Help Needed F150 or F250 for Towing Adventure 208

[langski93]

I calculate the following on my Adventure 208:

Boat 3800
Engine 600
Fuel 600
Trailer 1500
People 600
Toys, Ice Food etc 200

7300 lbs

With tow package on F150, am I too close to its max rating? I calculate it at between 7800 and 8400lbs depending on set up. Currently looking at F250 with tow package specing out at 11800lbs max or is this overkill?

If its a matter of $1500 between the F150 or F250 (with less creature comforts) do I go and buy the heavier duty truck? I have always purchased as much "tool" as I could afford when it comes to woodworking and that has always worked out for me, but if I am clearly buying into overkill, I'd rather save the money.

Ramp to the ocean 45miles flat, Ramp to the lake 45 miles with some moderate hills. I have a history of keeping vehicles at least 10 years and longer and this truck will be a second vehicle not a primary.

I appreciate all input.

Langski93
Live Free or Die

 

[HuskerBoater]

I tow almost the exact same rig as you have...Tournament 205 fully loaded and I have an f150 with tow package and 5.4L V-8. It does great. Ford gives its towing ratings with room to spare. Especially since you are not towing great distances, the F150 should be fine. Assuming the F250 is not diesel, the F150 should also be cheaper to own over the long haul...better fuel economy, easier to drive/park, etc. I had almost the exact same dilemma you have and I made the F150 choice. It has been great. There are so many variables...tires, tranny, rear end gear ratio...you could pull a 30 foot boat with the right gearing and heavy duty springs. Anyway, good luck.

 

[seasick]

The base boat is under 3,000 lbs. A 2 stroke 150 weighs in at about 480 lbs, 4 strokes new add about 80 lbs. Full fuel is 500 lbs, add 70 lbs for fresh water tank if equipped.
Hardtop and gear add a few hundred.
I tow mine but only short distances with a 5,000 lb rated truck and have no issues. I don't carry 4 passengers though.
If that is your typical load and you are going to tow longer distances (and especially over hilly terrain), I would go for the bigger tow capacity

 

[Grady_Crazy]

My rig:

Adventure 208 dry 2900
Yamaha F200 600
Road King Aluminum Trailer 1000
80 gals fuel 480
10 gal Water 83

5063 lbs

I pull mine with a half ton suburban, does great! Weigh your people and off you go!

 

[Grog]

Most of the time you underestimate the load. #5100 for the boat/trailer, you're going to eat something, fish/waterski, electronics, batteries, how many people...

If it's a seasonal thing the 150 is plenty, for a weekend warrior get a 250. The 1/2 ton will do it but why stress it and you don't need the truck as a daily driver. You can probbly pick up a relatively new used 250 or Excursion/2500 Suburban so you have plenty of storage room and people capacity.

 

[magicalbill]

I agree with Grog. get the 250..
$1500 is not that much extra to spend if your keeping the truck for 10+ years.
Besides, a lot can change in 10 years.
1.)Maybe you'll start towing to further destinations.
2.) Maybe you'll get a bigger Grady.(It's happened before..)
3.) As stated above, the things you load into a trailerable boat add up quickly. With a 250, you can throw whatever you want onto the boat and not worry about overload...Full fuel, tons of gear, whatever.
4.) No need to push a 150 to it's max. load cap. 10 years of use may deteriorate components that wouldn't wear thin with the 250.
5.) This may not be in your financial plan..A Diesel-equipped 250 will tow that thing like a dream and get better mileage than a 1/2 ton rig, plus last longer with proper maintenance. You can expect 12-14 MPG with a diesel towing your rig. I keep trucks long-term like you and my diesel has been great.
You'll probably get 10-11 with a maxed-out 1/2-ton V8.

Good luck..these are great problems to have in this day-and-age.

 

[Seahunter]

Your way off on your estimates. Mine with a full tank of fuel was #4950 on the certified scale.

Pulled it up and down the east coast with a 2001 Tahoe w/ 5.3 and 3.73 rear. Hardly even knew it was back there. Got 11 to 11.5 MPG when pulling.

 

[Hookup1]

Towing

I have towed my 268 Islander to and from Florida/NJ the last two winters. 1300 miles each way. 8,500 plus lbs. load on my 2006 F150 (rated for 9,000 lbs.). Not the fasted tow (58 to 63 mph at 9 mpg).

I think the bigger issue is the choice of engine. The diesel F250 would do a better job but my F150 gas does it just fine.

A boat your size a F150 should be fine.

 

[richie rich]

bigger would definitely be better, especially for $1500 but one thing to realize is the daily ride. The F150 is pretty smooth on the road....more of a comfort zone. The F250 is a pure HD truck. Solid axles, big leaf springs etc...for towing it will be awesome...no worries whatsoever.....but if this will be your daily driver as well??? it will be a stiff ride and the gas engine gets like 12 mpg...ouch! The diesel option which is about 3 or 4K more gets you 20mpg......for that price, you can get a fully loaded Toyota Tundra with the full tow package capable of 10,000GVW, mid teens gas mileage, and still keep a nice daily driver ride. If buying American is your only way to go, you gotta balance the ride/tow capability between the two Ford versions. Didn't the new 150 with the fully loaded tow package and big V8 go higher than 8k? I thought I saw a commercial showing a bit more.....Regardless, get the biggest tranny cooler you can get with the package...that ups the tow value.....I think the 150 should pull the 20+ footer on weekends with no problem.....use synthetic oil in the engine, gear box and differentials as well....that will help longevity.

 

[langski93]

F150 or F250

Thanks to everyone for all responses. I was leaning F250, but now I think I will go F150 with max tow package and not worry about it. Probably add a few more creature comforts.

Langski
Live Free or Die

 

[Dean265]

I tow my 265 express 60 miles with moderate hills with my F150. Its rated for 10k lbs. It tows better than we could have ever dreamed. The F250 is a cool rig but certainly not needed to tow that boat.

 

[CJBROWN]

Yep, a Duramax is overkill. Sure is a neat truck though, mine is a '03. Gets 14 towing, 22 empty, 16 around town with a Hypertech on #2 tune.

I often consider trading it off on a new HD half ton, should be enough to get the job done. But it gets driven about 4K miles a year and mostly just sits in the driveway - doesn't make much sense to spend the $$.

X2 what richie-rich said.

 

[G8RDave]

FWIW, my 228 weighs about 6500 fairly well loaded with the trailer. I think your estimates might be a bit high. My F-150 with the 4.6 engine has been fine for three years. But I live in Florida and we don't have many hills.