Who else tows with a Ford 4.6 3V?

[jameskeller76]

I have a 2010 F-150 Super Crew, 4.6 3 valve, tow package, 3.55 gears. I had the truck before we purchased the AR240. So far we tow locally, 20 miles max and it does pretty well on the flats but you really have to put the pedal down for big hills.

We are 95% sure we are doing Bimini 2017. That's 20 hrs from Austin, TX.

Has anyone towed the 23 or 24 footers long distance with this engine setup?

Or do I need to talk the wife into something with a little more giddyup?

 

[Bryan mazanec]

I have a 2016 explorer sport 4wd and towed my 24' chap over 600 miles to my home. It did well in tow mode but man did it suck up the gas! Highway without the boat 19, with it was at 10. Max towing is 5000 pounds and I know I was right at max capacity.

 

[RightStuff]

Or do I need to talk the wife into something with a little more giddyup?

Yes, of course you need more power, without a question you do.

P.S. honestly have no idea!

 

[jameskeller76]

I have a 2016 explorer sport 4wd and towed my 24' chap over 600 miles to my home. It did well in tow mode but man did it suck up the gas! Highway without the boat 19, with it was at 10. Max towing is 5000 pounds and I know I was right at max capacity.

Max on the F150 is 9400# but it sure seems like it struggles a bit.

 

[Bruce]

One family rented a RV to tow to Bimini 2014. I believe they had multiple drivers and took turns sleeping in the back. I would want more than than a 4.3 to tow a 240 especially in Austin traffic. But if you are are happy with the 4.3 for normal usage the rental RV plan could be a good option.

 

[jcyamaharider]

I have the exact same setup EXCEPT with the 5.4 liter engine and I get about 10 MPG towing here in STL. It seemed to have plenty of power until my Step father let me put my boat behind his brand new F-150 with the 5.0 liter in it. WOW what a difference.

 

[jameskeller76]

One family rented a RV to tow to Bimini 2014. I believe they had multiple drivers and took turns sleeping in the back. I would want more than than a 4.3 to tow a 240 especially in Austin traffic. But if you are are happy with the 4.3 for normal usage the rental RV plan could be a good option.

It's a 4.6L V8. 4.3 is a Chevy V6 I believe. It does fine around Austin, just don't know about 20 hours of driving.

 

[jameskeller76]

I have the exact same setup EXCEPT with the 5.4 liter engine and I get about 10 MPG towing here in STL. It seemed to have plenty of power until my Step father let me put my boat behind his brand new F-150 with the 5.0 liter in it. WOW what a difference.

I've heard the 5.0 is pretty awesome. I think at this point I trust the naturally aspirated 5.0 V8 over the Turbo V6. What I'd really like to have is the F250 with Duramax Diesel. 800+ ft/lb of torque would do the trick

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

I've heard the 5.0 is pretty awesome. I think at this point I trust the naturally aspirated 5.0 V8 over the Turbo V6. What I'd really like to have is the F250 with Duramax Diesel. 800+ ft/lb of torque would do the trick

Get a Silverado 2500HD with the Duramax Diesel & Allison Transmission, you will never regret buying that. We just got back from a week at Lake Powell, a lot of hill climbing, average 14 Mpg towing with the diesel, it never had to downshift once pulling these hills over 230 miles each way. You do not know the boat is behind you unless you look in the rear view mirror.

 

[jcyamaharider]

Get a Silverado 2500HD with the Duramax Diesel & Allison Transmission, you will never regret buying that. We just got back from a week at Lake Powell, a lot of hill climbing, average 14 Mpg towing with the diesel, it never had to downshift once pulling these hills over 230 miles each way. You do not know the boat is behind you unless you look in the rear view mirror.

The average boat person that doesn't tow anything else would not need that truck along with all of the extra maintainence associated with it. Oil changes are more, Def fluid, fuel filters, plus every single diesel truck where I live has about 3 times the front end maintenance. If you have goose necks, fifth wheels etc....heck yeah get that truck, it will be used to its potential, if not I would stick with any half ton. All of them have the pros/cons.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

The average boat person that doesn't tow anything else would not need that truck along with all of the extra maintainence associated with it. Oil changes are more, Def fluid, fuel filters, plus every single diesel truck where I live has about 3 times the front end maintenance. If you have goose necks, fifth wheels etc....heck yeah get that truck, it will be used to its potential, if not I would stick with any half ton. All of them have the pros/cons.

I also tow a 30 Ft Travel Trailer and sometimes heavy equipment such as a tractor or skid steer. I had a 2013 Tundra with the 5.7L crew cab, 4x4, etc. that thing was an absolute gas hog towing the travel trailer and there is a huge difference in towing between a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton, much more stable at everything. The cost of maintenance is a bit more, but if properly maintained you can make these run 400K miles or more and they hold their value way better than gas burners.

