And you get to do all this in an awesome new truck. You should really get to know the truck on a trip like this; you'll have to give us a report on how it did and how you like it when you get back!
With a little over 3,400 miles covered on the drive out to Illinois and back via Beaver City, NE to pick up the trailer, and Moore, MT to pick up the front bumper, I've really become familiar with all of the features of the truck and I couldn't be happier with the F-450. Seriously, it's easily the best truck I've ever owned, and not just by a bit but by a massive margin. Come to think of it, it's possibly the best vehicle I've ever owned and I've owned a lot over the years including multiple vehicles from Audi, Lexus, Acura, Ford, Subaru and Chrysler.
The last 1,200 miles of the trip was pulling the Kaufman trailer so I became familiar with the numerous features related to towing. I really like that the F-450 is configurable to whatever is required with different driving modes. I completely forgot to use the "Economy" mode when not pulling the trailer. I was in "Normal" mode for a little over 2,000 miles.
The trailer support is truly exceptional with integrated trailer brake controller, and both manual and automatic exhaust brake modes. The "Towing" mode results in the engine and transmission optimizing the towing experience, and with adaptive cruise control turned on with the exhaust brake in automatic mode it's a towing dream. I also really like the ability to choose various displays in the dash with a separate Trip logger for a trailer, in addition to Trip 1 and Trip 2. Also, the heads up display changes depending on which driving mode is selected. I averaged about 11.3 mpg pulling the 7,000lb trailer at speeds between 65mph and 80mph, but mostly around 75mph. Also, the elevation is increasing significantly from Beaver City via Sheridan, WY and eventually to Kalispell.
I could go on and on about how incredible the F-450 is, and the fact that I've been on the road for six days, with around 8 to 9 hours of driving each day without once feeling tired says a lot. The truck has so many great features. It's quiet, there's so much smooth power on hand, the transmission is outstanding, it's very comfortable, it handles well, the displays are superb, the sound system is excellent, and there's myriad safety features that can be turned on or off. If there's anything to complain about it's that the 14-ply tires and very stout/stiff suspension let you know when the roads really suck, and unfortunately many do. The ride did improve with the trailer hooked up which added around 1,000lb to the bed, but still, it's not a luxury sedan. Fuel mileage is what it is. A 9,500lb truck with a 4.30 rear end is never going to win any fuel efficiency competitions, but running empty at 70mph with a 48 gallon fuel tank gives a range of around 700 miles which is about as far as I want to go in a day.
At this point I have zero regrets buying the F-450, and now I want to find excuses to use it. Even though I bought it for towing, I would most likely use it for a road trip and try the "Economy" mode to see how that does, and keep the speed to around 75mph.
I'm going to look into adding an EGT gauge at some point, but given the amount of technology on the truck I'm sure that the computer would prevent excessive heat in the turbo. I would be interested to see what the EGTs are though. The DPF seems to stay at 0% when the speed is 60mph and up.
Here's a photo of the display I set up when towing the trailer.
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