Help me choose a used truck and camper
- Thread starter blueridge
- Start date
warejn
Observer
Well, I had this same issue 8 months ago. I ended up with an 07 f250 v10 with the lariat package ( nicest truck I have ever owned) and 48k miles for 22k. I have a pop up in it and I can pull up the passes at 80 mph. Fuel economy kinda sucks at 10 with the camper in it but I didn't buy it for economy.
I am very happy and I will have it payed off before it is worn out. I also have a tree service and routinely pull an 8k chipper off road on logging roads or an skid steer that is around 13.5k lbs. Again, fuel economy is not good but that motor pulls well as long as it get wound up.
That's my experience for what it's worth. Around here everyone wants a diesel and the v10's are much less expensive.
I am very happy and I will have it payed off before it is worn out. I also have a tree service and routinely pull an 8k chipper off road on logging roads or an skid steer that is around 13.5k lbs. Again, fuel economy is not good but that motor pulls well as long as it get wound up.
That's my experience for what it's worth. Around here everyone wants a diesel and the v10's are much less expensive.
98dango
Expedition Leader
I own a gaser superduty love it.
Mine is not the big v10 I have the 5.4
I tow a 7600# camp trailer and put 2 quads in the bed. 3:73 gears and 35" tiers. I towed from Billings Montana to Benson Arizona. We went threw New Mexico slowest I went was 35 I had to stop in the middle of a huge hill.
If I where to buy new I would buy a v10 in a heart beat. The truck has 190k on it as of breakfast with no problems.
Mine is not the big v10 I have the 5.4
I tow a 7600# camp trailer and put 2 quads in the bed. 3:73 gears and 35" tiers. I towed from Billings Montana to Benson Arizona. We went threw New Mexico slowest I went was 35 I had to stop in the middle of a huge hill.
If I where to buy new I would buy a v10 in a heart beat. The truck has 190k on it as of breakfast with no problems.
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
Exactly! Modular engines= DON'T FEAR THE GEAR!!!
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Axle gears are still the most underrated modification.
98dango
Expedition Leader
I agree with my bigger tiers I spend much time in second gear and let her spin. I will be putting 4.88 gears in soon to help I have found I get the same gas mileage at 3500 as 1800
deserteagle56
Adventurer
I know Ford's, so here are my suggestions.
Then there is the driving preference, given the planned load you will have, a number of truck owners will chose a diesel because of the torque lower in the rpm range, it gives them a better feeling of confidence under load, less shifting up hills etc. but if you are familiar with gas engined trucks this may not be a concern (and a V10 with 4:30 gears will actually out pull all but the newest of diesels, stock for stock)
Hope that helps
Maybe if you're referring to drag racing. Certainly not for pulling a load! I have an '07 V10 with 4.56 gears. Also an '05 Cummins Ram with 3.73 gears. Both engines totally stock. With a trailer loaded with 15,000lbs on the back there ain't no contest. The Cummins will walk over a mountain pass pulling that load and barely break a sweat and still get 13-14 mpg. The V10 will certainly pull it - in 2nd or 3rd gear with the engine screaming at 4,500 rpm and returning 5-6 mpg. But then, the best it gets is 12 mpg even with no load; the Cummins gets 18-19. But both engines have been absolutely trouble free.
The truck will be my daily driver and only vehicle so gas mileage weighs heavily, loaded or not. 5,000 miles of boat AND camper towing per year wouldn't add up to $800 in fuel per year difference, but add the other 15,000 miles (mostly highway) and fuel costs become a factor.
I tend to keep my vehicles long term so savings accumulate. I've had great reliability with my gasoline trucks and I spend what it takes to keep them serviced well - cheaper in the end. Without diesel experience I was concerned that paying for good scheduled maintenance "may" outweigh the long term fuel savings.
I like the 1992-96 Fords, I've had two gasoline powered and driven more than 200k on both of them. They were great trucks ... except when I needed to tow any significant weight the gas mileage was down around 10mpg. From what I can tell under similar weights a diesel would have been 14-15mpg. That adds up when you keep a truck long term like I do.
I really like the 7.3L diesel in a 92-96 model, but when I find a clean one the owner knows what he has (and has taken care of it) and I've never found an owner with one of these, willing to sell. And I'm looking at a twenty-five year old truck (towing a boat and slide-in) at the end of my use.
Much as I like them, I'm thinking I should start with a newer truck.
Thanks for all your inputs ...
