ATV Florida Forum

I am looking to buy a new truck. I own an F150. I am looking to get a 250 diesel. My question is what type of fuel mileage does a diesel get by itself & pulling a load? I will be getting a 20' enclosed trailer & pulling 4 quads & gear. I am also planning on getting a 28-30' toyhauler next year. Should I get a new F150 with the 5.4L or bite the bullet & go with a diesel. BTW, I know there are a lot of Ford haters here, but dont even bother with the get a Chevy or a Dodge because that will never happen. My family is a Ford family to the bitter end. Thanks for any help.

If you are planning on getting a toy hauler at that size, you are going to need to bump up to F-250.  Better yet, why don't you really step up.... Chevy 2500 HD...  (Come on just a little fun w/Ford vs Chevy).

But seriously, we haul a 28 ft enclosed toy hauler (opps i was dreaming again - meant to say enclosed trailer - lol), now adays just w/4-wheelers (used to be used for race car), and you can't go with anything lower than a 250 or 2500 pending your make.  Personally love my truck, 2500HD 4 door, it pulls awesome!  Then tag-alongs are huge and heavy.  I would probably also personally go w/diesel w/that kind of weight.  But that's just my opinion...

If you can afford it go with a F350, and a diesel is a definate!!! 

I have an 01 with the 7.3 unloaded I get 17-19mpg loaded I get around 12-14mpg.

 I have a 2005 F250 Crew Cab 4x4 Diesel XLT Auto with 35 inch BFG all terains (new) Very clean and in perfect shape. 31000.00

I also have a 01 Crew Cab 4x4 7.3 auto XLT with a lift and tires and wheels ..22500.00

I have an 03 6.0L Powerstroke. CrewCab LongBed FX4, very heavy truck.  On the interstate I get ~18-20mpg and in town I get 13-14mpg. With our toyhauler loaded at ~12,500lbs I get 9-10mpg. I don't drive slow.

sorry to hijack but bigscrub are you also on powerstroke.org?

anyways pulling that kind of weight a diesel is a must

great info, keep em coming.

Pics & mileage on the 05?

Thats not 4x4 is it?  :o

I got 01 f-250 super duty 8' bed crew cab 4x4 7.3 turbo 5"lift & 35's & it gets 12-13 around town,never really drive hwy unloaded so towing I get 9-11 thats weekend warrior w/atv & rhino loaded for weekend weighing in at about 14k lbs plus weight truck....

Sucks $102 fill up yesterday :(

Yes it is

Well than I got a lemon! :o

Nope I got a 6-speed and manual xfer case and hubs, plus I have done a few mods

I love my PSD. Great mileage and it tows everything I've hooked to it with ease. More than enough power, even for big loads. I routinely tow a 33' Contender to the Keys and a 24' Gooseneck with my buggy back and forth to the Everglades. 10-11mpg at 70mph+ towing with the cruise on.
Here's a picture of it.

(http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b313/Anoriginal/truck4.jpg)

As far as the Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge crap is concerned.....it's just crap. They all make great trucks that pull just fine. All of them will last longer than you want them to if you take care of them. However, nothing pulls like a diesel.

go with a CHEVY or a GMC they are cheaper and more reliable

Choke where do you shop....GMC is like top dollar right there swampduckey

I was about to say the same thing

GMC = Cheap  ??? :tsktsk.gif

 You did not quote me there...bushy...MR 400ex made that post..and its MR. SWAMPDONKEY TO YOU ;)

   Mr. 400ex is 15 cant drive and knows what trucks sell for??? OK.

7.3 DIESEL Has been the most reliable engine that Ford has. However that last year to get one is 2003 when the 6.0 liters started coming into production.
6.0's are iffy at best although when they are running that are running real well. they have  issues with EGR valve's EGR Coolers, Head Gaskets and Turbo's

Good luck with which ever one that you choose

you need a shevy 2500 duramax disel i hav a 50 ft trailer and it pulls it no problem

 Who makes SHEVY??  Highlander is that you?

