Overland F-150, Tacoma or?

[Victorian]

Hey Folks,

I'm wondering what Pick up you would pick for an overland camper. I see tons of Tacomas on the road.... But also tons of F-150... I like the toyota but wondering how much weight you can load without compromising it's capabilities. The F-150 I see a lot in construction setting and looks like they can handle a lot!
What's your take?
Here are a couple of details I find important:

It will only be driven in North America...
No diesel
Strong frame and suspension
True 4x4
Aftermarket parts
Reliability
Cheap to maintain
Good resell value

 

[ytadvexp]

I too am having same dilemma. I have owned a couple import suv's, and am in the market for a truck. Really liked the size of my suv's and their trail capabilities. A taco, or kota i think would be good choices.(the kota would need more work to make it a good trail machine. Ie, SAS,) but their engines are good. A F150 has good drivetrain, but size is becoming a factor. Sigh... soooo many choices...

 

[mastersryan]

I am a little biased but I chose an F-150 and below is why..

- Interior space is UNREAL (if you get the crew cab)
- Power is top notch
- 36gal gas tank optional
- Rear E-Locker opitional
- They are true and tested trucks and in N.America parts are everywhere
- Great MPG's even with the 5.0's.

I do wish we had a little more aftermarket support though... It is nice to take advantage of the hidden which front bumper though

 

[AFBronco235]

Another vote for the F150. For all the above and a few others.

You wanted good load capacity? You can upgrade to the F250/350 without changing much except the size of the engines and suspension. If you're going to be loading up a camper, you can also swap out the stock F150 rear leaf springs to a set out of an F250/350. The reason you'd do that with a camper is simply to keep from bottoming out. F150 springs may be able to handle the load of a camper for a while, but you'll be sitting low. The stronger springs will allow you to keep the camper and your trucks capabilities.

Parts are cheap since you can find any F series truck in any junkyard. They made millions of them. The best years are from 1980 to 1997 IMO. You can mix and match parts from any F150/250/350 that you want and it all bolt in.

The hidden bumper winch is fun. I got the same mod on my Bronco and love it. The stock bumper is extremely durable. Its stamped from 1/8 inch or 3/16 inch plate steel so its plenty heavy enough to protect the winch.

 

[SDDiver5]

Since you want to have a camper attached I say do the F-150. Sure, you can add a camper to a taco and many people do it, but, the F-150 gives you the chance to have a bigger camper if needed along with more room and HP.

Only problem I'd say with the F-150 is that they don't quite have the same aftermarket support if you're looking to do more "overland" mods. Most of aftermarket bumpers are either small desert style bumpers or massive mudder bumpers.

 

[Kaisen]

"Strong frame and suspension" rules out the Tacoma, as does the "wondering how much weight you can load without compromising it's capabilities". Everything else would traditionally favor the Tacoma. Keep in mind that unless you are buying brand new, the resale value is relative. In other words if you have to pay a big premium now to justify getting a big premium when you sell, you didn't win. Buying a used Tacoma for more than a similar used F150 (which is often the case) when the F150 was $10K more when new isn't exactly smart. And the Tacoma's fuel economy sucks for its size and power.

If it were me, I'd buy a F250 rather than a F150. Same size on the trail, much better payload, much better capability and strength, and the F250 gassers are usually about the same price as a F150. Solid front axle and full-floating rear axle are the keys.

 

[libarata]

wun fiddy, yo!

Unless you have to putz on super narrow trails, a slightly larger camper, and lower used cost wins.

 

[Taking A Trip]

If your considering a truck bed camper I'd suggest a 3/4 ton. For moderate trailer towing a 1/2 will do the trick and be more comfortable daily.

 

[Mooneywa]

I also am pro F-150 but then again I bought one for my needs. I got a 2013 4x4 Ecoboost with the King Ranch package. Why? For a lot of the previously mentioned reasons but really it came down to for us: huge space in the super crew, good value, comfort, quiet ride, ability to occasionally tow something heavy with ease, and the ability to add some pretty gucci options. A lot of folks mention the F-250. I almost bought one instead and didn't because of several reasons. First, the F-150 is almost like a 2/3 ton. It can tow 10,000lbs, it's gigantic, solid payload. It can also sneak into a few places the 3/4 ton won't. I didn't tow enough to justify the extra size space, and most importantly the diesel option. Would I love to have a sweet KR F-250 power stroke? You bet, but the finances vs. use didn't justify it. Plus, I found there to be marginally more space in the cab in the F-150.

As for aftermarket stuff: my only complaint is that much of the aftermarket is tailored to the "lift for show" rather than the "solve for reliability/practicality". You can get Camburg and Icon stuff for the F-150 but that's about it. As for bumpers, lights, parts, etc - there's plenty.

Cons: I love the Ecoboost, but it really requires a very very attentive owner. Oil changes with full synthetic are a must and fairly often, possibility of needing to add a catch can (want to waste two days? search F-150 forums for catch can results), EPAS isn't as solid as one would hope at times, etc. I also spent about $1600 on a full coverage warranty through Ford to 125k. So if something breaks, I really don't care. Each motor has it's downsides. The 6.2L has the power of the ecoboost but is an old design and has terrible MPG, the 5.0L is a very solid motor and has mpg's similar to ecoboost but doesn't match the power.

You can probably get either an EB or the 5.0 and be very happy. Replace the coilovers and back shocks with something from Icon, F150lifts, or Bilstein, add some BFG ATs and you can go almost anywhere and carry a lot of gear, folks or both depending on the cab.

 

[AFSOC]

Resale value for both Tacoma and F150 top the truck market. Both are considered reliable. Parts and service for both are prolific in North America. Tacoma has more aftermarket support for bolt on gizmos and probably an edge in pure Off-road capability. F150 has much greater payload capacity and much better comfort. Either vehicle is a solid choice and will have many passionate proponents. The edge, for my needs goes to F150.

 

[98dango]

F150 all the way I have the big brother f250 gas version. There bigger but honestly they fit everything you need. Remember this is not a trail crawler or a full off road rig. They fit you have to know proper driving but you can do it. I am actually building my superduty for a little more trail use with 40s again and 5.13 gears.

I don't know your budget but don't be afraid of the older 5.4 you can help them threw life.

 

[Victorian]

Thank you very much for all your responses! I'm in my early stages of researching a base truck for a camper I'm building myself.
Next Question: Anyone have a flatbed mounted on their F150? The idea is to construct a flat bottom camper with pop up roof similar to the Uro Camper or Explore Elements design. That way you are getting a ton more Floor space inside.

Cheers

 

[surlydiesel]

You did ask this in the Domestic/Fullsize forum, so I would expect most to suggest the F150 and I'm right there with them. I own a 1st gen Tacoma but have also owned a 2nd gen and with stock springs, they can barely carry groceries. I have had to augment the rear suspension on all of my Tacomas. I have not owned an F150 but if you are thinking of a camper of any kind, I would go with a 3/4 or 1ton. My F250 and F350 could haul so much weight so comfortably, there is no question I will skip over the 1/2 when my truck needs replacing. So, either 150 or 250/350 is my vote. There is a thread in the Pop-Up forum and I think they posted the truck work in this forum, of an F150 getting setup to be shipped to Europe. It had suspension work done, a flatbed installed and the camper was installed in Europe.

-jorge

 

[east_tn_81]

F150 for room and tons of parts wherever you are .

 

[jaxyaks]

If your putting a camper in the bed an F250 is what I would go with...unless you want to fix major parts more often