Looking for advice on purchasing a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup
I currently have a 2003 Silverado K1500 extended cab with about 155,000 miles on it and a 2007 28 ft TT that need some repairs. I will will be replacing the truck in the next year or two.
I've got water damage in the left rear corner of the TT from a leaking skylight. I am either going to sell the trailer as is or repair the roof and upper wall if necessary for higher resale value. If I do fix the roof I might as well replace the rubber roof while at it, but I will not be keeping the trailer.
I am single. My plan is to retire in the next 2 years, sell the house, sell my existing trailer and move out west to live as a nomad. I plan on purchasing a 7 foot x 16 foot enclosed utility trailer with rear doors and turning it into a rolling man cave built the way I want it.
I plan on living in a rectangle with the corners being Texas, Arizona, Idaho and Minnesota, moving around as the inclination hits me and the seasons change, with a few trips outside the box to go other places I haven't been.
I plan on having plenty of solar with eight lithium batteries to be able to run a 12 volt refrigerator/freezer with a compressor and a 6000 BTU air conditioner. I will also carry a 2000 to 3000 watt generator for backup and to help recharge the batteries when necessary. Heating will be a combination of propane and electric. I might even throw in a Chinese diesel heater if the propane and electric turn out not to be enough.
The rooftop solar panels will be tiltable to take advantage of the maximum amount of sun exposure. If there's not enough room for enough solar panels on the trailer roof, I will also have one or two large panels on top of the truck cap. The truck bed will contain two of the lithium batteries along with its own charge controller and a small inverter to power tools and battery chargers that will be in the truck cap. If I need to, I will be able to connect the truck solar system to the main solar system in the trailer when I am stationary. The gross weight of the trailer will probably be between 4000 and 5000 lbs
I want to get a commercial type truck cap that sits on the bed rails and has compartments down the sides with lockable tool storage. In the forward end of the bed of the truck there will be a 50 gallon water tank. There will also be a water transfer system that I can use to refill the water tank in the trailer from the truck's water tank. Most of the rest of the truck bed will contain storage bins for extra items that will not be kept in the trailer, along with a small portable table saw, a pull out workbench, pull out drawers that will be located under the pullout workbench and other various tools that I might need on the road for repairs or to help other people that might need to make repairs or even build their own portable man cave or rolling she shed.
Based on this information I was hoping to make do with a three quarter ton pickup with an 8 foot bed. Does anyone think it will really be necessary for me to buy a 1 ton truck?
I've got water damage in the left rear corner of the TT from a leaking skylight. I am either going to sell the trailer as is or repair the roof and upper wall if necessary for higher resale value. If I do fix the roof I might as well replace the rubber roof while at it, but I will not be keeping the trailer.
I am single. My plan is to retire in the next 2 years, sell the house, sell my existing trailer and move out west to live as a nomad. I plan on purchasing a 7 foot x 16 foot enclosed utility trailer with rear doors and turning it into a rolling man cave built the way I want it.
I plan on living in a rectangle with the corners being Texas, Arizona, Idaho and Minnesota, moving around as the inclination hits me and the seasons change, with a few trips outside the box to go other places I haven't been.
I plan on having plenty of solar with eight lithium batteries to be able to run a 12 volt refrigerator/freezer with a compressor and a 6000 BTU air conditioner. I will also carry a 2000 to 3000 watt generator for backup and to help recharge the batteries when necessary. Heating will be a combination of propane and electric. I might even throw in a Chinese diesel heater if the propane and electric turn out not to be enough.
The rooftop solar panels will be tiltable to take advantage of the maximum amount of sun exposure. If there's not enough room for enough solar panels on the trailer roof, I will also have one or two large panels on top of the truck cap. The truck bed will contain two of the lithium batteries along with its own charge controller and a small inverter to power tools and battery chargers that will be in the truck cap. If I need to, I will be able to connect the truck solar system to the main solar system in the trailer when I am stationary. The gross weight of the trailer will probably be between 4000 and 5000 lbs
I want to get a commercial type truck cap that sits on the bed rails and has compartments down the sides with lockable tool storage. In the forward end of the bed of the truck there will be a 50 gallon water tank. There will also be a water transfer system that I can use to refill the water tank in the trailer from the truck's water tank. Most of the rest of the truck bed will contain storage bins for extra items that will not be kept in the trailer, along with a small portable table saw, a pull out workbench, pull out drawers that will be located under the pullout workbench and other various tools that I might need on the road for repairs or to help other people that might need to make repairs or even build their own portable man cave or rolling she shed.
Based on this information I was hoping to make do with a three quarter ton pickup with an 8 foot bed. Does anyone think it will really be necessary for me to buy a 1 ton truck?
