What Half-Ton Truck & Why

[D45]

Looking to get a used 4x4 , 4 door, half-ton truck

Just totaled my 2012 F150 FX4. I will not consider another Ecoboost motor.

Looking for suggestions

I liked the ride quality and cab room of the F150

I hated the clunk with the two piece rear driveshaft. Dealers tried the TSB twice, the fix only lasted 3-4 months each time. A $51k truck should not have these issues

The 13.5-15.5 mpg was terrible

Power was good and I liked the transmission

The truck ate spark plugs, always replaced them every 20,000 miles. Easy 30 min job

Oil changes were messy

Catch can did work, but it got annoying every 3-5 days to empty a full can of slop

Painted bumpers rusted fast

I loved the max tow and max payload package

I hated the ride with the 20" tires, never again anything over 18"

 

[Buddha.]

I’m a fan of GM trucks because the drivetrains are pretty well proven, except for the whole displacement on demand troubles, the HD trucks don’t have to deal with that though.
I’ve never seen 15mpg with mine and the ride is a little rough even with my 17” winter tire setup so idk if I’d recommend the HD’s to you.

Maybe a GM 1500 with the dod system shut off.

 

[hodgexj1996]

Ram 1500. I got into my 2016 from my 2013 3.5 EB. I don't miss muxh about my ford except the power and locker. I have the Ecodiesel so I cant comment on mpg as I'm mid to high 20s on a regular basis. Rides better than any vehicle I've ever owned. Rear coils don't like big payloads stock, but a quick coil swap or airbags solves that. I went from the FX4 to a tradesman and even with the downgrade I don't find myself missing anything. U connect is so much better than the sync crap too.

I haven't tried the new ford 10spd out but I LOVE this 8spd. Haven't been in that new E torque hemi either but I'm not a fan of hybrid systems so I'd just avoid that myself.

Plus coming into 2020 they are giving good deals on the 2019 4th Gen "Classics".



Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[D45]

I am a power junky and like stats:

F-150 motors:

5.0L V8 302cid
360 HP @ 5,000
380 TQ @ 4,200

3.5L V6 213 cid
365 HP @ 5,000
420 TQ @2,500

-------------------

Toyota Tundra

5.7L V8 345 cid
381hp @ 5,600RPM
401 lb.-ft. @ 3,600RPM

---------------------
GMC / Chevy

5.3L V8 325 cid
355 HP @ 5,600 RPM
383 TQ @ 4,100 RPM

6.2L V8 376 cid
420 HP @ 5,600 RPM
460 TQ @ 4,100 RPM

------------------------

Dodge Ram

5.7L V8 345 cid
395 HP @ 5,600 RPM
410 TQ @ 3,950 RPM

 

[phsycle]

What’s the budget?

Of all 3 makes, I like Ford the best. Big cab, drives nice, and no rust. Maybe switch to a V8 or 3.3 V6 if you don’t need the power.

Second choice would be a Ram. But a new gen, as the cabs are much bigger (slightly bigger than Fords now), and safety rating is better.

regarding power, didn’t see the last post. Forget the 3.3 then. And if you didn’t like the poor MPG of the eco boost, you’re not going to like the 5.7 Toyota V8. Horrendous.

 

[D45]

I am looking at the F150 with the 5.0L motor......hows the mpg?

 

[D45]

I am considering an aluminum body F150 with the 5.0L V8 Ford still having driveline issues with the 2015+ trucks? With the 5.5 bed, is it an aluminum one piece rear driveshaft?

 

[motoboss]

I know you're looking to buy used but right now 'New' can be had not far off a later model used truck. We just bought a 2019 F150 SC 4x4 with the 3.3L 6spd, 3.73 and 6.5 bed and LOVE it. It replaced my 2006 F150 SC with the 4.2L that I sold quickly with 265,000 miles on it.

With just a couple thousand miles on it we get 17.3 mpg city and a recent highway trip got 21mpg on the interstate. I only tow a 3200 pound max trailer, which I haven't pulled yet, but don't see any problem towing with a 7000 lb max tow rating and the '06 handled it fine.

I didn't want anything to do with the eco-boost motors OR the 10 speed transmission is why I specifically sought out this combination. I saw just too many bad reviews and class action suits against the 10 speed and plenty of problems with the eco-boost platform not to mention the constant maintenance. Considered the 5.0 but the oil consumption problem and lesser fuel mileage with it axed that.

