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

[B^2]

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.



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

As far as a travel trailer I'd probably be looking at the Micro Minnie 2100BH from Winnebago or maybe the 2301 BHS but that seems real big. We've got a 2nd kid coming in the early fall so not sure how much adventuring I'll be doing but it's definitely something I think about.

 

[ricoisme26]

As far as a travel trailer I'd probably be looking at the Micro Minnie 2100BH from Winnebago or maybe the 2301 BHS but that seems real big. We've got a 2nd kid coming in the early fall so not sure how much adventuring I'll be doing but it's definitely something I think about.

Either of those trailers could be towed with a half ton. I feel a lot of experienced RVers would say the later is 3/4 ton territory. Even the smaller of the two could benefit from a 3/4 ton towing it but should be doable with a half ton.

I'm in a similar boat as you, I have a 2012 F150, right now a camper isn't an issue as I have a small RTT trailer but the plan is for the family to grow and a camper would be more comfortable when it does (could extend our camping season now as well). Pending what camper we settle on I'll see how it feels behind the half ton but I plan to some day upgrade to a 3/4 or 1 ton. Outside of camping I've had my truck hooked to trailers too heavy for it more than I'd like, but still not frequent enough for me to pull the trigger on an upgrade

 

[jadmt]

Thanks for the photos, F-250 looks about 1,000lbs more give or take with the 7.3: https://www.fordtremor.com/threads/actual-ford-tremor-payload.107/

my buddy just got a new F250 lariat with 7.3 and his payload sticker is 2722. it is a sweet truck. I love the drivetrain compared to my 2020 ram with 6.4. mine rides smoother ride wise and would be more comfortable on a long trip but that 7.3 is noticeably more powerful. he has a wb micro mini 2108ds and said his 1500 with 5.7 did ok pulling it. he goes south for a month or two and said if he were just pulling it locally he would not have really needed to upgrade.

 

[Todd780]

Either of those trailers could be towed with a half ton. I feel a lot of experienced RVers would say the later is 3/4 ton territory. Even the smaller of the two could benefit from a 3/4 ton towing it but should be doable with a half ton.

I'm in a similar boat as you, I have a 2012 F150, right now a camper isn't an issue as I have a small RTT trailer but the plan is for the family to grow and a camper would be more comfortable when it does (could extend our camping season now as well). Pending what camper we settle on I'll see how it feels behind the half ton but I plan to some day upgrade to a 3/4 or 1 ton. Outside of camping I've had my truck hooked to trailers too heavy for it more than I'd like, but still not frequent enough for me to pull the trigger on an upgrade

As far as a travel trailer I'd probably be looking at the Micro Minnie 2100BH from Winnebago or maybe the 2301 BHS but that seems real big. We've got a 2nd kid coming in the early fall so not sure how much adventuring I'll be doing but it's definitely something I think about.

This is 23' ft hitch to bumper. 3900 lbs dry. (Probably 5,000ish OTD) Queen for us, single bunks for the kiddos, bathroom, kitchen, (Even though we just cook outside).

Plenty for a young family of 4.



Truck is a 5.0L, 3:73 and 6 speed. It tows okay. We also tow heavy. (Full tanks, bed loaded with Firewood etc...)

I think a newer EcoBoost with a 10 speed would tow better. Def don't think I'd need a 3/4 ton though. So either of the 2 trailers you mentioned should be easily towed by an F150.

 

[eyemgh]

my buddy just got a new F250 lariat with 7.3 and his payload sticker is 2330. it is a sweet truck. I love the drivetrain compared to my 2020 ram with 6.4. mine rides smoother ride wise and would be more comfortable on a long trip but that 7.3 is noticeably more powerful. he has a wb micro mini 2108ds and said his 1500 with 5.7 did ok pulling it. he goes south for a month or two and said if he were just pulling it locally he would not have really needed to upgrade.

That blows my mind. I just took delivery of a F350 XLT 7.3 and its payload sticker is 4345. Its a 148 WB, with FX4 and the Camper Package, but save one leaf, they’re essentially the same build. Two thousand pounds difference. ?

As for ride, my Silverado 1500 is way smoother. It’s designed for a different purpose though. That’s why we decided to switch to Carli right out of the gate. I don’t like bashing my head on the side window turning into a driveway. ?

 

[tacollie]

That blows my mind. I just took delivery of a F350 XLT 7.3 and its payload sticker is 4345. Its a 148 WB, with FX4 and the Camper Package, but save one leaf, they’re essentially the same build. Two thousand pounds difference.

