So, I've thought about getting one for a while and my wife recently said "hey, lets get a camper." I currently own an 05 titan and frankly for anything I would buy, its just not gonna cut it.

So for ***** and giggles, I figured I'd look around....this is what I've found, let me know what you think and if I'm off base.

First off, 2015 F250 Crew Cabs at my local dealer are like $13,000 off MSRP...holy crap, a lariet or darn close is like 48K. Is it me, are they unloading them, or are these prices normal??

Now, here's where I'm struggling, F250 or F350 and Short or Long Bed. My initial reaction is an F350 with a long bed but is that necessary???

Also, are F350's worth 7-8K more than a 250? Towing is the same but payload is different. Is that JUST the rear springs? Are the frames Different? This is my understanding of differences:
1. The size of the blocks between the rear axle and the rear springs.
2. The GVWR number printed on the B-pillar tag.
3. The number on the badges on the front fenders.

Second is Tagalong or 5th Wheel? 5th wheel seems easier to tow, and I like some of the layouts better, but can I do that with a 250 and shorter bed? If so am I hurting myself?

90% of the time truck will be unloaded and driven the same as a DD (it WON'T be my DD), but you get where I'm going...

LASTLY, do I get a 6.2? It will tow almost anything I want, though not "well", but is it worth the premium for a diesel if its only going to be towing 10% (or less) of time time?? I know MPG etc are better with diesel, but will the increased maint be worth it? Is there more maint? Can a DIYer do most things?

I"m not one to run to a dealership if I can fix myself, but I don't "expect" to have to do anything to a new truck for quite some time. Lead me down a road.

Thanks!!

Links to a few i've seen:

APPLE FORD:
New 2015 Ford Super Duty F-250 Lariat


BOB BELL FORD:
Baltimore, MD 2015 Ford F-250 New Truck Glen Burnie, MD Annapolis, MD Bob Bell Ford/ Hyundai/ Kia | 155007 | 1FT7W2BTXFEA17965

 

Get the specs on the rv first --- or you may be buying too little truck...

GVWR and rear GAWR is where the rubber hits the road

very easy to get over with even a small trailer...
SO, get a 350 with max gvwr you can (11500 for SRW)
and a wdh if a tt or judicious mounting of the 5er hitch in the bed to distribute the weight properly...

good luck ! it's amazing how quick you can overload a f250 with say 6000 lbs Rear axle rating... especially when the truck weighs 8000 or 9000 lbs !

 

I like my long bed. I have not once said...I should have bought a short bed. However, when I had my 02 short bed there were times I really wished I had the extra bed length.

Not worth that much more. You should be able to find a 350 for little more $$ than a 250.

I have a 5th wheel and I like it a lot. It is very maneuverable in tight spots. I think the best advice I can give you is to find what trailer you are going to buy and then choose the truck you need. If you do that you will be happy. Both the 6.2 and 6.7 will pull a nice sized camper.

 

$13k off? Wow, around here you might be lucky to get $5k off of a platinum! I'm sure you will enjoy whatever model you decide on.

 

Buy the truck you need now for your next trailer. It is very easy to say oh this will work and then a year later you find a new rv you have to have. I went with the 6.2 for maintenance and ownership costs, I pull a approx. 14,000# fiver and it does a very good job and its also my daily driver. I couldn't justify the up charge and increased maintenance cost of a diesel.

 

LONG BED, I repeat, Long Bed

You will never say "Dammit, I can't close the tailgate with that piece of plywood/bunch of 2x lumber ---- you get the drift (and you have to know I've gone through that pain, SB vs LB).

Also, if you buy an older 5er, you wont have to invest in a more expensive slider hitch with a LB

Watch out for that gross weight. My current truck was way over (700#) with the now gone 5er's pin weight but about right with the new one.

If the 6.2 will pull your desired camper with ease, it's a lot cheaper to buy and maintain then the diesel plus every gas station has less expensive gas but not all have diesel.

 

I agree ... this advice is GOLD!

 

I ran into someone this summer with a short bed Dodge pulling a 5er and they had an adapter on the hitch on the trailer that set it back about a foot and a half off the hitch on the truck, which allowed him to still pull it with the short bed. just an idea, will try and find a link to the adapter for you.

 

Here is the images search I did, you can take your pick from them to look at.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...hitch+extender

 

There is money off list to be had. That said I'd call 13k off pretty good. Lariats can go for a lot more than 48k.


I will always go for more truck. F350 for sure. Mine is a dually, and while I could have squeaked by with SRW, the dually ultimately cost me less money for more truck. I agree with everyone else on bed size. I have owned one shortbed truck, and will NEVER buy another. The bed space is too valuable to me.

F350's are not 7-8K more. Closer to 7-800. Why they are discounting the 250's more than 350's, who knows. The blocks may or may not be the same now. They supposedly all use the 4" block now. The numbers on the door tag may not even be much different, you can spec a F350 with a 10k GVWR. 350's all get the overload, 250's you need to get the camper package to get them.

