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  1. #1
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    Apr 2009
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    West Chester, Ohio
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    Towing with a 3.5 Ecoboost

    Good morning gents,

    My wife and I are thinking about trading our truck in for an SUV as our family has gotten bigger. It's just too hard to go places with the truck pulling the boat. We were looking at Yukons, Expeditions and Sequoias.

    We have a Ford Flex and love the room it gives us and I just found some Expeditions that have a 3.5 Ecoboost engine. Anyone pulling a boat with this engine? Any concerns pulling a boat? My boat is a Skeeter ZX-190.

    Thanks!
    Eric
    A great fisherman lives here with the catch of his life!

  2. Member
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    Jan 2018
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    Pearl ,Ms
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    10
    #2
    I think you should be fine with the 3.5 eco boost several guys in my club have f 150’s with that engine and they both tow 20ft boats with no issues I check for a towing package on the particular suv you interested in and also the sequoia with the 5.7 would not be a bad choice or the Yukon with a 5.3 for your rig hope that helps some

  3. Member
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    #3
    I’m a big fan of the Yoter simply because of the utilitarian reliability they have gave me. That being said any on your list will handle a bass boat.

  4. Member
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    Feb 2014
    Location
    Iowa
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    11
    #4
    i've had a 2014 f150 3.5 ecoboost with 3.55 rears and i've had a 2016 yukon with 6.2L. and 3.23 rears. Both pulled a Ranger Z520c..
    F150 was a great pulling truck which has an awesome torque curve. high torque early in the rpm range and stays there. down side is it got lousy gas mileage when not pulling a trailer at speeds over 65mph (15-17mpg).
    The yukon 6.2L with 3.23 rears has plenty of power and torque but the max torque doesn't come until higher rpm's.
    Yukon mpg 19-22 not pulling a trailer.
    all three will that you listed will work; depends on what you want to accomplish.
    best of luck!

  5. Member
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    #5
    I guess I have to imagine an Expedition EL is heavier than a F150 tho, and accounts for the lower mpg..? We went and looked at one here locally, we like the space it gave us in cab and leg space. I'm willing to sacrifice a little on the mpg for comfort and overall utility an SUV gives the family. The vehicle only travels M-F about 20 miles a day for my wife to work and back, weekends, a little more for fishing obviously.
    A great fisherman lives here with the catch of his life!

  6. Member
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    Apr 2009
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    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by n2ratfishin View Post
    I’m a big fan of the Yoter simply because of the utilitarian reliability they have gave me. That being said any on your list will handle a bass boat.
    You'll have to forgive me. I don't know what you mean by a Yoter... !
    A great fisherman lives here with the catch of his life!

  7. Member
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    #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Bait View Post
    i've had a 2014 f150 3.5 ecoboost with 3.55 rears and i've had a 2016 yukon with 6.2L. and 3.23 rears. Both pulled a Ranger Z520c..
    F150 was a great pulling truck which has an awesome torque curve. high torque early in the rpm range and stays there. down side is it got lousy gas mileage when not pulling a trailer at speeds over 65mph (15-17mpg).
    The yukon 6.2L with 3.23 rears has plenty of power and torque but the max torque doesn't come until higher rpm's.
    Yukon mpg 19-22 not pulling a trailer.
    all three will that you listed will work; depends on what you want to accomplish.
    best of luck!
    So, are you saying that it got poor mpg without a trailer, or when it was pulling a trailer at lower than highway speeds? Thanks!

    Eric
    A great fisherman lives here with the catch of his life!

  8. Member
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    Feb 2014
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    Iowa
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    #8
    The 3.5 eco mph was not great without the trailer i.e. 15-17mpg over 65mph. 3.5 eco got 10.5-12mpg when pulling a Ranger z520c.
    Yukon with 6.2L is about the same pulling the z520 10-12 mpg, but gets 18.5- 22 without tlr.
    For my application, I like the Yukon but the 3.5 eco will out pull the 6.2l
    Torque is what gets you there; horsepower's what keeps you there..
    Get which ever you want!
    Best of luck to ya.

