An aluminum tow vehicle for an aluminum Camplite.

[whoofit]

[p]Who on this forum does not like aluminum? Well, waited for the right deal to come around to upgrade my old work truck. Managed to find the right deal on this 2015 Ford F-150 XLT. It is the V8 5.0 litre with tow package and lots of goodies. Needless to say we are retiring the Escape from hoss duties from here on out. 2300lbs payload and 9200lb tow rating. Just need to find the time for camping now in the busy work season.[/p][p]
[/p][p]

[leslie]

Congratulations! Let us know how you like it and how it performs.

[walt3]

Will make towing a dream!

[whoofit]

[quote source="/post/14950/thread" timestamp="1441675770" author="@leslie"]Congratulations! Let us know how you like it and how it performs.[/quote][p]Sure will, Leslie. And thanks![/p][p]
[/p][p]Last piece of the pie is fitting the integral brake controller. It is the difference between the tow package and the max tow package. The dealer is fitting this next week. [/p][p]
[/p][p]So far I have been able to achieve the 21mpg highway rating on cruise control. The truck handles and rides carlike. The16DB sets level. There is ~1" of squat.[/p][p]
[/p][p]No more TV excuses now. Moab is callin'.
[/p]

[whoofit]

[quote source="/post/14968/thread" timestamp="1441692141" author="@larry1981"]Will make towing a dream![/quote][p]I sure hope so, Larry. Gotta say the 2014 Escape Ti w/2.0l Eco-Boost has served us very well outside of one specific trip to the Catskill mountains NY on to Coal Country PA. Then, the Escape kept bouncing off the integrated "Reduced Power Mode" protections. This with packing light and balanced to anal proportions. This was unacceptable.[/p][p]
[/p][p]I look forward to getting the type of reliability I had with my old 2006 Econoline E-250.....without the [strong]rust[/strong] of course. If the E-250 didn't rust out like it did here in New England under real work conditions I would have kept it. In thirty years this new truck will be my coffin if I can help it.[/p][p]
[/p][p]We can now proceed to take our 12' rigid inflatable boat, our 20hp Suzuki outboard, our backpacking gear, our bikes and bikepacking gear, full tanks (including 36gal truck fuel tank), our generator....AND our 38lb dog too!    8-)[/p][p]
[/p][p]Favorite feature will be the Towing Information Screen that is menu select on the steering wheel. I love the transmission temperature gauge built-in, even in the normal screen.
[/p]

[craigd]

MOAB is a great choice pulled my camper there for a week a few weeks after I got it. Dead Horse Point State Park is fantastic they allow dog's and you can take them out on the trails. You are right in between Canyonlands and The Arches. They have electric but no additional hookups. Bathrooms are also really nice but no showers. But not a problem as I filled up my fresh water before getting there and it lasted fine.

[daplumbr]

I can finally stop worrying about you. Whew!

[whoofit]

[quote source="/post/15010/thread" timestamp="1441752469" author="@sandroad"]I can finally stop worrying about you. Whew![/quote][p] (rofl) Do you mean worrying about me crashing into you or me crashing into me?[/p][p]
[/p][p]It is most likely that my wife will get another Eco Boost something or other when she does her 2 year upgrade next fall. We will revert back to her (much more capable next time) vehicle for towing again. She just has a funny way of keeping her vehicle clean and free of power tools, ladders and grease which makes for a more pleasurable and leisurely journey.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Nothing like a vacation in the office....so to speak.[/p][p]
[/p][p]I felt the 5.0l would be best for a twenty year attempt as a work truck. I only put on ~8k per year for work.[/p][p]
[/p][p]
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[whoofit]

[quote timestamp="1441714923" author="@craigd" source="/post/14978/thread"]MOAB is a great choice pulled my camper there for a week a few weeks after I got it. Dead Horse Point State Park is fantastic they allow dog's and you can take them out on the trails. You are right in between Canyonlands and The Arches. They have electric but no additional hookups. Bathrooms are also really nice but no showers. But not a problem as I filled up my fresh water before getting there and it lasted fine.[/quote]Thanks for the tip! This trip won't happen this year. I saved your advice as the dog is real important to us. If it wasn't for her I would have gotten a regular cab and saved thousands. It amazes me the places that are no dogs allowed...

[walt3]

Well I work in the automotive industry used car segment. Although I have not seen but one (I personally touch around 10,000 cars a year and with the people I work with touch a million cars a year, I  have only seen one bad Eco boost it was an f150 with way to many miles prob abused blowing smoke) no other issues. I was very worried about them when they came out but have not seen many problems with them so far. I am a Ford man but will be the first to let anyone know about a problem. Like the 04 and up 5.4 cam phaser noise on the expedition and f150.

[whoofit]

I think they did good with the Eco Boost lineup. Not too many related problems reported except fuel economy. I think they are a good choice for an owner that intends to trade-in or upgrade within reasonable mileages. Or for those that can buy them cheap with high mileage and invest repairs in them.