 

[Rob9550]

I got a Cummins and love it! I have driven an F250 and a Chevy 2500 and they will all pull your boat with zero issues.

 

[jcyamaharider]

I also tow a 30 Ft Travel Trailer and sometimes heavy equipment such as a tractor or skid steer. I had a 2013 Tundra with the 5.7L crew cab, 4x4, etc. that thing was an absolute gas hog towing the travel trailer and there is a huge difference in towing between a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton, much more stable at everything. The cost of maintenance is a bit more, but if properly maintained you can make these run 400K miles or more and they hold their value way better than gas burners.

And I knew you did, that's why those truck fit in your family quite nicley, love the new truck btw! For me I could not utilize what the truck was meant for So i will be sticking half ton when I buy new in a couple of years.

 

[DCB-270]

If you are towing more than 1 hour you need a diesel. They are made for the abuse. Tow with the 1/2 ton across country and you will burn more than gas. Tranny will be smoke too. I had a 1/2 ton ram hemi. Shifts every hill you come to and burns the petro. 6.7 Cummins diesel just chugs along 15-16 mpg. Never down shift's with the cruse set at 75.
.

 

[jawsf16]

I have the exact same setup EXCEPT with the 5.4 liter engine and I get about 10 MPG towing here in STL. It seemed to have plenty of power until my Step father let me put my boat behind his brand new F-150 with the 5.0 liter in it. WOW what a difference.

My dad had the 4.6 of the OP, I had the 2010 5.4 and there is a big difference in the two. Then I upgraded to the Eco and it was an ENORMOUS difference from those other two wimps! I say upgrade to a 5.0 or Eco, you won't be sorry...

 

[Speedling]

We have 2 vehicles with the 5.4
Buddy had the 4.6 and it needed a LOT of gear. He went with a 4.56 rear i believe. Our trucks have the 3.55 and they tow great especially with tow mode. I had a 4.7 dodge v8 and these 5.4's blow that thing outta the water. The ecoboosts are tempting but with 2 turbos to play with i would get in some serious trouble financially. I am a firm believer of turbo power over supercharger.
I know in my pickup pulling the camper down to Cumberland and then over to Shelbyville i got about 9 mpg. My wife pulling the boat with Expedition actually got 15 mpg! I had to verify it and do the tank math myself because i didn't trust the computer but it was spot on!

 

[DCB-270]

My dad had the 4.6 of the OP, I had the 2010 5.4 and there is a big difference in the two. Then I upgraded to the Eco and it was an ENORMOUS difference from those other two wimps! I say upgrade to a 5.0 or Eco, you won't be sorry...

I had a 5.4 ford expedition that had Lot's of power at wot. A gas hog. now the new Eco boost looks better. But I hear it is either eco or boost. Meaning the mpg goes to crap when you tow.

 

[jawsf16]

I had a 5.4 ford expedition that had Lot's of power at wot. A gas hog. now the new Eco boost looks better. But I hear it is either eco or boost. Meaning the mpg goes to crap when you tow.

This is true, it should be called the turboboost. Not much Eco in my experience when towing or when driving 65+ - the turbo is always kicking in. Awesome to drive but not very Eco on the mileage. I get about 17-18 highway with a 4x4, 3.55. Around 10-12 towing.

 

[PEARCE]

If it were me I'd be looking into a new tow rig. Ford makes a great truck and I'm sure yours is fine in around the Austin area, just don't get in a hurry on the hills. Our previous truck was a 2001 F150 Supercrew with the 5.4 2 valve with 3.55 rear end. It was a great truck and it rode and drove beautifully. We got our first travel trailer and things changed. The truck had plenty of power and it handled ok, but the mileage sucked. My stress level shot up too! My max time behind the wheel towing was four hours. I would be edgy and exhausted and it just wasn't enjoyable. We decided that we wanted to start making longer towing road trips and the only way that was gonna happen was with a diesel truck. We got to shopping and we found our current Ram truck with the 6.7 Cummins diesel. It is a pulling machine! We tow our current 10k pound 5th wheel camper to Florida almost every year for vacation and the journey is almost as relaxing as the destination. At 65mph it's turning around 1600 rpm and I've got it on cruise. All I have to do is keep it between the lines and watch out for the other guy. I average 12 mpg towing the camper. It's even better with the boat. Now days you don't need a 3\4 ton or bigger to get a diesel in a truck. Ram has one as I'm sure that you are aware of in there 1\2 ton. @maboat just made the switch from a 3\4 ton Cummins and seems to be happy with the performance. Good luck with your decision and I'm pretty sure, Happy Shopping too!

 

[jameskeller76]

Thanks for the input everyone! Lot's to think about here. I haven't even look at Dodge yet. Never been a fan of the Ram styling but I could put that aside for the right engine. Good news is I have plenty of time to decide.