I tend to keep my vehicles long term so savings accumulate. I've had great reliability with my gasoline trucks and I spend what it takes to keep them serviced well - cheaper in the end. Without diesel experience I was concerned that paying for good scheduled maintenance "may" outweigh the long term fuel savings.
I like the 1992-96 Fords, I've had two gasoline powered and driven more than 200k on both of them. They were great trucks ... except when I needed to tow any significant weight the gas mileage was down around 10mpg. From what I can tell under similar weights a diesel would have been 14-15mpg. That adds up when you keep a truck long term like I do.
I really like the 7.3L diesel in a 92-96 model, but when I find a clean one the owner knows what he has (and has taken care of it) and I've never found an owner with one of these, willing to sell. And I'm looking at a twenty-five year old truck (towing a boat and slide-in) at the end of my use.
Much as I like them, I'm thinking I should start with a newer truck.
Thanks for all your inputs ...
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Darwin
Explorer
The 7.3 didn't come with a Turbo until 94, and without a turbo you are going to be hating life. If I was looking at a 90's diesel would go with the Cummins, a much better motor IMO, better gas mileage, more reliable, cheaper to repair, but just like the older 7.3 Fords, finding one at a fair price in good shape is a challenge.
Buliwyf
Viking with a Hammer
Unless you stop on the hill. Then you have to use 2wd low gear to get going, at least that's what we had to do with a friends Cummins Dodge. Literally got stuck full throttle on the rest stop exit ramp up a hill, 0 mph. Was kinda scary.
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Still, 15k is a bit out of spec for the V10. My experience is let the gassers scream at high rpm, it's harmless. I pulled 10k, with who knows what in the bed, with a 5.4 up I77 from Florida to Ohio. About 10-11mpg. I had 70-80psi in my airbags to level the load, a personal record. I wasn't impressed much by the engines power, but it was completely acceptable. I was passing all kinds of unloaded cars and trucks constantly. But yeah, she was screaming at 4500rpm for some hills.
Each year a bunch of forum members from a site I run do a get-together towing a heavy trailer up a hill in Ohio - stock for stock, the gas engines usually equal or outperform the Ford diesels (exception being the 2011+ trucks)
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1166799-ohio-truck-meet-results-and-videos.html
(towing a 16.5k trailer the quickest was a 6.2 gas, then a 6.4 diesel, then a 3V V10... the V10 would have done better with 4.30's)
That said, if milage is a primary concern - and it is fair enough. I would find an 05-07 Ford with a diesel, and if it isn't bulletproofed, budget ~2k to do that to it including labour (much cheaper if you are comfortable doing it yourself). The era of truck you are looking at (94-97) are some of my favorite trucks in terms of bodyshape, but they have the E4OD trans if they are an auto (it will go out...), wrapped around a 20+ year old truck, and you will only find a solid axle under an F350, they will ride a lot worse (and be a lot louder) than a 05+ truck - and they go for similar money as an 05-07 truck.
Scott39
Adventurer
I have a few friends that have the Ford Diesels, and they do not like them as much as my older 12valve Cummins in my 1995 Dodge. Hands down, the 12 valve is the most reliable engine on the planet and it has plenty of power to tow heavy loads. I towed another Dodge diesel on a heavy duty trailer to Denver and with my double overdrive, I still ran 80mph getting 16-18 mpg. if I was towing at 70mph, then I would get 18mpg to 20 all day.
The 12 valve has no computers to go bad. If you find a low to medium mileage one that has been taken care of, it will go 600k miles easily.
I get 22 mpg with my 4:10, 35" tires, and my double overdrive. Once the 12 valve cummins is started, you can run it without a battery, it has a manual fuel pump.
It is real easy to add a little more power, or lots of power to these engines. My friend is putting a 12valve Cummins in is 97' Ford power stroke this year, he likes the pull of the 12valve and the simplicity of the engine, plus the reliability of it.
If you get an older Dodge with the heavy duty package, it has all one ton running gear, it just does not have the dually wheels.
The 12 valve has no computers to go bad. If you find a low to medium mileage one that has been taken care of, it will go 600k miles easily.
I get 22 mpg with my 4:10, 35" tires, and my double overdrive. Once the 12 valve cummins is started, you can run it without a battery, it has a manual fuel pump.
It is real easy to add a little more power, or lots of power to these engines. My friend is putting a 12valve Cummins in is 97' Ford power stroke this year, he likes the pull of the 12valve and the simplicity of the engine, plus the reliability of it.
If you get an older Dodge with the heavy duty package, it has all one ton running gear, it just does not have the dually wheels.
