Looking for a new Truck / Tow Vehicle

[Divecoz]

Though my Explorer Sport tows the Mac fine, for short hauls say under 200 miles , I am or will be looking for a New Truck soon and back to a Truck with a bed. . . I go. I don't have a desire to join the who has the biggest Tow Vehicle Club. . . I might as well though get a Truck that is better suited for towing this Boat longer distances. The daughters Expedition with the Triton tows it great. . . but would be WAY over kill 90+% of the time Soooooo.
I have been looking at The Ford F 150 with a small V8 . .its rated for 6100 lbs and this seems fine, however I desire the shorter bed and the step side with extended cab. .That btw gives me almost the same wheel base as a reg.cab long bed . .
So my question is. . . I guess . Is there a formula for tow vehicle length to trailer ?
Would love to have another Tow vehicle that gets the 16 mpg towing that the Explorer does . .but that appears not to be in the card's......

[Moe]

Richard, the most widely cited rule of thumb for tow vehicle wheelbase in the RV world is that a 20' trailer (ball to back bumper) requires 110" wheelbase, and every additional foot of trailer requires an additional 4" of wheelbase.

This would say the 144.5" wheelbase of the F150 Super Cab with 6.5' Flareside (stepside) bed is right for a total trailer length of about 29', about right for the Mac, considering the trailer tongue and outboard. That's exactly the same wheelbase as a regular cab/long bed (8').

The small 4.6L (280 cu in) is probably okay with the 3.73:1 axles (make sure the rear is limited slip). The difference a larger (330 cu in 5.4L) engine makes is it less frequently requires downshifting below Drive, where the torque converter is slipping and generating heat, when climbing hills.

Excellent choice for a Mac tow vehicle.

[Chip Hindes]

You need to look at these things in perspective. Simple math. At (say) $3 per gallon, 10,000 miles per year, the 2mpg difference of the 4.6 versus the 5.4 I got in my Expedition would be saving me maybe $200 per year. Use it less, save less. Pretty dinky when it's compared to the total cost of operating that vehicle for a year. Without looking I don't know what the current differential on the purchase price is, but my guess is it's not too significant on a $30K vehicle.

I'm not saying it's nothing, and you may have already done the numbers. I normally find in discussing it with people though, that they tend to have an exagerrated idea of how much difference a few mpg makes. If that's not you, I apologize.

To me the extra go when I put my foot into it, less wear and tear on the engine and tranny when towing, more comfortable at high speeds, climbing hills with the A/C on, etc. is worth it. The 5.4 sounds way better as well .

Or save a few $$, do your part for the environment, get the 4.6.

As they say, YMMV, and to each his own.

[DLT]

Ahhh, come on! You know you want that V10!!!

(ducking and running)

Yeah, I'm not an especially happy camper these days... I get about 9 mpg towing with the O/D off.

But, towing the thing down to Branson this summer, I was glad to have that monster engine. I don't know who all have been down that way, but the last 50 miles or so is nothing but steep grades... Yeah, I know, some of you probably routinely tackle alot worse than that...

Sometimes, the lower mpg is worth it. But, it all depends on how often you need it and how bad you need it, when you do... If all your towing is relatively short and/or relatively flat, then you probably don't need big HP.

With that in mind, there are options. You could get a smaller truck that would handle 90(something)% of your needs, but be inadequate for the remainder. Then, rent a truck/van when you needed more... Enterprise rents vans. Places like U-Haul rent big trucks, but they are probably not worth the costs...

[Chip Hindes]

Wow, I just looked it up. EPA rates the 231 HP 4.6 and 300HP 5.4 at exactly the same, gas mileage wise. Forget everything I wrote. The 202HP 4.2 is only 2mg better than the other two.

So, theoretcially at least, the only difference is in the purchase price, about $800. Worth it? You decide.

[DLT]

My money would be on the 5.4, without a doubt...

I have heard that there are 'issues' with the 4.6, especially in larger heavier applications. Now, with that said, I have nothing to back that up. So, take it for what it is, just gossip...

I, personally, wouldn't even consider a 4.2 V-8, certainly not in a tow vehicle... hull, that thing would have its work cutout for it just moving the truck around. Forget passing anyone...

Then, think about resale. You may not recoup all $800 bucks on resale, but I bet it'll make it alot easier to resell. People buying used trucks typically want a work truck that can handle the work part... People who are more concerned about mileage won't buy a used F150 anyway...

That's just my 2 cents, as always, YMMV...

[Moe]

They are both "small" V8s in the F150. I could say the difference is about the same as the 283 vs 327 Chevy small-blocks (and I know which I'd rather have for towing), but that wouldn't be exactly correct, since the latter also had a larger bore. The 5.4 has the same bore as the 4.6, and gets all the increase in displacement from a longer stroke.

The EPA figures Chip found aren't surprising. In the real world, especially when it comes to towing or RVs, a larger displacement motor often gets better mileage, when driven the same.

[Chip Hindes]

Good point on the resale. The differential on a three year old truck for the 5.4 is around $500, so your total cost is down to $300 amortized over three years.

I normally buy used and then run them 'til they're worth almost nothing, or at least until the big motor differential is worth almost nothing, so my cost would be (say) $500 on the three year old truck, amortized over six to eight years, which begins to approach zero. Maybe I should be looking for a V10.

[Moe]

If you're buying at dealer invoice, keep in mind the premium for options is a lot lower than at MSRP... even closer to the differential at trade-in time.

[Divecoz]

I guess I must admit that as I get older I am getting to be a cheap skate on occasion. . After all the great post I now see I really should opt for the bigger motor . I can always rationalize that the Mac can get about 150 mpg Off Looking for a Truck soon
Again thanks for the insight .
Richard

[argonaut]

Last year I ditched my regular ride for a F150 supercab w/5.4, 4x4, tow package (tranny cooler, tow hitch) & topper. Didn't want to but reasoned I needed a good tow vehicle. Man I wasted a lot of years driving a regular car! I love my F150 almost as much as my Mac, and it gets better mpg than my stinkin' V6 Windstar. Go figure? Also the 5.4 has a built-in overtemp feature that lets you limp along if the xooling system fails. The new ones ride differently but I still like 'em. Good luck with whatever you get.