I'm new to this forum and I've been thinking about buying f150 diesel. I have an 08 Toyota tundra with the 5.7 with 4.20 rear end that I use to pull a 16' enclosed trailer (5000-6000lbs) for my girlfriend's scuba business on the weekend. We drive about 600 miles once or twice a month on the mostly flat land of west Texas and central New Mexico and the tundra pulls the trailer well but it loves the gas and is getting old. I love my tundra but Toyota hasn't touched the tundra powerplant from its release (07 I think) and with the girlfriend Chevy Suburban transmission taking a dump I need to make a move. I can't really justify a super-duty because it is my daily driver and I think it would be overkill. By the numbers to the 3.0L f150 looks to be a good choice for me but I wanted to get some real-world opinions on tow with it. I'm looking at f150 super crew 2X4 with the 3.55 locking rear end in hope of saving a little on the mpg but still pulling well. I worry that the diesel will run out of breath with some of the speed limits out here being 80mph (if you can't keep up the oilfield traffic will run you over). Some 2x4 towing mpg numbers and range and some unbiased opinions to get me to jump the fence. thanks in advance.
TO pull the trigger or not
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Well you’re not alone. My Tundra is heavily being considered to be dumped as well for the 3.0. I drive a lot for work so the Tundra was never an ideal fit due to the amount of miles I put on a vehicle each year and the fuel mileage. I don’t have input for you in regards to towing, but YouTube is your friend. I believe there was an article out there somewhere with a 4x2 3.0 and he was able to hit 800+ miles on his range, empty of course.
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@Sebiff - first let me welcome you to the forums as a new member!
Based on what you are towing and your tow frequency, I think that an F150 Diesel is the tailor-mode solution for your needs. I will let the former SuperDuty owners chime in, but I think a SuperDuty is overkill for what you are towing, and many of the former SuperDuty owners have commented here that they are rough for daily drivers.
I don't tow often enough to provide a solid opinion, but with the flat land between TX and NM plus 4x2 plus monthly tow frequency, I think the 3.0 PS Diesel fits-the-bill. The 3.0L PS Diesel engine coupled with 10-speed transmission (looks the 2019 Tundra still has 6-speed tranny) is optimized for highway mileage, and you should be able to get longer axle ratios if you are going with a 4x2 model. There are other forum members who tow on a more frequent basis (@kdjasper comes to mind) who will be able to give you more details and real-world experiences.
Hope to see you pull the Ford F150 PS Diesel trigger in the future!
Based on what you are towing and your tow frequency, I think that an F150 Diesel is the tailor-mode solution for your needs. I will let the former SuperDuty owners chime in, but I think a SuperDuty is overkill for what you are towing, and many of the former SuperDuty owners have commented here that they are rough for daily drivers.
I don't tow often enough to provide a solid opinion, but with the flat land between TX and NM plus 4x2 plus monthly tow frequency, I think the 3.0 PS Diesel fits-the-bill. The 3.0L PS Diesel engine coupled with 10-speed transmission (looks the 2019 Tundra still has 6-speed tranny) is optimized for highway mileage, and you should be able to get longer axle ratios if you are going with a 4x2 model. There are other forum members who tow on a more frequent basis (@kdjasper comes to mind) who will be able to give you more details and real-world experiences.
Hope to see you pull the Ford F150 PS Diesel trigger in the future!
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I was also on the fence last winter on trading my 2017 F250 crew 4X4 with a 6.2 gas and set up to tow but after climbing in the truck for a couple of years I wanted to go back to a 1/2 ton truck. I replaced it with a 2019 4X4 Crew with the 3.0 and a 3.31rear gear 6.5 bed. I was worried with axle ratio towing but all I can say so far is there is no looking back. Ford has hit the nail on the head with this combo for me towing under 10000lb.
I drive about 6000mi a year 4500 towing ether a aluminum 4 place enclosed snowmobile trailer 3700lb loaded or a 18' v nose steel motorcycle trailer 7000lb+ loaded.
We just returned from a 2100 mi trip with the cycle trailer plus 4 people and gear average was 12.9 mpg. Pulling the snowmobile trailer last winter with a 16mpg average.
No problem with power ran between 65 and 75 stays in 10th dropping to 8th for the up hill portions but held a steady speed.
It does like DEF fluid towing used 7 gal in the 2100 mi.
