We’re thinking about getting a new tow vehicle. There are so many choices and options!!

First is what brand? My last four tow vehicles (1998 Ford Ranger, 2000 Ford Explorer, 2003 Ford Expedition, 2012 Ford Expedition) have obviously all been Ford vehicles. Over the years I have owned many brands of vehicles, so I’m necessarily not a “Ford” guy. I’m a “best value” type of person. But these last four have been incredibly reliable with almost no repairs at all. So, I’ll stick with Ford. But where does one start in the elimination and shopping process. In this post I’ll walk through all the considerations I have explored.

Why do we need a new tow vehicle? We haven’t bought a new trailer and don’t plan on doing so either. The only need we have for a SUV or truck is for towing only. If you have read my 3-part series on “How Much Trailer Can You Tow,” then there shouldn’t be any need for a new tow vehicle. Or is there?

How Much Trailer Can You Tow, part 1

How Much Trailer Can You Tow, part 2

How Much Trailer Can You Tow, part 3

Our current tow vehicle, a Ford Expedition XLT can tow up to 9,200 lbs. Our trailer fully loaded weighs 8,700 lbs. Even with the two of us in the SUV, all weights are within specs and verified with weights from a CAT Scale. So we’re good there.

Pluses & Minuses of our Ford SUV

Power

The SUV has plenty of power. Even on uphills in the Sierra Nevada we can keep up with traffic and even accelerate around slow moving big rigs. The gas mileage is okay. With almost 20,000 miles of towing we are averaging 9.06 mpg. A bigger truck probably won’t increase this much, if at all, unless we buy a PowerStroke diesel engine. I’m not interested in this engine because it adds $10,000 to the cost of the base model truck, costs much more to maintain, and I expect the global warming people in government to tax the hell out of diesel fuel forcing people to stop driving diesels.

Range

Range is a big consideration for us. With a 28 gallon gas tank we can assume a maximum range of about 250 miles, which is cutting things close if there aren’t a lot of gas stations around. We often camp in remote places and the lack of places to get gas has, at times, been problematic.

Driver Reflexes

As I approach the golden age of 70 later this year, I am realistic that my reflexes are beginning to decline. A larger tow capacity will make towing easier and, especially important to me, shorter stopping distances.

Side Mirrors

Our Expedition doesn’t have side mirrors that meet state requirements for rear vision, so I need to use clip-on mirrors. They work well, but are a pain in the ass to put on or take off versus a truck with built-in telescoping mirrors. I do like our mirrors, but telescoping mirrors would be one less thing to deal with. If someone needs clip-on mirrors, I do recommend these.

4WD

We don’t have 4WD, and really haven’t needed it. But that is changing. There have been some dirt roads I could tow with 2WD, but have avoided in fear of getting stuck. 4WD drive would give us more options to get away from the crowds, a very important thing for us. With increasing frequency, we are traveling to more remote places as former good camping sites are getting too crowded. Another thing I need to think about are the two-lane roads we like to travel on instead of Interstates. Often these roads have soft shoulders and a 2WD vehicle towing a trailer could get stuck in situations where it is necessary to pull of the road and change a tire. Given that we often travel where there is no cell phone service, this is looming more important as I get older.

New Truck Pluses & Minuses

Tow Capacity

The Big 3 manufacturer’s make three classifications of trucks of interest to me: 1/2 Ton, 3/4 Ton, and 1 ton. They make even larger trucks, but we would be entering commercial truck territory… a commercial driver license, higher registration and insurance costs. Plus, it would be overkill for us. Let’s take a look at these “ratings,” which aren’t of much value. These go back decades ago.

1/2 Ton

This used to indicate a truck had a cargo capacity of 1/2 ton or 1,000 pounds. Ford used to use the F-100 as model number, Chevrolet C10, and Dodge D100. Today we see F-150, Silverado 1500, and Ram 1500. For us to buy a F-150 isn’t going to be much of an improvement over our Expedition.

3/4 Ton and 1 Ton

Same thing goes as with the 3/4 Ton and 1 Ton trucks. 3/4 ton used to indicate 1,500 pound cargo capacity and 1 Ton 2,000 pound capacity. Today, with so many options and configurations, a truck owner must go by the capacity sticker on the door frame. As far as model numbers, Ford uses F-250 and F-350, GM and Dodge 2500 and 3500.

Ford F-250 vs F-350

There is little difference in towing capacity for conventional trailers. They use the same frame and drive trains. For this reason, I like the F-250.

Ford F-250 Towing Capacities

Below is a chart with the towing capacities for a conventional trailer. My choice is a crew cab with an 8 foot long bed. I’ll explain why later on.

Ford F-250 Fuel Tank Capacities

Most trucks come with fuel tanks in the 25–35 gallon range. This year Ford has taken this to a new level if you purchase a crew cab with an eight foot long bed. This really is longer than I need, and it will pose occasional parking problems, but for me it is worth for the additional range.

