Best truck for Northern Lite 10-2

Sticker info on 2012 F350 SRW LB Supercab (not crew cab) Gasser (not diesel)
6,000 front plow axle 7,000 pound rear 11,000 GVWR Payload not to exceed 3,829

Truck - me, wife, and a full tank of fuel Front 4,440# Rear 3,200#
Truck as above with Northstar Laredo wet Front 4,820# Rear 6,120#

Height ground to top of AC shroud 10'6" when loaded on truck

No matter what you are reading, I would encourage you to actually look at the sticker on any truck you are considering. Lots of folks get a shock when they go on the Internet and then see what they actually have on their sticker.

I don't think that STC is only 3,600#; given NorthStar is posting a weight of 3,176 dry, I bet you are over 4,000 wet, if you add the normal 800-1,000 pounds. Just my two cents. The NorthStar site shows a dry weight of 2090 dry with no options for our Laredo, but optioned and wet our camper, etc. ready to roll adds 3,300 to the truck. :)

Steve

I agree with ardvark on the choice of truck for his camper and his use. I'm within months of replacing my 2003 Travelite SB camper. We've owned it since new, and have taken it to Florida many times, all over Canada, and even to Alaska earlier this year (we live near Buffalo, NY). I've always owned Ram / Cummins, mostly because I retired from Cummins after 40 years, and feel a sense of loyalty.

All that said, we've decided that it's time to move to a bit larger dry bath camper. The truck I currently have is a 2015 SRW SB. We know we need to move back to a LB to get the dry bath and size we want, the big debate is SRW vs DRW. I've never owned a DRW truck, all four of my Rams were SRW, three SB and one LB. I absolutely want to stay away from DRW if at all possible, because my truck is used more for grocery and Home Depot getting and pulling a snowmobile trailer way up into Quebec than hauling the camper. Don't want to deal with the DRW day in day out just so I can haul a camper a few times each year.

I think where we're going to end up is with a Ram or Ford SRW LB gasser, and a Northstar 12 STC camper. We spent some time at Truck Camper Warehouse in NH talking to Bill. Looked at NL, Northstar, and Arctic Fox. We had looked at Lance a couple months ago when we were in Oregon. Per ardvark's comments above, the Northstar 12 STC is 3600# wet, I think the Ram or Ford LB SRW gassers are rated to haul 4300 or 4400#. Just me and my wife, no pets or relatives to travel with, and we've learned over the years that we don't need to take much "Stuff" I'm much more comfortable running close to or at the weight limit than driving a DRW through snow and trying to park.

Another issue that is very unique to my situation is the camper will be stored in a heated pole barn with a 12'door. That reeeeeally cuts down on the camper choices. Bill and I climbed all over the Northstar with a measuring tape, and we will be close to 11' 3" to the top of the A/C shroud.

So, as ardvark said, it's about your "best fit" based on your situation. Lot's to take into consideration, there's no "Right" answer for everyone.

Swines, very well written, informative post! Thanks!

You need to figure out the weight of the camper including water, propane, food, clothes, people, dogs, etc. The manufacturer should be able to provide the camper "wet weight" - and then you have to figure personal items, food, etc.

Size the truck to fit the load. With the camper you've described, I'd get a dually based on my experience with two different campers. I have had a Bigfoot 1500 and a single rear wheel truck (F350, crew cab) and it handled the weight with no problem.

After about 10 years I moved up to a Bigfoot 2500, 10.6 which is about the size of the camper you're getting. The SRW did not handle the weight comfortably. There was a lot of side-to-side rocking of the vehicle in certain conditions. I sold the truck and got a dually, F350 crew cab and the camper has been on three different F350 crew cab dually trucks.

I prefer diesels and all of my truck have been diesels. The reason is not the weight, but the wind resistance of the camper at highway speeds. Going into a strong headwind (20+ mph), I can see the fuel mileage drop 2-3 miles per gallon - that's how much of a load the wind can make on the entire rig.

I travel the western states and if you couple the headwind with going uphill it's actually quite a load on the vehicle. The diesel handles the load with no strain making the driving experience much better. No down shifting, no high motor revving, etc. The motor just hauls the load uphill with a headwind without laboring in any way. I like that.

As for manufacturers, you need to ask if the manufacturer has a "camper package." Some manufacturers do and it adds sway bars, different shocks, automatic power disconnects to the vehicle battery and a few other items. The vehicle is also certified by the manufacturer for camper usage.

One thing you may want to take into account is that the 7.3 liter Ford gas motor will only be available with a 4:30 rear end when it is introduced. Depending upon the 10-speed transmission's gearing, that may make for high revs at highway speeds. But, since no one has tested the truck with the 7.3, and the reviewers that currently have the trucks to drive only have them with the understanding that they will make no comments on the driving experience until January 2020 when the truck is officially released. So, no one knows the truck's performance with that motor, RPM at highway speed, etc.

