Isn't the stripped down cab-chassis Sprinter the cheapest diesel 1-ton out there right now? Seems to me it comes in at something like $37k, and you would have to add a flat bed and sleeper on top of that to get where you are now, but both of those used would still get you out the door for under $40k.
Highest payload for an F-150 Supercab? 2695lbs. Tongue weight (20%) of an 11 000lb (highest rating of ANY F-150, so not the 2695lb supercab) trailer: 2200lb. So you get less than 500lb of driver, passenger, fuel, options and cargo. Tongue weight of a 15k lbs trailer? 3000lbs. Well over what an F-150 could handle, before putting washer fluid in it. Also note that the highest payload truck and the highest trailer weight truck are not the same thing. An F-150 is great, but it's not hauling a gooseneck trailer full of anything.
Leafy wrote:DaveEstey wrote: Pretty sure the big 3 do not adhere to SAE2807. Only Toyota does.Ford even says it in some of their ads. Toyota was just the early adopter, it dropped their two ratings by thousands of pounds when they introduced it.
Here's the thing. He want's a diesel. And is happy to spend whatever premium on getting the diesel.
What's wrong with that?
From my perspective in this case, it's win-win. 
I love new diesel truck buyers.
Lucy and ricky could do it without a diesel 3/4 ton.
In reply to oldopelguy:
Love the Sprinter and want one badly for race car towing, but I can't pull a gooseneck with it.
DaveEstey wrote: In reply to oldopelguy: Love the Sprinter and want one badly for race car towing, but I can't pull a gooseneck with it.
Nothing a Sawzall and some epoxy can't fix!
In reply to alfadriver:
Exactly. Why again are we arguing against spending other people's hard earned cash?
Do it. Go buy a vinyl floored 1 ton dually diesel quad cab with no options but cruise . Then sell it to me in about 5 years for peanuts. :)
Bobzilla wrote:
I thought he was looking to keep his horses alive?
Since your shopping from new and starting with a clean slate, I'd recommend driving them all. You and SWMBO are partial to the Ford based on previous experience, but trucks are updated/modernized/gadgeted out on a regular basis. I think it'd be the best idea to drive all of them.
A $50k budget could pick you up a well equipped (or loaded if you by a 2014) model of any manufacturer you want.
Doesn't cost anything but time (and maybe dealing with a salesperson) to shop around. Again, since you're somewhat partial to the Ford as a "known" brand, drive the other two first.
OR
You could go all out and buy a used Freightliner SportChassis......
http://www.horsetrailerworld.com/home/truckdetail.asp?ID=19322
You could tow an entire ranch with one of those!
-Rob
neon4891 wrote:Bobzilla wrote:I thought he was looking to keep his horses alive?
lol Sorry... missed the pun there.
My Great Aunt used to pull Clydesdales. They used gas 1-T Fords and chevy's back in the late 70's early 80's. It was a gooseneck that carried 4 of those monsters. They would get 6-7mpg towing loaded, 8-10 unloaded. In the mid 80's they switched over to diesels (started with 6.2/6.5, then switched to Cummins) and their mpg doubled and the tow was so much more relaxed.
The Sprinter is available as a cab chassis in addition to as a van. Pretty much a 12' flatbed one ton pickup. Should tow a gooseneck or fifth wheel just fine.
oldopelguy wrote: The Sprinter is available as a cab chassis in addition to as a van. Pretty much a 12' flatbed one ton pickup. Should tow a gooseneck or fifth wheel just fine.
Isnt that only a 5 cylinder diesel? We had a local try and tow his racecar on an open trailer out to Lincoln with one of those long wheel base sprinters and it threw a rod towing up a hill in the middle of the midwest. And didnt Andy Hollis have or still have a motorhome based on the sprinter chassis that wasnt all that great at towing?
The Sprinter is very ugly. I don't think even a horse would want to be seen in it let alone a wife.
We test drove a Tuxedo black 2015 F350 XLT supercab tonight. Ho-lee-crap do these new diesels make power. It didn't punch like my F250 does, it's just a constant surge that got us up to 85 mph mighty fast.
SWMBO likes it a lot and there's an option to have the gooseneck hitch installed there, so she's apt to pull the trigger. I told her it's her call all the way and I support whatever she decides.
Because she said I can keep the F250 for myself....
Leafy wrote: Isnt that only a 5 cylinder diesel?
The current model has a V6 with a bit more power. The GVWR, is still fairly low and the 3500 models only have a 7500 lb tow rating, 5000 lbs if the extended LWB model. They would be fine towing a small trailer with a light car (saw a few RV versions at vintage races), but I wouldn't push it.
