Help a newbie decide: F-150 with 5.0 ???

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Don W.

Last I checked you can't pull a 5.0 with a toyota tacoma....they have a plastic bed and there is difficulty mounting the 5th wheel hitch.

Difficult, but not impossible. Lots of folks are towing 5th wheels and Scamp goosenecks with composite boxes. In fact, the rework makes it better than those that have metal boxes in their PUs!

[Roger C H]

Originally Posted by hippo

Here is a tow rig that will get great mileage.

What did I tell you?

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[aldertree2]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Difficult, but not impossible. Lots of folks are towing 5th wheels and Scamp goosenecks with composite boxes. In fact, the rework makes it better than those that have metal boxes in their PUs!

Donna,
Please explain in what way the composite boxes are "better".
Thanks,
Rich

[Don W.]

Good to know there is a solution. A few people on the forums were wondering.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by aldertree2

Donna,
Please explain in what way the composite boxes are "better".
Thanks,
Rich

I didn't mean that the composite boxes are better (I think they're equal), I meant that the way the hitch is mounted on the frame of the truck makes the hitch better.

If you're a member of FiberglassRV, there are a number of owners that have done it.

[Devil Dog]

Some people think Eco-Boost is ....
(Quote from a Ford forum)
am unhappy with my new Ecoboost Lariat.. it has 2900 miles on it. I've had some weird issues and have been back to the dealer but they tell me everything is okay. I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar concerns or if this is just the normal behavior of the truck. I had a 2007 Lariat with the 5.4 that was smooth as glass and never had any issues.

1. Rough 1-2 shifts.
This has been a real problem spot. The shifts are rough when cold and sometimes when warm. 1-2 often gives you a kick... but the problem is intermittent. Things were bad enough on I-95 in stop and go traffic a few weeks ago that I just locked the truck into first gear with manual. The shifts tend to be rougher under light throttle inputs but that's not always the case.

2. Weird surge feeling when stopping.
When coming to a complete stop, the truck seems to have trouble getting the motor out. I feel like I'm braking through the engine. At about 1000 rpm, the tach bounces a little bit by a few hundred RPM once or twice. Only when you're finally at a complete stop does the engine return to idle.

3. Fast idle when cold.
Upon start up.. and for the first few miles.. the idle is exceedingly fast. It's annoying when pulling out of a lot and stopping. You really have to brake hard to hold it back.

4. Holding throttle in when off the pedal.
Say you're in a parking lot hunting for a space. You completely take your foot off the gas.. but the truck hangs onto the throttle at say 900 or 1000 and takes you on a trip without your foot being anywhere near the pedal.

5. Tach bounce at idle.
There's a fluctuation in the tach at idle.

Let me say that I am thrilled with the engine at speed.. it has enough power to launch you and everything else into next week. I seriously dislike the truck at low speeds and feel it needed more time on the proving grounds. If anybody else has had similar/issues concerns I'd love to know about them and what the dealer did or didn't do.
I say stick with Toyota and the VVT. It won't let you down

Thanks.

[hippo]

I like my Toyota Tundra it has 66,000 miles on it year is 2007 first year for the big Tundra. Last towing trip in mountains we got 10.5 on the freeway it got 11.9 to 12.3 MPG not bad towing a 21ft FG SOB trailer.

[Conuma]

Nothing wrong with using a Mazda B4000 to tow the 5.0. We live on Vancouver Island and have been down to Nevada and back, also travelled all the way to Castlegar and back with no issues. This was one of the vehicles that trailer was designed for.