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Ford F150 Lightning towing

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gpokluda View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote gpokluda Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Ford F150 Lightning towing
    Posted: 11 Dec 2022 at 1:29pm
This from the Escape Forum. 

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jato View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Dec 2022 at 3:11pm
I would have to agree with the driver, "not real practical unless you are only going to travel shorter distances of 100 - 200 km."  On top of that there is the issue of where to charge which is a huge factor if you are planning to go to a more remote area.  Nice truck though!
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2022 at 7:07am
He reported 54kwh per 100km. That works out to exactly 150 miles range with the extended range Lightning which has a 131kwh battery pack. That's just about exactly what was predicted.

That is of course a heavier, larger trailer than our rpods so I would expect a bit  longer range, not much. So in practice around 100-120 miles between recharges allowing for adverse driving conditions and a little reserve. 

Is that acceptable? For most folks here probably not. But if your use case was hauling your rpod to a nearby campground with hookups for recharging then sure, why not?

For me, towing is now limited to short runs with a utility or horse trailer so the Lightning would be a great vehicle.  Everyone raves about it's power, traction, and braking while towing. So I'm still on the Ford wait-list for one.

But it's an unlikely purchase for me anytime soon. Ford has continually raised the prices.  GM has dropped the price on its Bolt, so it's very competitive with other compact cars now. Qualifies for a tax credit too, despite Manchin's best efforts to quash that. The Bolt will address 80-90% of my driving requirements electrically, replacing my 12 year old Prius which is beginning to get long in the tooth   So, I have a Bolt on order, and I'll keep me Highlander for towing, for now.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote furpod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2022 at 4:41pm
An electric truck is the perfect truck.

For someone who doesn't need a truck.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Dec 2022 at 8:01pm
I've often wondered why nobody has made a Diesel-electric hybrid. It would seem to offer benefits for a truck that wouldn't necessarily be needed for a sedan.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2022 at 12:44am
Originally posted by furpod

An electric truck is the perfect truck.For someone who doesn't need a truck.


Cute soundbite. But completely untrue, like most soundbites are.

It depends on what you think a truck is for. For me, as a former contractor, a truck is for work. It's parked at your shop overnight. In the morning it hauls your gear crew, tools, and materials to a jobsite. Then back to the shop at night.   

So the Lightning Pro is selling like hotcakes to operators who actually need trucks for work. It's perfect for contractors. Recharges at the shop overnight cheaply, crew and gear to jobsites during the day. Excellent towing ability to haul materials to said jobsites.   Secure storage in the frunk. Ability to run power tools during the day. What more could you ask for? And none of this calls for long range towing.

Me, I'd ask for one more thing: a single cab long bed version with a bench seat. I don't get all these double cab short bed trucks, but that's what 90% seem to be nowadays. But that's just me.

Here's what's not a truck, IMO. A$100+ vehicle with all sorts of luxury features. Some of the stuff Ford puts in it's Lariat package (available on both the Lightning and gasser F150s) as an example:

12 inch "productivity" screen
sync 4 voice recognition
post collision braking!?
fade to off interior lighting
ambient lighting
power adjustable pedals with memory
dual note horn
360 degree cameras
wireless charging pad
Bang and Olufsen unleashed sound system
remote tailgate release with auto power lock
capless fuel filler
pickup bed tonneau cover

Are they kidding? Just get a high end SUV if you want all that junk, and save some money. It will ride and handle better and be more comfortable. What good is a pickup truck with a tonneau cover?

But that's just my opinion. If you have the money and want all that luxury stuff in what was once a work vehicle, that's your choice. We all have different needs and wants.

Many of the folks buying Lightnings don't need a pickup truck. Neither do the folks buying high end gasser F150s. Many others do. It's success speaks for itself, Ford can't make Lightnings fast enough to meet demand, and probably won't for years.













. Why spend all that money on luxury ju rough riding body in frame
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2022 at 1:30am
Ford has dropped the diesel engine from it's f150 lineup. Customers weren't buying them. With gassers more efficient than ever and emissions standards making diesel fuel significantly more expensive than gasoline, plus the requirements for DEF, the benefits just aren't there. It's reached a technological dead end for light vehicles.

Diesels are even less beneficial for a hybrid in a work vehicle because the electric motor can provide the low rpm torque benefits the diesel would have, and the hybrid power train can provide the efficiency.

