Advice & Feedback on Truck/Camper Combo Before Purchase

[rogerwaters]

Hi Everyone,

Long-time lurker, first time poster.

I'm just about to pull the trigger on a new truck and camper and wanted to run my specific combo by the community as a sanity check before committing to such a large purchase.

The camper is a new Lance 1172 with most options and I'm looking to put it onto a new Ford regular cab dually with diesel engine. If I can't afford the weight of the diesel, which I do prefer as an engine, then I'll go with the gasser which will do the job just fine as well.

The cargo capacity door jam sticker on the truck that I'm looking at is 6390 lbs. and I've estimated my total payload to be 6280 lbs. leaving only ~110 lbs. of buffer. Now I know that these trucks can handle weight above the specified limits, but I'm one of those guys that doesn't want to be even one pound over these limits - not passing judgement on anyone who sees it otherwise.

To me, this is a decision of whether or not I can afford the weight of the diesel. A big consideration is that I will be launching a boat in the shoulder season where the ramps can get quite slippery. The weight of the diesel would ensure great traction on the front tires when pulling the boat out. Therefore, even if I end up going with the gasser, I am considering sticking with the regular cab in order to shift as much as weight as possible towards the front tires - does that make sense or will the regular cab vs supercab result in very little difference of weight on the front tires?

I'm looking for feedback from the community on this combo and how I am planning on using it. Additionally, and maybe I'm just being paranoid here, but if end up with the diesel, is there any chance that I might end up with too much weight on the front axle?

Base Camper (dry) = 3923
Options = 400
Water (60 gallon) = 500
LPG = 60
Extra Drinking Water = 40
Torklift Talon Tie-down (front) = 30
Torklift Talon Tie-down (rear) = 18
Torklift Locking Guns = 5
Torklift SuperHitch Magnum = 105
Torklift SuperTruss 48" = 83
Torklift Ball & Mount = 10
Torklift Wire Harness = 2
Torklift Stable Loads = 9
Timbrens = 6
Rubber Mat = 48
Rock Tamers = 35
Boat Tongue Weight = 475
Clothes + Personal Effects = 100
Kitchenware = 100
Food = 80
Driver Extra = 50
Passenger = 200
-----------------------------------------------------
Total Payload = 6279
Truck Payload Capacity = 6390
Excess Truck Payload Capacity = 111

Thanks I look forward to the feedback!

mike

[rogerwaters]

Grit dog wrote:

By the numbers, by the numbers period!

Maybe it's different up here in Canada with insurance rules. I've read my insurance agreement in full detail and have read the same for a handful of other insurers available in my area and those policies all say the same thing very clearly... is it different in other areas of the world?

[rogerwaters]

This is great feedback everyone, thanks to all who posted - i consider this input invaluable and I'm pretty sure that I will adjust my plan.

With regards to the Regular Cab vs Super Cab, I currently have a super cab and love that configuration. Here's my thinking on considering a regular cab. I'm not a full-timer. I drive my rig on the weekends with round trips being approx 250 miles. This truck is only used as my RV rig as i have a small car for getting around town. Based on these already established and continuing usage patterns, I was thinking that I could live with the regular cab. If i were a full timer or making long drives, I can see where the bigger cab really makes a difference... thoughts?

As for the engine, I've had both kinds and don't have anything against one or the other. Today, I live at elevation but I am moving next year to the great lakes area (for better fishing) so I'm thinking that a naturally aspirated engine will be ok at those altitudes. Staying in the Rockies, it would be a diesel without question.

Thanks again to the community as a whole!

mike

[Grit_dog]

^Thats not what he wants to hear burningman!
By the numbers, by the numbers period!

[burningman]

I've had many regular cab pickups, a few crew-cabs (four full size doors) and currently drive an extended cab (rear half-doors).
I won't go back to a regular cab. The longer wheelbase trucks tow a lot better, that's a simple physics thing, plus having somewhere besides the front seat to put stuff is really great.
By-the-book numbers say to buy a regular cab gasser, but I'd never go back to one of those for heavy camper plus trailer driving!
Get the diesel, extra cab. The numbers you need to pay attention to are the actual axle ratings and the tire load limits. You won't be exceeding those. And you'll have a truck that's far, far superior for the job!

Oh - if you plan on a crazy long extended trailer hitch to tow with that camper on, you really want a longer truck!! The shorter the wheelbase the worse it tows, the longer the hitch extension the worse it tows. Don't go buy the worst possible combo because the brochure appears to say it's best.

If you don't get a diesel, have fun crawling down the hills in low with hot brakes!

[dunegoon1]

You might look into getting a trailer with an extended tongue or pay a reputable shop to extend yours instead of going for the cost, weight, expense, and poor leverage that an extended hitch affords you.

[Grit_dog]

roger waters, please don't take it personally. I was being sarcastic because you appear to have your mind made up on the general configuration and are getting hung up on the details, when you already have a safe, capable setup envisioned and a few hundred pounds either way won't make a bit of difference, with gas v diesel boat ramp traction making no real difference either.
Sounds like a sweet setup, have fun with it! Cheers

[Steve_in_29]

brholt wrote:

Steve_in_29 wrote:



I have been at 14K feet with my loaded diesel truck traveling at 70mph uphill and still had throttle left. No gasser is going to have that power.

