My wife rolled our F150, but she is fine (thank god). Now we need a new truck. I want a truck with a 6.5' box, 4 full sized doors, and a six speed auto. My wife and I have a boat and we may purchase a camper in the next six years. The truck would pull both. We have considered a diesel, but the camper is a big maybe. The only reason I place the f150 in the same category as the 3/4 ton chevy, is based on the 11,300 lb pulling capacity, which is more then the 3/4 gas chevy.

If I knew we were going to purchase a camper, I would purchase either the chevy or dodge diesel.

Choices (all 2009 models with 3.73 gears):
chevy 3/4 ton 6.0 Z71 (can't get the 6.2 in the 3/4 ton) vs. 1/2 ton 5.4 FX4 f150

Questions:
1. What kind of mileage does the 6.0 get empty (average)?
2. How does the six speed auto hold up?
3. Does the truck have to search for gears when pulling a large load or is it smooth?
4. Does the interior seem to hold up or rattle over time?
5. Would the 6.0 pull a boat and camper, if we eventually purchase a camper (big if on the camper purchase)?

After answering the five questions, any other info would be helpful.

Thanks for the help,

Schmidt

 

I can't speak for the 6.0 in the 3/4, but I have the one they use in the half ton and it has plenty of power and I average 14.6 for 10300 miles.

 

I would just get the diesel because its freaking awesome. The Duramax is in my opinion one of the best engines ever made. My mom has one in her 06 and she only pulls anything 1% of the time. The rest of the time she is getting close to 20mpg and having fun doing it with 365 stock horses

 

I'm sure the 6.0L would pull them just fine. Besides, most of the time it's not the engine you have to worry about. It's the transmission. My 92' chevy use to have a 5th wheel setup for a horse trailer in the bed. They put a aftermarket external transmission cooler on it. Only mistake was when they did that they also ran it through the stock cooler inside of the radiator. Over time the stock cooler can plug up. So I rerouted it straight into the aftermarket cooler. If my 92' 1/2 ton 4X4 with a 305 (5.0L) with a THM 700R4 transmission with a shift kit can pull a horse trailer around without thinking twice, I would hope that that truck could. Only thing I would be worried about would be the fact that they don't seem to be making them like they use to.
Good luck with finding the truck that fits your needs though. Thank God your wife is alright. Take care.

 

The 6.0L engine has plenty of power. They use the same design with aluminum blocks in helicopters.

The mileage will be very close to what's listed on the sticker.

No experience with the 6-speed trannie, but with the HD 4-speed, shifts are smooth,and mileage is @11MPG-empty stock. Have towed a a small(20' boat) and an 18' trailer.

As for the Interior, mine's doing fine after four years. If you're used to F150s, it'll do. I found out the hard way years ago that Ford's not my cup of tea.

Depending upon frequency of tow usage, the Avalanche might be a better option. You get the full crew-cab with the option for additional bed-space with a fold-down back seat. Depends on how much you really use the bed.

I'd decide which truck to use based on your current needs. If you need to tow a large trailer long distances later, you'll need a diesel dually anyway.