Weight police will LOVE this one ...

In fall of 2007 I upgraded from a 2006 Chevy 2500HD to a 2008 F-350 Dually short bed, special ordered for out 2005 Arctic Fox 860 Truck Camper. In special ordering, I ordered the camper package, power seats for both, brake controller and the FX4 Off Road package, along with a few other orders with the V-10. I could not order a Compass & Outside Temp unless I ordered the King Ranch.... made no sense to me, should be standard with the off road package. Pleased to say I am under the payload and GVW and with the Ford, though miss my Chevy. I did have to add a couple leafs to the rear suspension as it sagged with the camper on.

Handbasket wrote:

bcbigfoot wrote:
The 2015 ford f-150 has a all aluminum body and is 700lb's lighter than a 2014. If the 2014 GVWR remains it could have a 3800lb payload capacity, that's 500lbs over my 2wd dually! http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/innovation/2014/02/how-ford-cut-700-pounds-from-its-2015.html

Yep, saw this on the TV s'newz abouit 2-3 weeks ago. I've been surprised that there hasn't been more 'cussion & dis-cussion about it here & in the general forum. It's a really big step, probably in the right direction. The F-150 is the crown jewels of the Ford family, so changes have to be carefully thought out. Having once driven 500,000 miles in Ford pickups at a job, I have both a soft spot and respect for them.

My only current doubt is body repair. Aluminum alloys work differently than steel. When Audi came out with the high-dollar aluminum A8 sedan, they certified a very limited number of (dealer-owned?) body shops as repair centers. The car was supposed to be flat-bedded to them if damaged.

I do hope this works well and is the wave of the future.

Jim, "Sometimes it hurts to be on the cutting edge."

A TV program I watched mentioned that the 2015 aluminum f-150 insurance costs could be 20 percent more than steel bodied trucks.

QUOTE: "Same with weight. Your TCer may be 2500lbs and the truck can carry 3000lbs but it may do so without a lot of grace, power or surefootedness. Once you add in emergency braking, fast starts, sharp corners, head winds and side winds you will quickly find that things do not always fit as the salesman / specs says."

Agree totally - bought a 1500 GMC to haul my original Fleetwood (1970 lbs) ten years ago. After three months, I traded it for a 2500 GMC, and ATE $5000 on that deal. Now its hauling a 3200 lb Lance ...

So, with ten years on it, this 2003 (214K miles) is now getting a little tired ... so looking for a new truck. Looking at the numbers, and reading that 3120 payload figure on the 150 Ford, but not believing it would stand up over time hauling that much weight. Might do it around the block ...

Can anyone here imagine running down that grade into Colorado Springs with a 3200 lb camper on the back of a 150 Ford PU ... and not gritting your teeth? Talk about white knuckles ...

The 2500HD GMC and the 250 Ford will haul it safely - and that's more important than anything else ...

bcbigfoot wrote:
The 2015 ford f-150 has a all aluminum body and is 700lb's lighter than a 2014. If the 2014 GVWR remains it could have a 3800lb payload capacity, that's 500lbs over my 2wd dually! http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/innovation/2014/02/how-ford-cut-700-pounds-from-its-2015.html

Yep, saw this on the TV s'newz abouit 2-3 weeks ago. I've been surprised that there hasn't been more 'cussion & dis-cussion about it here & in the general forum. It's a really big step, probably in the right direction. The F-150 is the crown jewels of the Ford family, so changes have to be carefully thought out. Having once driven 500,000 miles in Ford pickups at a job, I have both a soft spot and respect for them.

My only current doubt is body repair. Aluminum alloys work differently than steel. When Audi came out with the high-dollar aluminum A8 sedan, they certified a very limited number of (dealer-owned?) body shops as repair centers. The car was supposed to be flat-bedded to them if damaged.

I do hope this works well and is the wave of the future.

Jim, "Sometimes it hurts to be on the cutting edge."

Unfortunately there is a huge difference between what a truck can haul and what it should. A friend went out and bought a 5th wheel then went and bought a new truck to pull it. It worked but just. The dealer quoted the specs that it was well within what the truck could haul every time he went in about it. The mechanics were not as positive that he had the right truck for the job. A couple years later he went out and bought a bigger truck with a diesel engine. Was a lot happier as it hauled it without a problem.

Same with weight. Your TCer may be 2500lbs and the truck can carry 3000lbs but it may do so without a lot of grace, power or surefootedness. Once you add in emergency braking, fast starts, sharp corners, head winds and side winds you will quickly find that things do not always fit as the salesman / specs says.

IF you order, it requires a lot of thought -- PLUS, a large helping of patience ... that's probably the least expensive option, but the most aggravating.

Waiting - while the "almost perfect" trucks sit on the lot begging you to buy one.

Just an FYI for you guys I worked for Ford for 31 years ..you can literately order anything you want with anything else it is called DSO ( Dealer Special Order )

You can order rubber mats with leather seats for example ( which we have built )

But you must deal with the SO salesman ( he also does the Police and Emerg vehicle ordering )

AS said above with the Aluminum 2014 F150 ...things could get interesting ..add that plus the EcoBoost which has more torque than the V10 ...we will have to wait and see the concrete numbers

The 2015 ford f-150 has a all aluminum body and is 700lb's lighter than a 2014. If the 2014 GVWR remains it could have a 3800lb payload capacity, that's 500lbs over my 2wd dually! http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/innovation/2014/02/how-ford-cut-700-pounds-from-its-2015.html

Some Chevy salesmen are just as bad. I recently bought a '14 1500 Silverado with no intentions of hauling a truck camper. When I was looking at one, prior to buying, I drove into the lot in my '03 2500HD.

Sales: You going to trade in that truck?
Me: No, I need it to haul my truck camper.
Sales: How much does your camper weigh?
Me: 2500 lbs loaded.
Sales: Oh, this 1500 will haul way, way, WAY more than that.
Me: I'm talking payload, not towing.
Sales: Yeah, I know.
Me: School yourself on payload, don't ever sell a 1500 truck to haul a 2500lb camper.

In reality, my new truck has a door sticker payload of almost 1800lbs. If all seats(6) were occupied by 150lb passengers, my payload drops to a whopping 900 lbs!! With my normal 2 passengers it's more likely ~ 1300 lbs.

Sad when customers know more than the salesmen.

You're right, it can be tough ordering these days . . . although, it sure is nice having it built just the way you want it. Really, it's quite fun.

Buyers definitely have to scrutinize each item carefully. A priority for us, was having a/c piped into the back seat area. We thought we had the right configuration selected, but turns out we made an error. Luckily, we mentioned the rear a/c to the fleet rep before pushing the button and he quickly pointed out we should have selected the 40/40 console to get the rear vents. Whew! That would have been a terrible mistake! Out here, a/c is a basic necessity to survival!!

Well, good luck with your truck shopping. Keep us posted.