F-150 vs F-250 (or F-350) off-road capability

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2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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I have a ‘17 f150 supercrew lariat w/ 3.5 ecoboost, max tow package, 6” lift, 35” tires and tow numerous times here in CO and also take it offroad. Ive towed more than the weight you mentioned you tow and haven’t noticed any excessive temps. Its my DD now that the jeep sits in the garage, I get 600+ miles a tank, average 16-17 mixed city/highway and thats me commuting 27 miles each way to work with a 1900’ elevation climb.
 
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Billiebob said:
that is a myth.

I had a 1990 F350 with a 460. It got 15mpg empty, loaded, city, highway 50mph, 70mph. Never varied. 15mpg.
I almost bought a new F150 Eco thing for the 25mpg rating.
Then I learned that is what computers and 8 speed, triple OD trannies can do when empty.
Loaded, towing a trailer that F150 only gets 15mpg too.

my Jeep TJ towing a trailer gets 15mpg.
Click to expand...
What trans you have in that TJ, gearing and size tires? My 2005 LJ, auto, with just me in it, 35” tires, 4.88s, on a good day gets 12.5mpg not towing anything.
 
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MidOH said:
The new Ford transmissions have a thermostat. They're designed to run very hot. Much hotter than in the past.

Make sure you lock out your overdrive gears and let the engine sing in the hills. I towed completely across my state a week ago at 3000rpm with my 6.2. Only letting it up shift for perfectly flat grades.

The Super Duty is more capable off road. More flex. Locker ready front axle. Strong axles. The Dana60 front axle is so perfect'y suited for an autolocker, that it's offensive to me NOT to add a front locker ASAP. The SD's weak spot is it's weight in soft, slick, deep mud. You'll need Cooper STT tires on one, to keep up with an F150 on decent AT's. Expect to run 35" tires for the same under axle clearance as a 150 on 33's.

As you're aware, stock Ford shocks should be replaced before your first oil change. Par for normal GM, dodges, etc.etc.

35x12.5r18 on a 18x9 +18 wheel fit stock.

It'll have a rougher ride no matter what. But that's all in your head. Foam seats half a foot thick aren't exactly going to draw blood on a bumpy road or anything. BDS 4" suspension, and Accutune or Filthy Motorsports King or Fox 2.5 shocks helps a ton. 37" tires will fit a 4" lift easy. Any wheel bigger than 18" is going to noticeably degrade ride quality.

Also note that the new SD's are lowered thank to lame 5'er owners. They aren't as tall as '17-18 SD's.

The SD won't even know that trailer is there. Way more confidence in all road conditions than an F150. That trailer maxes out a 150, but is at the minimum of the SD's specs. The most it'll do to an SD, is smooth out the trucks ride.

If you can get another year out of the 150, consider the new 7.3l gas engine coming out. The 6.2l gas engine is overkill for your trailer. I'm afraid the diesel might be too much engine. The diesel is another 1000 pounds of weight, which hurts even more in soft mud. And the extra cost of the diesel, covers more than an entire longblock 6.2 engine dealer replacement ($8000). Major repairs can go north of $10 000 with the diesel easy. Make sure you need it, and make sure you do enough hwy miles to clean it out.

My 250 never commutes. It's a weekend warrior, that only gets pizza on weekdays. I live in the snow belt, where a diesel wouldn't even reach operating temp, more than once a moth in the winter. Basically, I'd ruin a diesel, and go broke keeping one running.

I'd consider an Xl, XLT, STX, with the Tremor package to get the front lsd. Instead of a Lariat. Avoid the adaptive steering, and moonroof. Avoid drive through car washes, and/or at least grease the ''plug of death''.
Click to expand...
Whats the plug of death? I have a moonroof and have been taking my truck through drive through washes for 1.5yrs and 24k miles with no issues.
 
