Arctic Fox 1150 on F350 DRW diesel?

cdbinns wrote:
@brholt - thanks for the info. Is your F350 a 4x4? We are looking at a diesel for a couple of reasons - one is the power and towing capacity and the other is better MPG which hopefully will result in a better cruising range. How does the truck handle mountain roads when carrying the camper? What MPG are you seeing with and without the camper? I appreciate the input. It really helps to hear from others who have gone through the same assessment.

- Celina

It is a 4x4. The diesel will undoubtably have a higher cruising range. This is offset a bit by a lower availability of fuel. Diesel will get better mpg but offset a bit by more expensive fuel (and greater initial cost). We are rated to tow 15,000 lbs and a 5,000 lb camper is only 1/3 of that so the gas engine seems to be powerful enough if all your going to do is put on a truck camper, even a heavy one like the Artic Fox 1150. If you are going to tow heavy too than the diesel may indeed be an advantage though if your exceeding the GVWR with the 1150 in a diesel adding the hitch load of a heavy trailer will put you significantly over. I don't know how important that is to you.

Gas vs diesel is a long running debate in the forums. It is pretty clear recent changes have swung it more toward the gas engine but whether or not it is the better choice probably depends on your usage. I think the choice is much less clear for truck campers (who need high GVWR) compared to people who are pulling trailers or 5th wheels (who need GCWR). When I looked at the truck to go with my camper I chose to go with gas but I wouldn't begrudge anyone who chose to get a diesel.

We have a 2008 350 dually diesel extended cab with an Arctic Fox 1150 and are completely satisfied with both the truck and the camper. Both the 1150 and 1140 have their advantages, we wanted the extra closet plus did not want the stove next to the dining area, ours is also a dry bath model by choice. Our truck is RWD and is not rated for a camper specifically to not have limitations - it was ordered with the heaviest axle ratings and 4.10 gearing specifically for camping, we also tow a 4,500# boat or our motorcycle in a trailer using a Super Hitch. We have air bags (use about 40 psig with camper) with on-board compressor and separate adjustment for each side. I am installing Rancho 9000 for this camping season as the truck has 20,000 miles on it. I also will be installing Timbrens, not for load carrying, for a softer stop of the axle on a large bump, the factory bump stops are quite hard. We travel with full water tank and have no issue. From a certified scale the truck alone is F=4,250, R=3,480 = 8,000#: truck & camper (no water) F=4,460: R=8,240 = 12,700#. Great camper, great truck - hopefully you will find what fits you the best, good luck. Happy camping!!

You will like the 1150 layout better than the 1140. I had an 1140 and now have a 1150 on a 02 Dodge dually. There are pros and cons to both. My profile will tell you more. If you have more questions I can help you out some...PM me. insp1505 pretty much tells you the rest of the story...good write up!

@brholt - thanks for the info. Is your F350 a 4x4? We are looking at a diesel for a couple of reasons - one is the power and towing capacity and the other is better MPG which hopefully will result in a better cruising range. How does the truck handle mountain roads when carrying the camper? What MPG are you seeing with and without the camper? I appreciate the input. It really helps to hear from others who have gone through the same assessment.

- Celina

If you question the accuracy of the sticker or whether you'd be overweight or not I'd recomend taking the truck to the scales BEFORE you purchase it. My truck has about the same cargo rating but 1800 lb less GVW so I'd definitely want to scale it to see what is going on. Why would a truck with nearly a ton more GVW have the same cargo capacity as mine? Is the truck really that heavy eating up the difference or is something else going on? Subtract the truck's weight from GVW and that's what you have left for your camper, other gear and other people etc. Also, I've never seen a vehicle with a full tank of fuel on a test drive so take that in to consideration as well!

By weighing before you buy you'll know what you have as far as weight capacity before you spend a bunch of money for the wrong truck. If it's not what you need you can move on to the next truck without wasting any money. If you absolutely have to be under GVW then at least you'll know where you stand weight wise with the truck before dropping lots of $$$. You can decide on whether you need a bigger truck, a smaller camper or perhaps you'll find you will be fine hauling an AF 1150.

I bought the wrong truck first and ended up wasting money getting into a more capable truck so I understand the decision you are having to make. Honestly you won't have any problem carrying the 1150 or 1140 on the truck you mentioned but depending on how heavy the truck is initially you may come close to the 14,000 lb GVW with an 1150. Many people (I for one) carry that camper on an even lesser truck, I wish I had the money for a new 14,000 GVW truck but my truck handles the weight really well.

My GVW is 12,200 lbs and I am over that all the time. I am under my axle weights by several hundred pounds though. All I have done for suspension mods are a set of home-made stable-loads and it handles great for me. I take it into some pretty rough country as well so I know Arctic Fox is very well constucted to handle what I do to it but along with that strong durable construction comes the extra weight.

Regardless of what all the brochures, pamphlets, websites, salesmen etc that you are studying are claiming for weights I can tell you the 1150 will weigh well over 5000 lbs when you load it up with full tanks, all your gear and take it camping. How much over 5000 lbs depends on how much gear you take as well as how many other people and all their extra gear and supplies you take with you. You could travel with empty tanks if you can get water at your destination and save 500 lbs to possibly stay under 5000 lbs while traveling but getting water where you are going may not always be an option so it's better to figure your weights full.

