Yet another thread about tow capabilities

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quadna71 said:
Anyways, from a physical size comparison, the F-250 is about 1000# heavier so it has that going for it.  But the F-150 is surprisingly longer both in wheelbase as well as overall length.  Plus horsepower and torque are better on the F-150.  So I think the biggest factors to look at between them is weight, payload, power, and tow capacity.  The first two are a win for the F-250 and the last 2 are a win for the F-150.  It's just a tough call and the dealer is not going to let us try towing with it to see how it handles.  Well, I'm guessing they wouldn't - I haven't actually asked.  .
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I think a lot of what you're seeing may be just that trucks have been getting bigger over the years.  I know that's true in the mid-size segment where my Colorado is seemingly larger than a lot of older full size trucks I encounter.

But as to these stats I'd be very reluctant to give up a thousand pound weight and payload advantage (both heavier) of the tow vehicle.  I'd be particularly worried about payload and more worried about pushing the payload number than pushing max tow.

Have you considered just changing out the front/rear differential gears to get a better gear ratio for towing?  I see this is a 20 year old truck, but if it's in otherwise good condition I'd consider that.
 
Goodspike said:
Have you considered just changing out the front/rear differential gears to get a better gear ratio for towing?  I see this is a 20 year old truck, but if it's in otherwise good condition I'd consider that.
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Unfortunately the 20 year old truck has more rust than good metal when viewed from underneath.  Living a life in PA for quite a while did that.  So we are only looking at a replacement and not sinking any more money into it. 

At this point we have waffled back/forth on every configuration of truck in a 100-mile radius (well, not to the east...it?s just ocean that way!).  So tomorrow morning we have an appointment at our local dealer to look into ordering a new truck spec?d out just like we want.  Gasser, 3/4 ton, crew cab, long bed, 4.3:1 gears, and camper special for me.  Heated seats and red for her.  This will leave us at 14,800# tow limit and plenty of spare payload cap to work with.  Hope this process isn?t opening up another can of worms!!!
 
I live near Boston. I bought my truck in Georgia. I used Autotrader and set my location to Tennessee with a 500 mile search.

Why? I wanted a truck that had not spent winters on the salt roads of the northeast.

I had no problem taking a couple of days to drive down then a couple of days back when I am spending as much as a good truck costs. Heck, we made a mini vacation out of it.

Don?t limit your search to only close to home. You may get another rust bucket.
 
Lynx0849 said:
I live near Boston. I bought my truck in Georgia. I used Autotrader and set my location to Tennessee with a 500 mile search.

Why? I wanted a truck that had not spent winters on the salt roads of the northeast.

I had no problem taking a couple of days to drive down then a couple of days back when I am spending as much as a good truck costs. Heck, we made a mini vacation out of it.

Don?t limit your search to only close to home. You may get another rust bucket.
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I agree about the rust comment, but we have only been looking at new trucks so that is why we were fine with a local window of 100 miles. 
 
We finally pulled the trigger on a new truck.  Never did find what we liked so we ordered one through our local dealer and it should get here in 10-12 weeks.  All the options we wanted and none of the options we didn?t want.  Whew...so happy to be done with that ordeal.  Now the wait starts!!!

Lastly, thank you to everyone that weighed in through this whole conversation.  Lots of the comments helped me understand more about GVWR vs GCWR and also led us past the 1/2 ton and into a 3/4 ton.  Now if only those folks could help with the larger payment!  Ha - just kidding.  I appreciate you all!!!
 
2021 F-250 XLT, crew cab, 8? bed, 7.3L (gas) w/10 speed transmission, 4.30 gears, 48 gallon gas tank, tailgate step, heated seats, and red in color.  I think the truck is almost as long as our camper - which is perfect for towing our little camper anywhere we can think of. 
 
I’ve been putting miles on it to prepare for towing (manual says 1000 miles of varied driving before hooking up) and turns out it’s not that bad to park. I was pretty comfortable with our last truck and this one is only a couple feet longer plus it has a backup camera!
 
Tow capacities are based on a flatbed trailer full of railroad ties or the like. Frontal area and that big giant sign board of a side the trailer has makes a huge difference. It then becomes the tail wagging the dog, and a heavier truck with bigger, heavier tires will be more stable.

Forum software is a little strange to me yet. I see you did get the big red one. you will be very happy with it.

Charles
 
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