As a contrast, I have a 3:55 rear end and a six speed transmission with my diesel and that puts the engine RPM at 1850 at 75 MPH which is about 200 RPM above where the torque plateau starts on that motor. Because it's making lots of torque it rarely downshifts going uphill.

I would also suggest getting air bags regardless of whether you have SRW or dually. They don't increase the load carrying capacity but they come in extremely handy to level the truck once the camper is loaded.

You can also use the air bags to level the truck front-to-back when parked and also side-to-side if you get a system with individually controlled air bags.

I also use the air bags to make loading and unloading the camper easier. As an example, I raise the camper to give me clearance above the truck bed with the air bags at 5 psi. I back the truck under the camper and then inflate the air bags to 75 psi - that puts the bed of the truck in light contact with the camper. I then only have to drop the camper down about 3-inches to get it seated on the truck bed.

I do the reverse when taking the camper off. I inflate the air bags to 75 psi, extend the jacks down to the ground with no weight on them, then raise the camper about 1-2 inches, drop the airbags to 5 psi which gives me about 3-inches of clearance, and drive out from under the camper.

Have fun with shopping for a new truck and enjoy the camper.

With a 2018 9'6" QSE NL, my 2015 F350 6.2 gasser is plenty good, but the SRW is running at 104% of GVWR and 96% rear tire/rim capacity when modestly loaded up with gear. With a 10.2, I'd go DRW.

--SiletzSpey

Ram might be my first preference too but I’m stuck on the the fact that somehow Ram can’t do better than a turn of the century transmission yet in their diesels. However the 8 speed behind the Hemi is a world class trans.

Getting a dually, you’ll have a legit 4klb + payload. I’d haul the camper before springing ( no pun intended ) for airbags. Put the combo together and see how she handles. Sway bar and possibly some stable load type deals may be all you need. If you do find you still want airbags, they’re a easy no drill, 2 beer job and I think the auto level/cab control feature is just extra complication and not necessary. If you’re hauling the same load then you won’t really use on the fly adjustment. No need. You can buy a set of bags for like $500 usd. I’d get basic u fill em bags and if I had to spend extra $, it would be for a quality onboard air compressor that would air up tires too. Or a small 120V air compressor that you can stash somewhere and use at full duty cycle to air tires and or bags as needed if you have jaunts with no camper. Or just need air.

A final thought about seeking opinions about what to buy.

"I can never tell someone else what they should do, but I can always explain the choice I made based upon my own use".

For example, we use a SRW gasser because:

1. My wife absolutely hated the dually given parking and driving in heavy traffic such as when we winter near Naples, FL.
2. Our Northstar camper wet weighs 3,500 pounds, well within the capacity of a single rear wheel.
3. We like the reduced maintenance costs of gas and the cost of lower mileage for us is simply not a factor.
4. We are on the road for 3-4 months at a time, but not constantly and the camper can not stay on the truck as we use it for day-to-day chores.

The list goes on, but you get the idea. Everyone has their own list of what is important and less important and it may not be rational given we are all human!

I think the closer the OP's planned usage is to someone's posting, the more valuable their input. My posts may not have much value because the OP is planning a different pattern of usage along with other factors. Others may be in the same boat.

Again no right or wrong, but some sort of "best fit rule" for the OP's truck and camper combo may apply. :)

Dually!! No choice
Diesel!! Not just for the torque, but for the diesel braking.

Consider moving up from a 350/3500 to 450/4500 or 550/5500. With a 350/3500 you will still need to consider Timbrins or something similar. I would skip the airbags. I tried those initially and had poor results. They made the sway worse and one broke after a few months of use.

Chevy, Ford or Ram will work. I lean towards the Ram primarily because of the CTD. Don't worry about DEF. It is a minor nuisance. You can find it everywhere for less than $15 for 2000 miles of driving.

I like your way of thinking ardvark. For me so far, the Ram makes me the happiest. I like the looks. I also like the Laramie trim.

So it might be a Ram CC LB DRW 4x4 Cummins Laramie, just like TxGearhead but the 2020 model. I would consider used, but all the good ones get shipped to you the US for some reason. Also, I wouldn't really be able to tell if its been beat up or not.

TxGearhead, you mentioned a rear sway bar. What about rear air bags? My camper dealer is recommending power adjustable air bags, controllable while driving both up and down and side to side for $2300CAD plus tax. It's a lot of money but I get that you want the truck to ride level. Are they really necessary? If, so, are there cheaper options out there?

Having owned both, my perception is the Ram is a high torque lower RPM traditional diesel. My Ford felt more like a high revving hot rod truck engine. Strangely I prefer the feel of the Ram. No issues with the 2 Rams I owned. The Ford(2012?) had to be re flashed twice and didn't help the issue of at the worst possible time, like pulling into heavy traffic with the boat, it would cough, spit, and fart until just before I got run over, and then decide to run.
I bought the Ford diesel because I just couldn't stand screaming up hills, getting passed by18 wheelers, then flying downhill and passing the same 18 wheelers again, and again, and again.
Get a diesel dually and put a big sway bar under the rear and get on the road.