MR SWAMPUS. I was asking you to concur :o

I have a 97` f350 power stroke 7.3, 5 speed manual,4x4w/ lock outs pull a 32` goose neck to Louisianna last month loaded and got 18-20 mpg @ about 80mph on the highway.

I also have a 03` f250 power stroke ( 7.3) auto, 4x4, I have not pulled with it yet, but I get 21-24 mpg with it

Bill loves his Ford F350 diesel, 5 speed manual........dually..........pulls our 20' toyhauler when we have either the Rail Buggy in or the 4 quads...........in the mountains it walks away from all the rest...he used it when he first got it with a 54'  3 car hauler from the auctions and dealers............

 :) click to enlarge..........

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 Oh Sir, Yes Sir I have to say...dem GMC trucks not be so cheap nor dem Shevys..dats why I is boughts me's a FORD... dey is a real truck and for sho more cheaper den dem Shevys...but I's not knnow near as much as dat 15yr old feller....so you's may wants to listen to him's and get dem GMC's, for cheaper.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ;D ;D ;D ;D^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

We just traded our 05 F250 SD 4x4 Crew Cab Diesel for a 07 F350 FX4x4 SD Diesel Crew Cab and it gets better MPG than the F250 did so far.
We get about 10 MPG towing our 28' 5th Wheel ToyHauler...but the truck is not broke in yet ;) oh and our payment went down 70.00 a month  ;D
I LOVE the Ford F Series  ;D  We did GMC and Chevy's for 10 years so I know all about them  ::)

Damn those are some fuzzy #'s. So your getting 10 miles a gallon better than all these other Fords. You must be driving down hill all the time. ???

i gots me a dodge and she pulls 57' goosey down there to georgia and back gettins me 32mpg cruisin bout 120mph. up hill the whole way and back

You must have a programmer in there.

in 97 I think the F250 PS had a 3.55 rear gear

 Yep.

Its not going to improve that much.

You would be suprised

I have a 03' F350 6.0 I get about 15-16 mpg average and about 12-13 mpg with my 17' boat on. but I just replace my fuel filters (b/c the dealer where I bought it from sold it to me with dirty filters j/k swamp) and I am getting a cold air intake  I already have a programmer on it. I need to check it now but I am hoping to get better gas mileage

git a 6.0 psd weve got one w/ over 100k mi and have never had a problem cept oil changes its never been to the shop [it did have 1 recall but it was fixed for free] and we beat the crap out of this truck we were gitten atleast 15mpg towin a trailer w/ our jeep n gocart n gear coolers etc 2 hrs to rr ive heard of people havin problems w/ them if they dont use them for wat there made but my step dad drives it for work roughly 100-175 miles a day loaded down w/ all sorts of crap

 Yea and in 6 feet of snow. ;)

He said "gitten". lol :D

Those numbers are not overly uncommon, my 03 with the 7.3 C/C 4x4 and 3:73 gears averaged 22-25 mpg.The last trip to durhamtown  I swung 18mpg pulling 4 quads on a 16 ft trailer and loaded down to the gills with gear in the bed

are all these mpg from the Ford in dash Lie o Meter or from you guys calculating them

I fillup to the top of the filler neck and calculate by hand using my GPS

I was just wondering b/c that overhead mpg guage in the trucks are normally off

CALCULATED

Is your truck modded or stock.

The 97` is stock, and the 03` is chipped. Both are the 7.3. and the  milage is calculated.
I am NOT the only one to get that milage as you see Chuck Norris gets it also
 Why do these numbers seem fuzy to you ???? Have you been drinking the water in Homassasa ????

  you mean I shouldnt have drank the water there :o Those numbers are acurate...I have sold hundreds of those trucks and 90% report those numbers.  TAKE IT TO THE BANK :P

def git a 3/4 ton my buddies got a 1/2 ton hemi w/ a chip n duels has insane power hes raced it at 120+ mph but w/ a 24 ft enclosed trailer it gets 8 mpg n has no power