Diesel tow rig?

[Farman Blends]

We have a 2015 Jay Flight SLX 264BHW. We have pulled with our 2007 Yukon XL. And then with our 2006 GMC 1/2 ton that we just sold.

Husband wants a diesel prefer a Ford F350 with a 6.7L

I've seen alot of diesel trucks pulling various bumber pulls as well as 5th wheel. We use the yukon to pull the 4wheeler trailer. And our camping is Not in campgrounds. We camp in the National Forest dispersed camping. Winding hills with lots of curves and some steep terrain.


I'm thinking a F250 6.7L crew cab long box. (3 dirt bikes)

If you tow with a Ford Diesel please give me your experience? Many thanks in advance. Farman Momma

[Big1]

Welcome to JOF! I can tell you that that diesel will tow that as if it not even behind it, the one thing that you might want to ponder is once you hook up your trailer and put those 3 bike it the payload might be close.

Your husband wanting the F350 to have a greater payload, the F350 payload is somewhere in 3600 lbs or a little more but the F250 payload in the diesel is somewhere 2000 to 2,300 lbs.

Another note is that if you are planning on keeping that trailer and with a unloaded tongue weight of 510 lbs which will go up to about 600 lbs and three bikes you should be good but with the F350 you will have a lot of wiggle room.

[TWP723]

I had an F250 and recently upgraded to the F350 6.7. Night and day. And price difference isn't that much. It's just harder to find F350's at a reasonable price. They hold their value incredibly.

[sennister]

As mentioned I would price them out. Also look at tabs. Of course this is going to be very different from state to state but in MN it is a lot cheaper to register a 1 ton than a 3/4.

I don't have Ford exerience but this would apply to Ford, GMC, Chevy or Dodge.

My father in law went from a I think was a 2012 GMC 2500 Duramax to a 2016 3500 Dual rear wheel Duramax. The cost of the truck really isn't much different. The fuel mileage isn't much different. The biggest difference was tabs. Normally in MN they are based on the value of the vehicle. However for 1 ton trucks they calculate it differently. For the 3/4 ton were around $700 a year but on the 1 ton it is $140. The reason I know this is they leave the truck at our place in the winter as they don't need it at their house in Fl when they are doing the snowbird thing. We renewed the tabs on his truck last year because they are due in Feb when we got the tabs for my other trailers and motorcycles which are all due in Feb. Heck the tabs on our 2011 Yukon Denali are still $500 year.

I have driven his truck a bit and my only complaint about it is that because it is the crew cab with long box and dual rear wheels is it is huge and turn on a football stadium rather than on a dime. Plan on taking up 4 parking spots because the length is 1.5 parking spots long and the wheel base is really wide. Of course this isn't an issue when you are pulling a camper as it is about the same width. Just when driving around town does it become apparent. Also the long wheel base means and this wide turning radius means it isn't as maneuverable so backing the trailer into a tight spot is more tricky. If you went with the 3/4 ton crew cab long box it would have the same issue. It isn't a 3/4 vs 1 ton issue but rather a wheel base length issue. I have a Chevy Avalanche which is built on a Suburban frame and it is harder to back a trailer into position than our Yukon Denali because the Denali is the short one not the XL so it is more maneuverable. The crew cab long box combo is even longer than the Avalanche.

[RedHorse1]

Our F350 6.7 does an excellent job towing our 13K# 5th. When I was shopping I noted the price difference between the 250-350 was pretty small compared to the total buy-in so the 350 became a no-brainer for me.
We, however, do not camp in off-road conditions and I wanted to avoid 4x4. As a result I had to order my truck to get what I wanted which was just fine by me. Your description of toys and camping locations suggest you'd be in the market for 4WD. In the Houston area almost all SD's were 4x4 so finding one to fit your needs would be a snap here.

[rockaw]

first, from where you camp, I think no matter what, I'd go 4x4.
Many options you'll have to weight.
I was told that the trade off where the higher cost of the diesel is offset is about 100k miles. So if you're planning to trade you're vehicle in sooner you might want to consider a gas burner.
Fuel mileage is another, diesel's usually get better towing mileage, but again how many miles are you planning for towing. What will you're truck be doing non-towing, city or highway driving and how much. Alot of city and not a lot of towing, probably gas burner, more towing or highway, probably a diesel.
As mentioned, once you go away from the 150/1500 to the 250/2500 or bigger, more $$$ for registration and turning radius gets worse.
Make sure you have your wish list for truck options and make sure you get the ones you need/want.
But I love my 16 Silverado 2500HD Diesel 4x4.
Good luck with your decision.

[herewego]

We love our Ram Truck its a one ton,great fuel mileage will tow anything you want to pull, it has a proven drive train, it does ride like a truck when not loaded..
we bought it previously owned from our local dealer still had warranty, you can save thousands buying a pre owned that is still in factory warranty ....

