Tow vehicles

[silverloaf]

Ford F250 7.3L diesel
ff250..jpg

Ah, Yes. The 7.3 Diesel. I worked in Ford Diesel Engineering just prior to retiring. It's best years from design and performance standpoints were 2002-03. It was offered in 2003 models a few months before being phased out by the 6.0L variant in 2003-1/4. Things went downhill after that, until Ford's 6.7L Diesel (in-house design and build) came out in the 2011 model year.

[Rostam]

We have towed our 26' Avion with a Mercedes GL 350 with 3.0 turbodiesel engine for the past 5 years. We travel with empty water tanks and the Avion weighs around 6000# and has a tongue weight of 600#. Mercedes GL (now called GLS) is probably the most capable unibody vehicle you can find in the market. 7500# towing capacity, around 1200# weight carrying capacity (payload, per yellow sticker on driver side door jam), and 600# hitch receiver rating. GL has a longer wheelbase when compared to Porsche Cayenne or BMW X5 and is also several hundred pounds heavier than those vehicles. Both of these are attributes of a good tow vehicle (being heavy and having a long wheelbase). Its empty weight is more than the empty weight of our Avion, important for bumper pull (not so much fifth wheels).

It is very stable vehicle and gets very good towing MPG (we got 14 MPG for a 1000 miles trip to NC, hand calculated, not trip computer which is more optimistic). With 26 gallon tank, it gets a good range. I can tow by just setting the cruise control 95% of the time. When descending steep grades, I usually take over and manually down grade. Where we live, going north, west, and south requires going up and down 10% grades to get to the highways. The grades are 3-4 miles long (so not like the long grades in the West), but GL handles them just fine. I can maintain the 60 MPH speed, the RPM only hits 3000 at the peak, and it never overheats. Going down, I downshift to 3rd, and only hit the brakes 4-5 times. Overall, I think GL is the best beefiest unibody vehicle you can find for towing.

However, GL is not as capable as a 3/4 ton truck. Neither the receiver nor the rear suspension are designed to handle 1000# of tongue weight. And if you pull heavier trailers, you would not have the stability that we have (as our GL is heavier than our Avion). It works great for us, weekend warriors, who travel 3-4 times a year. If you plan to tow often, or plan to tow a heavier Avion, I recommend a 3/4 truck. The suspension can handle a heavy tongue weight without affecting the stability and it has a class 4 hitch. Independent suspension provides a comfortable ride, but is not as capable a solid axle (it does not have as much load carrying capacity. This is a fact and not a matter of opinion). Also, if you drop 1000# on the hitch, the driving dynamics do not change much in a solid axle vehicle, whereas for a independent suspension vehicle, you can notice the change in driving dynamics when in the driver's seat. I would not buy a GLS just for towing (we first had our GL, and then bought our Avion, and decided to use it), as its VERY expensive to buy/maintain/repair ($1200 for replacing each shock absorber!). I highly recommend GLS for a small mid size Avion. You CAN tow heavier Avions than our 26', but you lose performance if you do (there is no free lunch). If you drive long distances you will get really tired, and be prepared for expensive maintenance (again, no free lunch here). I think a Tundra or F150 would be much more economical for a mid size Avion and a 3/4 ton for a large Avion. We had our GL and it has served us well and knock on wood its been relatively reliable. Anyway, end of my report

[Overdrive]

Ford F250 7.3L diesel
ff250..jpg

Ah, Yes. The 7.3 Diesel. I worked in Ford Diesel Engineering just prior to retiring. It's best years from design and performance standpoints were 2002-03. It was offered in 2003 models a few months before being phased out by the 6.0L variant in 2003-1/4. Things went downhill after that, until Ford's 6.7L Diesel (in-house design and build) came out in the 2011 model year.

I have two of those 7.3s. Lariat 1999 F250 single wheel 4WD auto with 180k pristine condition , and SLT 2001 F350 Dually 4WD standard shift with a Gearvendors overdrive with 160k pristine condition. . I wouldn’t trade those trucks for four 6.0/6.4s. Funny thing I went to buy this weed whacked from this guy and he had a 6.4 a d he said he would trade me straight across for my 1999. And his truck was 10 years newer. I thought about buying a 6.7 but everywhere I hear all the horror stories of expensive repairs once out of warranty. My trucks may be older but they look great and run wonderful.