I'm betting he has the 10k downgrade GVWR. You loose 800lbs. His truck probably gained 300lbs from the Lariat and Crew cab. My F250 is a more similar build to yours and is 3337. Is yours a 11,300 GVWR?

 

[eyemgh]

I'm betting he has the 10k downgrade GVWR. You loose 800lbs. His truck probably gained 300lbs from the Lariat and Crew cab. My F250 is a more similar build to yours and is 3337. Is yours a 11,300 GVWR?

Yep. Plus I intentionally paid for the stickers in the event that I wanted a hard side someday. After running out of capacity on our Silverado, I didn’t want that to be an issue.

 

[Riversdad]

my buddy just got a new F250 lariat with 7.3 and his payload sticker is 2330. it is a sweet truck. I love the drivetrain compared to my 2020 ram with 6.4. mine rides smoother ride wise and would be more comfortable on a long trip but that 7.3 is noticeably more powerful. he has a wb micro mini 2108ds and said his 1500 with 5.7 did ok pulling it. he goes south for a month or two and said if he were just pulling it locally he would not have really needed to upgrade.

Are you sure? My 250 Lariat Tremor stickers out at 2970lbs.

 

[Highlander]

Depends how much load you are carrying other than the people.
Let me tell you what my friend did.

He started with a 2nd gen. Tacoma. He was single + 2 dogs and hunting gear + bike. He was very happy.
Then He got a gal... Tacoma still was just fine. He added a roof tent.
Then he end up getting into duck hunting which is sort of equipment heavy activity. So he got a small boat + all duck stuff.
The Tacoma was no longer enough and he moved on to a RAM 1500.
Then he and her started going to Missouri and Oklahoma. So they needed a small RV, and all the above stuff.
The RAM still was enough but kind of maxed out.
Now they are expecting a baby and they still want to do what they have been doing.
So he is thinking getting a RAM 2500 and new, larger RV + all the stuff above + 2 dogs.

Point is that if you need it and actually use it you should go with a 3/4. If not then it just waste of money.

 

[jadmt]

my buddy just got a new F250 lariat with 7.3 and his payload sticker is 2330. it is a sweet truck. I love the drivetrain compared to my 2020 ram with 6.4. mine rides smoother ride wise and would be more comfortable on a long trip but that 7.3 is noticeably more powerful. he has a wb micro mini 2108ds and said his 1500 with 5.7 did ok pulling it. he goes south for a month or two and said if he were just pulling it locally he would not have really needed to upgrade.

my fingers were moving too fast lol. 2722 lbs not 2330...i will edit my post.

 

[B^2]

Is the biggest difference between the f-250 and the f-350 the rear suspension? I don't foresee us getting a slide in camper for the extra payload on the f-350 is probably way more than we would ever need/use. My thinking is when factoring in tongue weight that is where the payload of an f-250 comes in handy over an F-150

 

[eyemgh]

Is the biggest difference between the f-250 and the f-350 the rear suspension? I don't foresee us getting a slide in camper for the extra payload on the f-350 is probably way more than we would ever need/use. My thinking is when factoring in tongue weight that is where the payload of an f-250 comes in handy over an F-150

It depends on what packages you get. You can essentially configure a 250 to be the same as a 350. It doesn't put the same numbers on the stickers though. It's controversial, since they can be the same truck. I personally ponied up a little more so that I had a camper certificate and had the highest GVWR I could get on the sticker. Some think that's a waste.

 

[givemethewillys]

Is the biggest difference between the f-250 and the f-350 the rear suspension? I don't foresee us getting a slide in camper for the extra payload on the f-350 is probably way more than we would ever need/use. My thinking is when factoring in tongue weight that is where the payload of an f-250 comes in handy over an F-150

The spring pack is usually bigger by a leaf or so, and sometimes there's an overload that the one ton has where the 3/4 doesn't. The biggest difference is the sticker on the door. Between the two, I'd go for the added payload.

 

[eyemgh]

The spring pack is usually bigger by a leaf or so, and sometimes there's an overload that the one ton has where the 3/4 doesn't. The biggest difference is the sticker on the door. Between the two, I'd go for the added payload.

You can get that leaf with the $160 camper package on the 250. I'm with you though. I can see no reason not to do as I did, F350.

 

[ricoisme26]

You can get that leaf with the $160 camper package on the 250. I'm with you though. I can see no reason not to do as I did, F350.

I would be going F350 as well if I was buying a super duty, better to have the capacity and not need it when the trucks are so similar if not physically the same. Some state though may have different registration fees or limitation due to GVWR