I'd like a $15,000 Diesel one-ton and have $15,000 to put into it and have a heckuva tow truck for $30k
I fully approve of diesel. People always complain about the same misled things.
1) expensive fuel. This is an argument from people who failed math. Diesel fuel is about 20% more than gasoline, but diesel trucks often get 40-80% better MPGs.
2) expensive oil changes. Again... failed math? Its not that much more.
3) fuel filters. Seriously? $15 every 20k miles?
4) "it will take xxx miles before you recover the extra purchase price..." Again. There must be a lot of math failures out there. Buy a new one for $60k, drive it for 300k, sell it for $10k. Or buy a new gas truck for $53k, drive it for 300k, and sell it for basically scrap. Nobody seems to understand that resale value is the biggest factor in how much money a vehicle keeps in your pocket.
Leave the guy alone. If he wants a diesel simply for a daily driver, its his choice. I've had three diesel daily drivers and preferred them over gas. There are so few "downsides" to owning a diesel these days.
The math of diesel vs gas (which I didn't do when I bought my truck, because I wanted diesel for performance and drivability purposes when driving under load) is highly variable. In my experience, diesel prices tend to be much more stable both over time and distance. I've seen the difference in price at my local station vary from 15 cents to 90 cents, almost all due to the gas price swinging around. Going cross-country, diesel prices don't change much until you get to CA. So you can pretty much pick and choose numbers that support your particular preference.
Diesels are definitely worth a lot more at resale time. Which tells me that people value them more.
DaveEstey wrote: I'm not interested in half-ton trucks.
I'm going to start using this metaphorically at work.
Leafy wrote:DaveEstey wrote: Pretty sure the big 3 do not adhere to SAE2807. Only Toyota does.Ford even says it in some of their ads. Toyota was just the early adopter, it dropped their two ratings by thousands of pounds when they introduced it.
If you look up the real tow ratings, only 5 or so combinations of options have those over 10k lbds tow ratings on the f150 that they advertise. he'd also be close to max tow rating. You NEVER want to be CLOSE to the max tow rating... Mostly the ecoboost f150 short bed, not crew cab etc... it's a real crap shoot.
Depending on the horse combo I'd be well over 10k pounds.
We're working with the dealer now to make deal.
FYI, there's a $500 incentive for being a member of the American Quarter Horse Association. Membership is $40. You don't need to own a quarter horse to join.
Leafy wrote: You'll really need to think hard about needing the diesel and needing a 1 ton. Doing the math, the diesel only makes sense if you're towing an over 8,000lb enclosed trailer at least 30k miles PER YEAR. Or if you're towing an over 25,000lb load. Not hitting either of those the diesel will probably never pay off compared to the new gas motors. Based on your needs you will be infinitely more happy with a brand new F150 ecoboost or ram 1500 eco diesel. Why? They ride is significantly more comfortable than the new 1 tons and a complete world apart from your current truck, you'll think nothing about using the complete 400 mile range of the fuel tank (with my estimate of your load) without having to stop for a rest from fatigue. The fuel is cheaper and easier to find, the truck is much cheaper to begin with, and it'll require less maintenance with cheaper parts. Unfortunately for you it sounds like your wife is stuck in the 90's where a truck should be an uncomfortable crashy unpleasant to be in vehicle thats basically a farm tractor with a higher top speed. The auto industry has finally moved past this using technology and engineering that isnt from the 1960's to give you trucks that are better at being trucks than ever before while also being a nice place to be rather than an uncomfortable clap trap.
You also have to factor in that the diesel will be worth 2-3x the price of the gasser after 5-10yrs....and that the diesels are actually that good at towing things.
I haven't figured out the truck philosophy you seem to share with many others here. He needs the bigger truck as stated in the OP, so why bother?
DaveEstey wrote: We test drove a Tuxedo black 2015 F350 XLT supercab tonight. Ho-lee-crap do these new diesels make power. It didn't punch like my F250 does, it's just a constant surge that got us up to 85 mph mighty fast. SWMBO likes it a lot and there's an option to have the gooseneck hitch installed there, so she's apt to pull the trigger. I told her it's her call all the way and I support whatever she decides. Because she said I can keep the F250 for myself....
Yep, they're much faster/more powerful than anything that big deserves to be.
FWIW, when my dad ordered his, there were 2 different spring packages for the rear. One is for rare towing and the other meant for towing. IDK if they did away with that or not. 
the new 6.7 Ford, for all of the flack it gets, is a really nicely engineered motor IMHO. couple that with the most robust-yet-no-frills cab and chassis around it, that'd be my pick if I was going for a 10+k heavy hauler.
Cummins is freaking great, but I am not at all impressed with the truck around it, and I own one currently.
Isn't towing an area where overkill is not supposed to be frowned upon?
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