showed me what I was missing.

Buy a used F250. A diesel would be my first choice for towing anything. I have a 2001 7.3 that gets 18 MPG (calculated by hand) and handled a 12,000# fifth wheel very easily. I got 14 MPG towing. An 8,000# trailer would be no stress at all. A used truck will save you more than buying a marginal tow vehicle IMHO.

[myredracer]

Our old 150 on the left and replacement 250 on the right.

150 = wimpy, weak, barely able to haul groceries. Truck for sissies.

250 = Powerful. LOTS of testerone. (Excellent choice for older males ) A "real" truck. Sucks on gas but so what.

Seriously though, I found the difference to be huge. The 250 has a stronger frame, stronger drivetrain, stiffer suspension and beefier brakes. Amazing difference in towing and way more stable. The V10 is really nice. I never use the 4x4 and wouldn't bother next time. The 4x4 also adds height and makes maneuvering a bit harder. I installed HD Bilsteins which are nice. Gotta have a long box otherwise it's not a truck! Supercab a big plus.

The 150 with V6 got as low as 5.7 mpg towing because it was running too hard all the time. The V10 does around 8-9 typically and around 11 if relatively flat and steady speed. Not good for short trips into town and running errrands.

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by schrederman

My F-150 (5.0) mileage runs about 22 mpg on road trips and goes down to about 10.5 towing. I don't think a 3/4 with the bigger engine will come near that when not towing. Towing it will probably be about the same. YMMV

JW

Sort of what I was guessing JW. Our '98 150 4.6 is rated for 19 mpg on the highway, at steady 65 mph on flat freeway cruising it would get about 21 when it was 'younger'. These days with near 200,000 on the clock it's down to about 15-16 under similar conditions. And right at 13 +/- in every day use. So a 250 probably wouldn't be all that different for occasional second vehicle use.

Good to hear some figures from the real world!

Thanks muchly!

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by jamesrxx951

When I worked for Ford I had 4 door F250 with the 6.2L 4x4. On the highway during the winter it would get 15 -16 MPG. During the summer expect 1-2 more. The 6.7L was a few more MPG better during the winter. Never got a chance to drive them over the summer though.

Thanks! I'd suppose a 4x2 6.2 SuperCrew 'might' do a little better on the highway, but 15-16 with 4wheel isn't bad at all. Guess I need to do some estimates on fuel cost for a ten year duty cycle...just for grins! But I'm still not buying a diesel truck! LOL

Cheers!

[CampDaven]

You will not buy used.
$8000 more to get new 250.
That is less than off-the-lot depreciation.

You asked a question.
Most answered "250" with good reasons. Why not make the next chunk of your life a bit easier and more comfortable?

Seems you were pre-decided on 150. Your posts have not wavered from that. I'm guessing this thead was to try to justify.

Best of luck!

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by myredracer

Our old 150 on the left and replacement 250 on the right.

150 = wimpy, weak, barely able to haul groceries. Truck for sissies.

250 = Powerful. LOTS of testerone. (Excellent choice for older males ) A "real" truck. Sucks on gas but so what.

Seriously though, I found the difference to be huge. The 250 has a stronger frame, stronger drivetrain, stiffer suspension and beefier brakes. Amazing difference in towing and way more stable. The V10 is really nice. I never use the 4x4 and wouldn't bother next time. The 4x4 also adds height and makes maneuvering a bit harder. I installed HD Bilsteins which are nice. Gotta have a long box otherwise it's not a truck! Supercab a big plus.

Our '98-200K F-150 is definitely wimpy, especially with the 4.6 motor!

But I don't need more testosterone, I use a supplement!

Have no need nor desire for a 4x4, for a variety of reasons, and definitely looking for a Supercrew. And a long bed won't fit in our newly planned garage! Poor planning on my part!

Thanks for the comments!

[jamesrxx951]

Originally Posted by SeabeckS

Thanks! I'd suppose a 4x2 6.2 SuperCrew 'might' do a little better on the highway, but 15-16 with 4wheel isn't bad at all. Guess I need to do some estimates on fuel cost for a ten year duty cycle...just for grins! But I'm still not buying a diesel truck! LOL

Cheers!

This was straight highway driving though. Cruise set at 70 MPH. Throw in city in that and it will drop pretty good. I never towed anything with that engine but when I went back to the dealer a few customers had the 6.2. They said it did pretty good towing but it is hard to judge what they think pretty good is.

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

You will not buy used.
$8000 more to get new 250.
That is less than off-the-lot depreciation.

You asked a question.
Most answered "250" with good reasons. Why not make the next chunk of your life a bit easier and more comfortable?

Seems you were pre-decided on 150. Your posts have not wavered from that. I'm guessing this thead was to try to justify.

