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I totally feel your pain... in 2018 I walked into a RV yard and knew nothing about campers, and all that I knew about our Pathfinder was that it had a hitch and a tow button. By the time I settled on a camper it was too late to do the paperwork so I came back the next morning. That night is the first time I even came across things such as: GVWR, towing capacity, payload, etc... By the time I showed up the next morning, I knew that the camper we picked out was too much... so we got one a little smaller that was right on the line... and in all honesty, over weight too. We had a 5000 lb tow capacity on the Pathfinder, and this camper was 4255 lb dry with a 6000 lb GVWR. I told myself that we can easily stay under the 5000 lb rating of the Pathfinder... and for the most part, we did...
But, the 5000 lb tow capacity was the maximum rating, and nowhere near the real rating by the time we loaded up the family, our dogs, and then "necessary items" in the camper. The listed GCWR on the Pathfinder was 10000 lbs and when I drove it over the scale, we were at 10,200 lbs. In reality, our payload was exceeded and the tow rating was exceeded, and with everyone in the vehicle and with a fully loaded camper (still quite a ways from the 6000 lbs) we were even 200 lbs over the GCWR! However, while I can't remember the exact numbers, we were still under the axle ratings!
Like you though, I drove slow and with our WDH cranked all the way up, felt safe when driving it. We often times took trips about 30 miles from our home, and we loved them all. We did take a much farther 350ish mile (one way) trip and I felt bad for the Pathfinder the whole time...
I knew I needed another vehicle, but also like you, wasn't in the place to get a new vehicle, and I didn't want to sell the camper, so for 3 years we just stuck to short, close to home trips. Then last year we wanted to take a longer trip, so we actually rented a truck. It was my first time pulling the camper with anything other than the Pathfinder, and as it turned out it was a brand new (only 52 miles on it) 2020 F250 with a 6.7 PSD engine! Wow... was I impressed. We ended up putting almost 4000 miles on the truck with the camper hooked up and I loved it. (The pic in my sig is fro that trip, when we were entering WY!) Then a couple of months later, I rented another truck, but this time a 2020 Ram (and with 20k miles on it...) It still chugged along with no lack of power, but I really didn't enjoy it near as much as the Ford...
So, fast forward to May 24th, 2021 and we haphazardly stopped into our local Ford dealership. They ended up giving us a really good deal on the Pathfinder, and priced us Invoice +$500 on a new 2022 F250. So we jumped on it! I ended up ordering the same F250 in an XLT trim, but with several additional features that weren't on the rental. Even the same color! The down side though is that now we don't have a tow vehicle at all... so, no trips for us this year because I'm not anticipating getting it til about Christmas time (hopefully). So, we are sacrificing our camping trips for this year, but by next year, we will be all ready to go, and with a vehicle that will be a bit overrated for our camper (but plenty of room to move to something bigger later in life if we want to). And the good thing is that the longer it takes to come in, the more money we will have to put down on it when it does come in! Since we don't have a car payment right now we still continue to just put the amount aside we estimate we will pay each month and will use it all as a down payment when it comes in.
So, my suggestion is don't put any more money into your current truck, and save for another truck that is more in line with what you need. Also, right now dealers are offering top dollar for trucks... maybe take yours in and see what you can get for it... you may be surprised! Also, if you absolutely want to take a couple of trips this year, you can look into renting a truck. IMO, it was a pretty good deal. We rented the F250 for 10 days and put around 4100 miles on it and it cost $680. (Of course fuel was additional too... and we used a lot of that!)
Whatever you decide to do though, know that your not alone... but also know that one day, it will be behind us and we won't even think about this time when we are out doing what we love!
Good luck!
Very good and relative post.
Many of us have been there including myself and it's a learning process that the RV dealers want no part of.
towing marginally on the flats is one thing, towing marginally on the big hills is another.....stay safe.
