Artic Fox 865 wet wt 4200 or Nothern lite 8-11

Artic Fox dealer won't sell to anyone without a diesel.

Umm,Why?

Travelin Jim wrote:
Hi, New to the site...I want to buy a truck camper...Artic Fox 865 is nice...but heavy. Have some in town. Trying to figure out if a F350 diesel is big enough. Don't want a dually if I can help it. Really like the Northern Lite 8-11 EX Dry Bath with a wet wt of 3800 but closest dealer is 400 miles. Getting a good deal on the 865. I don't own a Ford yet so my options are open. Artic Fox dealer won't sell to anyone without a diesel. Ford dealer thinks a 350 is big enough but Really need some help. Thank you

You have two campers you are deciding between, with wet weights of 3800 lbs, or 4200 lbs. The payload capacity of a 2019 F350 SRW crew cab diesel pickup, with 11,500 lb GVWR is 3552 lbs. Neither camper will work with that truck.

I’m afraid that this thread is going to go off the rails to a Gasoline vs Diesel or SRW vs DRW battle. Any way ...

I’m curious why your dealer only wants to sell to people with diesels, but will sell to someone with a SRW. If you are going for max capability, might as well go for a DRW, too. The diesel only affects the rated payload since the TC will be sitting primarily on the rear axle. I will say the diesel is nice if your are driving the mountains of Montana/Idaho. I’m not saying that gasoline engines can’t go up them, but they will definitely be working harder. I’ve pulled a 4000 lb boat trailer up some of these mountains with a gasoline engine. They are starved for air at the higher elevations and really start reving. I will say that if you don’t plan to tow a heavier trailer behind the TC and don’t mind going slower up the mountains, the gasoline engine will be fine. Gasoline is cheaper most of the time, but you’ll lose range with tanks of the same size.

I’ve carried my current TC in my signature with both SRW and DRW. My wife really prefers the F450 DRW, and it isn’t close. If you can get by with a DRW, get a DRW. My F450 is overkill, but we still like it. I drove my TC for 8 1/2 years with a SRW. We’ve had the DRW for 4 years. I had the SRW because I couldn’t park a DRW where I worked, and it was my daily driver. I did add 19.5s to my SRW to increase the tire capacity. By the time you do that, it would be easier to just buy the DRW. The DRW is going to get less MPG. To drive the SRW, I paid very close attention to what we brought along to keep the weight down. With the DRW, I’ve been under my GVWR carrying everything I wanted for a greater than 1 week trip. I setup both trucks almost the same except with the SRW having Rancho 9000s and the F450 with Bilstein shocks. My mods are in my signature.

Other than the obvious width and disadvantages empty, the DRW is a better choice. There are plenty of people who have both. It all depends on what you want to trade off.

I think you and your dealer is somewhat confused. Diesel reduce payload , a lot. It is heavy as hell. If you wanted SRW your option is gas only since it barely meets the capacity requirement of a modern full suite hardside TC.

And diesel's extra 20% power is useless when moving something as light as 4k lb weight. You are not towing 20k lb 5th wheel or something. My Gas F350 DRW/AF865 setup can reach 55mph on interstate with 6th gear. Plenty of reserve power if I switch to lower gear. 5th gear can go to 80mph. and 4th and below just launch my truck forward, although at the cost of extreme mpg reduction.

A F350 diesel SRW is going to weigh between 7500 and 8500 pounds without the TC depending on cab and 2x4 or 4x4 configuration. unloaded the rear axle is going to be carrying about 3000 pounds add a TC and you will be at or above the tire capacity for most tires. I know because I own both an SRW and a dually F350 Crew cab diesel. With my TC the rear axle Cat Scaled at 7400 with my lance 1055 (4400 pounds wet) Suspension upgrades and 19.5 tires made it a good drive. My Dually makes it a great drive.

Just my $0.02, but I’ve never regretted having a dually. The peace of mind is worth it, plus it’s more stable in a crosswind. Look up the payload for any SRW pickup - it’ll be 500-700 lbs less than that camper’s wet weight. If you’re in a crash, and the other guy’s lawyer learns that you were negligently overweight they’ll have a field day with you, whether you were at fault or not. Good luck in your decision!