Forum Discussion

djg's avatar
djg
Explorer
Mar 14, 2015

New Truck Purchase

Thinking about buying a new truck, just went to the dealer and priced out a new Ford F-150. The dealer spected out one for me that has the new aluminum body, the heavy duty pack on it which will give me a payload of 3000 lbs. want to know if that truck will be as good as buying the F-250 to haul the weight, currently have a 93 Northern Lite weighing in at 1450 lbs. but looking into a new Northern Lite that has a weight rating of 1750 or a different model that weighs in at 2000 lbs. both dry weights will it be enough truck. I am going with the eco boost motor that has 385 horses and 420 ft/lbs torque like the idea of better fuel mileage than the F-250 but was wondering if it will do the job, do not want to do the mods that I had to do on the Chev. 1500 but the fuel milage is around 17.5 to 19 Canadian per gallon on the chev., kinda hopeing for better than that on a new Ford can any of you guys weigh in on this from your experiences

Dave
Truck Campers
  • nohurry's avatar
    nohurry
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2015
    Your mileage with the EcoBoost HD package (3:73 gears), will be as bad if not worse than a gas SuperDuty, and just slightly better empty. Buy an F350 with 4:30 gears and you can buy any TC you want, then buy a little car for commuting etc. That way also you won't be racking up high miles on you truck. I've had mine for over a year and a half and it only has 8300 miles on it.
  • Bedlam's avatar
    Bedlam
    Moderator
    Mar 14, 2015
    There are some very capable F150's if you choose the correct options, however they will be at their weight limits and you should avoid towing while hauling a camper. Once you get to the F250, the payload may not look that much more but there is much more truck underneath you. You will have a full floating axle and larger brakes along with a heavier frame. The F250 is really a F350 that has been tagged with a lower GVWR so it falls under restrictions present in commercial use and in some residential zones. I call the 3/4t trucks the sleepers of payload capacity because the can be ordered with options to meet the capacity of the next class yet still hold a sticker that belies their capability.
  • mbloof's avatar
    mbloof
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2015
    egarant wrote:
    Seriously, NO hard sided truck camper should ever be put on a 1/2 ton truck. It is not enough truck and no amount of suspension/tire/wheel mods will make it one.

    Don't end up in a future "I told you so" post.

    A 3/4 ton at the VERY least bud.

    MR. E


    +1

    I currently carry a 2014 NL 9.6QSE on a F250HD and while it works I'm looking at F350's. I'm rolling ~10,000-11,000Lbs across the scales.
    (the GVWR of my F250HD is 8800)

    How much is the GVWR of the F150 your looking at?
  • camp-n-family's avatar
    camp-n-family
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2015
    You might have enough payload but will you have enough rear axle rating? Ford shows 3300lbs up to 4800lbs depending on model. Empty truck weights are listed around 2000lbs on the rear axle, leaving less than 2800lbs. A 2k dry TC will put you over that once loaded up. Do you really want to be riding around maxed out bouncing off the bump stops?
  • hedgehopper's avatar
    hedgehopper
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2015
    djg wrote:
    both dry weights will it be enough truck.

    Dave

    Why are you basing your decision on dry weight? Why not on wet weight?
  • egarant's avatar
    egarant
    Explorer III
    Mar 14, 2015
    Seriously, NO hard sided truck camper should ever be put on a 1/2 ton truck. It is not enough truck and no amount of suspension/tire/wheel mods will make it one.

    Don't end up in a future "I told you so" post.

    A 3/4 ton at the VERY least bud.

    MR. E
  • bcbouy's avatar
    bcbouy
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2015
    i drove an f 150 fx4 lariat for ten years.i carried an 8 ft. 1100 lb. pop up camper.a few of my observations.as a daily driver its a great truck.good mileage and good suspension on the road and off, pretty good brakes. as a camper carrier not so great.its more of a trailer tower.it will carry 1200 lbs. but it wallows,even with air bags.if you carry a camper you will be spending on front end repairs.i redid mine 3 times.i would be very suspect about 3000 lb payload claims as my ram 2500 can't match that and its much more robust than the old f150 frame and brake and axle wise. my daily driver is a ram 2500 hd.its the best of both worlds.not as stiff of a ride as a 350/3500 and more payload than a 150/1500.i drive a 3500 for work and its a kidney buster.why people use them for daily drivers i'll never understand. even with 500 litres of diesel in the tidy tank its still uncomfortable.
  • mrkoje's avatar
    mrkoje
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2015
    I would be skeptical of the payload being around 3k on a half ton. I've heard some stories on this forum that you can't order them yet or Ford is not building those trucks yet with the HD payload package. Just what I've heard...
  • mdamerell's avatar
    mdamerell
    Explorer
    Mar 14, 2015
    I'd at least take a look at the F250/2500's since the suspension is stronger. A free float rear axle in the F250/2500 might be worth the upgrade.

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