[jsk]

We have a good experience with our 6.7. We tow heavy and the engine/transmission handle it well. As suggested the 350 gives you more payload, sits a little higher than the 250, and does not squat as bad as the 250. If looking used 2012 and newer seem reliable. The 2015 had updated turbo and exhaust brake. I will not own one without a warranty as they are expensive to work on. Visit ford-trucks.com and go to the 6.7 forum. There is a lot to learn there. Good luck

[Seann45]

With a TT you really don't want a long box. The ball should be as close to the rear axle as possible to minimize sway.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

I disagree on the long box...Mine new one has the rear axle as close to the hitch as a short box truck. They extend the wheelbase on long box trucks which actually will make a more stable tow.

[bansai]

I wouldn't get the diesel in anything smaller than the 350 due to the payload hit you get from that heavy motor. My wife and I have been debating 250 / vs. 350 for 3 months now.

If we get the 250, it has to be with the gas motor - (both motors are best in class, you can't go wrong with either).... otherwise I might as well just keep my 1/2 ton truck. Not going to spend 60 Grand on a truck just to get an extra 400 lbs of payload capacity.

The 350 is the same size truck dimensionally, and it only costs 1 grand more.

Another factor for us is the upgrades I can afford on the 250 Gas / Vs. the 350 diesel. The 8000 dollar upcharge for the diesel motor + the 1000 dollar price change buys a lot of optional goodies on the 250. It's basically the difference between getting a loaded 250 Lariat, or a more bare-bones 350 XLT. These are some of the factors we've been discussing over here ad nasuem.

My last diesel truck was a 250 and it was a towing power house. Unfortunately, I had the infamous 6.0 liter Navistar motor in it and the break downs and maintenance costs to keep that truck on the road have soured me somewhat on the actual value added with the diesel power plants. I know the new Ford motors are better, but after factoring in more expensive fuel, more expensive maintenance, and weight. I really have to ask myself why the gas motor that puts out 420 foot pounds of torque isn't going to be good enough.

[01tundra]

We're more than good with a 2500HD, but with a trailer your size I wouldn't think of anything other than a 1-ton.

I really wanted a 3500HD, but I got a great deal on a 3/4-ton and our TT only has a 3,750 lb. GVWR with no plans to get anything larger.

Now that we own a diesel, I don't see us ever going back to a gas burner for a TV, it's almost like cheating. I love driving the new truck as a daily driver, but I force myself to only drive it a couple times per week since I kept my Tacoma for a daily driver and want to keep the miles off the new truck.

[Farman Blends]

thanks for all the comments. We need/want a long box to put dirt bikes in. We have test drove several ford diesels and the 6.7 was by far the best, the 6.4 was good, and the 6.0 was o.k. I have heard that the 6 and 6.4 suffer from alot of the same problems. What are your thoughts on egr deletes, and removing the DEF?

[NorthPoint5r]

Is the DEF part of state inspection?

[repacs0103]

DEF is diesel exhaust fluid- it's what the DPF, or diesel particulate filter uses along with some extra diesel fuel to burn off and neutralize the accumulated soot. It isn't so much a part of a state inspection (if your state has them), but if you delete it, you will likely fail the emissions test that is part of most state inspections. We don't have inspections in Michigan. I have a buddy who tuned and deleted his 6.4 that doubles as DD and commercial truck. He wanted it to appear stock so when he did the delete he pulled the DPF, reamed it out by sledge hammering a concrete spike through it over and over, then bolted it back in.

You can buy tunes that delete just your DPF or DPF and EGR. It will be a very noticeable difference in power. You will also smell diesel exhaust again unlike the strange smell a 6.7 emits (I call it sweetened rotten eggs). Mileage gains are there but aren't huge.... they are highly dependent on driving style.


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[Goldenbear]

I just went with a 2013 F250 6.7 super duty. Had a 2015 F150 and our reading on weight were close on GVWR, PAY LOAD (1952) we stayed 1000* off max but never felt sure about pulling up in the hills just local. Traded going back 2 years but the diesel is a lariat platinum and that suckered pulls like it's not behind you. It helps having a diesel mechanics in the family but I did buy a 18 warranty. A piece of mind go a long way.

[Wrascal]

Once I decided my F250 V10 gasoline truck was getting too old to trust I started looking. What I wanted was a 6.7 diesel F350 (CC, LB, 4WD) and money dictated a used one. In three months I found ONLY one newer-ish used F350, but it was a stripped version powered by another gas engine. I finally lowered my wants.

Eventually I stumbled onto my current 6.7 F250. It does all I ask of it; however I still want an F350, just for the "maybe" one day I'll trade up the 5th. And a duelly would give me "status".

[bansai]

Originally Posted by Wrascal

Once I decided my F250 V10 gasoline truck was getting too old to trust I started looking. What I wanted was a 6.7 diesel F350 (CC, LB, 4WD) and money dictated a used one. In three months I found ONLY one newer-ish used F350, but it was a stripped version powered by another gas engine. I finally lowered my wants.

Eventually I stumbled onto my current 6.7 F250. It does all I ask of it; however I still want an F350, just for the "maybe" one day I'll trade up the 5th. And a duelly would give me "status".

I'm prepared to buy new, but I haven't found 1 truck in 3 months of searching within 100 miles of my house (this covers almost 2 dozen dealers) that meets all the requirements.

