½-ton or ¾-ton for towing duty (and daily driving)

[Hank_]

Thats the whole point. The newer 3/4 tons have larger breaks, therefore more breaking power. The thing is if the weight behind the truck is similar, equal, or more. The breaking power of the truck will be greatly dimished. Thats where a heavier truck comes in. I am not disagreeing with the older trucks not stoping as well has the newer trucks. The other factor that comes in on the 3/4 tons is shock load.

I will still say either a 1/2 or 3/4 ton towing the same vehicle with the same trailer with properly set up trailer brakes will stop very much the same. If you dont have trailer brakes then yes it would stop better. You should however have the trailer set up for properly towing your payload.

Henry

 

[rcmbronc]

I have a 05 F250 6.0 PS. Love it for towing. Had a 04 F150 and towed a bronco once in it. THey have the power and will mostly stop, but depending on the weight of the trailer the truck is not always in complete control like it is in a F250-350. I towed alot of race trailer for snowmobiles with a 1/2 ton but finally got a larger truck and made the towing so much more relaxing.

One other thing to remember is that at leat the 3/4-1 ton truck have floating rear axles so if you break an axle at least the whell stays on.

 

[sandguy356]

My trailer brakes work great and I have had to hit the brakes pretty hard. I towed my lifted 95 wranger 5 hours each way 4 wheeling and I towed my bronco from New York to Michigan through the hills of Pensylvania again with no problems. My truck has 4 wheel disc brakes and maybe if you dont have trailer brakes you would have problems but with trailer brakes any braking you do with the f150 will be great. Dont know what year 1/2 tons you are talking about but the newer ones are better the the 3/4 tons of 10 years ago.

I'll put my '97 CC powerstroke up against any 1/2 ton pickup thats around right now. 1/2 tons may be ABLE to tow the load, but when crap gets gnarly, give me that extra weight, big brakes and length of the 3/4 ton. I can't even begin to tell you how many accidents I've seen involving SUVs and light duty pickups. I know it might seen like just "extra" money to spend, but it might not be someday.

 

[screamin reel]

I tow with a Chev 1500HD which is the same as the US 2500. 3/4 ton
6.0L gasser with 4.30 gears. Rides much nicer than the Ford 250 or 350. or the 2500HD Duramax.

I could not justify the extra expense of the diesel either.

The new Ford F150's have much larger brakes and towing capacity vs. the older ones but the problem with 1/2 tons is the GVWR and the GCVWR. Last time I checked Ford was only offering 3.73 gears as well. Not the best for towing.

If the tongue weight of the hauler exceeds 600 lbs and you have more than 500 - 600 lbs in the bed you will be pushing the safe legal limits of the 1/2 ton.

Ford did make a light weight 3/4 I think it was a F150 7700 which offered the 5.4L and 4.30 rear end with a 7 lug axle.

 

[Buldozer]

If the tongue weight of the hauler exceeds 600 lbs and you have more than 500 - 600 lbs in the bed you will be pushing the safe legal limits of the 1/2 ton.

Ford did make a light weight 3/4 I think it was a F150 7700 which offered the 5.4L and 4.30 rear end with a 7 lug axle.

I have had two F150 - 7700's and stopped buying them. I just could not justify the extra expense and stiffer ride for towing a few times a month. The 7700 is rated for 11,300 with 4.10's and my current F150 is rated for 9800 with 3.73's and I can not tell any difference towing but I can tell a lot of difference at 80 MPH on the tach. Much more comfortable ride, less noise in the cabin, more comfortable towing and all around a more relaxed ride IMO. I use the 5.4 3V in both models and both tow great but I will not buy any more 7700's....just not worth the extra coin IMO, the only thing I miss is the limited slip rear differential.

 

[kb6677]

My Dad bought our first F250 in '86. 460 4speed. Until we got it, we towed horse trailers, equipment trailers with a 3600 Ford Diesel tractor, and my boat with a 1/2 ton. Here is where the bells and chimes start going off. Wow, what a difference. As has been written, old school tech on F150's not too good!! In '96 we bought our first F350SRW, 'stroke. More bells and chimes go off here. In '99 we went to a F350 dually 'stroke, third set of bells and chimes. We have used a dually since '99 and would not go back. Your original post was a DD, so single wheel rig would be better for you. Price has been thrown around alot in this thread. Look for a low mile '06/early '07 6.0(most bugs worked out by then) F250/350 and be done with it-they can be bought in the S.E. for mid to high 20's. MPG has been mentioned by some. With a good tune(conservative) from a reputable company, you should see 15-18 real world mpg not towing. A buddy's '06 F350 Crew cab with said tune,exhaust(no cat, performance muf.), k&n air kit, stock inj. and everything else, stock size tires, 5speed tqshift auto, 373 gear, gets 18-20 on the interstate. His wife sold their expedition and now uses the Crew as the family hauler. When he is a good boy she lets him tow is boat, eb and other toys with it.
FWIW