52 replies to this topic

[golfman]

At the Teeswater Ont. truck pulls last summer a new ford ecoboost was the only truck I saw do a full pull. I think we watched 40-50 trucks try so I know they have power and traction. Do not know about mileage or anything else about them.

[rampage]

At the Teeswater Ont. truck pulls last summer a new ford ecoboost was the only truck I saw do a full pull. I think we watched 40-50 trucks try so I know they have power and traction. Do not know about mileage or anything else about them.

Mental note, do not go to the Teeswater Ontario truck pulls.

[s1edneck700]

If you're speaking from experience , can you elaborate on this a bit ??

I tow a 4500# bbq pit with my eco. The harder you load it the more boost you get, just like any turbocharged engine. I towed back from southern georgia with it and the truck never came out of 6th gear on the highway doing 75mph unless I needed to pass someone on a grade. I averaged 14mpg with 3.73 gears. If you tow intermittently, this is the engine for you. Only reason for a diesel/heavy duty is if you consistently tow over 10k or you need to gooseneck/fifth wheel frequently. Save yourself 10 grand and get the eco half ton.

[APC]

I have a 03 2500 HD crew cab with 8.1 with Allison 5 speed, 4X4 and it's been a great tow truck. I haul 4 place in the winter and a 5th wheel in the summer, 9-10 mpg towing @ 62mph. 14.5 -15 mpg empty @ 62 mph. Plenty of power. And like mentioned the diesel's average only slightly better. Ran with Duramax's and 7.3 Ford out west and I had no problems keeping up through the mountains at all.



My brotherinlaw had a 5.3 and that thing pulled a 5th wheel no problem but in SCREAMED up the grades. Thought it was going to come apart. It never did. The dealership told him it is designed to handle it and it did.

[s.a.m]

do your homework on axle gear ratios. that has alot to do with hauling and fuel milage. what gear is in your suburban? you could do a gear change and make it pull better maybe better mpg?

[RainmanX]

I concur with the other dude about the axle. A taller axle reduces the stress across the entire drive line. The engine may spin a bit faster, but it will have a higher coolant flow, higher oil pressure and volume, and the trans will have less stress (and a oil higher volume).

My Ram 1500 Hemi w 3.96 axles.

One thing to keep in mind-trucks are rated by engineered maximum towing capability. Save yourself and only tow with half it's rating.

A 1/2 ton will need many suspension parts, tires, brakes, wheel bearings, and trans before a 3/4 will begin to wear.

[Jdoo1584]

If you do go diesel I would avoid the Ford 6.0L. I have had 2 of them and they eat injectors, egr coolers and have terrible turbo lag which really gets scary trying to pull out on a busy highway when loaded. I am now on my second Duramax and am happy with them. With my 2011 I get 12.5 mpg pulling a 20' steel tilt deck equipment trailer with a 6000 pound scissor lift on it.

I guess there could be problems with any motor and I know the 6.0 liter Ford diesel is not without its issues. I have 3 trucks all with Ford 6.0 diesels in them and a combined mileage between the 3 trucks of 427,000 miles and not one issue besides the regular filters, brakes, tires and other wear items. These trucks are meticulously maintained and see mostly all highway miles but I love and swear by these motors. The newer motors with all the new emissions crap are what scare me but I guess we will have to wait and see. I think bottom line is every brand and motor has its issues, you just have to weigh the pros and cons of each and maintanance is key with anything.

[tbone99]

Get one of these and you can haul anything, tons of power and great fuel mileage!

x10. I have one with 243,000 on it. 2 injectors thats it and it kills my buddies 1/2tons

[Black Rev]

do your homework on axle gear ratios. that has alot to do with hauling and fuel milage. what gear is in your suburban? you could do a gear change and make it pull better maybe better mpg?

I believe the gear is 3.73, As another post said, my 5.3 can pull it but it screams going up moderate grades of northern WI.

I like the idea of bringing my loaded trailer to the dealer and hooking up a new rig and comparing it to my current truck going 0-60.

[trippleZ800]

My 03 witha 7.3 & a few mods works for me!!

[A7M266D]

Turbo charged diesels are great at elevation and pulling grades..

As for mileage, they are only good if you can keep the speeds down to between 55 and 62 mph.

