My wife and I live in France presently, but we have a "grand plan" to drive the Pan American all the way from Prudhoe to Ushaia in the south of Argentina - and yes, I know that the annoying Darien Gap in Panama has to be shipped around. We had immediately decided the truck had to be a Ford because parts were more likely to be available in the countries we were passing through, and because they are just cool! We started off thinking about a F150, and have since worked our way through the entire range As we are going to be living in this thing for 2 or 3 years, it needs to be the right truck and the right truck camper.

We visited AZ last fall and hired a 2018 F250XLT with a 2016 Lance 650 on the back, and decided within 24hours that we would murder each other before we got out of Alaska in that truck and that camper. A better camper was essential, and space was necessary in the camper, and the truck needed to have multi-way adjustable seats for both the driver and the passenger as I'm 6'4 and my wife is over a foot shorter. We popped into Tom's Camperland whilst in PHX and despite some shockingly bad advice, we really liked the look of the Arctic Fox 1150. I know it has sliders and I know they can go wrong, but it really does give a lot of space - BUT it weighs a lot! With the range of extras we will need for the journey, it will be about 4000 - 4250lbs dry. So I'm thinking 6,500lbs fully loaded. Extras will include lots of solar, lithium batteries, generator, inverter etc

Then the vehicle - well it's got to be a dually, and gas gives you much better payload options - it also allows you to forget about the dodgy modern-engine-killing diesel they sell in Bolivia (in particular) and other countries. Its also got to be new, because we want to take advantage of the warranty for the first 6 months whilst we are in the US and Canada. If anything goes wrong in the first few months, we can get it taken care of. Currently I'm thinking the F450 Lariat chassis cab with the 7.3L gasser, with the snowplow pack and most of the upgrades available, including the AT tyres (we'll need them in Alaska, Bolivia and parts of the Brazilian rainforest, not to mention Mexico). It will need the longest chassis bed available for the camper. The only thing I really don't like about the F450 Lariat chassis cab is that you HAVE to have leather seats. Both my wife and I hate leather seats, way to "sticky" in hot climates. Does anyone have experience of downgrading to cloth? We would want to put a winch on the front, but it doesn't come as an option with the chassis cab, unlike the regular bed version. Again, any thoughts?
We are planning to buy the truck in Montana, using an LLC that we will setup. Sales Tax avoidance is important for the truck as it will be for the camper.

Finally to the truck bed. We have been looking very closely at Sherptek in Prineville Oregon. We can get a custom bed designed for us (at a price) that will weigh less than the Ford version, and will be able to hold lots of things that we will need to pack away (spare water, fuel, sand tracks, 2 spare wheels etc etc). It will be very practical, will look great, and won't add hugely to the weight. I really like the styles that they are producing, and of course, relatively easy to take the truck from Montana to Oregon for fitout. One thing in particular is that their design doesn't emphasise the DRW, it kind of hides them within the overall shape, which may help us in some countries that charge bigger tolls if they see that you are in a DRW!

We are planning on visiting Montana and Oregon in October to go though all the options, particularly choosing a dealer for the truck and the camper. I would like to have pinned down the plan for the truck and the camper before that trip, so if you have any suggestions about anything that I have said, please feel free to let me know what you think. As well as the specs for the various items, if you have any particular views on dealers for the truck in Montana, please feel free to share them, either here or by a private message if you prefer. The dealers do not have to be in Billings - we can visit anywhere in MT, with enough planning.
Over to you (and please be gentle on me )

 

If your going that route why not just go to the f550? It's not much more.
the sherptek stuff looks nice, but they are extremely pricey for what you are getting. I'd look around more, I found some really nice skirted beds with boxes much cheaper. I decided not to go that route because it raises the camper on a normal pickup.
Highest spring package, make sure you add a limited slip rear, if you can upgrade fuel tank size do that.
Winches and bumpers can be added aftermarket. You will want to be on the upper end of winches, like the warn 16.5 with the weight you have. That setup will probably be around $6000.
You can get by with a 12000 but will need to carry extra line and gear.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. Can you explain what you mean about raising the camper? From my research, the bed of the truck is just a few inches above the chassis (basically the thickness of the bed). Why would this be more than what ford offer as a factory fit.
what advantage do you see of choosing a 550 over a 450. For resale after the trip the 450 may cost less to re re-register every year than the 550. Are there any advantages of the 550? It costs nearly $2k more.
Finally, if you have any recommendations for a bed manufacturer, I would be grateful.

