Pick up for TC

[intravino]

Hello,

First post.

I was looking to get a pick up with 8 feet bed for TC and I found a nice 99 Cummins. The problem is that owner is saying that he used to pull a fifth wheel.

Would you consider a pick up that was used for a fifth wheel ?


Thanks,

[ajriding]

I have a very rare TC that I would never find again, but if I were to have to buy a TC now I would strongly consider a Northern Lite or Bigfoot. Both similar and both are two-piece fiberglass shells, like an upside down boat. They can only leak at the openings as there is no seams except where they are joined, but which they overlap so cannot leak.

They are also a 4-season camper which I wish I had. Keeping pipes thawed on cold nights is VERY difficult for summer campers.

The TCs with basements are taller, so you lose clearance and a tad bit of mpg, but you gain space that the tanks usually take up.

You said this truck had CAD, which refers to the front axle on 4x4 trucks only, so I thought it was a 4x4.

Think carefully about getting a diesel. They are super powerful workhorses and will run years beyond gas engines, but the gain in mpg does not always off-set some of the expenses of a diesel.

You will also nee to run 2-cycle oil in the diesel tank (one quart per fill up/ 30 gallons), so will add another 15 cents per gallon at the pump. The oil protects the injectors. 20 years ago diesel fuel had more sulfur which aided in lubracation. Some people add the oil, some do not. If you want 100 different opinions on this topic it will not be hard to find.

[joerg68]

Campers/RVs are not built to the same manufacturing standards as, say, passenger vehicles.
They are manufactured in the sense that there is mostly manual labor involved.
The resulting quality can vary greatly - by manufacturer, but also within a production run.
Have a close look at the camper candidates. Are there experienced RV owners in your area that you could take along?
You will run into the discussions wood frame vs. aluminum frame vs. fiberglass molded etc.
All have advantages and disadvantages in one way or another.
Classic wood construction is easy to repair, but also more prone to water damage. But there is plenty of wood in almost all campers, just less for structural purposes.
Travelite campers do have some reputation, but there are also happy owners out there who do not experience major issues. Same with Palomino, another brand at the lower end of the price range. I hear they have focused more on quality recently.
I am very happy with my (wood framed) Northstar camper.
But really you need to look at the layout and features of the camper as well. And then, I guess availability plays its role - of the camper and the money to pay for it.
If you consider buying a camper with existing damage on the cheap to fix yourself: It is always much worse than it initially looks, and takes much more time to complete. Ask yourself if you want to fix a camper or travel in it.
And then there is the truck camper university sticky thread with a lot of useful reading material if you want to see a list of all the things that can break and need fixing...

[noteven]

Yes my Cirrus 820 is pretty close to 3000lbs ready to roll. This week I'm looking at quiet radiant heated 20c inside on a -19c morning, no frost on the windas, and about 5 - 6lbs propane per day. I hope not to reach it's cold capability limit before I can motor south 🙂

[intravino]

An F150 with a payload package can haul some of the smaller campers around.
But it will still reach its limits fairly soon.
You can't have too much truck is a sentiment frequently heard around TCers.
If you consider a regular cab, be forewarned that the typical TC offers limited storage - especially the lighter builds. So most of us are happy to have some extra space in the cab. I had a Silverado 2500HD Regular Cab for a number of years, and the lack of storage space was one of the reasons why I went with the extended cab we have now.
I picked the Ford 6.2 gas engine as it has a pretty solid reputation, and 2011-16 the transmission was the same as in the 6.7 Diesels. You don't hear a lot of bad things about these trucks mechanically. They do like to rust (as all of them do) without additional rustproofing.

Thanks for insight.

I guess payload is similar to what boaters calls the foot disease, you always need a bigger boat.

I read really bad things about Travel Lite on this forum about leaking even when almost new. Is this still the case with the build quality of Travel Lite ?