Now let’s look at engines and axle ratios to see what the options mean.

F-250 Engine Options

I already said I am not interested in a diesel engine. This leaves the 6.2L and the 7.3L engines.

6.2L V8

This is a tried and true engine. It has been around for 10 years and has a good reputation. It is a modern engine with a single overhead cam, roller rockers, aluminum heads and a cast iron block. This is the standard engine in a base model F-250 and is tied to the 6-speed transmission Ford has been using for a long time. You can see tow capacity is either 12,200 lbs. with a 3.73 rear end, or 14,700 lbs. with a 4.30 rear end. I explain rear axle ratios in a bit.

Godzilla (7.3L V8)

This is a brand new engine for Ford, a big block that was code-named “Godzilla” during its development. Normally it isn’t a great idea to buy an engine the first year it is released. However this is an old school push rod engine with cast iron heads and a cast iron block. Ford isn’t new to push rod engines, having used them starting in 1939. The Godzilla engine has millions and millions of miles of testing behind it already. In a F-250 there is a $2,000 cost to upgrade to Godzilla, which also includes a 10-speed transmission. This transmission is also new for 2020, although Ford has been using a lighter version of the 10-speed in F-150 trucks for a while. I don’t have any concerns about this transmission either.

Godzilla vs the 6.2L

Here are a couple of the most important specifications when it comes to towing:

To over simplify without getting technical, the 7.3L has much more torque and horsepower. This means it can tow heavy loads much easier from a stop or up hills. But this is only part of the equation, axle ratio is the other part.

Axle Ratios

The axle ratio is how many times the driveshaft will turn, to turn the axle one revolution. The proper notation for a 3.73 axle ratio is 3.73:1, that is, the drive shaft turns 3.73 times to turn the axle once. It seems backwards, but a 4.30 (4.30:1) is lower than 3.73. Because the driveshaft must turn 4.30 times to turn the axle once, a vehicle will go slower than a 3.73 vehicle, assuming the engine is running at the same RPM. So, low gears, such as 4.30, will more easily generate top horsepower and torque. The down side to this is a 4.30 will get worse gas mileage than a 3.73. Let’s re-work the Engine Option Chart for Towing Capacities above to just look at the 6.2L and 7.3L gas engines.

You can see that the “low geared axle” (4.30) for the 6.2L engine has just a tiny more towing capacity than the “high geared axle” (3.55) for the 7.3L engine. In addition, this high gear axle for the 7.3L is even higher that that offered for the 6.2L (3.55 versus 3.73).

Why such a variance? Mostly because the 6.2L comes with a 6-speed transmission and the 7.3L engine with a 10-speed transmission. Ford has designed the F-250 with the 7.3L engine to be more competitive with its diesel PowerStroke. I am guessing the 7.3L with the 3.55 axle is going to get fairly good mileage towing – good being relative – I would think it would give us a range between at least 400 miles up to almost 500 miles on a tank of gasoline. Filling up a near empty tank of gas with 48 gallons of fuel in California will probably be a psychological disaster, requiring extensive therapy. Today on March 16, 2020, AAA reports that the National average price for unleaded gas is $2.25 per gallon. In California AAA reports the average is $3.35 per gallon. Now you know what happen when socialism gains control over a government such as the People’s Republic of California.

But who knows? The only true test would be extensive towing with two identical trailers hooked up to F-250s with the 6.2L and a 7.3L. This truck hasn’t been around long enough for that kind of testing. A few Ford dealers got the first Godzilla just last December, so its only been on the market for 3 months.

4WD

All these specs have been for F-250 trucks with a crew cab, an eight foot bed, and 4WD. So that checks off my 4WD checkbox.

Tow Mirrors

All the F-250 trucks come with really nice extendable mirrors. Lower level trims are manual, more expensive trucks have powered versions.

F-250 Trim Levels

Here is where things can get overwhelming for a buyer. The F-250 comes in 6 different trim levels. Pricing runs from $33,705 for the most basic XL trim model to over $90,000 for a well-equipped Limited Edition. I copied the chart below from a Ford dealer’s website:

If we buy a new truck it will be a base model XL, with a few options that are included in the XLT trim level. To the get these we would have to opt for the XL Power Group and the XL Value package. That would add a couple grand to the XL base model.

I Have Made Up Our Minds to Buy

But is now a good time? There might be better deals around Memorial Day, usually the first big sales event of the year. On the other hand, there usually aren’t a lot of great incentives on F-250s until the end of the year, when dealers are trying to get rid of the remaining units to make room for the new year models.

How will the coronavirus pandemic affect all of this? Might be good deals in the next couple of weeks, we might see dealers forced to close, or we might see a shortage of trucks if the manufacturers begin to have problems sourcing parts that are made in other countries. I’ll have to think this over for a while.

I let you know what we do, when we do it.