VW was developing a small diesel hybrid passenger car at one point. It had the lowest fuel consumption and emissions per mile of any vehicle at the time, a claimed 280 mpg. Meet the VW XL1.

https://youtu.be/m75t4UtX93c

But then their diesel emissions scandal hit them, and batteries got much cheaper, so now they're going all electric like most of the other manufacturers are planning to do.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote lostagain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2022 at 6:49am
What!  OG, you protest a capless fuel filler port?  How can you say that?  It's one of those features on my F-150 I like the best.  No fumbling with and losing gas caps for me at Costco when I fill up for a long trip.  I'll never have to buy an after market gas cap again.

As for the short bed and large passenger compartment, I have mixed feelings.  I personally like the middle sized one with the larger cab and a 6' bed, but I got vetoed by the boss when we bought our truck.  On the other hand, I added piece of plywood to fit in the back passenger area to make a nice flat floor with rubber mat and it's a great place to put all my tools and such when I'm off working on Habitat houses.  It makes a nice secure storage area.  In fact, It's big enough that I have filled the space with stuff including a couple of bikes for a long trip. And having a six passenger capacity is a real treat when I have to pick up my kids and grandkids from the airport.  There is plenty of room for everyone plus their luggage.

 As for tonneau covers, I had one and found it useful for keeping stuff in the bed of the truck from getting borrowed by someone who needed it more than me, but I ended up selling it to a neighbor and buying what we call on the west coast a camper shell [in the uncivilized parts of the continent a topper].  It works great and I've never had problems with hauling plywood and other lumber in the back.  If I wanted to load a refrigerator, I'd have to take it off, but I haven't carried a refrigerator in the back of a truck for many years.

The ride of the body on frame F-150 it is significantly more comfortable and quiet than our Mazda CX-5 and other SUV's I've ridden in.  In fact, it is one of the most comfortable vehicles I have ever driven for long trips.  I've put some very long days on the road driving cross-country in both our Mazda and F-150 and hands down, the F-150 is far more comfortable and less fatiguing to drive.  Plus, with the tiny turbo boosted engine, it gets very good mileage and I've never been short of power, even loaded to near the maximum combined gross vehicle weight.

Until there are some major improvements to vehicle batteries and charging speeds, the range limit of a pure electric pickup limits its functionality to local use.  Perhaps a chargeable hybrid may be a better alternative for uses that involve longer distances.  It would solve the range problem and substantially improve the fuel consumption issue.  For me, all of this is irrelevant in that I'll never be in the market to for new vehicles since, at my age, I'll be done driving before I could ever save enough money to buy one, especially as new vehicles approach the cost of a house.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2022 at 9:11am
+1  Built our house in 1980, did a lot of work myself (plumbing, electrical, shingles, siding, inside trim work) on a 3000 sq.ft. house for $ 62,500.  The basement (1200 sq.ft.) was finished 20 years later.  And that was during the Carter Regime when the mortgage rate was 12% and construction loans were 18% in this neck of the woods.  Home prices are crazy around here, a 1960's basic home with no garage and about 1000 sq.ft. in town go for $ 250K and a 100' lot on Torch Lake runs 750K!  And this is northern Michigan, away from the hustle and bustle of big city, and  $$ life. 
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Dec 2022 at 9:18am
Well my Toyotas have lanyards on the gas caps so you can't forget them somewhere.  For me a work vehicle is something I can throw greasy tractor parts in or take trash to the dump, or pick up 12ft lumber with.  I pick those items  bc I've hauled all 3 in my old horse trailer in the past week. Anything cleaner or smaller fits in my Prius which uses half the fuel of an F150.  I've hauled a fridge or two in the past in that trailer. Heck I've even had a horse in there once or twice.LOL And stuff stays dry and secure. So if I got a pickup it would probably be a rusted out old Ford with an 8ft bed  that I'd put Farm Use tags on. That would come the closest to matching what I have now. 

As for comparing $100k F150s to SUVs, that wouldn't be a Mazda CX, we're in Lexus LX and BMW X7 territory. My guess is that those would beat the fancy pickup in ride and comfort. Just a guess. 

Of course, all this is just personal opinion, we all like what we like and spend our money as we see fit.  My point is that the Lightning is indeed a truck and does its truck things very well in the eyes of it's many fans. I'm on the fence about it, but likely in the no side, nothing to do with range anxiety. More because, like you, I don't have the money for one and what I do now meets my needs as well, and probably better. 
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