I totally feel your pain... in 2018 I walked into a RV yard and knew nothing about campers, and all that I knew about our Pathfinder was that it had a hitch and a tow button. By the time I settled on a camper it was too late to do the paperwork so I came back the next morning. That night is the first time I even came across things such as: GVWR, towing capacity, payload, etc... By the time I showed up the next morning, I knew that the camper we picked out was too much... so we got one a little smaller that was right on the line... and in all honesty, over weight too. We had a 5000 lb tow capacity on the Pathfinder, and this camper was 4255 lb dry with a 6000 lb GVWR. I told myself that we can easily stay under the 5000 lb rating of the Pathfinder... and for the most part, we did...
But, the 5000 lb tow capacity was the maximum rating, and nowhere near the real rating by the time we loaded up the family, our dogs, and then "necessary items" in the camper. The listed GCWR on the Pathfinder was 10000 lbs and when I drove it over the scale, we were at 10,200 lbs. In reality, our payload was exceeded and the tow rating was exceeded, and with everyone in the vehicle and with a fully loaded camper (still quite a ways from the 6000 lbs) we were even 200 lbs over the GCWR! However, while I can't remember the exact numbers, we were still under the axle ratings!
Like you though, I drove slow and with our WDH cranked all the way up, felt safe when driving it. We often times took trips about 30 miles from our home, and we loved them all. We did take a much farther 350ish mile (one way) trip and I felt bad for the Pathfinder the whole time...
I knew I needed another vehicle, but also like you, wasn't in the place to get a new vehicle, and I didn't want to sell the camper, so for 3 years we just stuck to short, close to home trips. Then last year we wanted to take a longer trip, so we actually rented a truck. It was my first time pulling the camper with anything other than the Pathfinder, and as it turned out it was a brand new (only 52 miles on it) 2020 F250 with a 6.7 PSD engine! Wow... was I impressed. We ended up putting almost 4000 miles on the truck with the camper hooked up and I loved it. (The pic in my sig is fro that trip, when we were entering WY!) Then a couple of months later, I rented another truck, but this time a 2020 Ram (and with 20k miles on it...) It still chugged along with no lack of power, but I really didn't enjoy it near as much as the Ford...
So, fast forward to May 24th, 2021 and we haphazardly stopped into our local Ford dealership. They ended up giving us a really good deal on the Pathfinder, and priced us Invoice +$500 on a new 2022 F250. So we jumped on it! I ended up ordering the same F250 in an XLT trim, but with several additional features that weren't on the rental. Even the same color! The down side though is that now we don't have a tow vehicle at all... so, no trips for us this year because I'm not anticipating getting it til about Christmas time (hopefully). So, we are sacrificing our camping trips for this year, but by next year, we will be all ready to go, and with a vehicle that will be a bit overrated for our camper (but plenty of room to move to something bigger later in life if we want to). And the good thing is that the longer it takes to come in, the more money we will have to put down on it when it does come in! Since we don't have a car payment right now we still continue to just put the amount aside we estimate we will pay each month and will use it all as a down payment when it comes in.
So, my suggestion is don't put any more money into your current truck, and save for another truck that is more in line with what you need. Also, right now dealers are offering top dollar for trucks... maybe take yours in and see what you can get for it... you may be surprised! Also, if you absolutely want to take a couple of trips this year, you can look into renting a truck. IMO, it was a pretty good deal. We rented the F250 for 10 days and put around 4100 miles on it and it cost $680. (Of course fuel was additional too... and we used a lot of that!)
Whatever you decide to do though, know that your not alone... but also know that one day, it will be behind us and we won't even think about this time when we are out doing what we love!
Good luck!
YES...great post and I appreciate your taking the time to part a little worldly wisdom! I won't be able to purchase a new truck but...I'll at least get one that can easily handle the rig.
Actually...here's a question I've had on my mind: I've never owned a diesel...are they more expensive to maintain / repair? The red one in the pic above is a diesel.
Actually...here's a question I've had on my mind: I've never owned a diesel...are they more expensive to maintain / repair? The red one in the pic above is a diesel.