My wife upgrades every two years. I try to never upgrade so this is a big event round here for me.

So far I am glad I did not get a Eco in this truck. It is averaging only 3 MPG less than she is getting comparing the 5.0L vs the 2.0L Eco. A full size truck...I'm real happy so far.

[charliem]

[quote timestamp="1441941081" source="/post/15143/thread" author="@whoofit"]So far I am glad I did not get a Eco in this truck. It is averaging only 3 MPG less than she is getting comparing the 5.0L vs the 2.0L Eco. A full size truck...I'm real happy so far.

[/quote][font size="3"]So did you intentionally choose the 5.0 over the EB or did it just come with the better deal? If you did choose, why?[/font]

[whoofit]

[p]Charlie, just to avoid confusion, what you quoted above reflects a comparison of an F-150 5.0 to an Escape EB 2.0.

I did intentionally choose the 5.0 over the EB. The 5.0 is actually one of the least available engines in my area. To find the 5.0 with just enough options in the right combination at the right price took some time and searching.

It was unfortunate that my favorite dealer could not manage to wrangle this truck from the dealer that I bought it from. The two do not have a swap agreement. My favorite dealer is doing the bed liner this afternoon and I feel bad about not buying the F-150 from him.

I bought the 5.0 because:

There is no replacement for displacement.
The [strong]real world[/strong] fuel mileage is nearly identical to the EB.
The HP/Torque curve of either engine is well beyond sufficient for my needs.
The 302 engine has a long track record of dependability.
The start/stop driving I do is conducive to turbo failure.
200,000 RPM's can't be good for long term reliability.
If I want twin turbos in the future the cost will be $7k and will make around 800HP.

So, I value the EB more for increased HP/Torque when trying to fit an engine into a smaller space (as is the case with my wife's Escape). But if in a larger vehicle like a full size truck give me a good performing V8. Keep in mind that I never intend to part with this vehicle and total cost of ownership is important.[/p][p]
[/p][p]As I value your opinion, how do you think I did?[/p]

[charliem]

[font size="3"]Whoofit,

I understand your reasoning and I tend to agree with you. I asked because I have always wanted a 150 and almost bought one to tow the 21RBS. However, it was just too big for my wife to drive and, with the new higher box sides, just too hard to access everything in the back without a step stool. However. if I ever go bigger than the 21, or I find my supercharged 4.0L Tacoma inadequate in the Rockies, I may relook the 150. So I'm trying to resolve my internal EB vs V8 conflict. I agree with your first and second comments. No substitute for cubes. However, the EB's higher torque at much lower RPMs is attractive. I don't like the sound of a screaming high rpm small engine. Can't be good for longevity. I also remember my turbo experience with a 1962 Corvair. By the time the turbo kicked in I didn't need it anymore!

I added the Tacoma TRD supercharger (belt driven, not turbo) specifically to counteract altitude related loss of performance. I'm testing it as we speak, so I'll know soon. That is another attraction to the EB. I think Ford's motivation for the EB is to try to meet the EPA's fuel economy requirements. But since my TV's only function is towing, no daily driving, that's not a factor for me. As you know, MPG while towing is almost entirely determined by TT cross section.

So I continue to struggle with the V8 vs EB . I just wish I could still get a small V8 in a small truck. The EB's torque at 2500 RPM is very attractive, but the old reliable 300-400 cu in V8s have a long proven track record. Inputs like yous are very helpful. Thanks a lot.

[/font]

[david]

Here is my take on the small Eco Boost V6 vs the bigger naturally aspirated V8.

For all around driving the EB is lighter and gets somewhat better mileage than the V8. That engine only produces about 30 hp while running at a steady state 60 mph with no tow. That is a small fraction of its maximum hp and is also small for its 3.5 liter displacement. When you punch it to enter a freeway or just to impress your girlfriend, you are putting out its enormous torque (for its displacement) for only a few seconds. So the stress is nothing like towing and is manageable.

Now hook up a 5,000 lb trailer with a large cross section and your mileage will drop to near 12 mpg at 60 mph whether you are pulling with an EB V6 or the bigger V8. The hp required more than doubles. But even that would be ok on a flat, steady state road, maybe 60 hp. Still not too much for a 3.5 liter V6.

Now head up a long 8% grade with that rig. Unless you want to gear down and go slow (which is what I would recommend) you will be pulling a lot of torque from that engine. And for a long time, maybe 10 minutes not 5 seconds like entering the freeway. The stress on the engine skyrockets, the turbos are dumping a bunch of extra air into the cylinders. The exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs) skyrocket. All bad for the engine.

The V8 OTOH will do this with 2/3 the stress on the engine components and more importantly less EGT. High EGT means less life to the valves.

So for towing I would much prefer the bigger V8. It can take the heavy torque of towing easier and will last longer.

David