2002 F150 for towing

[Soundguy]

I am considering Purchasing a 2002 F150 XLT with automatic transmission and 5.4 liter engine with 3.55 rear end. This is a one owner truck with 38,000 original miler already equipped with trailer hitch and brake controller According to owners manual this combo should b good for 8300 lbs trailer weight. My trailer and tractor weigh approx. 6500 so I should be ok there. Has anyone here on TBN towed with this truck combo before?

I tow with a 98 dodge 1500 with electric brake controller and 5.9l gasser.. works good.. also tow with a gmc yukon 1500, 5.3 gasser, electric brakes..e tc.. both of these vehicles should be right near your intended vehicle. for towing 7K or less I've never had a problem.. except feeding hungry gassers..

soundguy

 

[75H2]

I'm the guy who researches things to death before I spend a dime. I'm learning much. 2 questions. When did the Ford V-8's go to a 3 valve head? Also, someone mentioned getting stuck alot in 250 & 350's. Am I correct to assume they are attributing this to being nose heavy because of the diesel?

What is a good later model GM V-8 p/u for moderate towing duties? (other than the 6.0)

2 issues with the F-150 you had. First the 3.55 gears. Second, the 4.6L engine. They only made 231 HP and 293 FT TQ. These were 2 valve engines. The new 3 valve 4.6L makes a much better 292 HP and 320 FT TQ. A far cry from the 320 HP and 390 FT TQ the 5.4L makes.

Chris

 

[Duffster]

I'm the guy who researches things to death before I spend a dime. I'm learning much. 2 questions. When did the Ford V-8's go to a 3 valve head? Also, someone mentioned getting stuck alot in 250 & 350's. Am I correct to assume they are attributing this to being nose heavy because of the diesel?

What is a good later model GM V-8 p/u for moderate towing duties? (other than the 6.0)

The Duramax.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I'm the guy who researches things to death before I spend a dime. I'm learning much. 2 questions. When did the Ford V-8's go to a 3 valve head? Also, someone mentioned getting stuck alot in 250 & 350's. Am I correct to assume they are attributing this to being nose heavy because of the diesel?

What is a good later model GM V-8 p/u for moderate towing duties? (other than the 6.0)

The issue with the Ford Superduty line is it has a solid front axle. This is the only way to go for jobs like heavy towing and hanging a snow plow off the front. The down side is it does not do as good in mud and snow but is rock solid strong. Also as you mentioned its heavy.

Trucks like GM's, Toyota Tundra's, F-150's, Nissan Titan's, ect have independent front suspension and is much better in snow and mud but not as bullet proof and not as good of a setup for heavy towing or snow plows.

The 8.1 gasser and the Dmax are the only way to go in the GM trucks. Unfortunately the stopped making the 8.1. Ford has the 6.8 V-10 which is a good motor but a gas hog also along with the Powerstroke. In the Dodges they put the Hemi and the Cummins. Cummins is great but the Hemi is not a truck engine and not a good choice for truck work. Its a good race engine.

Chris

 

[jcmseven]

The load our OP is intending to tow is well within the range of the truck he is considering. As most of us know, I have been a Ford man all my driving life, but recently bought a 2500 GMC. I have, like Chris, had some experience with the 150s of the vintage discussed. They tow fine and can handle a 6500 pound load without difficulty. The Ford 5.4L engine is simply not a very good towing powerplant. Unloaded it does well, but towing it lacks the power to pull a pretty heavy 1/2 ton truck and the load without dipping deeply into its reserves and using a lot of fuel. The reality here is that most of us, and perhaps our OP too do not tow that much of our actual driving time. I own a diesel and feel like I tow a lot, but really it is probably no more than 10% of my actual on road time. If our OP is also of this type percentage--or less--he will be fine with this truck. It is not the best out there but is a solid and safe towing machine.

With regard to 2500 level trucks and their offroading prowess, I have found my GMC to be the best truck I have owned in this regard. Generally the heavy suspension and less articulation and the added chassis weight make the 2500 level trucks less good off road than a 1500. Obviously, the best towing vehicle would be anything with a diesel but for our OP it seems a 150 such as his example would fit his needs pretty well, unless he literally was towing all the time. It will struggle on the hills, get pretty poor mileage when towing, but like most Fords will be safe and stable from the chassis perspective. I agree with Chris the Hemi, though powerful for a gas engine, does not tow very well because its powerband and tranny gearing is not well matched to towing duties, unless someone tows at 4000 rpm all day. Those I know that like it for towing either don't really tow much or aren't realy towing much weight.

