Help selecting new truck

[TwelveVoltMan]

Let me begin by saying I'm new here. I'm not new to RVing, though. Currently, I own a 2006 Ford F-250 diesel and pull a travel trailer that is about 7500 pounds fully loaded. I've loved my truck, but I feel like it's time to go with something newer. I'm not interested in getting another diesel, simply because I don't need that much truck and repairs and maintenance are fairly expensive, not to mention the higher purchase price.

So, in my search for a new truck, I'm finding myself drawn toward either a GMC Sierra 1500 with a 5.3L engine or a Ford F-250, preferably with the 7.3L gas engine. I did test drive the Ford F-250 with the 6.2L gas engine and it seemed powerful enough for my needs. Here is my dilemma... The price difference between the F-250 and the Sierra 1500 is negligible. The difference is, I can get a more "fully loaded" truck in the Sierra 1500 as compared to the F-250. Sierra 2500s are much harder to come by in my area and, if located, are much more expensive than F-250s. I'm really trying to stay with a sticker price of about $55K. I'll then add my down payment and either trade in my current truck or sell it and use the proceeds toward the purchase of the new truck.

My question is this: Would I be okay going with a 1500 (which appears to have a maximum tow rating in the neighborhood of 9,300 pounds) or would I regret not going with the F-250 (which appears to have a maximum tow rating of around 14,000 pounds)? Obviously, the F-250 would allow me to tow my current trailer with less stress on the engine, but would the Sierra 1500 be perfectly capable of towing it? I'll add that the Sierra 1500 I'm looking at shows to have an auxiliary oil cooler and transmission cooler, which I assume would ease the stress of towing.

What if I upgrade to a travel trailer in the 8000-9000 pound range? Would that be asking too much of the Sierra 1500? To give some perspective, we typically tow about 4-6 times per year, with an average distance of about 200 miles. That said, with a new truck, I'd feel more comfortable towing longer distances, but likely not that much longer.

To complicate things, this truck would likely be used as my everyday driver, so I would use it more around town that I would towing. That said, I still wouldn't expect to put more than about 8000-9000 miles per year on the truck. Obviously, the Sierra 1500 would be more nimble and economical for around town driving. If towing my camper, however, would wear it out, maybe I should consider the F-250, even though it's larger, worse on gas, and not as easily maneuverable around town.

I'm really torn and would appreciate some advice.

Thanks,
Jay

 

[mhbell]

I can understand your delima. I had a similair case. I had a half ton Pickup that was fine to tow my 23 ft travel trailer which only weighed 4100 Lbs loaded. But I upgraded my travel trailer to a bigger 26 ft and a loaded weight of 7400 Lbs. The half ton truck just would not cut it so I started looking for a F250 I've pretty much been a ford man for the last 30 40 years. Well the F250s are scarce and demand a premium price. I finally found a Chevy silverado HD2500 at a fair price and it was loaded. I couldn't be happier. It will tow anything I would care to tow and the comfort and extras compared to the ford F250 Made it a worthwhile switch for me. Most half tons are very overrated for towing No matter what the dealer tells you. There is a lot more than the tow rating to consider. If it was me I'd look at a HD2500. YMMV.
Mel

 

[DHudson]

Any 1/2 ton will be at it's limits at that weight. The suspension is the weak point. You will have to drive much slower to be stable. You also have more braking on a 3/4 ton, which is critical at that weight. Also the tires are rated for more load capacity. The drive line will handle it fine on a GM product. I would REALLY consider a 3/4 ton for the safety first and your comfort driving/towing. I am with you on a diesel. A diesel will cost you at least $10,000.00 more that the same gas powered truck. And you already know the maintenance cost.
HOWEVER, I would not consider anything less than a 6.0 or larger V8. You will not be happy with a 5.3 pulling that much weight. That load will be over taxing a small turbo charged engine (Ford Ecotech). And if those break out of warranty, it's as bad as a diesel breaking. The V8 engines from GM will last 500,000 miles if maintained properly.. Mine has over 600,000.