 

On my truck if you remove the bed, and install a flatbed the deck will be higher. This is the case for most pickups. But the cab chassis have different frames than a pickup.

CM flatbeds is one, if I think of the others I will post them. Just search skirted flatbed.
The f550 has a higher payload, heavier springs, different axle, possibly heavier frame I'm sure it depends on year. It's something to research though. If it was me I would add the 2k for a f550.

 

And you are correct about registration it will cost more in many areas. I think some of the state's also have weird gvwr rules and needing a type of commercial drivers license. I think that would apply to the 450 in most cases, but I've been wrong before.

​​​​​​sounds like a fun trip

 

Check out the stablecamper website. They make a system for CM truck beds. I had contemplated going the route you’re thinking but the costs of the bed and the boxes and all the extras was just going to be too much so I went and ordered a standard F350 XLT dually. On the cab and chassis if you really want cloth and can get by with some less tech then I’d go with the XLT. I’ve owned one Lariat in my life and 3 XLT level trucks. Leather is fine but I always worried about it.

 

Have you looked at some of the wait times to get a new Ford?

 

When you're that far off the beaten path, always carry two spares. I carry two spares for my RV trailer and I had to use them both at the same time going through Utah.

 

A friend has a '22 F550 SuperCab, Godzilla (gas) powered 84" CA (Cab to Axle) truck built to carry his Eagle Cap 1165. Fully loaded he's about 18,000 lbs. He's running super singles and Liquid Spring suspension. While, it's a high dollar build, he built it for South America travel where diesel is questionable and DEF is close to non existent. You can see details and tons of photos at sleepwalker.life on Instagram. I camp and travel with him quite a bit here in Colorado. While, the Godzilla isn't a PowerStroke, it is fully capable of hauling everything he can carry all over the mountains out here.
You mention considering a F450. You should really research options. It's entirely possible to find a F350 with more payload capacity than a 450. You might consider this view point: 250's are for towing where 350's are for hauling (carrying) in the light duty truck class. For medium duties, the 450's and 550's are similar - 450's for towing and 550's for payload. If you're going BIG on a truck camper, then payload is king. And the 550 seems to be the current target for mult-slide apartments disguised as truck campers.
I'm waiting on a '23 F550 which will then be finished by an upfitter. Liquid Spring suspension, CM skirted flatbed and a bunch of upgrades. They tell me I should have it in my garage by the end of May. Keep in mind that some 450's and all 550's are sold by Ford as "Incomplete Vehicles". You can buy a consumer version of the 450 with a bed and just register it. But if you go C&C, then you'll need to go through inspections, etc after getting a bed installed. Yes, the SherpTek's are awesome, but you might have a very long lead time to get a bed scheduled to be built. As mentioned above, StableCamper is making bolt on bed boxes designed to be used with CM beds. Those (CM) are way easier to find and get installed.
Not all states register and insure "commercial" trucks the same. Registration and insurance for me are a little more than my 2006 Ram 3500 (fully insured) but not outrageous - not commercial rates. But, for me, the peace of mind of more than adequate payload, brakes, etc is well worth it. Plus my 17 year old, 300k mile truck is due for an upgrade. I'm very much looking forward to my new 550.
My new truck (as well as my friends) will be completed by Elevation Off Grid in Denver. But, if you're going to run with a heavy mult-slide camper on all the time you likely don't need suspension modifications. There are a ton of options when building a truck camper rig. If you're looking at extended time on the road, then a flatbed offers a ton of storage options. But be sure to have adequate payload capacity.
Lots of options! Good luck.

 

Link to Elevation Offgrid. I've probably driven right by their location without realizing they were there.

There's also Earth Roamer just up I-25 a few miles. Turnkey off-grid, off-road campers.