This seems to be a back and forth debate… and having never owned one myself, I can’t speak from experience. But from what I have noted so far, I will plan to change my oil every 5000 miles. The filters are about $11 if bought in a bulk of about 6. The 6.7 will require 13 quarts of oil at each change. Doing a quick Amazon search, 3 gallons (12 quarts) of Rotella T6 5W40 full synthetic is $65. I’d still need one more quart. As well, every 15000 miles I’ll change both fuel filters, and these can be had for about $53/set. This is basic maintenance. Of course there are other things too, but these are the big 2. Also, some choose to run additives in both, the fuel and the oil, which would be more money. Then there is the whole DPF system (unless it’s been deleted…) This doesn’t require “maintenance” but there is a regeneration process the truck will go through every so often. Then of course (in my area, right now) diesel is about $0.20/gallon more expensive than the cheap grade gasoline.
I have heard that repairing a diesel can also be more expensive than a gas burner, but I can’t speak to this at all, especially considering it likely depends on what needs to be fixed.
On the flip side, I have also heard that diesels generally go longer between oil changes, which levels that cost difference to some degree, and that diesels generally run longer than gas engines (although this seems to be a heated debate too).
For me personally, with my little 6000 lb GVWR camper I didn’t need a diesel. However, I wanted one because of the pure raw power, and my wife and I will be doing lots of traveling in the next couple of years (full time camper living) and in the western mountains, so again, I wanted that raw power for those trips with my camper attached.
This seems to be a back and forth debate… and having never owned one myself, I can’t speak from experience. But from what I have noted so far, I will plan to change my oil every 5000 miles. The filters are about $11 if bought in a bulk of about 6. The 6.7 will require 13 quarts of oil at each change. Doing a quick Amazon search, 3 gallons (12 quarts) of Rotella T6 5W40 full synthetic is $65. I’d still need one more quart. As well, every 15000 miles I’ll change both fuel filters, and these can be had for about $53/set. This is basic maintenance. Of course there are other things too, but these are the big 2. Also, some choose to run additives in both, the fuel and the oil, which would be more money. Then there is the whole DPF system (unless it’s been deleted…) This doesn’t require “maintenance” but there is a regeneration process the truck will go through every so often. Then of course (in my area, right now) diesel is about $0.20/gallon more expensive than the cheap grade gasoline.
I have heard that repairing a diesel can also be more expensive than a gas burner, but I can’t speak to this at all, especially considering it likely depends on what needs to be fixed.
On the flip side, I have also heard that diesels generally go longer between oil changes, which levels that cost difference to some degree, and that diesels generally run longer than gas engines (although this seems to be a heated debate too).
For me personally, with my little 6000 lb GVWR camper I didn’t need a diesel. However, I wanted one because of the pure raw power, and my wife and I will be doing lots of traveling in the next couple of years (full time camper living) and in the western mountains, so again, I wanted that raw power for those trips with my camper attached.
Wow...again, excellent advice! Do you charge by the hour or...by the word! Lol Actually, thank you to everyone that has responded to my initial post. I'm not dumb, but I know, what I don't know and when I don't know something...I ask. I bug the **** out of my neighbor because he knows a lot of **** and if he doesn't know it...he's usually got a friend that does. Heck, if I'm constipated...I ask him for a remedy!
So...again, I can't thank everyone enough for helping me out! Thank you, thank you! I'll let you know what truck I eventually settle on.
The down side though is that now we don't have a tow vehicle at all... so, no trips for us this year because I'm not anticipating getting it til about Christmas time (hopefully). So, we are sacrificing our camping trips for this year, but by next year, we will be all ready to go
Couldn't you rent a truck this year again and at least do a couple of trips while you await delivery?
Couldn't you rent a truck this year again and at least do a couple of trips while you await delivery?
Absolutely we could, but we’re not. We have so much stuff going on in the next 2 months there’s really not enough time for a trip anyway. Besides that, the next 2 months are usually months that we don’t take many trips anyway because of the heat. Come September through December is our favorite time. But, renting a truck also makes more sense for at least week long trips, and we simply don’t have the time for that length of trip for quite some time with school getting ready to start back (for both my daughter and my wife). Besides, we’re squirreling away all of our pennies for the down payment and then a few accessories we want for the truck when it gets here!
So absolutely we could still rent a truck, but we’re choosing to sacrifice this years camping trips (we did get to go on 2 before selling the Pathfinder). And it does help that this year (and honestly the first half of next year) is so busy for us, many trips wouldn’t have been planned anyway. So between the high buybacks going on, and timing, this was a great time for us to order a new truck!
