Keep looking man...Craigslist is where I found mine...Ebay has tons of trucks too...mostly Texas trucks.


I got an 05 F-250 2WD with 5th wheel hitch, 45 gal aux fuel tank, with 62K miles on it... I bought it from an 80 year old gentleman who was the original owner...he bought it new cash in 2004.


I ended up giving him $10K cash for it.... deal of a lifetime.


I was aware of all the factory issues with the 6.0 so at the price I got it for, I took into consideration head studs, egr cooler, oil cooler, etc etc..


I threw on 2 new fuel filters, an oil change, a 4" turboback exaust, and added a programmer, set on the tow/haul tune. I also got the blue spring kit from Ford and plan to do a coolant filter setup soon.


Now I am towing a 34ft 5th wheel with a dry weight of 7900lbs and a pin weight of 1080.....For that weight 5er, the 250 tows it spectacularly with confidence... if I was towing a heavier trailer, I'd lean towards the dually route.


I have seen plenty of dually Diesel F-550's on Ebay cheap with low miles.... most are fleet trucks and might be chassis only with no bed.... bed or no, it will still haul the crap out of the Keystone you are looking at. In NY, I'd need a CDL to drive something like that... you'd need to check your states requirements unless you have a CDL then you are good to go.

 

X2 on this..... mine is for spring-fall use only... I do everything with it from camping to home depot runs.... once the snow flies, it only gets driven on really nice days.... All utility work gets transferred over to my Jeep with lift kit and plow for the winter months.

 

Lot of good info on this thread and a lot of views so I thought I'd add some ideas that haven't been mentioned.


Diesels are nice (I have a diesel and an gas) and they save fuel. On the other hand, they do eat money...a lot of money...on maintenance with cost of parts and labor. Just a couple years back I needed new diesel injectors...over $3k for that job and I wouldn't be surprised if I need them again in 100,000 miles or so. These injectors fire around 50 times per second at cruise and operate at over 20,000 psi so I add a bottle of injector cleaner/lubricant to every fuel tank and shock treat for bacteria before winter storage.


As for the Triton V10's being up to the job, I don't have one but I see Ford still puts them in F750s with over 16 ton gross so I wouldn't feel too bad if I found a truck with a V10 in good shape.


Also, I don't normally like to disagree on forums, but I can't understand how a 4x4 stops faster because it's heavier than a 4x2...all other things equal. More weight always needs more stopping distance. I've had a 5 ton fiver for almost 10 years now and never wished I had a 4x4. These campers are like beached whales in soft ground...if the ground looks soft I stay out of it. My gasser is a 4x2 with an open differential.. never had trouble in hilly campgrounds with gravel either.