Northwood's advertising can be tricky if you don't read the fine print. I don't believe they are being deceptive but rather competitive in a very competitive niche market where weight means everything. You do however need to understand what you are getting, as well as what options you want to add and then add all the extra weights to the base dry weight to get a somewhat close approximation of total weight. This is where it can be confusing at first.

I do agree that they could word their Fox Value Pack brochure description better by saying it is a "mandatory bundle of high value features not included in the dry weight calculation" rather than a saying "a mandatory option bundle" where, when the average consumer reads "mandatory option", it makes it sound like an oxymoron.

Anyway the correct WET weight of a current 1150 is 4519 lbs before you add any popular options and any personal camping gear/supplies.

1150 Dry weight 3358
Fox Value Pack 595
61 gal fresh water 506
Propane 60
Total wet weight 4519

Now you can take that 4519 wet weight and add to it the weights of any other popular options you may like to have such as a battery (or 2), air conditioning, built in push button electric start LP generator, solar, dually jack brackets, TV, bunk, Fox landing bumper etc. You can see you're quickly approaching 2.5 tons before even adding any food to the fridge and cupboards or any personal items at all.


My truck (2005 Ram Quad-cab, dually, diesel 4x4) weighs about 8100 with me in it. I generally go over the scales at 13,200 -13,300 by my self which makes the camper and all it's gear with full tanks weigh about 5100 - 5200. The highest weight I've recorded was 14,050 with everything full, 2 adults, 2 kids, supplies for a week, Honda 2000 generator, 5 gal gasoline, 3 bicycles, and all my gold panning equipment. With just 2 adults and normal camping gear I'd figure 5500 lbs with my TC. Mine has AC, built in LP generator, 2 batteries, and dually brackets as options for your comparison. So you can see at times you could be approaching 3 tons extra weight on your truck, and what if you decide to tow?

Well I hope this helps with your decision. Arctic Fox is an excellent camper, I know you'd be happy with one. I would have no hesitation telling someone they'd be fine with the 2013 F350 you mention for hauling it either with stable-loads likely being the only needed modification. That said, I know some people absolutely have to be under GVW (rather than just being under both axle ratings like me) so it's best to find out how much the truck weighs first so you can do the math because as you've seen I have been over 14,000 with mine and I'd bet my old 6 cyl short cab truck weighs less than that shiny new V-8 crew cab you're looking at, then again maybe not? Good luck with your shopping.

cdbinns wrote:
We are new to truck camping and have not yet purchased a truck or a camper. We've done a lot of reading and ideally would like to purchase an Arctic Fox 1150. The truck we are interested in is a 2013 Ford F350 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed Diesel DRW. Based on the weights published on the Ford site, it looks like we would be able to carry the 1150 and be within the 14,000 GVWR limit. However when we test drove a truck, the camper certification in the glove box said the limit was 4460 lbs, which means the 1150 would be over the limit once it is loaded for camping. It looks like the AF 990 might be pushing the limits as well. I'd like to hear from others that are carrying an 1150 on a comparable truck - have you weighed your rig when loaded? Is it under the 14,000 GVWR limit? How does it handle? Did you need any modifications (airbags, stable loads, etc)?

Thanks,

I faced the same issue when I was looking to purchase a truck to carry a 1150. I ended up going with a 2013 F350 CC DRW with the 6.2l gas. One of the reasons, though not the only one, was the payload capacity. You lose about 900 lbs with the diesel. Here is the payload sticker:



And here is the truck camper insert



So far I have been pretty pleased with the combination. The only modification I have made is to add Stable Loads. With them the truck is level.

Thanks for all the comments I think we will start by purchasing the truck and taking it to the scales. Based on the input from several of you, we will take another look at the 1140 as well. Not many Arctic Fox dealers here on the east coast, but we will keep any eye on the inventory at the closest one and plan a drive if one shows up. Thanks again for all the input.

Celina

RamTC wrote:

trail-explorer wrote:
The glove box stickers always have confused many owners too, unsure why the weights are low on the sticker.

The reason is they have already deducted 150 lbs for each seat belt position in the pickup, so the remaining is for the TC.

Ditto to this.

And you are correct that there is not much difference in wieght of a 990 and a 1150. I also agree with Kerry as I use to have an 1140 also that I ordered with the jack knife sofa in place of the dinette. Of course I carried it on a Ford F550.:B It wasn't to much weight for that truck. Never even settled the truck all the way onto the overloads.

I have the99 Ram 3500 dually diesel quadcab and a 2005, 1150...9000 Ranch front shocks and airbags w/65 lbs......no problems.. go out west most winters and handles well on backroads about 13.5 mpg overall.

Good Lusk

trail-explorer wrote:
The glove box stickers always have confused many owners too, unsure why the weights are low on the sticker.

The reason is they have already deducted 150 lbs for each seat belt position in the pickup, so the remaining is for the TC.