That's your call on that one. If there's any chance of a 5th, again, I'd seriously consider the longbed.

That's kind of how mine gets used. I'll drive it anywhere empty, but don't DD it. You just get used to the size and a bit of a walk to get somewhere.


I went diesel. Mine doesn't get a ton of miles, 9500 miles in a year and a half. Hoping to change that when the new fiver gets here. Would a 6.2 work for me--most likely. I can't deal with the crap MPG when I do use it though, that's why I switched to diesel. I started with a 5.4 F150, 11.5 mpg around town, 7.2 with a 7K trailer, highway 16. Went to a (mistake) 07 5.9 Dodge, 14-15 around town, 11-12 towing, 17 empty on the highway. Sold that for my current 6.7 F350 which so far has done around 13 in town 16 highway, 11 towing. Gas might be cheaper, but I can't get over the mileage, and I love the power of the 6.7!


There really isn't "more" maintenance with the diesel, aside from water separator drains and adding DEF. The maintenance does cost more though. I did my oil change myself at 5K, and even at wholesale pricing, I was in it over $100 between oil and filter. I'd say a DIY'er could do the maintenance on both gas or diesel. Much beyond that, either will be at the dealer...

 

You must have used a synthetic. My summer changes using 15w40 delo and a mc filter are right around $60 when I do it myself. The winter synthetic change pushes the $100 mark.

Figure $70 for fuel filters every 15 k to 25k mi plus a $40 air filter.

I went with the xlt 250 as the srw 350 was way out of my price range for the tiny difference on paper. It was also that all the srw 350s in my area were all loaded up useless bling and status symbol junk (nav, camera, platinums, etc, etc).

Way more money on the table if you start looking at xlts and xl.

 

Have you thought about buying a used truck? If you want to keep costs low and maintenance easy, then pre-2008 is the way to go. 6.0 PSD can be had for pretty cheap, once you do a few reliability mods, they run! But depends on if you like doing that kinda stuff.

I say again, figure out what trailer you want, then buy the appropriate truck. I like bumper pull myself, keeps the bed open to haul other stuff.

Long bed or short bed? I say long bed. It's a lot more useful

F-250 or F-350? If your someone who is concerned about ratings, then just get a f-350. If numbers are just numbers, an F-250 will do the same job and still be a personal vehicle. (F-350s must be registered as commercial vehicles in some states) the differences are nill. Even the ford engineers couldn't really say what the difference was other than blocks and ratings.

How many in your family? 2? I'd opt for a extended cab over a crew cab. Saves some weight and length. Plus the A/C and heater will work better.

 

That entirely depends on what you are towing, and where you are towing it. Long distance, you are going to be happier with the longer chassis, if you are jockying around local campgrounds around trees and other campers you are going to appreciate the shorter one


Actually I think in the new ones, the block is the same. Depending on the truck options, the axles may be different, and my understanding the springs are slightly different. Of course all those extra badges reduce the load capacity. HA You might as well start a Ford vs. Dodge thread with this one. You will hear arguments on how much safer a 5ver is as opposed to a tag along, you will hear the price difference is too much, the added equipment costs, the ridiculous size of some 5vers. The truth is, this is simply preference. Let me interject only one school of thought I have with the subject. I would consider swapping out the kingpin for a gooseneck adapter. This leaves your bed empty when you are not towing, and even when you are, and you get somplace; you can flip over the ball in the bed and use the bed of your truck if need be. Tow rating is normally higher on goosenecks. Again this is personal preference. Just something to think about. I have a 6.4 Diesel and a 6.8 Gas. Personal experience believe it or not the 6.8 has more power, better acceleration with a load and to date has been less maintenance. That is my experience, others will deny or argue that diesel is so much more powerful. I dont see it. I dont feel it. If you total in the cost of the engine upfront, the cost of fuel difference, and depending on where you live the availability of diesel it is a serious consideration. In traveling I have found that I can locate gasoline almost anywhere; Diesel on the other hand had proven elusive in some areas. OK... So real opinion time. Yes you can do some work yourself. Depends on how deep you want to get. This brings me back to the gasoline vs. diesel. The gasser is a little less complicated to work on, far easier to get to the engine bay itself with less miles of hoses in the way.

My next statement is going to come down to the truck itself. Overkill is king when you are hauling a 10k lb trailer down the interstate at 75mph. Personally my trucks are Duallies now. I had never towed with a DRW until a few years back and all I can say is WOW what a difference. The stance and stability of the truck is highly noticeable. I have been hauling a 35' tag along on a windy day and seen the camper swaying behind me due to cross wind with very very little transition into the town vehicle. This causes you to correct less and limit the risk for over correction (Could start a whole new thread on how NOT to tow) So if you want my opinion:

If you are looking for a big camper with tons of room, slideouts, etc then go for a bed hook, but make it a gooseneck and stick it in the bed of a DRW 350.

just my .02






Glenn