1/2 Ton vs 3/4 Ton for Family Adventures?

[Boatbuilder79]

If I were to do it over I would get an f150 with the 2.7. Fuel costs add up fast.

It will tow a lot for the mpg it gets and go a LONG way on a 36 gallon tank.

It would be hard to look past the raptor though.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

If I were to do it over I would get an f150 with the 2.7. Fuel costs add up fast.

It will tow a lot for the mpg it gets and go a LONG way on a 36 gallon tank.

It would be hard to look past the raptor though.

Is there much MPG difference between the 2.7 and 3.5?

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Is there much MPG difference between the 2.7 and 3.5?

Yep. Many 3.5s don't get over 20 mpg on the HW while the 2.7 can easily get that in town. All other things being equal tbe 2.7 seems to get 2-3 mpg better than the 3.5.

 

[Buddha.]

I could almost go with. 2.7 truck but I’ll be buying a new travel trailer soon and I don’t know how big it’s gonna be.

I’m spending $20 a day on fuel right now with my 13mpg highway.

 

[Buddha.]

Yep. Many 3.5s don't get over 20 mpg on the HW while the 2.7 can easily get that in town. All other things being equal tbe 2.7 seems to get 2-3 mpg better than the 3.5.

I wonder how the tow package with 3:73’s effects fuel mileage.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I wonder how the tow package with 3:73’s effects fuel mileage.

I would imagine it's not a huge hit. The 10 speed makes the rear end ratio less important.

 

[Boatbuilder79]

I have the 5.0 but my mileage improved when I went from 3.55 to 4.11

 

[B^2]

When you add the HDPP to the f-150 with the 3.5L on the lariat trim you start to get pretty close to the f-250 cost.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I have the 5.0 but my mileage improved when I went from 3.55 to 4.11

Are you running larger/heavier tires?

When I went with 33" instead of 32" tires and swapped from 3.15 to 3.55 gears my mpg didn't fluctuate much. When I leveled it is when it went down...lol.

 

[Boatbuilder79]

Are you running larger/heavier tires?

I have raptor takeoffs on the truck but still have my stock wheels with BFg all terrains on em. I tried both Gas mileage got better better with the stock size and the raptor takeoffs.

 

[Boatbuilder79]

By gas mileage went up I mean when I changed gears it went from horrible 14.5 mpg to a terrible 16.5 mpg with the raptor wheels it is about 1mpg better with the stock wheels

 

[deserteagle56]

Unless you are limiting yourself to good graded dirt roads keep in mind that any of the half tons don't really have the ground clearance needed to clear washes and boulders, etc. I have an F150/3.5 Ecoboost as a daily driver; I've had to add heavy duty aftermarket bash plates to cover the whole underneath to keep rocks from causing damage. Even so, crossing bar ditches/washouts still causes both the front and the rear to drag in the dirt. So unless you put a lift kit and bigger tires on, that's a limitation.

I also have a Dodge/Cummins 3500 as my "heavy-duty hauler", and have owned a few F350s also. They would have had NO problems crossing those same places that my F150 has problems with. Particularly the front ends - they sit so much higher due to the solid front axle.

 

[curtis73]

Right now I have a Ranger, a 1/2 ton van, and dad has a 3/4 ton Dmax and a 1-ton Dmax. In the past I have had a few Powerstroke 7.3s, a 6.5TD, and a 12v Cummins as well as a ton of gas buggies.

I'm biased. For both off and on road stuff, I prefer the compact and 1/2 ton, but I don't have a family full of kids. The number of times per week I have a single additional passenger in my vehicles is maybe 1 or 2. Having said that, I am a huge diesel lover. I spent months trying to find a decent and applicable diesel to swap into the ranger, and I'm even swapping a Duramax into a 66 Bonneville. 3/4 and 1-ton trucks (in my opinion) just tend to suck off road. Stiff, non-compliant suspensions and punishing ride.