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Billiebob

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2Jeeps&PatriotX1 said:
What trans you have in that TJ, gearing and size tires? My 2005 LJ, auto, with just me in it, 35” tires, 4.88s, on a good day gets 12.5mpg not towing anything.
Click to expand...
TJR, all stock drivetrain, no lift, AEV highline to fit 33s. So 4.10s, 33s, 6spd. Without a trailer. Hyper miling, barefoot, 1500 mile trip, I averaged 19mpg. But it was hard to never press on the gas pedal. That was the Kootenays, BC thru Portland, OR, Vancouver, BC, home.

With a trailer, when I am an idiot I can drop to 11mpg, hard on the gas, 4000rpm in 3rd up steep mountain grades. If I control the idiot in my brain and let the speed drop.... I can hit 15mpg towing 2000#.
 

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MidOH

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2Jeeps&PatriotX1 said:
Whats the plug of death? I have a moonroof and have been taking my truck through drive through washes for 1.5yrs and 24k miles with no issues.
Click to expand...
Plug of death is a cambus plug at the rear of the truck. Pressure washers in damn auto washes have a habit of of blasting water into it and messing up everything from the radio to the tailgate. I blame the tailgates opening and closing on this. There is a distinct pattern between electronics bugs and people using automated car washes. When you wash a truck, you don't need to pressure wash the wiring harness. Lol.

Many of the moonroofs were installed with blocked drains and would flood the interior of the truck. Many eventually get misaligned and jam open. Only on days where it's going to rain later, of course. And less head room.
 
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Wow, thank you all so much for your comments! I've been reading through them all and I really appreciate how much time everyone has taken to provide valuable insight.

My main takeaways are:
  1. I should expect my F-150 to get hot when towing at the limit, but the transmission temperatures aren't a major concern. I have a few options to reduce them though, including turbo wraps as well as a new radiator, etc if I want to.
  2. A Ford F-250 would arguably be even better off-road than my F-150, although I'd likely want to do similar mods to those I've done on the F-150 - tires, suspension (with lift), etc to get the most off-road performance.
  3. I probably shouldn't be looking at a diesel F-250 because the weight would reduce my towing and off-road abilities, it's $9k more up front, and we do too many short journeys that would increase the wear on the engine unduly.
  4. Ford is planning to launch a 7.3L gas engine in the Super Duty line this fall, likely to produce over 450hp so with more than enough power / torque to not only tow our 7,500lb trailer, but have some fun too!
So, in summary, I think I'll stick with what I've got for the short term at least. We'll keep an eye on temperatures as we travel through Colorado this summer - if they become problematic then I can look at turbo wraps, etc.

We're planning to travel more on the east coast next year, so less opportunity for the type of overlanding we'd like to do. That gives us time to see what Ford's new engine is like, and maybe consider that as an upgrade later in 2020 or early 2021 as we plan to come back west and then head north to Alaska at some point.

Again, thank you all for your input; I knew I could rely on this group to give me some good, honest advice!
 
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^^^
I think you’re making a smart decision. The 3.5 EcoBoost is a towing beast for a half ton application.

A couple of comments on the option of a Super Duty...
I have a F-350 srw diesel and take it Offroad when sensible. They are surprisingly capable if you take it slow and easy and realize you’re not driving a 2 door JL. The torque of a diesel is a big plus when you’re in 4 low.

We were in Colorado a few weeks ago and drove to the top of Hurricane Pass. You should have seen the faces of the people driving built up Jeeps!
Priceless!4E618B04-09EE-47F7-8E21-287B709D0BF9.jpeg
 
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AdventurousWay said:
Ford is planning to launch a 7.3L gas engine in the Super Duty line this fall, likely to produce over 450hp so with more than enough power / torque to not only tow our 7,500lb trailer
Click to expand...
I too am curious to see this. I'm a fan of heavy trucks with big gas engines.
 
MidOH

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It'll be better than the 6.8 and 6.2, but it's not going to beat the 6.7.

Then again, it's not a gamble like the 6.7, and it works in the winter. Not trading in my 6.2 for one. I don't need more power to continue doing things that a half ton can, barely.
 
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Only on the crew cab? And no clutch available. 2 strikes against it.
 
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