Best of luck!

Thanks for your good wishes!

I WAS focused tightly on a half ton initially, but as I continued research it became apparent that the initial cost difference between a 150 versus 250 wasn't that steep after options added to make the 150 more capable. It may in fact just come down to what is the best value when we are actually in a place to make the purchase.

And..."why not make the next chunk of your life a bit easier and more comfortable"? I've survived 9 heart surgeries, and haven't been able to make one red cent in 14 years. So I approach big money decisions carefully. I'd like very much to make our life easier, but every single buck counts and needs to be appropriated to it's best use. And the 8 grand...that's the difference between a gas 250 and a diesel 250. A direct response to earlier posts about buying a diesel truck. Difference between an optioned up 150 and a more or less base model gas 250 is more in the range of 2 grand. Yeah, I'm cheap

Sorry if you feel I was justifying a pre-made decision. That wasn't my intent...

Cordially, B

[jamesrxx951]

one thing I found towing smaller trailers with smaller SUV's is weight does not affect the highway towing as much as wind resistance. My 2K LB jet ski trailer with 2 ski's tows a lot easier with better highway mileage than my 1100LB 6X12 utility trailer. Acceleration is fine, handling is find, but you can feel the wind drag. Im sure this can be associated with different style travel trailers with different front designs.

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by jamesrxx951

This was straight highway driving though. Cruise set at 70 MPH. Throw in city in that and it will drop pretty good. I never towed anything with that engine but when I went back to the dealer a few customers had the 6.2. They said it did pretty good towing but it is hard to judge what they think pretty good is.

Yeah, I don't try to compare apples to oranges, lol. . Figured your highway mpg figures were Freeway cruise control numbers. We live in a rural area, so our mpg figures tend to be in the middle of the "bonafide" EPA guesstimates. I've found it possible to beat the rated numbers most of the time by judicious use of the throttle/brakes/cruise control. I gave up drag racing about 45 years ago.

But hey, pretty good, is pretty good.

Take care! And thanks again! BJ

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by jamesrxx951

on thing I found towing smaller trailers with smaller SUV's is weight does not affect the highway towing as much as wind resistance. My 2K LB jet ski trailer with 2 ski's tows a lot easier with better highway mileage than my 1100LB 6X12 utility trailer. Acceleration is fine, handling is find, but you can feel the wind drag. Im sure this can be associated with different style travel trailers with different front designs.

The wind drag has been on my mind. I see these TALL fifth wheels going down the highway and wonder what kind of mileage they (don't) get! A moot point for us, as we an only afford a light weight TT any who!

Still much better than an 8' x 12' tent and couple of cots!!!

BJ

[caissiel]

Originally Posted by SeabeckS

The wind drag has been on my mind. I see these TALL fifth wheels going down the highway and wonder what kind of mileage they (don't) get! A moot point for us, as we an only afford a light weight TT any who!

Still much better than an 8' x 12' tent and couple of cots!!!

BJ

My 15000 lbs 5th wheel is much easier on fuel then any TT you will tow with any Ford trucks. 5th wheels have very little wind drag compared to TTs.
Do not base your cost on purchase price. My first used diesel paid for the used 5TH wheel with fuel saving alone.
And in 22 years and 4 trucks the present 2005 F250 diesel has been the cheapest to own. My last 2 diesels have lasted over 9 years with little repairsp
My 1st truck was a Ranger 6 cylinders and harder on fuel to tow a 5600lbs trailers then this 15000lbs present setup.
A good used 5Th wheel will give twice the service any new present TT ever will because they are build for travel.
We live on a budget and no way I can afford a new truck specialy a gas one.
We live in our unit and the truck has to last an other 5 years. No problem my neighbors truck is a 2000 F350 diesel and still looks and runs like new. He rejected an offer of $16000 last summer.

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by caissiel

My 15000 lbs 5th wheel is much easier on fuel then any TT you will tow with any Ford trucks. 5th wheels have very little wind drag compared to TTs.
Do not base your cost on purchase price. My first used diesel paid for the used 5TH wheel with fuel saving alone.
And in 22 years and 4 trucks the present 2005 F250 diesel has been the cheapest to own. My last 2 diesels have lasted over 9 years with little repairsp
My 1st truck was a Ranger 6 cylinders and harder on fuel to tow a 5600lbs trailers then this 15000lbs present setup.
A good used 5Th wheel will give twice the service any new present TT ever will because they are build for travel.

Perhaps if you'd read the entire thread you might have noted that we don't intend to haul far, nor often. And that I will not consider buying a used truck. I cannot disagree at all with the points you make, but your circumstances are vastly different than mine. We don't need nor want a 5er, nice rigs, but not for us.

But, thanks for taking the time to type a response...

Cheers!