Newbie question here:

Shopping for a newer-than-2001 2nd hand F150, must have an 8 x 4 box, not diesel nor with a standard 4 door cab. What models should I be looking for?

 

Ford makes the Supercab with 8' bed, but not very many. They may be hard to find, but they are out there. A friend of mine had one before getting a Supercrew. The Supercab has a rear bench seat with very little legroom.

 

Thanks for the input APT.

Looking for a work truck so even a regular cab would be fine. As long as it can haul 2000-2500lbs in an 8 ft. bed on a daily basis. I figured Ford has the best haulers in this class.

 

For those kind of payload weights, I'd be looking for an F250 with the 5.4 in it. Lot more of those have the 8' beds...

If it must be an F150, then you should consider the "heavy duty" model, IMO. Up to 2003, these have a #7700 GVWR. The newer ones are #8200 I do believe...

You can tell these models because they have 7 lug wheels, plus beefier suspension and such.

They have a larger rear end, but they are still 'semi float' style... The F250, even with the 5.4 will have a much better 'full float' rear end. (much better for hauling heavy loads with).

A 'standard' payload F150 up to 2003 has 'maybe' up to a #6500 GVWR, but 'could' be as low as #6050..

With some suspension mods and LT rated tires, you can make it handle the load better, but you will still 'technically' be overloaded (IMO) with a standard F150 if those are indeed your anticipated DAILY payload weights.. Heck, I've hauled that much in my shortbed, but it was only a short distance and only a couple of times.. On a daily basis, the wear and tear factor will be pretty high and if you need this truck to make a living, then break downs is not what you want to risk!

Good luck!

Mitch

 

If you plan to keep 2000 pounds in the bed of a truck all the time, get a 3/4 ton truck. While many people including myself have had 2000+ pounds in the back of our trucks, it isn't something I recommend every day. You are also more likely to find an 8' bed with minimal equipment (work truck/XL)

 

Thanks I will look for a 250 or a HD 150. Although I'd use it for hauling daily the 2000 lbs might not be daily, but at least once or twice a week, and I'd like to be able to handle that much daily if the need arose.

If using a non-HD F150 was planning on air bags or alternatively overload springs, such as SuperSprings, a rear stabilizer bar, plus wider tires.

I'll go out hunting this weekend and see what I can find looking for the 250 in my price range as the first choice and the HD 150 as my second.

Thanks a ton for the advice!

Kenneth