3/4 ton or 1 ton platform? 250 or 350. 2500 or 3500

[GetOutThere!]

I have been considering a FWC Hawk or similar.

Leaning towards flat bed but feel free to talk me out of it.

Is full ton the route to go or is 3/4 enough? I definitely want to be below GVWR when loaded for a week/weekend trip. Two adults/two small children.

It would also be nice to be able to have something left over to tow if the need arose.

Let me know thoughts.

 

[Todd780]

Same size truck so might as well go 1 ton if the footprint / drive train is the same. Little more payload room isn't a bad thing.

From what I've seen price isn't terribly different and round here 1 tons are much easier to find new or used regardless of trim level.

 

[GetOutThere!]

Thanks, Todd. Makes sense.

Not to revive the gas v diesel thing- but does it matter for the set-up listed above. I do live in a mountainous region of the country (Central Oregon.)

 

[Regcabguy]

I'd get gas with the FWC. Plenty of power,way cheaper to buy and maintain.

 

[jadmt]

1 ton and diesel...better mpg, more power and you can tap in and run a diesel heater...one thing even a pop up camper ends up weighing more than people realize by the time you have it ready to go. If going with gas get a ford with 7.3L. with a family you are going to want a Grandby not a hawk. Kids grow way fast so why buy something that will only fit your needs for a year or two...get bigger from the start.

 

[Walkers]

Check you registration cost on the one ton first, as here it is considered a commercial vehicle. Insurance cost may differ between the two as well. I can’t remember having seen a gas 1 ton either. Biggest difference is towing. If you are going to tow heavy get the 1 ton in a diesel, if you are not then get the 3/4 ton. There is a pretty big premium for the Diesel engine, and repairing them is very expensive. If you are not going to really use the diesel, then get the gasser.

 

[billiebob]

Buy the truck which best matches the load. An under loaded 1 ton will not ride as nice as a fully loaded 3/4 ton. And regardless, get the gasser. Todays diesels are disasters, complex, darned expensive to fix, trouble prone, they have nothing in common with the Cummins or Powerstokes of 20 years ago. Last, check the price of fuel. Or the premium of just buying the diesel option?

 

[CyberRube2]

My 2021 Ford with the 7.3 Gas is an absolute awesome truck. The onnnnly drawback is its very thirsty. I get like 15mpg at BEST.

 

[ramblinChet]

You have two simple questions - here are two simple answers:

1) Payload: estimate the combined weight of everything you will be adding to your rig (camper, supplies, fuel, water, people, etc.) If your estimated payload is 2k, find a truck with ~4k payload capacity. Mechanical systems which must account for variability generally function best when operating in the middle of their range. This carries over into other systems such as braking, cooling, etc.

2) Diesel of gas: unless you are towing 15-25k daily and making money doing it, a diesel is not your best choice. The break even for diesel versus gas for light loads is around the 250k mile mark. Sure they are great for engine braking during steep descents, even better pulling a load uphill, etc. But those advantages come with a premium price.

I explore in a 1-ton gas truck and I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[Pk63]

I have a FWC on a 2021 F250 Crewcab. 4x4. 6 foot bed. 6.2 gas engine. Payload is 3300 pounds. Love the truck with the FWC. Have no problems, plenty of power.
FWC is about 1150 pounds. Only real advise i would give you is to look at payload. F350 may not necessarily have more payload. So many variables, packages and accessories that payloads vary a lot between trucks.

 

[tacollie]

The gas Ford trucks are hard to beat. A lot of the F250s have over 3000lbs payload. Our 6.2 Ford carriers the FWC well. If your buying a new Ford get the 4.30 gears. It'll get you a hair more payload, bigger axle, and the lower gears will be nice with the camper.

 

[OffToTheSide]

DISCLAIMER: I like diesels better than gas engines for heavier hauling, towing and long drives. I am a diesel and big torque fanboy. This post is intended only as an add'l point of view for the original poster.

The three arguments for gas engines you will hear usually go: 1) gas engines cost less to buy and operate than diesel engines and make adequate power; 2) gas engines are lighter than diesel engines and therefore diminish payload less; 3) diesel engines will experience costly breakdowns because modern diesel emissions systems are complex and unreliable.

