[Pinch]

Hello all,

I have read a lot on your site recently and figured I would just sign up and ask my questions to you all. If I ask them same questions as in other threads I apologize in advance. I have been a die hard Ford man my whole life and purchased my current truck a 2004 Screw FX4 with 5.4 new but I am starting to get the itch for a new one. I currently pull a 30' camper with a dry weight of 7,000lbs and to be honest its a bit much for my current truck I have pulled it around now for 5 years but I am starting to feel the wear on the tranny and pulling it on the interstate can get spooky when the big rigs pass. I have already priced a 2013 FX4 eco with max tow and loaded up and got a price of 41,000 about $12,000 off sticker so it seems to be a pretty decent price. I am one who keeps trucks for 10 years I am concerned about the longevity of the turbos. I guess I am hoping some of you will help to ease my concerns but I want you all to be honest. I put around 8,000 miles a year on my trucks and mostly just use it for towing the camper and towing my small trailer and UTV to hunt. I do drive my truck off road a fair amount for hunting and cutting wood also. I did drive the truck a couple times and man that thing is impressive just having trouble getting over that they are squeezing that much juice out of a 6.

So here are my questions:
Will the Max tow eco pull my camper well?
What kind of mileage can I expect with the 3.73 gear?
The truck I priced has the 20" grey wheels with those scorpion tires are they as horrible off road as they look?
Do you think the ecoboost will suit my needs?

 

[SPPD]

Welcome to the F150 Ecoboost Forum!

You state that you drive around 8k per year and want to keep your truck for 10. That adds up to around 80k miles.
If you take a look at the Mike Rowe EcoBoost Torture Test videos your mind will be at ease about the truck having the longevity you need.

So I will address the questions I can answer.

You should be all good pulling that camper. I tow a 36' camper that weighs in close to 9k. However, a lot of your towing comfort will come from the hitch system you use. You will have more than enough power and the Towing Mirrors on the MaxTow are excellent.

Fuel economy is good with the 3.73s. It is really determined by how heavy your right foot is followed by wind and weather. I regularly get between 22 and 24 mpg on the highway but I keep it at 65 or less. I average around 18 around town. When my Camper is behind my truck I average right around 11 but have seen as low as 6.6 and as high as 14. Wind and terrain determine my towing mpg.

IDK about the tires.

I think the EcoBeast will suit your needs very well!

Regards,

SPPD

 

[Wayne]

Welcome, I agree with SPPD. You will have plenty of power to puul your trailer. I had a 2004 F-350 V-10 prior to buying the Ecco Boost and the Ecco pulls my trailer just as good as the V-10 did however, the F-150 suspension is not as srtrong as the F-350 was. I have added Roadmaster Active Suspension to my truck. I have not had a chance to really test it out yet though. We pulled our trailer (27 ft. travel trailer) 6125 miles on our "Winter Excursion" February & March and had no problems at all other than, more sway than I had experienced with thw F-350. That is why I added the Roadmaster and I have also changed my hitch to an Andersen. If you can I would go for LT 18" tires. I get 18-19 MPG runining empty and about 8.5 - 9 pulling the trailer. I got 16.5 pulling my boat to Canada in June.My truck now has 14000+ miles with out any peoblems whatsoever. I am leaving for Saint Ignace , MI. later today and will not be pulling anything. This will be the first time I have gone any distance without pulling something since the truck was releatively new. We'll see how she does for MPG. Good luck on your search for a new Ecco Boost.

 

[Pinch]

Thanks for the replies. Do you think I would be fine pulling my rig with the standard tow package with 3.55's or stick with max tow?

 

[Wayne]

Thanks for the replies. Do you think I would be fine pulling my rig with the standard tow package with 3.55's or stick with max tow?

I would defintely stick with the MAX TOW. I would also reccomend that you get the 6.5 foot bed. More room for your hunting supplies plus, I think the longer wheel base pulls better. You also get a stronger frame with the long wheel base I am told. Tires I would reccomend are Bridgestone Duellers RevoII not, a real off road tire but, pretty darn good in snow & ice. I had two sets of them on my F-350 and really liked them I did not want the Pirrelli 20's that came on my truck and had them change them to the 18's they are Goodyear. I will be changing them out as soon as they worn out or maybe sooner. I don't do any real off roading but do drive the back roads and two tracks during hunting season.

 

[AKSilverboost]

As to the first one, YES! The ecobeast has the low end torque that you will need and will maintain that power through out the gears. One of the great things about the eco is that is has a lot of power for the size of the engine. The tow/haul mode and the manual modes make controlling this power up and down the hills very easy and comfortable.

As for the fuel economy, it is all dependant on you. The heavier the foot the less you will get. That being said, I routinely see 22-24 mpgs and that is stock with no load. I haven't hauled anything heavier than 5k lbs yet and I was seeing 14-15mpgs over 300 miles and through 3 mountain ranges here in Alaska.

I am personally not a fan of larger rims on a truck. I am sticking with 18s on mine with more tread. I have not tried the scorpions as I have the wrangler all seasons on mine. They had done well in the winter and off road in the summer.

If you plan on staying with your current trailer and not going to a larger one then an EB with a max tow will more than suit your needs. It has all the power and efficiency that other gasoline engines can't match!

 

[Pinch]

Well my 2013 ecoboost is ordered I spent the last few weeks flip flopping on what I wanted and was having trouble finding it with the max tow so I just said heck with it and ordered it. 2013 f150 fx4 black think I only cut out the nav system since I wouldn't use it much. Dealer said 6-8 weeks so I just hope I don't change my mind ten times in that time frame.