After 12 years living in Australia, I'm fixin' to make my triumphant return to the United States in early 2020.

Initially I will be moving back to my house in Los Angeles but long-term, the wife and I have purchased a 10+ acre retirement property which is "off the grid", at the top of a 4WD trail, on the side of a mountain, in Northern Nevada. To access this property, I don't just need a vehicle with high ground clearance, I have to be in 4WD. I also suspect that during the winter, I will need to snow plow some of the roads to access my property.

Obviously I will need a pickup truck to be able to haul building materials to the home construction site and I will need some towing capacity to be able to bring a trailer full of materials or maybe a Bobcat or something like that.

Now the question is, which kind of pickup truck? During the past two weeks, I've had an opportunity to rent the 4-door versions of the 2019 Ford F-150, 2020 Chevrolet Silverado and 2019 RAM. The wife and I were pretty happy with the F-150, neither one of us really liked the Silverado and there are a couple things I can't stand about the RAM (it does haul ass though with that 5.7L Hemi).

I will most likely be ordering a new truck so that I can get the unique combination of stuff that I'm going to want. I talked to a Ford Dealer who told me I would need to put $1,000 down to place the order and it would take 3-4 months to build my truck and get it delivered.

Now, here's where I need TexAgs help. I can't decide if I should get an F150, F250 or F350 so, your recommendations/experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Obviously the physical differences are size/payload/towing for the F150 versus F250/F350.
F150 is 77" tall, 97" wide while the F250/F350 is 81" tall and 106" wide.
The payload capacities range from 3270lb on the F150 to 7630lb on the F350.
I found this good comparison of the 3 models.
https://www.wkford.com/research/f-150-vs-f-250-vs-f-350.htm

What I don't know is:

• What are the drawbacks with owning an F250/F350 versus an F150?
• What are the drawbacks with having a 6.7L Turbo Diesel versus a conventional Gas powered engine?
• Does anybody have a recommendation/experience on multi-fuel capability?

When I was a 5th year senior at A&M, I drove school buses for College Station ISD so I am a believer in the capabilities of a turbo-diesel. I don't anticipate towing any 5th wheel trailer, or any trailer weighing more than 20,000 lbs. A lot of my family members have F250/F350s as part of the Houston Diesel Bro culture. Those trucks are used for daily commutes plus the occasional Deer Lease run. I'm anticipating using my truck for some commuting but mostly for construction.

Any comments or insight would be appreciated.

I cannot think of any benefit the diesel will have for you if you're not towing heavy or often. It's more prone to needing repairs and these repairs will be more difficult/costly than their gas counterparts.

Main drawbacks of the F-250/350 for you are likely going to be the ride and maneuverability. Possibly weight depending on the trail you're navigating.

Gas 3/4 ton is what I'd opt for in your scenario.

Whichever 3/4 ton truck you get, go with an 8' bed. You will not regret it

Yeah, I'm actually thinking about getting a Regular Cab with an 8 ft. bed. Essentially the same dimensions as the truck I drove in High School a million years ago.

Other than a zillion lb-ft of torque, isn't the main benefit of the Diesel that it's supposed to essentially last forever?

The Diesel adds $9,000+ to the price.

I'm also wondering about the F350 Diesel Power Takeoff feature?

Anybody know what you would use that for? Anybody have any experience with a PTO on a pickup?

The 3/4 ton gas engines last forever as well. Not to mention no def fluid, fuel filters, 13-15 quart oil changes.

HollywoodBQ said:

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Other than a zillion lb-ft of torque, isn't the main benefit of the Diesel that it's supposed to essentially last forever?

The Diesel adds $9,000+ to the price.

I'm also wondering about the F350 Diesel Power Takeoff feature?

Anybody know what you would use that for? Anybody have any experience with a PTO on a pickup?

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The PTO available with the new 10 speed trans has been useful in commercial trucks to operate cranes, boons, and big generators. Interesting that they are making it available on the 350, I would guess it's biggest application would be for snow plows and generator/welding applications, but I have to admit there would probably be a good little niche for some sort of bed loading assistance arm that could lift heavy stuff and swing it over into the bed, whether that's a deer, ice chest, ATV, etc, I could see people buying and using that option.

You mentioned hauling a bobcat. That removes your ability to get an F150.

Between the F250 and F350, you mentioned hauling and larger loads. From my experience looking at payload (which should be the biggest factor to pay attention to while towing) a F250 Diesel 4x4 Crew Cab Lariat had payload capacities around 2100lbs ish range. A Similarly equipped F350 came in around 3300 lbs.

Since you are going F250 I do not see any benefit In a F250 vs F350 other than dealer availability which doesn't matter as you are ordering. So I believe your answer is you want an F350 for it's payload capability. Of course a regular cab 8' bed on packages lower than Lariat will have significantly higher payloads than what I mentioned however those points are for reference.

Diesel vs Gas. Diesel for me is a no brainier. The durability of the diesel engine and the resale value of the truck make it more than worth it for me. Not to mention if you delete the def and associated components, the truck performance absolutely takes off. If you choose to not delete, then you can tune a diesel engine and get fantastic results.