If you tow at 70 to 80 mph.. going west. The diesel is only good for about 1.5 mpg improvement over a gas engine... at least that has been my experience. And so maybe if you are lucky you go from 8.5 to 10 mpg.. Going to the Snowy's or Togwottee... Where the diesel excels is pulling grades, high elevation running or passing due to their tremendous torque.

I have towed a 4 place trailer with 5 sleds in it... with a number of ford trucks over the years from 4.7L gas engine..5.3L gas to 7.4L diesel.. 6.8L gas.. Ha ha.. it is a long trip up hill and against the wind going to Togwotte/Dubois area from Michigan with a 4.7 gas engine truck. You are always going against the wind on the way out while you are going up hill...

I am curious to try the F150 with V6 ecoboost...with twin turbos.. Ha ha.. if were going to keep it for many years, I suspect I would invest in an extended warranty.. DI injection and twin turbos.. on a non diesel is scary for the long haul. I have heard both good and bad experiences with this vehicle.

Real world with that long of trailer, specially if it is steel, I suspect you should have at least a 3/4 ton truck with the bigger brakes and running gear. Just my thoughts based on about 47 years of towing experiences - many years with steel race car trailers.. and since 1996 many different aluminum sled trailers.. .

Anyway as pds implied, you have to tow a number of miles with the diesel to offset the engine cost over the gas engine, if you tow at speed, as real world mileage is not that much better with the diesel. Now if you can hold the speeds down.. it will pay off quicker.

X2 i have a 2011 duramax its still terrible on fuel forget what you read online about mileage. Empty i average 16.5 mpg towing its in the 12's.

I too want to drive a ford eco boost.

[tmacneil]

I have a Tundra with the 5.7. I have hauled a 24 foot enclosed trailer with 5 sleds and 5 guys and a lot of gear. No problem with power, mileage sucked. I really beleive any vehicle will suck (milage wise)when hauling. So hp wise, I would look to be in the 360 - 400 range.

I also haul a 24 foot travel trailer in the summer. With the weight distribution and sway control, you really often forget you are even hauling. I had a Tacoma prior to the Tundra. I was within the payload and towing capacity, but it was definately not enough truck in certain wind and traffic conditions. My opinion its ok to be near the payload and towing capacity for short occasions, but as stated earlier, for longer trips, staying at around half the tow rating is a good practice.

[GHOSTRIDER]

i pull with a 05 suburban 1500 w/5.3.i tow an enclosed 27' inline all over ,not ideal but will definately do it. i've pulled our 6place open from wi. to yellowstone full of guys and gear many times i get 11 mpg.one of the other guys has a dually diesel that pulls the six effortless and he gets about the same mpg, but diesel is more expensive and it's more expensive to buy a diesel p.u.

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[Stever]

I also had a 2002 Suburban with a 5.3 liter motor. I used to tow a legend aluminum 7x27 inline trailer. Trailer was 2600lbs Loaded with four sled at 500lbs each, it was, call it 4000lbs. Trailer empty, you never knew it was there. Trailer full, mileage suffered a little, and there was some hunting for gears on grades. Still loved the truck. As mentioned above, gear ratio does matter. I had larger Bridgestone KO's tires on my truck, heavy, larger and not a SUV tire. The larger tire would have played with my gear ratio. I'm sure that did not help. Did I want a better tow vehicle, yes. But for half a dozen weekends, not worth it. I sucked it up. Now have a 07 suburban and a smaller two place trailer. I can go anywhere. Lean and mean, lone wolf even. My freeloading friends were never reliable, never there for gas money or loading or unloading.
If you are trying to rationalize a new truck I can understand that too. Could I live with a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton, I guess. But the family would hate me. My stuff would get ripped off from the box because I live in the thieving city. Happy truck shopping. If you are Suburboning, isn't there something new for 2014? I hope there is a diesel option in there.

http://www.caranddri...tos-future-cars

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[Donald_05]

Ive got an f150 with the ecoboost and it is surprising how much it will tow and doesnt shift out of 6th gear, the heavier the load on and it performs just as good with a crazy amount of power. Fuel mileage is not as stated by ford but still not bad when you compare it to any other V8 with less towing capabilities.