We're going to have to factory order our next truck. My 150 is worth about 25K and I have (all of you can get it too if you want) X-plan pricing so the only down-side of the factory order is waiting up to 3 months to get it. Don't pay any more, or less by going that route.

Only reason I haven't ordered it already is my current truck will be paid off in about 6 months and I'd really love to have a few days at least without a truck payment. It might end up being addicting.

[sennister]

Originally Posted by rockaw

~snip
I was told that the trade off where the higher cost of the diesel is offset is about 100k miles. So if you're planning to trade you're vehicle in sooner you might want to consider a gas burner.
~snip

Yes there is a higher buy in cost but that said they tend to hold their value better. This is many times regional but around here the extra money to get a diesel is recouped on trade or sale. However that said this is a gamble. Historically this is the case but not always. This can be said about any vehicle though no matter the fuel.

For an example. I am not a Ford guy but if you look at the 3/4 and 1 tons in the around the 07 model year and maybe a couple years before and/or after they had issues. A lot of it was because of emissions components having what turned out to be limited life span and that caused big repair bills. There are companies out there that bulletproof them and once done they still passed emissions and from what I have seen became reliable trucks. Of course once the pattern of failures became apparent, Ford changed the design so it became a non-issue for new trucks but it hurt the value of the old ones because they didn't fix them as they were failing out of warranty. Another example is the VW/Audi mess. I had an 09 Jetta TDI which was the first year the TDI came back. Traditionally the TDI has a higher initial cost but in a few years you easily recoup that over the value of the gas version. I was starting to get the itch to get a new vehicle when dieselgate hit. Values tanked and I could either dump it for a huge hit or ride it out and get the settlement. I did the settlement route and made out pretty good. In my case though there was nothing wrong with the car. It had been properly maintained and really over the 90K+ miles been a great car.

One of the other things to keep in mind is that there are differences with gas and diesel. You have to of course remember to get fuel from those other pumps. Around here it is pretty easy to find at almost any gas station. However we did a road trip to Milwaukee a few years back and I went to fill up and had to go to 6 gas stations before I found one with diesel. Maybe it was something with the part of town but it can be a bit more of a challenge compared to regular gas. I never run my vehicles on empty so it wasn't a big deal other than time wasted trying to find a pump. With new ones you are going to have to deal with DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid also called Urea). I would imagine almost all trucks will have this. It isn't a big deal just like filling the washer fluid except that your truck will run just fine without washer fluid but might go into limp mode if you run out of DEF. You can buy it at any Walmart though or auto parts store. You will need more frequent fuel filter changes than you have ever done with a gas engine. I would follow the maint schedule but I would expect a fuel filter change every 20K miles where they are done maybe at 100K on a gas. If you live up north in cold climates you have to deal with winter and summer diesel. I always kept them straight by thinking the calendar year starts in winter and winter diesel is #1. Summer is #2. As temps drop paraffin wax starts to coagulate in the fuel which gets trapped in the fuel filter and will clog it. This happens more quickly in a dirty fuel filter which is a part of why I mentioned more frequent fuel filter changes. When getting fuel it largely depends on the station. I found that most gas stations in town that don't see a lot of big rig traffic will only have 1 diesel pump. They will follow a schedule where fuel is rated 20F in Oct then 10F in Nov by Jan it will be rated to -20. When they fill the tank in the ground they are mixing in various blends of #1 and #2 to get those ratings. The problem is you have no way of knowing how much diesel they go through in a week so their pump may say one thing but who knows what you are getting. If you go to a station that has more big rig traffic some of those will have both #1 and #2 in the pump even in the dead of winter. I have seen some that have multiple buttons to select the blend you want like with reg/prem/super at the gas pumps. These will blend the fuel at the pump so you can get what you want. You may be wondering why someone in MN would want #2 in Jan but there is a reason. The big rigs a lot of times have heating elements in the fuel tank, heated lines and heated fuel filter. This means they can run #2 year round and partly why they don't shut them off very often when really cold out. #2 is less expensive, provides better MPGs and more power. For them it is worth it. Besides an over the road trucker may be going from -20F MN to TX and never shut down between the two. Why not run #2 all the time? Just watch it in the truck stops as a regular truck isn't equipped to run this in cold weather. Also getting back to the fact you don't know what you are getting. I have had issues with those blended gas stations. When it hits -20F I sometimes couldn't get fuel. The pumps all have filters in them but they are rarely if ever changed. Depending on the turn over you never know, the pump might be gelled up. It has happened to me enough that if I saw a cold snap in the forecast I would fill up. Also afternoon or evening fill ups lessen the issue. Then there are the fuel additives. These can help with the gelling issue. But yet another thing to buy.

The point with the fuel stuff is that you just have to plan a bit more with a diesel. They are great but don't drive it like a lot of people drive gas vehicles on empty everywhere and only putting in fuel $10-20 at a time. Unless you are topping off from 3/4 to full. You will need to plan ahead and think of weather a bit more with diesel than you do with gas and the maintenance requirements are a bit more. But normally the long term longevity is better.

[bdreinv]

Might want to think about rear axle, we have 4:10 in our Dodge. Would probably go to 3:73 next time a little better gas mileage.