My 2012 5.7L Tundra NEVER had any problem towing our 23 foot or our current 25 foot Airstream at Colorado elevations. When 'overloaded' with a two week Off the Grid camping trip... I tried to keep the transmission from dropping down one and raising RPM too frequently on steep Mountain Passes.
Never overheated the engine or transmission. Never had a mechanical problem and traded it in with about 57,000 on the odometer.... and the Michelin LTX AT2 tires with Nitrogen from Costco (for what that is worth). Took off the Goodrich tires, sold them on Craigs List and bought Michelins the week after the purchase. Never had a tire problem with the Michelins since using them for many years.
The tires were still above the wear bar at the time of trading it in on the F350.
Our 4.7L 2006 Tundra pulled the 23 footer very well. Again, probably overloaded and no mechanical issues at all.
Wonderful vehicles... but the cargo 'pay load' was always a concern. Less so with the 2006 Tundra and 23 footer.
After looking at the F150, which come in so many variations... again the cargo pay load was just a bit more than the 2014 Tundra by 200 pounds. But from outside and inside appearances the F150 higher end models were impressive for basic power and driver comforts! Overloaded or not when towing... your choice. IF they remain reliable and can do the job... just be conscious that the weight transfer becomes more important to get weight up front on the tow vehicle front axle.
It helps being able to steer the direction you want to travel.
I had a friend towing with a 2000 Tundra 4.7L and a 25' Arctic Fox. When hauling fresh water, grey and black... the Tundra's front would lose traction on Wyoming's wavy asphalt roads on expansive Cretaceous shale substructure. Way too much trailer for that year. He eventually bought a 2012 Tundra 5.7L and is living happily ever after. Probably still overloaded, but safely.
I will be very disappointed if the 6.7L Diesel in my F350 gives me... one problem, for the cost. The plan is going for 99,000 miles and leave the last 1,000 for warranty on the drive train to the next owner. Or... just die in this truck. I read about the 6.0L older Diesel engines as real problematic and NOBODY wanted to take it off of the owner's hands, they were so bad. Rumor is...
As Nancy and I plan to take our hard earned 'nest egg' and just squander it before the other dies... it is difficult to take frugality and become spend thrifts... but this truck is the beginning.
If this conversion from Toyota's since 1981 to Ford in 2016 becomes a lousy choice... I will make sure everyone hears about it. In less than one month, this F350 will get the work out it is advertised to handle.
At least, now, I understand that this original post was less about cargo, but more on towing capacity.
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Human Bean
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