My commute is about 2mi a day so with a 60 mi trip once a couple of times a month added in I see 19mpg.
My 2cents
I drive about 6000mi a year 4500 towing ether a aluminum 4 place enclosed snowmobile trailer 3700lb loaded or a 18' v nose steel motorcycle trailer 7000lb+ loaded.
We just returned from a 2100 mi trip with the cycle trailer plus 4 people and gear average was 12.9 mpg. Pulling the snowmobile trailer last winter with a 16mpg average.
No problem with power ran between 65 and 75 stays in 10th dropping to 8th for the up hill portions but held a steady speed.
It does like DEF fluid towing used 7 gal in the 2100 mi.
My commute is about 2mi a day so with a 60 mi trip once a couple of times a month added in I see 19mpg.
My 2cents
@3.0Playtoy thanks, that is good to know about the DEF fluid and you got me wondering about my rear end choice.
I agree with the other people that you won't be sorry with the 3.0. I had a 250 with the 6.2 and the ride was horrible for daily driving and mileage was about 12mpg average and 7-8 while towing my 8500 Lbs. GVWR camper. While towing my camper with the 3.0 the mileage does go down quite a bit, its still better than the 6.2 was getting empty. My 3.0 is completely stock, no air bags or other suspension upgrades, and I think it tows the camper much more comfortably than the 250 ever did.
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On a side note I have contacted the service writer at the dealership I purchased it from and he is looking into the DEF usage.
I had the first service done with 2200 mi on and it took just less than 2.5gal to fill.
They thought the usage was a little excessive but being new they wanted me to monitor the usage.
We'll see what happens.
I had the first service done with 2200 mi on and it took just less than 2.5gal to fill.
They thought the usage was a little excessive but being new they wanted me to monitor the usage.
We'll see what happens.
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Hopefully this can help, I had a 2014 Tundra, then a 15' F150 2.7, 17' F150 3.5 Eco and now an 18' 3.0 Diesel... i tow a 6000-6500 boat regularly around Utah, lots of hills, etc and i absolutely love this 3.0... it is everything i ever wanted in a truck, great daily driver, way better than my TUndra, pulls awesome, not quite as strong as my 3.5 but way better than my Tundra, and the fuel economy is really good!
Empty MPG for my 3.5 from SLC to St George (280 miles) driving 85-88mph with 2" level kit and 33's was usually around 15-16, Tundra was about 14, this new diesel is getting between 21-24mpg, just depends on head winds, etc. (All trucks have almost the exact same tires, wheels, and level kits)
Towing, my tundra and 3.5 would get 8-9mpg, the diesel get 12.5-14mpg...
Bottom line, after having multiple HD Trucks with diesel (2, Duramax, 2 Powerstrokes) and then moving to 1/2 tons, this is the truck i have always dreamed of... only thing i could ask for is 275-300hp and 500 ftlb from the factory...
Empty MPG for my 3.5 from SLC to St George (280 miles) driving 85-88mph with 2" level kit and 33's was usually around 15-16, Tundra was about 14, this new diesel is getting between 21-24mpg, just depends on head winds, etc. (All trucks have almost the exact same tires, wheels, and level kits)
Towing, my tundra and 3.5 would get 8-9mpg, the diesel get 12.5-14mpg...
Bottom line, after having multiple HD Trucks with diesel (2, Duramax, 2 Powerstrokes) and then moving to 1/2 tons, this is the truck i have always dreamed of... only thing i could ask for is 275-300hp and 500 ftlb from the factory...
You said you pull a 8500lbs GVWR camper. I am about to pull the trigger on one so how does it handle the camper and how long is it? Have you had any issues pulling your camper? Trying to decide on the length and ballpark range for the weight, the truck can handle comfortably.
The camper I pull is a 27 ft fifth wheel, had it out in the mountains and back roads to several state park campgrounds. The truck handles beautifully with the camper, no problems what so ever pulling mountains of PA. I was pulling about 11 mpg but that was in mountainous back roads mostly. I didn't add any mods to tow with, except for the fifth wheel and in bed wire harness plug, but you might find that you may need something for a bumper pull, you'll have to check with bumper pull guys but I haven't seen anything special posted.
The only thing I will add is, MAKE SURE the camper you purchase is the camper of your dreams. and remember to have fun with it, no mater what goes wrong!
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