HD F-150 or 3/4 ton truck?

[Sysop]

Older gentleman I know has always had 3/4 ton trucks, always decked out in top tier trim, and always traded out every three years. He had a pacemaker installed, and could no longer drive his truck. The 3/4 ton suspensions were all too bouncy unloaded and would cause his pacemaker to speed up (it thought he was jogging). He had to switch to a half ton to get a smoother ride.

 

[bspeedy]

Most 3/4 ton pickups are used as grocery getters and status symbols. I have (and love) a '99 F250 powerstroke. I purchased it second hand and have about 18 grand in it with some maintenance and minor upgrades. It has 140k miles and I would take it California towing a trailer any time. It is used 95% for towing and hauling. It's a terrible commuter vehicle. It's almost un-parkable since it's a crew cab with an 8-foot bed. It's loud and smelly. Everything a pickup should be.

I commute to work in a 2002 Honda Accord that I bought new. It has about 200k on it. I'd also drive it to California as it has been dead reliable. It's cheap on fuel, easy to drive, easy to park, quite nimble on the road. Great for commuting and hauling up to 4 people in relative comfort.

Therefore, my advice is to buy a tow vehicle that is good at towing - aka a 3/4 or 1-ton pickup with a diesel engine. Keep your Jeep for the commuting and kid hauling duties. You liked your old powerstroke so much - why not get another? In the South, we don't have the evil road salt. Look on craigslist for an older truck with under 100k miles and pick up a great old hauler for much less than half the price of new. Now - you might have to live without the high registration costs, insurance costs and personal property taxes if you get an older truck, but I'm sure you'll adapt.

 

[coobie]

That's a nice truck! My cousin has one and I borrowed it for 3 days once but didn't tow with it. What trim level did you get at the same price as the F150 V8 Lariat?

Honestly, if the 3/4 tons had a gas engine with low end torque like an ecoboost (but a little more to make up for the weight difference). This would be a much easier decision. The new Ram 2500s ride vey nice as well. I should really see if my cousin will let me borrow his RAM to do some tow testing.

We ordered the the Laramie package.I tow my tractor with brush hog front end loader/loaded tires and 20 ft PJ trailer with my 6.4 hemi.It pulls great on hills and flat roads in Michigan.If I lived out west or in the mountains I might opt for a diesel engine.For my needs the gasser fits me well verses the $9,000 diesel option.

 

[coobie]

We ordered the the Laramie package.I tow my tractor with brush hog front end loader/loaded tires and 20 ft PJ trailer with my 6.4 hemi.It pulls great on hills and flat roads of Michigan.If I lived out west in the mountains I might opt for a diesel engine.For my needs the gasser fits me well verses the $9,000 diesel option.Just to be clear I am not a ford hater I also own a 2006 ford F-150 super crew with the 5.4 triton motor

 

[downslope]

What I have seen most new 3/4 tons run around 2,500# payload.

My SRW F350 has a GVWR of 11,500# and weighs 7,600# with me and my stuff and a nearly full tank. That leaves 3,900# payload.

All the F-150's and the Nissan Titan I have owned in the last 10 years, 2007 and 2012 F150 and a 2008 Titan all had about 2,100# of payload.

I'm with Diamondpilot on this. I currently own, and have had several in the past, GM 1-ton SRW with 4.1 gears and the payload rating is in the high 3K range.

Once or twice a year I'll load 4K on pallets and it's not a problem with the 6.0 gas and 6-speed, tow-haul mode, etc; I would never feel comfortable doing that with a HD half-ton. Probably full-floating vs non full float, larger ring gear, bigger brakes, heavier frame, etc. Unloaded MPG is not too bad if you don't drive crazy speeds, 15-16 mpg for me.

As an aside, do any of you think we will be seeing turbocharged gas engines in the 3/4 ton, 1 ton's in the near future? If it can work for an ecoboost, why not with a slightly larger displacement?

 

[dodge man]

This is a pure guess on my part, but there might be the idea a tuned up V6 in a 3/4 ton with twin turbos might not last. Is that a reality? Probably not. Its kind of like chassis cab trucks or other light trucks, such as box trucks, where they de-tune diesels to make less power and last longer than the same engine in pickups.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I sold my 03 F350 4x4 dually with the last of the 7.3's to a friend of mine that bought my old fifth wheel camper. I replaced it with an 07 2500 HD Chevy gasser with the 6.0. It is fine for my needs but it ain't the F350.

If you look at the specs on the 1 ton versus 3/4 ton most of the time the difference is in the spring packs. Axles, brakes, etc....are the same.

My personal preference is for a 3/4 but I will add that the current line up of 1/2 ton trucks have great performance that is outstanding to say the least.

 

[mopardude318]

I couldn't allow myself to buy a gasser 3/4 ton. when stepping up to a 2500, don't know why one would opt for the gas engine. but I guess everyone has their reasons. at least there's an option, which is pretty cool I guess.

 

[WilliamBos]

An F150 will never compare to an F250 regardless of the power of an ecoboost. The F Superduty is a purpose built HD truck, the solid front axle is leaps and bounds superior to any IFS system. The Torqueshift auto is also purpose built to constantly work, overbuilt for that matter.

My next truck has come down to two choices, either a 5.7 IForce Toyota Tundra 4x4 or an F250 6.2 gas 4x4. It all depends on the price, and the test drive.

The 4:30 gearing of the Tundra is what I am after, that and Toyota Quality, and San Antonio Texas built. The F Superduty is the best HD ttuck on the market, the 6,2/Torqueshift are an impresdive combo.

 

[WilliamBos]

I couldn't allow myself to buy a gasser 3/4 ton. when stepping up to a 2500, don't know why one would opt for the gas engine. but I guess everyone has their reasons. at least there's an option, which is pretty cool I guess.

While the new diesels are hooked up to a dealer laptop getting a forced regen done, the gasser is still working.

The $11,000+ premium for a new diesel will never pencil out.