Truck camper rig on a budget?

We bought a used 99 F-250 in 2007 for $14K, a new Palamino Bronco for $8K and were very satisfied with the combo. The truck had the 5.4 gas, auto trans 4X4 drive train super cab with short bed. We went from Maine to Oregon to Florida in the next six years. We ave about 13 mpg but drive with a light foot and mostly on 2 lane roads at 55mph. I also used the truck on my farm and pulled a trailer with tractors, etc. on it with no problem. Last year we traded trucks as the 99 was getting tired in the engine dept. with 166K miles. Found a pretty good 04 F250 diesel and like the added power in the mountains but for our flat ground in Iowa it is usually not needed, the diesel has higher cost to maintain but does get slightly better mileage. We ave about 14 on vacation now. I haven't weighed the new truck but my old rig weighed about 9K when ready to roll. You don't have to spend a fortune to have a great time in a truck camper but you need to USE it to have fun! Cheers.

I understand about Texas homeowners associations and their restrictions. When I bought a house there I first looked at the association restrictions before even looking at the houses in the development. I ended up buying a "used" house to avoid the restrictions.

"Overweight" is largely a matter of definition. Trucks are rated at the factory based on how they are equipped and yet it is not a big deal to change out the shocks or the rims or the tires or to add overload springs or air bags and change the load capacity of the truck. Stock trucks on a dealer's lot can have differences in payload rating of 2,000 lbs. or more and some 2500 trucks are rated higher than some 3500 trucks based on the tires and the number of passengers that can fit in the cab.

I did the same thing with my truck purchase steve68. My naivete about HD diesel trucks too in 2006 is why I ended up with my truck. I was looking for a dually diesel for hauling way before I got the TC bug. I was living Florida at the time and could not find many good used dually diesel trucks and did not want to pay the price for new. Also the homeowners association where I lived classified a dually as commercial only which was B@$*** and was not allowed in my driveway. We did not live in some high hoity toity neighborhood either. I have also learned that your truck and mine can carry a lot more than stated properly equipped. I know a few folks here that can and have for years safely carry heavy TCs that are technically way overweight. The previous owner of my 1998 Lance 990 Legend with dry bath and with a dry weight of 3200 lbs. Traveled 8 years with the camper, wife, 2 dogs, and towing a 22 foot fishing boat with a 250 horsepower outboard motor with a 2001 Dodge 2500 diesel. Only mod he added was airbags.

Haven't read all replies, and only replying to throw my typical weird angle at it:

Some people NEVER take the camper off. Within that group, there's full-timers at one end and "the rig sits all year except for the two weeks we take it on vacation."

Other people use the truck as more than a TC hauler. Within that group, there's daily drivers or work trucks at one end, and seasonal or 'only when I need to haul' at the other end (where I am).

How you will use the truck should impact your decision about the 'best' truck for you. Example: as my snow machine, 4WD was not negotiable. Taking trips and having dogs, extended cab was non-negotiable. Hauling and TC use mandated (to me) a long bed. Diesel - I just wanted it. They hold their value, haul like crazy, and are built to last. They have downsides vs. gas, too.

So, here I naively go to buy a long bed, supercab, 4WD diesel... only to realize AFTER purchase that a BIG chunk of my payload is used up on... the long bed, the extended cab, the 4WD, and the diesel engine. My truck is heavy empty.

Good luck... I think there's no 'wrong' choice, only ones which refine your future choices.

For campers weighing over 4,000 lbs. you will need either DRW or 19.5 rims and tires to support the weight. Most of the campers sold do not require a DRW truck but all trucks do require some modifications to support a camper load safely.

Diesel is gross overkill for a 4,000 lb. or even a 6,000 lb. load. For some reason people who would be OK with a gas V-8 for towing a 8,000 lb. boat and trailer think that they need diesel for a load half as great when it is a camper.

A gas V-8 long bed SRW truck will work for campers up to 10' length and all you forgo is a dry bath. Check the Wolf Creek and Lance and other camper manufacturers websites and look at the published weights for their campers and add 1,000 lbs. to have fully loaded weigh for the truck to support.

The 2500 and 3500 trucks usually have the same rear axle and wheel bearings and the only substantive difference is in the number of leaf springs in the packs and this can be altered with the addition of SuperSprings in about one hour of your time. On the used market there are ten times as many 2500 trucks to choose from and I found that the majority of the 3500 trucks for sale had either the regular cab and 2WD or a crew cab. A long bed truck with a crew cab has the worst possible turning radius and is a handicap with a camper when traveling on backcountry roads or even getting into tight campsites in USFS and BLM campgrounds.

The absolute best deals I have seen are from people selling a camper on a truck as a package deal. Not unusual to see a 10 year old truck with less than 80k miles with a full size camper selling together for $16k to $20k. Best part is that you get the tie-downs, heavy duty shocks, camper wiring, and all the other add-ons that you would have to do and pay for with a new truck and a camper.

Campers also have greatly increased in price over the past 10 years. A camper that sold in 2004 for $12,000 probably sold in 2008 for $17,000 and in 2014 is selling for $24,000. A 3-6 year old camper will save you a lot of money.

Very true...Been there..Good point.

I believe the OP just needs to come up with a truck cost that he can afford. If he has $10K, $20k or $30 it can really matter.

I like my setup, it costs a pretty penny, but still glad we did it. And it will be a great setup for many years.

Remember camping is fun. We had fun camping in our $50 tent for many years and our $1500 used tent trailer for three summers and now our TC for three years so far.

1stgenfarmboy stated some good points. I am wrestling with this issue too. I would not consider selling my truck next February with a the 3rd generation 2006 5.9 Cummins without DEF with only 105,500 miles on it if it were not for wanting to upgrade to a dually from a SRW to accommodate a TC with slides and a dry bath. Maintenance and the higher cost of fuel for a diesel is a Con after owning my truck for 8 years but more power and 4 or 5 more mpg. There are pros and cons for Gas and Diesel trucks.

I've been thinking about this "most economical" issue.

It seems to be taken for granted that the truck that costs the least over time is the best choice.

That is not the case for me.

I want the best tool for the job, if I can afford it, and I can.

I worked a long time, lived on 2/3 of my income, put the max in my 401k, and retired early.

I don't much care if a gasser saves 4 cents per mile, although I doubt that it does.

As I said earlier, and noone disputed, the Diesel engine is without question the best tool for the job.

Reckon I'll just run the best tool for the job.

I like snap-on, too, although craftsman likely makes more pecuniary sense. :)

Life is short.

Joe

So basically what I am seeing with the cost difference and mpg difference between diesel vs gas not taking into consideration power and cost of services..

on a 500 mile trip you will save $42.00with a diesel on fuel
on a 5,000 mile trip $420.00

while that is a savings, it should not be a deal breaker on a nice gas truck.

I am basing my numbers with the gasser getting a loaded MPG of 9
and a grease burner getting 14 MPG.

and a cost of gas $3.39 and diesel $4.09, these are the prices at home now.