Where? Old I'ld love to go there. Bear tooth (212) was only 10,700 I believe and no way on earth anybody with a trick and load is going to go 70 on that twisty road.

Sorry need to correct myself. The high point of the Mountains was 14K and the old road topped out at 12K feet while the new route I took through the Eisenhower Tunnel is at 11,158'. This is on I70 west of Denver.

Despite being near my GVWR I was passing quite a few pickups and even cars going up that mountain.

[brholt]

Steve_in_29 wrote:



I have been at 14K feet with my loaded diesel truck traveling at 70mph uphill and still had throttle left. No gasser is going to have that power.

Where? Old I'ld love to go there. Bear tooth (212) was only 10,700 I believe and no way on earth anybody with a trick and load is going to go 70 on that twisty road.

[Steve_in_29]

skyhammer wrote:
The only problem with a regular cab is that the camper overhead will extend well over the hood. If that doesn't bother you OK, I don't like it as it makes me feel as though I am driving in a tunnel and it obstructs my vision.
With a crew cab, you won't see the overhead at all.

A bigger issue for me at least with a standard cab is that you have no place to keep things handy inside the cab. I find the extended cab to be a better fit and more useful for long distance travel. While my camper's overhead (NS 80" queen bed) sticks out over the cab slightly it really isn't in my field of view unless I try to see it.

[Steve_in_29]

Grit dog wrote:
Cmon brholt, I think the 6.2 is a great engine as well, but don't pretend that with 6000 lbs of 12' tall camper in the bed, boat in tow, on the freeway, uphill at 8-10kft that it will have power in reserve.
That power train doesn't have power in reserve with half that much in the bed at half the altitude, uphill.
At least the 2 I had didn't.

^^^This

A naturally aspirated gas engine is going to be down 30 percent on power at 10K feet of elevation. This is an inescapable fact of physics. So while the truck will pull the grade it is NOT going to do it with the same authority as a turbo-diesel.

I have been at over 11K feet with my loaded diesel truck traveling at 70mph uphill and still had throttle left. No gasser is going to have that power.

On edit: Corrected elevation

[brholt]

Grit dog wrote:
Cmon brholt, I think the 6.2 is a great engine as well, but don't pretend that with 6000 lbs of 12' tall camper in the bed, boat in tow, on the freeway, uphill at 8-10kft that it will have power in reserve.
That power train doesn't have power in reserve with half that much in the bed at half the altitude, uphill.
At least the 2 I had didn't.

My 14,000 lb GVWR truck has a GCWR of 22,500 pounds. That is a lot of reserve for the engine and the transmission. Pulling a boat will cut into that and, yes, if it's a 8,000 pound boat it's pretty well gone.

I reposted my experience (without the boat) in the gas vs diesel thread.

[Peg_Leg]

Well thought out Mike. You'll be fine. You even have some flexibility so your not not tied down to " I have to do this or it won't work".

ENJOY!

[kohldad]

As you say you will be close, so if you are dead set on not being one pound over, than you need to go with a gasser to get the extra payload.

One thing you haven't figured is the 475 pounds of tongue load on a long hitch extension will likely be about ~635 pounds on the rear axle due to the leverage (based on 48" extension and a 142" wheelbase). So you will likely be a few hundred pounds over the rear axle and almost that much under on the front axle.

If you already have the truck, then you need to weigh it to see how the weights sit on the axle. Then figure that 100% of the camper and tongue weight will be sitting on the rear axle. If you don't have one, take one for a test drive across a scale (some won't charge if you don't need official weight).

Another thing to consider is the diesel will provide much better engine braking thanks to the exhaust brake. I've switched from a diesel to gasser and it's the biggest thing I miss. At highway speeds it isn't so much of a problem, but the back roads I travel when I'm going slow under 25mph, it's hard to get any engine braking from the gasser.

If I recall correctly, I think a lot of folks going with that large of a camper are opting for the F450 so they can stay under the weights while keeping the diesel.

[Vinsil]

I believe Grit meant that you already have your ideals about weight and not exceeding the sticker specs so you pretty much have to make up your mind on configuration based upon that.

I can tell you from personal experience I don't pack the same for every trip. Maybe you do but with your margin of error of only 110 lbs, I know I can fluctuate over 400-500 pounds easy depending on time of year, activity, ect. New ten ply tires down the road? They weigh more..add solar? Another battery, new TV....you see where this is going?

Point is if you are hung up on the sticker weight (not saying you shouldn't be) you might consider a truck with a higher capacity (I believe Ram offers 300-400 lbs more than Ford) or maybe a different TC. You list tongue weight on the boat but how much does it weigh? How big? A huge cuddy is a different beast than a aluminum sled...and that would impact my choice as well. If you want a diesel BUY ONE. You will always regret not doing so, so buy the right truck the first time. You don't see many diesel guys going back to gas rigs....

As for weight distribution...the few hundred pounds of diesel over a gas truck won't make a difference on the ramp. Do you have a truck now? Have you had issues before? I never have but I don't ice fish either but 4x4 and good tries....especially with a TC on it, no issue there.

[rogerwaters]

skyhammer wrote:
The only problem with a regular cab is that the camper overhead will extend well over the hood. If that doesn't bother you OK, I don't like it as it makes me feel as though I am driving in a tunnel and it obstructs my vision.
With a crew cab, you won't see the overhead at all.

Yea, less than idea but am willing to live with that part.