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98roamer
Explorer
For the length of time you plan on keep the truck and camper and the amount of towing, I would recommend the newest F350 CC long bed you can afford, and mod the engine, suspension or truck to your needs. It's sounds like it will be a long term investment.
For me, I enjoy the older autos, I have a 93 and 98 toyotas both over or pushing 200k and my dad has a 99 F350 7.3L CC long bed SRW 2wd with 151k but along with age comes consent maintenance of "aged" parts, even worse in the Ohio rust belt.
For me, I enjoy the older autos, I have a 93 and 98 toyotas both over or pushing 200k and my dad has a 99 F350 7.3L CC long bed SRW 2wd with 151k but along with age comes consent maintenance of "aged" parts, even worse in the Ohio rust belt.
Mundo4x4Casa
West slope, N. Ser. Nev.
Truck and Camper, huh? It's a fine balance you want to put together here. The commonly held belief over on RV.net; truck camper forum is to purchase the camper first and then get a truck that will carry it. None of this is in any way like pulling a trailer, towing a rock crawler, or building up an off-road truck. I faced exactly your problem lo those 12 years ago when I bought a 2001.5 short bed, Xcab, Dodge CTD. Why that one? Because I knew this combination would outlive me. So far so good. It has the cast iron, bullet proof, 360 pound, NV5600, NV241HD (wide chain for snow plowing), D-60/D-80 (35 spline, full-floating) added Power Loc LSD, double secondary aux springs (over loads), Stable Loads, a few engine tweaks, 33x15.50R16 super singles on 12" wide wheels (so called, Redneck dualies) on the rear and 33x13.50's on stock wheels in front, 3" coil lift, frnt., Warn 15000 pound winch up front with a sturdy, lightweight, cobbled together Roo bar (bovine deflector), and a class V rr hitch.
I do take issue with those who say the cummins has no low end. Mine has grunt all the way down with a manual trans. I drove my brother's '99 F-250 (6 speed manual) and it would stall it every time I let out the clutch. No low end.
To be honest, i did buy this truck originally to flat-tow my rock crawler around, and I was buying the legendary Cummins.....oh, with some rather ill-fitting body parts attached. Alas the wheels/tires had a mind of their own on the R. C. and I had all kinds of trouble when towing. So, i bought a 7K pound gross car trailer that made my life a lot easier. Then I wanted to start camping at the trailhead in a modum of comfort. Enter the Lance Lite 165-s Xtracab truck camper. 1845 pounds, wet. It was a great match up. I call it the XTC. The newest same-size version by Lance is the 465? We actually off road the thing using my rock crawling techniques as a crossover. We've camped in it since '03 about 200 nights, including some very long trips. It is early enough to be able to use Mexican diesel. After about '06 when they started putting soot bags and xtra canisters on the exhaust, forget PeMex.
I would go over to RV.net, truck camper forum as it is THE place for info regarding your quandry. Here's a short vid of my rig doing the Mojave Road last March:
There is a whole technique with off-roading a truck camper. A whole new wierd area.
I would be into getting the best buy on a trimmed-down list of contenders that you can find within 500 miles of your place, be they Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. Also, always, always, always, get more truck than you think you will need. No one ever complains about having too much truck: Only too much camper. I have seen some good buys on a truck AND camper combination, which would eliminate the headache of getting the rig all set up. A truck camper is not for older folks. I'm right at the edge and the determining factor is can you climb the aluminum steps and can you climb up the two big steps to the bed in the middle of the night. Some folks run out of knees and time before they run out of camper.
Would I buy the same set up again? You bet I would. The Lance is one of the lightest, narrowest, least tall, full service, hard-side TC's you can get. The quiet factor beats every rag side camper ever made. I get 14-15 mpg with the camper on going 64 mph with little wind. It's a short bed and can turn in places that long beds have a woe with. I can park on the street or in a regular parking place and camp for the night and no one will bother us, even in the big city. I can get 500 miles on the diesel fuel i carry on the truck.
We recently had a discussion on RV.net TC section about how many miles anyone had on their TC's. There were lots of answers. I have 148K miles. Others had 225K, 315K miles and my neighbor has 378K miles on his 2001 CTD. Here's the thing; as we got longer in the mileage, the only people still reporting were Cummins owners. The Ford And Chevy people were long muted. That should tell you something.
