When we were shopping for our truck, one of the reasons I went with the EcoBoost was because of the altitude we live at (~3400'), and that would be the lowest/starting altitude when towing since the better camping around here is in the mountains. I have no problem with power and never felt like I had to ease up when climbing a hill or anything. As well, I have plenty of torque when I need to accelerate for passing too, but in reality I hardly pass people as I usually tow around 105kph (65mph) for an attempt at saving some fuel. Again, lots of uphill driving to get into the mountain parks

Although, I remember people telling me getting the trailer moving is one thing, stopping it is another. With that, I would honestly love more engine braking performance for going down hills, but I don't feel it was ever scary or anything, just certainly nice to have.

One other thing we had to consider out here is the wind. 60kph (~37mph) wind gusts out here are certainly not unheard of and further out in the Foothills of the mountains just outside of home, it can get way stronger. When the wind does pickup, I can feel it and a heavier truck would be nice there. I just have a 'dealer special' hitch, nothing fancy, so perhaps an upgrade there would help too, but we did buy the long box truck for the extended wheelbase. I feel that was certainly worth it, but again, a bigger truck would be nice too.
Hopefully some information for you to go on, but if you have other questions, fire away!

My father in law tows a similar sized SOB TT with the same truck. We've been through the Rockies a few times with them behind us and it does fine, the power curve for that engine is amazing. His only problem is the truck itself is a little light, that plus the short wheel base gives him some sway, particularly in crosswinds. You'll obviously know if that's an issue with the miles you've towed, just something to keep in mind. He's got the same problem. Not looking to spend on a bigger truck, and it's also their daily driver. If things get gnarly he just backs it down a little. There's no prize for getting there first, only getting there in one piece.

That said if you do decide to upgrade skip the 250 and go straight to the 350. It's usually about the same price and will handle the same. It'll just give you a bit more payload if you ever upgrade again.

Tires would be a good upgrade. I am not sure if your truck has passenger tires or truck tires. If passenger you could upgrade to "D" range truck tires. This will maybe make a stiffer non towing ride but will help with stability when towing. Added side wall strength will help the truck to be pushed less when there is sway from the trailer.

Brian

I towed our 10,000 lb 5th wheel with an Ecoboost F150 for thousands of miles with no issues. I did have a little more “truck chassis” under me with the HDPP package. A diesel engine brake is definitely an advantage on planned deceleration . . . it won’t do anything for you in an emergency braking situation. If you are concerned about braking capability while towing, the best $2,000 you can spend on this, is hydraulic disc brakes for the trailer. The HDPP F150 package includes an extra leaf in the rear springs and LT tires running at higher pressure. Both of these would be relatively easy upgrades to a standard F150. BTW, the “Max Tow Pkg” gets you a hitch receiver, a trailer brake controller, a 7 pin harness connection . . . and not much else.

FWIW, when not towing, an F150 stops more quickly than an F350. The disc brakes are basically the same size and the F150 weighs 2000 lbs less.

I like my new diesel F350, but (as I have noted in other threads) the most surprising “learning” is how capable that HDPP F150 actually was (in comparison).

Rob

A few years ago we had a Chevy 1500 with max tow package and towed a ~6000 lbs TT (not GD). We live in CO and towing anything at that rime was very new to us. We had fairly good power going up the mountain passes and then at the top we would shift into manual mode and drove down the mountains in 2nd or 3rd gear, and braked lightly occasionally. We also used a trailer brake controller. First pass was Monarch, and I was white knuckle going down, but once at the bottom, I realized it was not bad. A few years later, we purchased a Chevy 3500 diesel, and towing the previous TT was so easy, and now our 5th wheel is just as easy, but we also have exhaust brakes which enhances braking along with the brake controller (I still shift the diesel truck into manual occasionally going downhill). What we liked about the 1500 was that it would shift from 8 cylinders to 4, even towing (not often), which gave us better gas mileage. Good luck with your truck decision.