John M

 

[Diamondpilot]

The load our OP is intending to tow is well within the range of the truck he is considering. As most of us know, I have been a Ford man all my driving life, but recently bought a 2500 GMC. I have, like Chris, had some experience with the 150s of the vintage discussed. They tow fine and can handle a 6500 pound load without difficulty. The Ford 5.4L engine is simply not a very good towing powerplant. Unloaded it does well, but towing it lacks the power to pull a pretty heavy 1/2 ton truck and the load without dipping deeply into its reserves and using a lot of fuel. The reality here is that most of us, and perhaps our OP too do not tow that much of our actual driving time. I own a diesel and feel like I tow a lot, but really it is probably no more than 10% of my actual on road time. If our OP is also of this type percentage--or less--he will be fine with this truck. It is not the best out there but is a solid and safe towing machine.

With regard to 2500 level trucks and their offroading prowess, I have found my GMC to be the best truck I have owned in this regard. Generally the heavy suspension and less articulation and the added chassis weight make the 2500 level trucks less good off road than a 1500. Obviously, the best towing vehicle would be anything with a diesel but for our OP it seems a 150 such as his example would fit his needs pretty well, unless he literally was towing all the time. It will struggle on the hills, get pretty poor mileage when towing, but like most Fords will be safe and stable from the chassis perspective. I agree with Chris the Hemi, though powerful for a gas engine, does not tow very well because its powerband and tranny gearing is not well matched to towing duties, unless someone tows at 4000 rpm all day. Those I know that like it for towing either don't really tow much or aren't realy towing much weight.

John M

Very well said.

The GM 3/4 and 1 tons are kind of in a different class than the Fords and Dodges. As you know they are only about 7/8th the size and weigh on average 800# less then the competition. This helps with off-roading. They also utilize the same type front suspension as 1/2 ton trucks being independent and torsion bar. This makes them superior in mud and snow along with the light weight of the D-max as compared to the Powerstroke and Cummins helps. The down side is its not quite as strong, can not handle heavy loads as well, and is not a good choice for snow plowing applications with out modifications.

Anyway back to the 1/2 ton F-150. I feel it will do what you need. Many many of them out there on the road towing all the time. Just looking at the marina where I work atleast 1/2 of the 400 vehicle parking lot is filled with F-150's every weekend. The are a very popular daily driver and family vehicle because of the Crew Cab size especially and can get the job done when its time to tow.

Chris

 

[mjonesnh]

Update:

I decided to purchase the F-150 as this truck is in "almost new condition". 38,000 miles on a 8 year old truck in my area is almost unheard of. I still have my 1995 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9 liter that will be my primary tow vehicle. This truck has towed the 6500 pound load for several years without complaining.
The majority of my towing is a 35 mile trip one way to the farm 2-3 times/month. Not very far but some of the hills can be demanding. I personally believe the Ford can handle this trailer without undue strain, but for now the Dodge will still be my "farm truck".

 

[Diamondpilot]

Update:

I decided to purchase the F-150 as this truck is in "almost new condition". 38,000 miles on a 8 year old truck in my area is almost unheard of. I still have my 1995 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9 liter that will be my primary tow vehicle. This truck has towed the 6500 pound load for several years without complaining.
The majority of my towing is a 35 mile trip one way to the farm 2-3 times/month. Not very far but some of the hills can be demanding. I personally believe the Ford can handle this trailer without undue strain, but for now the Dodge will still be my "farm truck".

The 5.4 Ford and the 5.9 Dodge are very similar motors. Both have good low end torque and develop a good amount of it, something like 80%, below 2000 rpms. I think you will find them both similar in performance and that the Ford is a little better on the chassis and brake end of things.

Sounds like you made a good buy. Now we need pictures.

Chris

 

[jcmseven]

Chris, Thanks for your input. On an aside, I still feel the GM trucks are towing monsters. I would have to say this current ride for me tows as well or better across the board than did my 2008 Ford 250 and is better to drive everyday. I suppose the size of the truck is largely a function of its sheetmetal, but I agree they are a little lighter and perhaps more susceptible to winds and load shifts--I just have not experienced that and the power is certainly there in spades. As for the not "as strong" part, I would have to differ. The Duramax/GMC combo I am running so far has been pretty darned strong and is a real upgrade from the 2006 model I drove when looking once before. It also still has the highest factory torque and horsepower numbers of any of the big three and the transmission is really nice. I have not had much seat time in the Dodge 2500 but I must say the couple examples I have driven did not leave me overly impressed. My Ford was a great towing machine and nice on the open road but was not nearly so nice to drive everyday.

John M

 

[jcmseven]

Also Chris, one more thing, I think you might have been mainly referring to the front suspension more than the GM truck itself. I agree with you there, too. The solid front axle trucks are the way to go pulling heavy loads and or doing snowplowing work. The problem is the drive like crap, ride roughly and many times have numb, slow steering to achieve 1000-1500# more load and axle capacity. To those that tow super heavy every day, the compromise is worth it, but to me as an occasional tower it is not. I have not been able to find yet any measureable difference in my truck's front end stability when towing heavy v. my Ford. I do not run a snowplow so maybe there would be a difference in that, but again, even in high snow areas many folks don't plow as much as they perceive they do.

John M