Sometimes good old American muscle fits the bill just right.

 

["EZ"]

Stay away from a 1500 for towing campers! It's just not enough truck (or brakes) unless the camper is really small and light. I realize some of them have big ratings for towing but in the real world it just doesn't work out well, especially compared to a 3/4 ton truck.

Have you considered the Ram 2500 with the 392 cubic inch Hemi gas engine? I have sold commercial trucks for 30 years and the Ram 2500 is one of the best I've ever seen. That 6.7L Hemi is awesome! It's a real TRUCK engine, with a cam that is ground to produce TORQUE which is what you need for towing. They didn't just take the engine out of the Hell Cat Challenger and put it into the truck. The block is thicker. There's more cooling. Everything is made for towing or hauling weight. I think you owe it to yourself to at least check one out.

 

[TwelveVoltMan]

Stay away from a 1500 for towing campers! It's just not enough truck (or brakes) unless the camper is really small and light. I realize some of them have big ratings for towing but in the real world it just doesn't work out well, especially compared to a 3/4 ton truck.

Have you considered the Ram 2500 with the 392 cubic inch Hemi gas engine? I have sold commercial trucks for 30 years and the Ram 2500 is one of the best I've ever seen. That 6.7L Hemi is awesome! It's a real TRUCK engine, with a cam that is ground to produce TORQUE which is what you need for towing. They didn't just take the engine out of the Hell Cat Challenger and put it into the truck. The block is thicker. There's more cooling. Everything is made for towing or hauling weight. I think you owe it to yourself to at least check one out.

Thanks for the information. I was pretty much set on the F-250, but I'm willing to consider a Dodge. I'll look into it.

 

["EZ"]

Thanks for the information. I was pretty much set on the F-250, but I'm willing to consider a Dodge. I'll look into it.

Most of the Ram Commercial Trucks I sell have the Cummins diesel in them. But you said you wanted a gas engine. That big Hemi gas engine is a real work horse!! Most everyone else just took a car engine and put it into their truck (with the exception of the Ford V10) but that V10 really sucks the gas down!!! I've heard 6-7 MPG with the V-10 gas engine. Check this website out!! 2021 Ram 2500 MPG - Actual MPG from 56 2021 Ram 2500 owners They took info from 56 Ram 2500 owners with the 6.7L Hemi and show the gas mileage they got. There are people getting 18-20 MPG's!!! Now of course that's not towing a 9000 pound camper behind it but the engine really does get good fuel economy for such a large displacement engine. Good luck with your search!

 

[MapNerd]

I vote to go for the 250/2500. You never know what tomorrow is going to bring and it’s not like you can just go out and rent a super duty truck from enterprise

 

[John&Andrea]

I would stay with 3/4 ton towing and me it would be diesel. I’m a Ford guy but it may be hard to beat the Ram right now for over tow capacity. If the truck is a daily driver you may not want the diesel, over all maintenance is more expensive. Towing I prefer diesel.

 

[TwelveVoltMan]

Thanks for all of the advice, guys. I really appreciate the insight. I ended up getting an F-250 with the 6.2L engine yesterday. The 7.3s are impossible to find in my area, so I went with what I could find. While I haven't towed with it yet, I have no doubt it'll be plenty strong enough for my needs. So, for the last 24 hours, I've been trying to learn as much as I can about it. It is not equipped with bed lights, but has the cut-outs for them. After watching some videos, it sounds like Ford often pre-wires for these lights, which makes installation much easier. I got to looking around under the truck and found 4 connectors near the spare tire on the driver's side. Two of them are larger and two are smaller. All four have wires going to them but it doesn't look like there are any wires leaving the connectors and going anywhere else. Can anyone provide me with some ideas on what these are and what they're used for? I'm generally pretty handy, but I know nothing about vehicle wiring. Again, thanks for all of your help.

 

[MapNerd]

I have bed lights on my 2020 150. I can check for those. Can you give me a better description of where you located those doo dads?