Thanks,

[joerg68]

An F150 with a payload package can haul some of the smaller campers around.
But it will still reach its limits fairly soon.
You can't have too much truck is a sentiment frequently heard around TCers.
If you consider a regular cab, be forewarned that the typical TC offers limited storage - especially the lighter builds. So most of us are happy to have some extra space in the cab. I had a Silverado 2500HD Regular Cab for a number of years, and the lack of storage space was one of the reasons why I went with the extended cab we have now.
I picked the Ford 6.2 gas engine as it has a pretty solid reputation, and 2011-16 the transmission was the same as in the 6.7 Diesels. You don't hear a lot of bad things about these trucks mechanically. They do like to rust (as all of them do) without additional rustproofing.

[jaycocreek]

intravino...Very nice looking truck..I was looking for a truck to do the same as you last year and in the same price range,I would have scooped up that one in a hurry..

Any truck that looks as clean as that one would most likely be maintained as well as it looks..A guy I worked with had rental property and I asked him,how do you get decent renters that don't trash the place

His reply was..I look at the car or truck they drove here and check the inside as well as the outside as to how well they take care of things..Seems to work for him and I have to agree with his analogy..

As to the Ford 5.4..I just sold one with 35K on it..It is totally comparable to my sons Chevy 6.0 in actual power and fuel mileage pulling trailers to 29'..I only sold it because of the spark plug issues and the money I got for it, was above average..

Good luck in your hunt for a good used pickup..There are some really good ones out there if you look hard enough and take your time..

[Grit_dog]

Also, we had several 2nd gen dishes back in the day. I felt the build quality was on par with the other mfgs.

[Grit_dog]

^ So you’re more mechanically saavy than you let on in the first post. That’s awesome.
Joes communication message is spot on.
Regarding the trucks. You DONT want a Powerstroke from 03.5-10. Period.
The 5.4 F250 is a reliable platform and decently reliable engine. Could spit a plug r 2, but I’ve been around 100s of those trucks beat up daily in heavy construction work and they are good. But it’ll be gutless compared to most other alternatives.
The 6.7 Cummins is a good decision IMO, IF you’re willing to delete the emissions.
Honestly, though for simplicity, that truck in the picture is literally the simplest, easiest to work on, reasonably priced repair parts truck out there.
Plus, it’ll pull like a train with just a wee bit of tuning.

Completely off topic, but this is an example of the resale of a 2wd vs a 4wd for all the folks that argue about how
Much more 4x4s set you back.
The current owner of that truck in the picture could have sold that truck 5x already for twice the money if it was a 4x4. 2wd trucks truly are bargains.

[intravino]

You guys are alright.

I was looking at the Cummins for a diesel alternative. I am more a Ford man but the Ford Diesels are a bit complicated to work (for a Diesel newbie like me) vs the Cummins. I am also look at a Ford F-250 XL 2003 regular cab with a 5.4L gas engine, 2x4, 100K mile for $9000. No rust also.

I saw also a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500 6.7L with 100K miles on it, 2x4 but it is a dealer that is selling it for $ 16000. I read that purists do like more the 5.9L because of no emission stuff.

I do 80 % of my repairs myself; balljoints, CV joints, Motor mounts, brakes and all of the electronics, obd2 etc...

What about the F-150 with Payload package, can they really move 2600 lbs in the bed ?

For a TC, I am looking at Travel Lite (but I saw negative reviews here in the forum), Palomino or anything lite. I am going to see soon a guy that used to make is own TC, he used to sell about 20 to 50 units per year, he took his retirement this year and he has his own TC for sale, 1800lbs, toilet, stove/oven, shower. The frame is wood and the outside is aluminum, with fiberglass insulation, the good old fashion way. He is asking $9000 for it but I did not see it.

I went to see Lance and Northern lite at a new dealer. Nice construction but heavy and $ 40k to $ 50K. I saw a used Cirrus this past weekend, nice but I thought It was nicer inside, I was disappointed, $ 40k for a 2018 model, 3000 lbs or more.

Thanks again,

[noteven]

Hi intravino -

nice looking truck. A local guy here put 950,000 km on one of those trucks distributing newspapers to small communities.