  9. Member
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    Sep 2007
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    Erie
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    #9
    You will not have a problem with the 3.5 ecoboost. I have the 2.7 ecoboost and my Triton 21 ft Multi species weighs between 5500-5800 lbs and the 2.7 pulls it with no problems at all.

  10. Member
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    Roanoke va
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    #10
    ive got an 18 f150 2.7 ecoboost and it has plenty of power. and im coming from a 6.7 diesel f250
    2004 Ranger 521vx Yamaha 250 SHO



  11. Moderator
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    Dec 2004
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    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by SmlRanger View Post
    ive got an 18 f150 2.7 ecoboost and it has plenty of power. and im coming from a 6.7 diesel f250
    What kind of mileage you see towing?
    Vince Dart- Jim Thorpe PA

  12. Member
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    #12
    Quote Originally Posted by dartman View Post
    What kind of mileage you see towing?
    I get between 11.5 - 13 mpg depending on conditions and I have a pretty heavy rig.

  13. Moderator
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    #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Erie660 View Post
    I get between 11.5 - 13 mpg depending on conditions and I have a pretty heavy rig.
    Like mine ranger 521vx ?
    Vince Dart- Jim Thorpe PA

  14. Member
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    #14
    Thanks bait!
    A great fisherman lives here with the catch of his life!

  15. Member
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    #15
    Quote Originally Posted by dartman View Post
    What kind of mileage you see towing?
    Usually in the 13-14 range.... That's pulling the bug with a Z71 5.3 EcoTec3 on a 2011 Silverado. I'm an easy driver tho. I like to use cruise on the highway, I start and stop with ease. It's been hard to find a Surburban, Tahoe, Yukon, or Yukon XL in a similar price range as an Expedition EL. Sequoias might be to small for the family as well as a Durango, which seems to have better gas mileage.

    Thanks for all the input. We're still deciding.
    A great fisherman lives here with the catch of his life!

  16. Member
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    #16
    I have a 2014 F150 with the 3.5l ecoboost. Very solid and good performer when towing. If you want MPGs when towing, go with a diesel. I pull a horse trailer (5-6k) and a Nitro boat (2.7k) with mine and it does the job easily.

  17. Member
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    #17
    not sure about the folks getting poor mileage out of the ecoboost. I have a 2012 f150 that I tow a Skeeter 21I. Tows like a dream. Depending on how fast I am rolling with it, 10-13 towing mpg. When I am not towing, average pretty close to 20mpg. I have a 5 year running mpg of 17.2 average combined tow, city and hwy. 120k miles

  18. Member sheeterhdip225's Avatar
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    #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Erie660 View Post
    You will not have a problem with the 3.5 ecoboost. I have the 2.7 ecoboost and my Triton 21 ft Multi species weighs between 5500-5800 lbs and the 2.7 pulls it with no problems at all.
    Love mine 2015 2.7 ecoboost
    Richard Woods VA Beach,VA
    US Navy ETC/SS Retired
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    GET HER DONE! (Helix 10 G3, 12 G3,Garmin ECHOMAP 106 /livescope and M360 Bow all NMEA2k)
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  19. Member
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    #19
    2015 f150 3.5 eco with 3.55 gears and it has never came across as being underpowered when towing. I get 12-14 mpg towing my 21’ Stroker and 17-20 mpg empty. The expedition would be at the top of my list with the 5.3 gm being at the bottom. I’d opt for the 6.2 gm over the sequoia though.

  20. Member
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    #20
    I have a '16 Expedition with Ecoboost, tows a 21' boat with no problem but I felt the rear was a little soft so I am adding coil spring spacers on the rear this year to see how it feels. You might not have that soft rear with your Skeeter.
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