The 3.3L and 6spd is the work horse combo and is in many, many shop fleets. I'll admit I'm a Ford guy but have owned many other brands but for work and play I always seem to come back to the blue oval. If your main goal is other than towing I'd consider staying with what you know just in a more focused package.

Good luck. The hunt is part of the fun.


On a side note, what's your opinion on the pedal commander?

 

[MichaelK10]

I’m a fan of GM trucks because the drivetrains are pretty well proven, except for the whole displacement on demand troubles, the HD trucks don’t have to deal with that though.
I’ve never seen 15mpg with mine and the ride is a little rough even with my 17” winter tire setup so idk if I’d recommend the HD’s to you.

Maybe a GM 1500 with the dod system shut off.

The 2014+ AFM/DOD is much improved over the 07-13 design.

 

[deserteagle56]

regarding power, didn’t see the last post. Forget the 3.3 then. And if you didn’t like the poor MPG of the eco boost, you’re not going to like the 5.7 Toyota V8. Horrendous.

Don't understand how people drive to get such horrendous mileage. Picked up my 2016 F150 3.5 Ecoboost Supercab in May of 2016. As with all my vehicles, fuel purchases are entered into an Excel spreadsheet which calculates the mileage among other things. Over 40,000 miles on it now and the overall fuel mileage since I bought it is 20.96 mpg. According to the spreadsheet the best tank I've ever gotten was just under 24 mpg and the WORST was 17.3. The truck has been totally dependable - never been in the shop for any reason. All I've even done is change the oil and rotate the tires.

 

[D45]

I have a Ram Rebel right now, for a rental

With the 5.7L Hemi, I am getting a solid 17.5-18 mpg

Power isn't as good as the 3.5L Eco, but it rides great and the motor sounds great with the factory exhaust

 

[motoboss]

Don't understand how people drive to get such horrendous mileage. Picked up my 2016 F150 3.5 Ecoboost Supercab in May of 2016. As with all my vehicles, fuel purchases are entered into an Excel spreadsheet which calculates the mileage among other things. Over 40,000 miles on it now and the overall fuel mileage since I bought it is 20.96 mpg. According to the spreadsheet the best tank I've ever gotten was just under 24 mpg and the WORST was 17.3. The truck has been totally dependable - never been in the shop for any reason. All I've even done is change the oil and rotate the tires.

Did the term "power junky" not factor into your response?

 

[Grassland]

I have a Ram Rebel right now, for a rental

With the 5.7L Hemi, I am getting a solid 17.5-18 mpg

Power isn't as good as the 3.5L Eco, but it rides great and the motor sounds great with the factory exhaust

Ok well a shorter truck on stock tires isn't getting much better than your longer wheelbase and thus heavier truck with +2" tires.

I'm driving a 3.7 F150 on 34" LTs and am happy to get 16 mpg in town. Best ever has been 19 and change.

Full size trucks with big horse power and large heavy tires isn't a combination for great fuel economy.

You probably get a 1 piece driveshaft on the 5.5 bed aluminium F150 but I'll look under buddies crew cab today and confirm.
My SCAB 6.5 bed truck (same wheelbase) is a one piece.

I keep looking at Ford's for the aluminium body.

I'd settle for a 2018-19 Ram with the Pentastar as a second choice, though you can't easily change gearing, something about the ring gear being welded to carrier. So if you want to swap ratio won't be cheap.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

​

I am considering an aluminum body F150 with the 5.0L V8 Ford still having driveline issues with the 2015+ trucks? With the 5.5 bed, is it an aluminum one piece rear driveshaft?

I have a 2017, 2wd super crew with the 5.5 bed. The driveshaft is two piece, it's given me zero problems. I honestly can't remember if its aluminum or steel. I painted it black about a week after I bought the truck and haven't been under there since...haha.

We have a couple of the 5.0s at work and they are good motors. They all go 120,000-150,000 miles with minimal maintenance. They get beat on doing environmental sampling for the phosphate mining industry and seem to hold up well.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Full size trucks with big horse power and large heavy tires isn't a combination for great fuel economy.

It never ceases to amaze me when guys add larger, heavier tires, with an aggressive off road tread pattern and then complain about their fuel economy.

On a side note, my 2.7 makes over 2x the HP of my old 300 straight six and is in a larger, heavier truck... and they both get roughly the same fuel economy at 70mph...lol. HP only grenades fuel economy when you use it ; ;-)