My handle on RV.net is jefe4x4 and I've posted a lot of trip reports about the XTC. Next fall, my bride and I are planning a 4-month, clockwise, around the boundary states, romp around the US taking our time and visiting all four corners of the United States. We will take advantage of our Golden Geezer pass, staying at N.F. campgrounds, Wetlands, Corps of Engineers camps, county campgrounds, state campgrounds, fishery and wildlife areas camps, private campgrounds, also stealth camping in and around some of the bigger cities, and getting a luxo hotel about once a week. We'll hit the N.E. during leaf peeper time, and work our way down the E. Coast and eventually back to CA the hard way. One of our goals is to camp on every beach (right on the sand) area that is permitted. There are quite a few. I carry on-board air and do play with the air pressure when on the dunes. DUNES? Yes, we have run the pressure on our high-float tires down to 20 pounds rear, and 22 pounds front and float right on the blowsand. Don't try that at 80 pounds! Whoda thunk with a 10,000 pound rig you could run the dunes. On the way down from Coyote Flats in the Sierra Nevada last month;
regards, as always, jefe
I do take issue with those who say the cummins has no low end. Mine has grunt all the way down with a manual trans. I drove my brother's '99 F-250 (6 speed manual) and it would stall it every time I let out the clutch. No low end.
To be honest, i did buy this truck originally to flat-tow my rock crawler around, and I was buying the legendary Cummins.....oh, with some rather ill-fitting body parts attached. Alas the wheels/tires had a mind of their own on the R. C. and I had all kinds of trouble when towing. So, i bought a 7K pound gross car trailer that made my life a lot easier. Then I wanted to start camping at the trailhead in a modum of comfort. Enter the Lance Lite 165-s Xtracab truck camper. 1845 pounds, wet. It was a great match up. I call it the XTC. The newest same-size version by Lance is the 465? We actually off road the thing using my rock crawling techniques as a crossover. We've camped in it since '03 about 200 nights, including some very long trips. It is early enough to be able to use Mexican diesel. After about '06 when they started putting soot bags and xtra canisters on the exhaust, forget PeMex.
I would go over to RV.net, truck camper forum as it is THE place for info regarding your quandry. Here's a short vid of my rig doing the Mojave Road last March:
There is a whole technique with off-roading a truck camper. A whole new wierd area.
I would be into getting the best buy on a trimmed-down list of contenders that you can find within 500 miles of your place, be they Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. Also, always, always, always, get more truck than you think you will need. No one ever complains about having too much truck: Only too much camper. I have seen some good buys on a truck AND camper combination, which would eliminate the headache of getting the rig all set up. A truck camper is not for older folks. I'm right at the edge and the determining factor is can you climb the aluminum steps and can you climb up the two big steps to the bed in the middle of the night. Some folks run out of knees and time before they run out of camper.
Would I buy the same set up again? You bet I would. The Lance is one of the lightest, narrowest, least tall, full service, hard-side TC's you can get. The quiet factor beats every rag side camper ever made. I get 14-15 mpg with the camper on going 64 mph with little wind. It's a short bed and can turn in places that long beds have a woe with. I can park on the street or in a regular parking place and camp for the night and no one will bother us, even in the big city. I can get 500 miles on the diesel fuel i carry on the truck.
We recently had a discussion on RV.net TC section about how many miles anyone had on their TC's. There were lots of answers. I have 148K miles. Others had 225K, 315K miles and my neighbor has 378K miles on his 2001 CTD. Here's the thing; as we got longer in the mileage, the only people still reporting were Cummins owners. The Ford And Chevy people were long muted. That should tell you something.
My handle on RV.net is jefe4x4 and I've posted a lot of trip reports about the XTC. Next fall, my bride and I are planning a 4-month, clockwise, around the boundary states, romp around the US taking our time and visiting all four corners of the United States. We will take advantage of our Golden Geezer pass, staying at N.F. campgrounds, Wetlands, Corps of Engineers camps, county campgrounds, state campgrounds, fishery and wildlife areas camps, private campgrounds, also stealth camping in and around some of the bigger cities, and getting a luxo hotel about once a week. We'll hit the N.E. during leaf peeper time, and work our way down the E. Coast and eventually back to CA the hard way. One of our goals is to camp on every beach (right on the sand) area that is permitted. There are quite a few. I carry on-board air and do play with the air pressure when on the dunes. DUNES? Yes, we have run the pressure on our high-float tires down to 20 pounds rear, and 22 pounds front and float right on the blowsand. Don't try that at 80 pounds! Whoda thunk with a 10,000 pound rig you could run the dunes. On the way down from Coyote Flats in the Sierra Nevada last month;
regards, as always, jefe
Capt Eddie
Adventurer
I would stay away from the Ford 6.4 Diesel. Do a search of 6.4 recalls. I just got rid or mine. With 46K the shop had it more then I did in the last 8 months.