I've started looking a little more seriously about a truck. Prices are awfully attractive right now, on used and new alike. Rick, I know you and Greg both have F-150's, and any other folks wanna chime in with advice, feel free. There's an Explorer sport-trak with the 4.6 near me at a killer price and F-150's are dime a dozen right now. Casual hauling and maybe even pulling the Cyclone on an open trailer may be in the future...

If you plan on doing much towing plan on getting a 5.4. Ours tows like a champ, better than my old F250 with a 460 in it & it got 18.7 coming back from Texas

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You can't condemn the bad if you don't commend the good

If you are going to tow anything I would recommend at least a 137" (+-) wheelbase. Standard cab with 8 foot bed.

I've seen a lot of bad situations with short wheelbase SUV type vehicles towing car trailers. It can be done but it takes 100% focus and it's about as much fun as flying a B-17 over Europe in 1943.

My F150 is the old body style 1997(?)/2004. The 4.6 works just fine and gives good mpg but I don't think I'd want to tow with it.

I really don't know what I'd recommend for new truck. I know two guys who are Ford Truck techs. They both say I should NEVER sell my 2000 Super Duty. Hmmmmmmmm.......really instills confidence in the new stuff......

I had a basic 5.4/auto/3.73gear '04 2wd standard cab 8ft bed. Absolutely great tow machine for a half ton. Long wheelbase like the old camper specials, plenty of oomph if you're not in the Rockies, incredible 13" disks all around, plenty of weight and enough rear spring to easily handle an open trailer with midweight car.

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The eyes are the groin of the face -- Dwight Shrute

I towed a 28' enclosed trailer loaded down with parts & had no trouble at all. No stabilizer, no special nothing, just a towing package. 3.73 gear too

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You can't condemn the bad if you don't commend the good

I wouldn't think those Explorers with the tiny 'toy sized' bed would be worth owning. There's not enough room inside (compared to a SUV), and there's not enough room in the bed to be practical at all. Plus, it's all 'light duty'. If I was going to get an Explorer, I would want that tiny bed area to be enclosed, as it's not large enough to be used for 'truck' duty. Plus, I think they look silly.

If you need a TRUCK, get a TRUCK.

ps. I recently purchased a 1976 GMC long bed with a fiberglass topper that runs perfect, and has even had a Powertrax 'Lock-Right' installed in the rear for $250! It will do any minor towing/hauling I need to do, and won't cost me JACK CRAP. It will get insured for the summer months, and hibernate in a garage over the winter.

And no. It's not pretty, but it's got almost new tires and I drove it 6-1/2 hours home without a hitch. LOL!

That makes our sixth vehicle, but NONE of them have a payment book!

1966 Mustang (toy)
1976 GMC long bed (new car hauler)
1984 Ranger (nice shape summer generaly go-getter and former car hauler, had it for close to 20 yrs and isn't really worth enough to verify selling)
1990 Sentra (my daily beater car)
1998 Maxima (wife's car, 230k miles and runs/drives like a new one)
1999 Caravan (family ride for when all six of us have to comfortably fit in the same vehicle) LOL

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Mike Burch
66 mustang real street
302 4-speed 289 heads
10.63 @ 129.3
http://www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?220

I tow with a 2004 F150 Super Crew. Have had zero problems with towing. We averaged 10 mpg when it was new, towing to San Antonio Raceway (about 260 miles one way) through a bunch of hills in south Texas. It had about 100 miles on it at that time. The recent trip to Pine Valley was 865 miles round trip and the average was 11.5 or so, a bit less on that E10 crap they sell in the Metroplex. That's with about 5500 lbs on the trailer and about 700 lbs of crew and cargo. I figured we were in the 11,000lb range.

The bed is a little short, but I like the interior room of the Super Crew. 4 door pickups are the cat's meow to me.

If you buy new, get a hell of a warranty - 5 or 6 year, 100K miles at least. Have had the driver's window fixed twice (falls down without a hint), a cab leak fixed and a couple minor other things. Shop rates are higher than hell - the truck is a good truck, but I'd sure not like to pay for a major problem. Stock at $2.50, possible layoffs coming - Quality might not be exactly Job One at any factory of any car maker, foreign or domestic.

1967 Falcon 4 door 351C-4V
1970 Mustang 351C-2V
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
Owner built, owner abused.

The short bed four door truck is fine. You just need the long wheelbase, however you get there.

A 4.6 2wd Sport Trac with the optional towing package can carry a trailer that wiegh's 7160 pounds. Not bad in my book.