I would not even consider the purchase of a gas engine powered rig for hauling a truck camper plus towing, but a gas engine will do the job just fine and I can understand why people might prefer them to diesel engines. As for #1 above, diesel engines in 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are way more powerful than their gas engine counterparts. (A 2015 Ram Cummins 2500 (non high output) makes 800 lb/ft of torque. The diesel engine option is, however, much more expensive than gas, averaging about $9000 as an engine option at purchase. On the other hand, quite a bit of that upcharge comes back in resale, and the purchase delta is less in the Ford variant if the comparison is a 6.7 Powerstroke to a 7.3 Godzilla gasser (If I recall correctly, the Godzilla V-8 is about $2000 as an option). I don't bother with "break even" analyses factoring in estimates about fuel economy and future gas prices. It's all guesswork. Diesels probably do cost a bit more to own and operate. It is, however, a fact that diesels resell for more than their gas engine counterparts.

As for #2, that is completely true and it is an important point! By way of example, in a RAM platform, the Cummins 6.7 diesel is a nearly $9500 option, and will significantly reduce payload because it is very heavy. A 2015 or so RAM 2500 Crew Cab, 4x4, well optioned in Laramie Spec will have payload around 2100-2200 pounds. In your case, four people in the cab, a loaded out FWC Hawk, water, fuel, etc. could easily put you near, at or over max payload for that 2500 diesel truck. The move, then, would be to put your rig on a diet and bring it in under payload max; or consider a 3500 single axle diesel truck as your base platform; or look at a 2500 gas engine platform to save engine weight. (NOTE: the most reliable way to determine exact payload is to read the sticker on the door of the truck you want to buy. After that, I suggest joining truck specific Forums, which frequently have "Post Up Your Payload Sticker" threads. You can read through those to find the exact number for a truck optioned close to what you want.)

As for #3, I flatly disagree with the blanket statements from primarily non-diesel owning people that modern diesels are unreliable due to complex emissions systems. I suggest that you join some diesel forums for the truck brand you like and do your research. I did (plus I have owned one 2500 Cummins Ram + 3 Hemi half ton RAMS, all nearly perfect) and am comfortable in the conclusion that diesel emissions systems, while complex, are nowhere near a disaster guaranteed to happen.

At the end of the day, a gas 2500 or maybe 3500 Crew cab set up like RamblinChet's RAM (see his post above and his build thread for how to do things right...) might be a great rig for you. For me, drop the diesel in there and it's even better.

 

[givemethewillys]

You have two simple questions - here are two simple answers:

1) Payload: estimate the combined weight of everything you will be adding to your rig (camper, supplies, fuel, water, people, etc.) If your estimated payload is 2k, find a truck with ~4k payload capacity. Mechanical systems which must account for variability generally function best when operating in the middle of their range. This carries over into other systems such as braking, cooling, etc.

2) Diesel of gas: unless you are towing 15-25k daily and making money doing it, a diesel is not your best choice. The break even for diesel versus gas for light loads is around the 250k mile mark. Sure they are great for engine braking during steep descents, even better pulling a load uphill, etc. But those advantages come with a premium price.

I explore in a 1-ton gas truck and I wouldn't change a thing.

View attachment 730711

This is pretty much how the military does it. A deuce and a half, for example, is rated for 2.5 tons OFFROAD. Sidenote, looove your truck/camper

 

[billiebob]

I flatly disagree with the blanket statements from primarily non-diesel owning people that modern diesels are unreliable due to complex emissions systems

what about from past diesels truck owners posting based on fact and experience..... and hauling heavy commercial loads often.....
on that note, modern diesels ARE unreliable due to complex technologies..... even manufacturers dealership mechanics have no clue.
3 of my friends now run gas for that reason.... they earn a living with thier pickups.

 

[CyberRube2]

As for #3, I flatly disagree with the blanket statements from primarily non-diesel owning people that modern diesels are unreliable due to complex emissions systems. I suggest that you join some diesel forums for the truck brand you like and do your research. I did (plus I have owned one 2500 Cummins Ram + 3 Hemi half ton RAMS, all nearly perfect) and am comfortable in the conclusion that diesel emissions systems, while complex, are nowhere near a disaster guaranteed to……

what about from past diesels truck owners posting based on fact and experience..... and hauling heavy commercial loads often.....
on that note, modern diesels ARE unreliable due to complex technologies..... even manufacturers dealership mechanics have no clue.
3 of my friends now run gas for that reason.... they earn a living with thier pickups.

Sorry but its a true statement. And not just non diesel owners saying it. I know mechanics in all the big 3 and they will tell you the new diesels are not what they used to be. The engines themselves may be great, but the DEF, ReGen, Emmissions and expensive fuel systems are not the reliable bad boys they used to be.