I know it's not a Ford and this is a Ford site but...would the below handle my TT? It's a 2008 and only has 60 some thousand miles on it. I'm not really a Dodge guy but...just trying to fit a round peg into a round hole right now.
Hey GRWolverineFan...I see what you're referring to and thanks for the response. I have pulled the trailer 5 times now with my truck in varying conditions. The first time I pulled it, it was pouring down rain and the wind was pretty strong...actually, I've pulled it a couple times where the wind was pretty strong. The only situation the caused my butt to pucker a bit was when the wind was pretty strong and a tractor-trailer passed me...it kind of sucked me in...towards the passing truck. But, now I know how that feels and slow down and am prepared for it. So, I get what you're stating regarding safety. I think my driving abilities can handle it. I have had a camper in the past but...it was much smaller than what I currently have.
I'm kind of stuck. I can't really afford a different truck. Well, I should state...I can't afford a 3/4 ton pickup at this time. I've done some research and while there are several good Ford F250's for sale within 200 miles of my house...they are running between $20,000 and $25,000 and most are almost 10 years old with 100,000 miles on them. So, not only can I not really afford to purchase one of these trucks but...in my experience, when purchasing a truck that's several years old...it almost always has some minor things wrong with it which...will cost me a couple thousand dollars to repair and I'm guess with a 3/4 ton...would cost me more to repair than a 1/2 ton pickup.
So, my options are A) upgrade my current truck the best I can (i.e., the transmission cooler), B) sell my trailer and wait until I have enough money to purchase the right truck and then purchase another trailer (I'd take a bath on my current trailer if I sold it...I purchased it new) or C) Buy a different truck and bust my budget.
I think I'm just going to have to purchase a better transmission cooler and take my chances. It does kind of irritate me that...when I was doing all my research prior to purchasing my trailer...I even called 2 different Ford dealers and even gave them my VIN number...they stated I was good to go. So much for research.
Thanks for your time replying...I really do appreciate it. I'm between a rock and a hard spot!
I totally get that and was in the same spot with my current trailer and my previous tow vehicle (Suburban 1500). It’s super frustrating how predatory trailer dealerships are, and how hard it is to do accurate research on older tow vehicles. I ended up way over trailer’d as well. Hopefully a big transmission cooler helps and keeps your truck going until the current truck prices go back down a bit. You have the right idea with taking it slow, I was a right lane slug with my rig and the suburban and it got me through a full year of camping all around Michigan.
I know it's not a Ford and this is a Ford site but...would the below handle my TT? It's a 2008 and only has 60 some thousand miles on it. I'm not really a Dodge guy but...just trying to fit a round peg into a round hole right now.
this would do you nicely
the only thing is that it is just an extended Cab, not a full crew cab. Depending on how big your kids are, the back seat isn’t any bigger than any other extended cab. The back doors are really small.
the only thing is that it is just an extended Cab, not a full crew cab. Depending on how big your kids are, the back seat isn’t any bigger than any other extended cab. The back doors are really small.
I drove 2 and a half hours...ready to buy...talked to them right before I left. When I got there...they told me it was sold. Sheesh.
there appears to be several direct replacements available that look to be a direct bolt in for your truck.
another option is to look through the salvage yards. I went this route for my 2006 expedition. Cost me $45 for a good used cooler and another $45 to install at the shop.
looking at your temps, it looks like 20-30 degrees would make all the difference. I think the larger factory cooler might get you there.
B&M makes a killer transmission cooler with a fan also.
Good luck and I hope it works well for you! Like I mentioned above, we went slow and easy... and stayed close for a few years before finally having the opportunity to upgrade to something more substantial. Now I'm not saying it was the smartest, or the safest thing to do, but it worked!
Run it until she keels over. Throw a meatier trans in for 3K and keep going. Money ahead.
Yep...the direction I decided to go. If you see a truck being held together by duct tape cruising down the highway pulling a fairly nice TT...it's the hillbilly from Missouah. Lol
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
