Frank_Mehaffey
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Re: F250 tire brand/model recs
Uh ohh, somebody needs a hug!! Oh contraire, couch prophet! Width means a lot on dry or wet pavement, but on snow, oh no, I can't get up the hill! Yeah, the 350 is for the 4wd, since the weight of the drivetrain reduces the load capacity for tc's. I was asking about peoples experience with brands, and not asking for a snarky lecture when the bran obviously did not work today! Oh, and by the way, I use Uncle Ben's rice! Ha758Views0likes0CommentsRe: F250 tire brand/model recs
Where to begin.........Wheel size in snow does make a difference when you have 2wd. Probably with a 4wd too. You get more penetration to the pavement with a smaller footprint. I found that out with my original 99' F250. Put a wider tire on, thinking that might help in the snow, and had worse traction for the drive wheels than with the original tires. I put 4-5 tube sand bags in my bed in the winter. The OP, me, is certainly open to hearing what everybody posts. I just don't have to agree with the nay sayers say about 17" wheels. I have driven about 400,000 miles with 17" tires in the last 20 years, and if you drive conservatively, which I do, you will not have a blowout unless you have a crappy tire. Would it be better to have a 12-14 ply for potholes, yup, can't argue there. When I have my next truck in 2 years, I will be getting a 350, for the 4wd, and it will probably have 18" on it. I won't refuse them! I have an aggressive tread with my winters, with the rears studded. But the aggressive tread is pretty much what the tires were when I bought all 3 of my F250's. At 80 lbs., my 17" rear tires have never felt mushy or with noticeable sway, and visibly have never seemed overloaded. I check tire temperature about once a day when I have the camper on, and it has seemed fine. Thanks for all the input about tire sizing and especially about comparing brands. I am NOT dangerously overloading my tires, I am at or just under the load limit when I bring EVERYTHING, clubs, bikes, 1/2 water tank, and as long as I check pressure, replace when the tread wears or sides crack, don't drive like I am on a track, I will stick with the 17", which have all worked well for me. The mike is dropped!760Views0likes0CommentsRe: F250 tire brand/model recs
I have weighed my truck, camper on. I am about about 500 lbs under my truck rating. In 20 years of F250's with camper suspension upgrades, we have had no problems with the 10 ply tires at 80 lbs. in all sorts of driving conditions. If I had a Lance or something with slide outs, or a fiberglass shell, I would go in a different direction with a 350, but with our LivinLite, we are fine.339Views0likes0CommentsRe: F250 tire brand/model recs
One concern I have is over just doing 18" on the rear axel, and 17" on the front. I would have to go to all 4 corners being 18", and I would lose some of the traction in the winter with the larger wheels and tires. At that point, the $ is also starting to get a little too pricey. I have had 17's forever, and am not doing any off road camping, and have had no problems. We are at 10K fully loaded, and I am comfortable with the 10 ply rating and load rating. I was wondering if there were any experiences with Cooper vs. Michelin vs. Goodyear.280Views0likes0CommentsF250 tire brand/model recs
I am going to get 4 new all season tires for my 2012 F250, 8', extended cab, 2WD when the snow goes away. I have studded snow tires for the winter, which I love. Anyway, I have 245/75R 17E, and would be interested in any recommendations and experiences with the various brands. I have been getting Cooper's for awhile, for no particular reason outside of my dealer having them. I am not concerned about saving a buck on getting a less expensive brand, but on getting the best overall tire for a 3000 lb. camper carrying truck. Thanks for any help.2.6KViews0likes21CommentsRe: Truck mounted air compressor
I have a 2012 F250. We installed air bags when we got our new 2013 camper, without a compressor. I kept a tire inflator under the back seat witch was fine in warm weather. So last year I had a compressor installed on the passenger side of the engine compartment, just in back of the battery. Keeps things cleaner and easier to service or change if necessary. Mounted the gage under the steering column, to the right, just under the passenger airbag cut off key switch. Parts and labor were about $1000 for a single system. It was too expensive with a dual system. I am not crazy about the fragility of the connections into the bags and to the junction where the air splits to both sides, but we have had no problems so far. We have a 3000 lb. 10' camper and keep the bags at 75 lbs. Having the compressor makes things easier, but was not a big problem except for snow or salt or ice was on the 2 inflation points.337Views0likes0CommentsRe: Bilstein Shocks
I think that the Bilstein 4600 are very good shocks. I have a F250 2WD longbed, and replaced all corners when the truck turned 100K just on general principal. The thing is, empty or loaded (10,000 lbs), the truck reacts exactly the same as the Ford OP shocks. I wonder who makes HD shocks for the major manufacturers?260Views0likes0CommentsRe: Importance of Camper Package on new DRW truck
I have had 3 F250's since 1999, with the camper package on all. With the weight of all campers, for a 250, I think, the camper package stiffer front springs is pretty vital for better control and adds a rear stabilizer. For a 350 or 450, if it is available, it is a fairly cheap accessory package, and also contains the 7 pin plug and associated relay in the under hood elec. box for charging. I would not assume that the front springs were beefed up, unless I had that in writing. I'd rather have stiffer, stronger suspension than take a chance on needing more. Bouncing bad! Adding a Hillwig rear stabilizer bar costs A LOT of $ if you add it on later.239Views0likes0Commentsa delicate, yet pertinent question concerning rv toilets
When I purchased our first house, I noticed that the bathroom toilet was........small in width and length, compared to the apartment we had lived in. Hmmm, I thought, that was interesting. Upon doing some research at Home Depot and discovered that there were several "sizes" of bowls, we upgraded to a larger more comfortable seating area. Think of Fenway Park bleachers compared to box seats at Yankee Stadium. Well, I have noticed as I have gotten older and a tad more settled, that using our new TC toilet requires a more thoughtful "launch angle" and have often wondered if the RV toilet industry has an equivalent "big boy" version which would not require a WW2 bomb site for efficient and a more confident, how do I say it.....drop. I did a quick look online, and did not see a super duty version. Anyone out there know of one?2KViews0likes10Comments
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