For 2020 Ford is coming out with a new gas engine, and I'll never be a first year engine buyer.

TLDR, F150 is a nicer ride, F250 likely your minimum, if you are getting an F250 then an F350 is a no brainier if you will be towing bobcats and the like as well as in the future if you consider a 5th wheel or any other retirement gifts.

What about an extended cab long bed? Don't see many of those anymore, and it would give you some extra in cab space. Also will be cheaper then the crew cabs. I'd find a newer XLT so you can get the heated seats.

I have heard good things about the 6.2, but the diesel is going to have alot more power. For what you are doing, even with the occasional skid steer pulling, a gasser would be fine. If money is not that big of an issue, I'd go diesel.

The correct answer is a white F150 EcoBoost.

ForeverAg said:

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You mentioned hauling a bobcat. That removes your ability to get an F150.

Between the F250 and F350, you mentioned hauling and larger loads. From my experience looking at payload (which should be the biggest factor to pay attention to while towing) a F250 Diesel 4x4 Crew Cab Lariat had payload capacities around 2100lbs ish range. A Similarly equipped F350 came in around 3300 lbs.

Since you are going F250 I do not see any benefit In a F250 vs F350 other than dealer availability which doesn't matter as you are ordering. So I believe your answer is you want an F350 for it's payload capability. Of course a regular cab 8' bed on packages lower than Lariat will have significantly higher payloads than what I mentioned however those points are for reference.

Diesel vs Gas. Diesel for me is a no brainier. The durability of the diesel engine and the resale value of the truck make it more than worth it for me. Not to mention if you delete the def and associated components, the truck performance absolutely takes off. If you choose to not delete, then you can tune a diesel engine and get fantastic results.

For 2020 Ford is coming out with a new gas engine, and I'll never be a first year engine buyer.

TLDR, F150 is a nicer ride, F250 likely your minimum, if you are getting an F250 then an F350 is a no brainier if you will be towing bobcats and the like as well as in the future if you consider a 5th wheel or any other retirement gifts.

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Thank you for the insight. The more I thought about it and the more research I did on how heavy various Bobcats are, I realized that I really need to be looking at the F250/F350. It looks like Bobcats go from about 7,000 lb up to about 20,000 lb.

I know there's a significant amount of Diesel tuning that can be done (see Houston Diesel Bro culture that many of my relatives are into). So as much fun as I like to poke at those guys, it sounds like I've almost talked myself into a Diesel F350.

JB said:

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What about an extended cab long bed? Don't see many of those anymore, and it would give you some extra in cab space. Also will be cheaper then the crew cabs. I'd find a newer XLT so you can get the heated seats.

I have heard good things about the 6.2, but the diesel is going to have alot more power. For what you are doing, even with the occasional skid steer pulling, a gasser would be fine. If money is not that big of an issue, I'd go diesel.

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Because I have a need to drive up a mountain 4x4 trail, I want to try to keep the wheelbase as short as possible yet still keep an 8ft bed. So, I'm reluctant to pursue a Supercab, or Crew Cab configuration. However, driving a few 4-door pickups recently, it is very convenient to have that extra room inside the cab for putting your groceries or luggage or whatever.

Thanks again for the advice/insight.

Keep in mind all these towing numbers they are putting out are on flat pavement, an uphill off-road towing spec is going to be significantly reduced, I'd go the 6.7 350 if I had the same choice

DeWrecking Crew said:

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Keep in mind all these towing numbers they are putting out are on flat pavement, an uphill off-road towing spec is going to be significantly reduced, I'd go the 6.7 350 if I had the same choice

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Yeah, totally. I'm sure the spec sheet numbers are ideal scenario - road conditions, temperature, etc.

In my business (computer systems), the spec sheet numbers marketing reports are complete works of fiction. But, from the same manufacturer, they're probably useful for comparing product A to B to C.

I've definitely scope creeped the hell outta my thoughts about buying a new F150.

Your prefect ride is going to be a F350 6.7. I've been going through the same drill right now myself as I've got some equipment I need to haul (Skid Steer/Mini-Excavator). I would recommend the Crew CAb long bed F350, I think you will appreciate the extra cab space.

That said, as far as tuning, that's going by the wayside with the new EPA crackdown. And reality is you don't need it, these trucks have so much power and the emissions systems have been fine tuned now that they aren't that much of an issue. It's just the hassle of buying DEF.

Your towing requirement completely nerfed the F150.

I'd probably go F250 so you don't have to deal with the extra dually width. Those heavy duty pickups on mountain roads are going to be a miserable ride experience.

Yeah, I'm looking at SRW as opposed to DRW.

My realtor who helped me buy the property drove a 4x4 RAM dually. He couldn't (or wouldn't) drive to the property because his truck was too wide. I think he probably could have made it but, there was one section of the road that would have been dicey. And if he encountered anybody on the trail and somebody had to reverse to let the other person pass, it would have been really hairy.

If buying a diesel, get one from whatever dealership is the closest to you whether that be ford, Ram, or GM.