At $7000 it has to run for what, 8 months and owes you nothin’ vs renting a new one from the bank.

An inspection could be $ well spent.

Look at Truck Camper Magazine on line for information on campers you have in mind. They have info back 10yrs maybe?

Motorcycle trailers / fishin boats etc go nice behind truck camper rigs.

[352]

I have a 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 single wheel diesel. I have owned it 5 years and bought it with 161,000 on the clock. I paid $6500 for it. I was the 3rd owner. I never hesitated when I saw the 5th wheel hitch in it. I since have another 100,000 on it. It is in mint condition. I have a 33' 5er and a huge slide in. The slide in squats a couple of inches but nothing dangerous. We have been around most of the USA. Like the above mentioned it is a 20 year old truck and things wear out. Unless the tranny has been rebuilt, look forward to it. Remember that when rebuilding a tranny your torque converter is a very important part of the build. Its called a stage one build with a billet torque converter and heavy duty bands and clutches if you have an automatic. As the above said the injection pump fuel pump should be upgraded when they go bad. The really good part is the fuel mileage. I get 22 empty on the road, 10 to 12 with the 5er and 15 with the slide in. If you dont want it let me know. The price is a good one if nothing major is bad. Go for it and enjoy.

[JIMNLIN]

I had a same 2nd gen '01 2500 Cummins/47RE 3.54 gears 2wd truck. I really liked that truck but having only one ear hearing left and the other getting bad I had to let it go. I sold it and bought the new just out 3rd '03 Cummins HPCR 2500 truck much much more quieter engine.
The rear suspension on the 2nd gen Dodge trucks still had a upper over load spring pack. I pull heavy GN and 5th wheel trailers. Even with a 18k 34' flatdeck which was loaded to keep the truck w/i its 6084 RAWR. RAWR = the lessor of a wheel....tire....or rear spring pack. No rear squat.
I bought the truck new and sold it with around 85000 miles. The only problem was the 47RE would take sometimes off in 2nd gear (no 1st gear)......so control valve body had to replaced at 4800 miles under warranty. No issues after that.

The trucks chassis/suspension and drive train will be fine with that sized truck camper.

Having pulled heavy and light trailers and owning three different size truck campers up to 10' 6" length I've found pulling trailers is much more harder on a trucks drive train than carrying a TC around.

LOL...if you can stand the racket that '99 was a tough truck.

[joerg68]

Nice truck! As far as one can tell from that single picture, the PO took good care of it.
If you had given this information (or part of it) in your original post, you would likely have got more focused replies from the get go. As it were, your question to me looked very brief and a little odd. Since I am in a different time zone, I often get to see new posts before North America wakes up - so sometimes I get to be the "first responder".

Not all of us are used to communicate our requests or problems well in written form. After all, your question is obvious to you. It takes some training and experience to understand which information is necessary to make a stranger on the internet understand what is going on in hour head. I did not think that yours was a troll question, but maybe badly worded. So I tried to give a brief reply, to see if you came back with more information.

I still believe that the truck's overall condition is more important than what was in the back. The transmissions in these trucks don't seem to be the most bulletproof (in my local TC community, two Rams with Cummins and ATXs have made problems in the past). But if the truck runs and shifts nicely, and you trust the seller, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just have some extra money in case something _does_ need to be fixed. At 20 years, there are plenty of possibilities. And keep the rustproofing up.

Do you have any specific camper that you are looking for?

[jimh406]

[intravino]

Thanks for the replies.


The pickup is 2x4, club cab. There is a picture of it at the end of the message.

In Canada, how do they enforce weight? Do they look at the truck door sticker and then look for a camper sticker? Campers are always listed dry weight, and may not even include features like AC in the weight. If they go by stickers then you should be fine, if they weigh it then everyone is over, haha. Do you have to go through highway scales?

It depends of the province, in Quebec, if you have a commercial plate called F and your are over 10 000lbs, then you need to stop at the weighing station. If you have a normal car plate on the pickup, you don't need to stop at the scales.




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