2025 deleted member
Well-known member
Diesels you only have a choice of 3.55 or 3.31 unless you get a dually. If I was buying a gas I would get 4.30 so I could pull a load with taller tires.
2017 F250 for Cape Horn
- Thread starter marengineer
- Start date
Diesels you only have a choice of 3.55 or 3.31 unless you get a dually. If I was buying a gas I would get 4.30 so I could pull a load with taller tires.
phsycle
Adventurer
I would not suggest a Tundra in this case. Just the camper alone eats up almost all of the payload. Same with the Powerwagon. Both are around 1,500lbs. A Hawk is 1,100lbs Dry.
Pretty sure you can get a Tundra with a payload of ~1.6k lbs, which should be adequate for a conventional camper and certainly capable of taking a lighter truck topper: http://adventuretrailers.com/campers/toyota-habitat/
Same applies for the PW. The underlying Ram 2500 platform is good up to 3.3k lbs; the suspension would likely need to be changed out on the PW for a conventional camper, but the rest of the platform is more than capable of dealing with that kind of payload.
phsycle
Adventurer
Even at 1.6k lbs, you've got a 1.1k lb DRY weight camper. Add water (20 gal tank), supplies, and at minimum, you're at 1.4k, but probably more. Add passengers, luggage, etc., you're now over. I'm not even counting the trailer they're looking to pull. Same deal with the PW. I understand you can change out the suspension, add air bags, bigger brakes, etc. But when it comes down to it, legally, you are over GVWR.
I would personally just get a 3/4 ton, whether it's an F250 or Ram 2500 (gas). I don't see any advantage going with either the Tundra or PW for this guy's uses.
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
Since we're talking camper, I would go with a Ford SD or the Ram 2500, and would avoid the PW or Tundra. The PW costs a bit more, and you'll need more rear spring.
The regular 250/2500 will leave a ton of budget space for mods. The Ford already has a rear locker, so add any locker you want up front. If you do custom gears at the same time, $3000 maybe. Add better tires, a simple level kit, and maybe some King Coil over front shocks, and you're still under PW pricing. Don't really need a sway bar disco, all though it's nice. 5 min with a electric impact fixes that for the rare case when you'd want to with a camper in the back.
I think $4-7000 can custom outfit a truck very nicely. My truck was $38,000! Power Wagon was $49-51,000. I can do all kinds of cool stuff for $11-13,000.
We see the same thing with the Colorado ZR2, it may be better for some people to build one themselves from the base truck.
The regular 250/2500 will leave a ton of budget space for mods. The Ford already has a rear locker, so add any locker you want up front. If you do custom gears at the same time, $3000 maybe. Add better tires, a simple level kit, and maybe some King Coil over front shocks, and you're still under PW pricing. Don't really need a sway bar disco, all though it's nice. 5 min with a electric impact fixes that for the rare case when you'd want to with a camper in the back.
I think $4-7000 can custom outfit a truck very nicely. My truck was $38,000! Power Wagon was $49-51,000. I can do all kinds of cool stuff for $11-13,000.
We see the same thing with the Colorado ZR2, it may be better for some people to build one themselves from the base truck.
Hopeless Diamond
Explorer
But then you don't have the neat badging and decals
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
phsycle
Adventurer
I do believe you can get a Tradesman Powerwagon for much cheaper. Around $40k (or under?).
The only thing that would need to be upgraded on the PW for a heavy camper load are the rear springs and shocks. Everything else on the PW (brakes, frame, axles, overall chassis) is pretty much the same as the regular gasser Ram 2500. I agree that there are other platforms that can do the job for a lower $, but I'm just pointing out that the PW is more than capable for such duties. Also, I don't know if the OP specified what kind of camper he wanted. In this day-and-age, there are lightweight hybrid truck toppers/campers that come in far below 1k lbs, like the Adventure Trailers product referenced previously.
Plenty of people also running conventional and lightweight campers on their Tundra's. As long as the weight is managed appropriately, either platform should handle that duty just fine.
Unlike a lot of brand loyalists, I don't have a problem with Ford's switch to Aluminum bodies. However, outside of weight savings, I think there is little benefit to the switch. Yes the body panels may take longer to degrade, but all the important parts underneath the truck (frame, axles) are going to rust at the same rate as other trucks do.
phsycle
Adventurer
Hm, interesting about the PW. I'm guessing they're just softer springs that give more articulation, then.
