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

deserteagle56

Adventurer
What was the ride quality like on your 950 f250 power stroke? I'm never driven a truck with front leafs so I'm wondering if I'm going to absolutely hate it. I could get a low miles 99-2002 f-250 7.3L for roughly 20k vs a 6.7 powerstroke would probably run me 40-55k depending on year and trim level.

I had a 2000 F350 with the 7.3 diesel and 6 speed manual for a while. The ride was just fine. Since then I've had a couple Dodge/Cummins which have the coil spring front end and in my opinion the Ford ride was just as good.
 

B^2

Observer
So revisiting this almost a year later and the price of an f-250 lariat tremor with the 7.3 is pretty similar to the price of a fully loaded f-150 lariat. Difference beasts for sure but it's got me thinking again.
 

B^2

Observer
My 1500 diesel lasted 9 months before I went up to a 2500 diesel... the 1500's payload just got eaten up so fast it was scary. 3.0 Kings and 35's and I haven't looked back.View attachment 701198

whats your normal payload? My setup before was an ARE CX HD cap and a bunch of random ass camping stuff. I wish I had weighed everything before I got rid of my Colorado.

What's the payload of the f- 150 crew cab with the 6.5 bed and the max tow vs the f-250 with the 7.3 and the tremor package.?
 

Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
whats your normal payload? My setup before was an ARE CX HD cap and a bunch of random ass camping stuff. I wish I had weighed everything before I got rid of my Colorado.

What's the payload of the f- 150 crew cab with the 6.5 bed and the max tow vs the f-250 with the 7.3 and the tremor package.?
Funny enough, I just got a pic of a payload sticker for a 2021 F150 SuperCrew Max Tow w/ 6.5" bed. (See the pics below of the equipment list and payload sticker for that truck)

How the truck is optioned will affect the payload rating. So, you'd have to look at the door jamb sticker for the particular truck you'd be looking at.

Screenshot 2022-01-12 110640.png
I0000010.JPG

I can't help with the F250 payload. Maybe someone else can chime in.
 

givemethewillys

Jonathan Chouinard
whats your normal payload? My setup before was an ARE CX HD cap and a bunch of random ass camping stuff. I wish I had weighed everything before I got rid of my Colorado.

What's the payload of the f- 150 crew cab with the 6.5 bed and the max tow vs the f-250 with the 7.3 and the tremor package.?
My 2016 f150 6.5ft bed king ranch max tow has a payload of 1570lbs.
 

eyemgh

Well-known member
I appreciate the hunt for the perfect vehicle, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it simply doesn’t exist. You have to accept that you can get 80-90% of the way there and then decide what you’re willing to give up, carrying capacity or fuel economy.

For us, with a half-ton, a FWC Raven shell, wanting more space, and maxed out on load capacity, the decision was easy…1 ton. I’m in the middle of the build. It’s a F350 XLT (7.3/4.30) Super Cab (148 WB) that will carry a Bowen Customs bed and a Hallmark K2 full time. We opted for 35s and a Carli suspension. It’s not going to be cheap, but much less than most vans, and it’ll always get bad mileage. It’ll suit our needs though and will have the capacity to carry a hard side should we ever move in that direction.

Good luck on the quest. It’s a fun puzzle to try to solve.
 

ricoisme26

Active member
It will primarily be used on the weekends. We have a subaru outback that we use for most of our daily driving. I'd want the 6'5 box if I went 1/2 ton. I like being able to throw my skis in the bed of the truck without needing to add a roof top box. I'm less concerned about departure angle because I'm not likely to be in situations where the extra foot is a big detractor. A bigger camper may be in the future but it would most likely be a bumper pull not a slide in and not for another few years.

Is this still your primary use case? If so what size travel trailer are you considering? Something modest that can sleep a family of 4 and a dog, has a bathroom, and kitchen could weigh as little as 3500lbs on a single axle. You could also want to tow the taj mahal. More realistically for a bumper pulled travel trailer upper limits are probably around 34 feet in length and somewhere just north for 10k lb gvwr.

On paper a half ton can tow any of the above, in practice a half ton is probably best up to about 5000lbs and mid 20s for length. If payload in the bed is of concern combine with the tongue weight a small travel trailer around 4000lbs should still be no problem.

If plans include a trailer over 5000lbs and a loaded down truck it'll still be do able in a half ton but will be more comfortable in a larger truck.

whats your normal payload? My setup before was an ARE CX HD cap and a bunch of random ass camping stuff. I wish I had weighed everything before I got rid of my Colorado.

What's the payload of the f- 150 crew cab with the 6.5 bed and the max tow vs the f-250 with the 7.3 and the tremor package.?

For Lariat trims I'd expect about 1600lbs pay load in an F150 with the 3.5 ecoboost and roughly 2900lbs give or take for the F250 with the 7.3. Bumping to an F350 with the 7.3 pushes 4000lbs for comparison sake.


The information provided in this post does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice, instead, all information, content, and materials available in this post are for general information purposes only. I am not a doctor nor have I ever claimed to be a wise man
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,540
Messages
2,875,672
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top