[SignHere]

I am torn as to what to get to tow the 1986 34V I am refurbishing.

The process will likely take 6 months or more, so I have plenty of time. I have had multiple back surgeries, so I need something comfortable. That probably means my tow vehicle of choice (New F250 PowerStroke) is out due to being to bouncy when unladen. The Avion weighs 7084# dry with a 765# tongue weight according to the owner's manual. I'll re-weigh it after the renovation.

The new Ford F150 Powerboost Hybrid 4x4 with Max Tow Package (3.73 rear end) can tow up to 12400#, but a loaded up Limited only has a payload capacity of about 1300#. So I was thinking of getting a Pro-Pride hitch to help redistribute some of the weight.

My questions are -
1. Is this enough truck to stop this big old girl going downhill?
2. Is this enough truck to go uphill over long inclines?
3. Will I need an additional transmission cooler, or will the one with the max tow pack be enough?
4. Is the Pro-Pride worth putting up with, or will an Equal-i-zer do just as good?

[Rostam]

This is my opinion and is worth 2 cents

Truck manufacturers advertise half-ton trucks as having 12,000# tow rating, but IMO, a pickup with curb weight of 5500# is too lightweight to pull anything more than 7500# comfortably (A 34 Avion, travel ready, should easily be over that). If you travel in a flat area for short distances, you will be fine. But if you travel long distances, go up and down the grades in the summer, it CAN be done, but it will be very tiring as you have to be super alert when towing. Relative weight of tow vehicle to trailer is a major factor in stability and "feel" of a combination. If you go to a campground, you will see that regardless of the tow ratings for half ton pickups, almost all heavy trailer are pulled by HD pickups.

I see the following possibilities and as everything else in life, it involves some tradeoffs

1. Buy a half-ton pickup. It has a comfortable ride when not towing, get much better MPG (when not towing), and is much easier to use as a daily driver. But when you tow you have to tow slower, be super alert, uphills/downhills are more stressful, and you have limited weight carrying capacity (constantly have to pay attention to what you carry), and after a day of towing, you arrive to your destination more fatigued.

2. Buy a 3/4 ton pickup. It has a rough ride when not towing, gets worse MPG (when not towing), and is too big and ponderous to take to small parking lots and drive around town (not an ideal daily driver for many). But its a towing machine and you can pull/haul whatever you want. Going up/down the grades is a breeze and you arrive at your destination refreshed.

3. Buy a 3/4 ton used as a dedicated tow vehicle, and buy a comfortable daily driver. You get the best of both worlds, but you need to pay for 2 car payments, 2 car insurances, etc.

I don't see any of these choices as right or wrong. It really depends on your preferences.

Good luck!

[pbsled]

I had a similar situation a few years back. I initially had a 6.7 crew cab Dodge (2014) to tow my 30P. It was too much truck as they say, and honestly I agree - even with light tow bars it still slapped the trailer a lot (dishes on the floor kinda thing). If I towed a lot out West I might have kept it, as the pulling power and good mileage while towing was nice - usually 14-15 towing.

However, the 6.7 diesel was a pain on a daily basis and simply took up too much space when not towing so I looked at all the gas Ford options like you.

The price of a nice 150 with max tow was well north of 40k in 2017, but the Eco boost remains very compelling and there are lots of happy customers with that combo, and most importantly it will ride very nice.

However, in the end I found a rare gray gas 6.2 Superduty Regular cab with 8’ bed. It was an XLT and I lightened up the springs a bit (lowered the truck some), plus I got it new for just over 32k overall it has been much easier to tow with and more gentle on the trailer vs the Dodge. Plenty of brakes, wheelbase, and visibility - plus it doubles as a nice work truck (8’ bed) with a big toolbox. I get about 11 towing and 15-16 highway in stock form empty.

Pay attention cargo capacity, wheelbase, brakes, tow bar rating, and visibility (mirrors) since all those things shape how comfortable you are going down the roads. Super duty mirrors are very good in my humble opinion, and I would buy the 6.2 SD again for this purpose at that price.

I drive a old Mini Cooper that gets 40mpg when not driving the truck, so I choose Rostam’s third option I guess.

[Razorback]

For a 34' Avion, I will always suggest a 3/4-ton truck. You will not regret it.