Looking for advice on purchasing a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup

[mobeewan]

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?

[Grit_dog]

Crown Royal Apple, or CRapple as we call it...love Crown, not CRapple.

[mobeewan]

Grit dog wrote:
He’s not in Canada.
The local beer stores where he’s at don’t stock Kokanee either, but neither is germane to the conversation.

I'm not much of a beer drinker anymore, at least not for the last 30 years. However, I do have an affection for Crown Royal, Crown Royal Apple, Crown Royal Reserve and Crown Royal XO (which replaced the Crown Royal Cask 16 that I liked so much). They are available in my area and cheaper than in Canada according to my Canadian sister-in-law. I haven't tried the Crown Royal Peach yet I only just found out about it and do not know if it is available here.

I don't care much for the Crown Royal Black or Vanilla.

[Grit_dog]

mobeewan wrote:
Thanks to everyone for the input. I'll start looking at 1 ton trucks. I don't need anything fancy. Most likely to work truck will do as long as it has cloth seats and a removable front center seat.

If you're buying new, then absotootley, get the 1 ton for the additional suspension. I'd do the same. Just don't think you're getting "more truck" in general. If you were, you'd have to add a zero to the upcharge amount.

If buying used, the comparison becomes more real because there aren't near the 1 tons on the market (unless you go to Canada, eh).

[mobeewan]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I'll start looking at 1 ton trucks. I don't need anything fancy. Most likely to work truck will do as long as it has cloth seats and a removable front center seat.

[valhalla360]

4x4ord wrote:
About the only difference between a HD 3/4 ton and a SRW 1 ton is $200 and the 1 ton can haul twice as much. It never makes sense to buy a 3/4 ton. Your choice should be between a 1/2 ton and 1 ton SRW. Have you got an exit plan?

This used to be true. The 1 ton SRW got an extra leaf spring or two.

Now they have changed and it's a totally different rear suspension.

[CaLBaR]

Ductape wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
About the only difference between a HD 3/4 ton and a SRW 1 ton is $200 and the 1 ton can haul twice as much. It never makes sense to buy a 3/4 ton. Your choice should be between a 1/2 ton and 1 ton SRW. Have you got an exit plan?

This. I would never buy a 250 if a 350 SRW was available.

I had the same discussion with DW when we bought the new truck. There were so many more 2500s on the lots and took a bit more time to find a 3500 that she liked. In the end this was the right choice for us and didn't cost anymore. AT least now when DW decides it's time to move up to a 5ver less chance of saying "sorry dear the truck won't carry that one".

Rob

[deltabravo]

2500 series truck will be sufficient, but there's very little price difference between a 2500 and 3500.

[Grit_dog]

Omg, some of these responses and ideas are out there.
Yes a F250 has a lighter axle. It's only good for like 9klbs, lol.
No you can't get Ford to rename your future truck as a camper.

[mobeewan]

How about the difference in tags and the registration between a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton? I've seen one YouTuber that was talking about how expensive it was to register and put plates on a 1 ton van they had converted into a camper he either registered it in Arizona or Nevada. I'm probably going to use South Dakota as my state of residency however it might wind up being Nevada or even Texas. I know for the camper when I purchase it I'll still be living in Virginia. For the difference in taxes and registration I want to try and purchase it and have it delivered listed as a camper if possible. Where I live yearly property taxes are cheaper on my 28 foot travel trailer than they are on my 5 by 8 utility trailer with 2-foot sidewalls.

[Edd505]

4x4ord wrote:
About the only difference between a HD 3/4 ton and a SRW 1 ton is $200 and the 1 ton can haul twice as much. It never makes sense to buy a 3/4 ton. Your choice should be between a 1/2 ton and 1 ton SRW. Have you got an exit plan?

Great advice! :B

[FishOnOne]

IdaD wrote:

4x4ord wrote:
About the only difference between a HD 3/4 ton and a SRW 1 ton is $200 and the 1 ton can haul twice as much. It never makes sense to buy a 3/4 ton. Your choice should be between a 1/2 ton and 1 ton SRW. Have you got an exit plan?

What a load of c$ap. The difference is mostly (or entirely) the decal on the fender. That allows the 1 ton to haul twice as much?

That said, given what has transpired the past few weeks being a senile old man doesn't sound half bad.

The F350 has a larger spring pack and a totally different rear end than the F250.

[theoldwizard1]

You need at least 2" (4" better) of poly-iso insulation in the ceiling. 1"-2" in the walls.

You should consider going with no black water tank (compost/cassette toilet). If it was me and was planning on that much solar and batteries, I would not have any propane appliance. When you are plugged in and electric heater is fine. Find a 12V heated mattress pad (better than an electric blanket) and carry a buddy heater.

[mobeewan]

Lwiddis wrote:
Running A/C on batteries isn’t practical IMO. Same with heating. Use the generator and propane and save a bundle of bucks.

You may like the West. I do. But the transition from green Virginia to the brown SW might prove unsettling.

Don’t underestimate your build time. Take longer than you think.

I won't be running the heat completely off of 800 Watts of batteries. As I stated in my post for heat I will also have propane and may add a diesel heater if I need it. I'm going to have about 1200 watts of solar that can be tilted for maximum sun exposure. This should be plenty enough to run a 400 to 600 watt air conditioner rated between 5000 and 8000 BTUs. I will only be cooling a 7 by 16 box and will not need a 13500 BTU roof AC. In the summertime I will not be living under air conditioning 24/7. It will be mostly when I'm closed up inside the trailer or overnight if it's above 80°. I have already budgeted for the cost of solar, so money is not an issue.

I lived out west for 7 years when my father was in the Air Force. His mother, brothers and sisters lived in West Texas and we were also in southeast New Mexico north of El Paso for three years, so not having green from time to time will not be a big bother for me. I will be moving around seasonally within the area bounded by the four states that I mentioned, so there will be plenty of opportunity to be around areas that are green.

[Grit_dog]

He’s not in Canada.
The local beer stores where he’s at don’t stock Kokanee either, but neither is germane to the conversation.