Camper the OP mentioned is right on the first post:
"My girlfriend and I have settled on a Four Wheel Camper Hawk (6.5ft) or Grandby (8ft) camper to live in for the year of travel. We considered a smaller camper, but I am concerned with overloading a vehicles GVWR and we would also like to pull a ~6000-7000lb horse trailer."
I believe there are bare-bones shell models that is essentially a truck shell, so dressing that up with minimal and light interior bits may be ok. Though they are still 800+ lbs Dry.
http://www.fourwh.com/product/empty-shell-model-popup-truck-camper/
But you look at the MPG of the Tundra vs the 3/4 tons, they are about the same----why limit yourself? Plus, the 6k lb horse trailer added on would still take it over payload on a Tundra even with a lightweight camper.
Explorerinil
Observer
They have specific recommendations, you can run a slide in. I've seen several power wagons with slide ins.
phsycle
Adventurer
This says Power Wagons are not designed for slide-in campers. Probably goes back to Dalko's comment about the rear suspension. It also gives recommendations for campers in the rest of the Ram truck line up.
https://www.mopar.com/moparsvc/tweddle/publications?id=4400
marshal
Burrito Enthusiast
For the super duty's - the 10 speed HD transmissions are supposed to be introduced on the 2020 model re-fresh along with the third generation 6.7L, and the new big-block gasser.
the non-US/Canada spec super duties optioned with diesels still use the 6.7L, but with the emissions equipment removed. Ultimately what puts the US diesels in to limp mode when not using ULSD is when the DPF gets clogged with crap from lower quality diesel and can't burn it off. The dual fuel filter system on the 6.7L was designed to filtrate fuel from Mexico, south America, middle east and Australia where the SD's are exported to.
and for those that have complaint against the AAM axles in the RAM's. There is nothing wrong with them, they're excellent axles just as well as the Dana's are. The Corporate 11.5 in the PW and RAM 3500's is essentially the same 14 bolt that GM uses in its rear axles. the 9.5AAM in the front, while unique to the RAM's, is a solid axle derivative of the same front differential that GM uses in their trucks as well and has been strengthened based on Chryslers safety margin requests. The 2014 plus axles are significantly reinforced over the previous generations and the issues with ball joints, steering and bent housings are things of the past.
Ford's 'Super 60" Dana 60 front end is still stronger than the 9.5AAM, but not by leaps and bounds. the 11.5 Corporate in the rear is marginally stronger than the Sterling 10.5 Ford uses (built by Dana) in the F250's. However the 2017+ F350's uses Dana M275 rear axles and the 450+ use Dana M300's. SO keep in mind that if you do option yourself with the Gasser F350, the Dana M275 rear axle doesn't have any after market gear support and you'll be restricted to using Ford's OEM R&P sets, which max out at 4.30.
the AAM/corporate RAM combo has ring sets up to 5.29
that said, Carli is working on a set of rebuildable super HD ball joints for the 2014+'s RAMs
the non-US/Canada spec super duties optioned with diesels still use the 6.7L, but with the emissions equipment removed. Ultimately what puts the US diesels in to limp mode when not using ULSD is when the DPF gets clogged with crap from lower quality diesel and can't burn it off. The dual fuel filter system on the 6.7L was designed to filtrate fuel from Mexico, south America, middle east and Australia where the SD's are exported to.
and for those that have complaint against the AAM axles in the RAM's. There is nothing wrong with them, they're excellent axles just as well as the Dana's are. The Corporate 11.5 in the PW and RAM 3500's is essentially the same 14 bolt that GM uses in its rear axles. the 9.5AAM in the front, while unique to the RAM's, is a solid axle derivative of the same front differential that GM uses in their trucks as well and has been strengthened based on Chryslers safety margin requests. The 2014 plus axles are significantly reinforced over the previous generations and the issues with ball joints, steering and bent housings are things of the past.
Ford's 'Super 60" Dana 60 front end is still stronger than the 9.5AAM, but not by leaps and bounds. the 11.5 Corporate in the rear is marginally stronger than the Sterling 10.5 Ford uses (built by Dana) in the F250's. However the 2017+ F350's uses Dana M275 rear axles and the 450+ use Dana M300's. SO keep in mind that if you do option yourself with the Gasser F350, the Dana M275 rear axle doesn't have any after market gear support and you'll be restricted to using Ford's OEM R&P sets, which max out at 4.30.
the AAM/corporate RAM combo has ring sets up to 5.29
that said, Carli is working on a set of rebuildable super HD ball joints for the 2014+'s RAMs
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