My gas Ranger gets 12/16 mpg
1/2 ton van gets 10/15 mpg
3/4 ton Dmax averages 22 mpg, mostly highway, with a ton of mods (938 rwtq)
1-ton Dmax dually gets 18-19

You can't really base the MPG benefit of a diesel as part of recouping your initial costs. It take a LOT of miles to recover the money you spend on the fuel you save. What you can bank on is resale value. Buy a gently used gas truck for $10k, drive it for 100k miles, and you have a $2500 truck. Buy a gently used diesel truck for $20k, drive it for 100k, and you have a $17k truck. If you sell it, you have way more money in your pocket with a diesel. If you go that route, be aware that some diesels are a good bet and some can be a money pit. 6.0L powerstroke that hasn't already been "bulletproofed" by someone else means you might have to drop $4500 some day to fix it. 6.7L stroke, good bet. Duramax after 2004/5, good bet.

Another thing to note. Post-08 diesels with a DPF seem to have a significant "break in" period during which the DPF causes disappointing MPG numbers. Dad's 1-ton is the only DPF truck we have, and it started life getting 13 mpg on the highway. It was only after about 25k miles that it started getting better.

The only other thing I'll mention is beef. This is very nebulous and very dependent on the year/make, but stepping up to a 3/4 usually nets you WAY beefier stuff; ball joints, axles, brakes, cooling systems, transmissions and TCs.

I guess what I'm saying is, pick what's important to you. I would think a 1/2 ton would be enough, especially with the beefy stuff they're putting out these days.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

When you add the HDPP to the f-150 with the 3.5L on the lariat trim you start to get pretty close to the f-250 cost.

I didn't think you could get HDPP on Lariat's anymore? Or is this another one of those US / Canada differences?

 

[B^2]

Right now I have a Ranger, a 1/2 ton van, and dad has a 3/4 ton Dmax and a 1-ton Dmax. In the past I have had a few Powerstroke 7.3s, a 6.5TD, and a 12v Cummins as well as a ton of gas buggies.

I'm biased. For both off and on road stuff, I prefer the compact and 1/2 ton, but I don't have a family full of kids. The number of times per week I have a single additional passenger in my vehicles is maybe 1 or 2. Having said that, I am a huge diesel lover. I spent months trying to find a decent and applicable diesel to swap into the ranger, and I'm even swapping a Duramax into a 66 Bonneville. 3/4 and 1-ton trucks (in my opinion) just tend to suck off road. Stiff, non-compliant suspensions and punishing ride.

My gas Ranger gets 12/16 mpg
1/2 ton van gets 10/15 mpg
3/4 ton Dmax averages 22 mpg, mostly highway, with a ton of mods (938 rwtq)
1-ton Dmax dually gets 18-19

You can't really base the MPG benefit of a diesel as part of recouping your initial costs. It take a LOT of miles to recover the money you spend on the fuel you save. What you can bank on is resale value. Buy a gently used gas truck for $10k, drive it for 100k miles, and you have a $2500 truck. Buy a gently used diesel truck for $20k, drive it for 100k, and you have a $17k truck. If you sell it, you have way more money in your pocket with a diesel. If you go that route, be aware that some diesels are a good bet and some can be a money pit. 6.0L powerstroke that hasn't already been "bulletproofed" by someone else means you might have to drop $4500 some day to fix it. 6.7L stroke, good bet. Duramax after 2004/5, good bet.

Another thing to note. Post-08 diesels with a DPF seem to have a significant "break in" period during which the DPF causes disappointing MPG numbers. Dad's 1-ton is the only DPF truck we have, and it started life getting 13 mpg on the highway. It was only after about 25k miles that it started getting better.

The only other thing I'll mention is beef. This is very nebulous and very dependent on the year/make, but stepping up to a 3/4 usually nets you WAY beefier stuff; ball joints, axles, brakes, cooling systems, transmissions and TCs.

I guess what I'm saying is, pick what's important to you. I would think a 1/2 ton would be enough, especially with the beefy stuff they're putting out these days.

I've thought about trying to find a relatively low miles 7.3 powerstroke and just driving that but I'm afraid that the leaf sprung suspension will be too uncomfortable for the family, especially if we're running a lighter load. I know some people swap the axles on there so they can run the 05+ suspension but I don't have the means to do it myself and I feel like the idea of throwing that kind of money into a 20+ year old truck is not the best idea. In an ideal world, I'd keep this purchase for 15+ years but I also recognize that I drive so little now that it would probably take that long just to break even on the fuel over a 7.3 gas f-250. I do like the idea of additional clearance of the 3/4 ton trucks over something like the f-150.