First things first, this site is awesome! I've been lurking for about a month and there are a lot of knowledgeable people on here, hence why I've come for advice. I also want to say be gentle, I'm coming from the land of sports cars (My baby: http://hfboards.com/picture.php?albu...pictureid=1664 ) and have never owned a truck in my life so this is all new to me. So I apologize now if (when?) I say something that is retarded!

Anyway, I'm very close to pulling the trigger on an 08 F-250 XLT 4x4 Supercab. It's an auto with the 6.8 V10 and 4.10 gears. It has about 17000 miles, is Ford certified pre-owned, clean carfax and autocheck (should get an Oasis report later today) and I'm getting it for about $25,500. About the only negative I can see is that it was a corporate vehicle but I would think it must be in excellent shape to qualify for the Ford CPO warranty. Does this sound like a solid deal or should I keep looking?

The other question I have involves towing which is the primary reason I'm considering a truck purchase. I am own 2 full size 4x4 ATV's that come in around 600lbs each, I want to buy one of those pup-up campers with the deck on the front. I would either get one with a single deck and put one ATV on it and the other in the back of the truck or I would buy one with a double deck and put both ATV's on it. I don't think overall weight of the trailer, ATV's, water, camping gear, etc. is going to amount to all that much, ballpark 6000-7000lbs. Now I understand that's well within the range of a 1/2 ton but the problem is tongue weight, which is what originally brought me to start looking at 3/4 tons. The other issue is where I will be towing. I live in the Phoenix area and all of my camping is done in the mountains. So I need a truck that won't have trouble pulling in the mountains and can handle triple digit temperatures in the process. This was the other reason I looked at the 3/4 tons. I briefly considered the Silverado/GM 1500 (sorry, I suppose that's like saying I considered a BMW on my Infiniti forum hehe) with the NHT package but I just don't think it could handle the tongue weight. I looked at all the 3/4 tons out there and the V10 is the only gas motor that gives me confidence in handling my requirements with relative ease. So there you have my reasons for going 3/4 ton, do you agree or do you think I should be going a different route?

btw...I didn't really consider diesel because of the price and the V10 seems to be very well respected around here. Also I should mention that while I certainly don't prefer bad gas mileage, I live close to work and telecommute a couple of days a week to boot so any truck I buy would probably not see more than 10,000 miles per year tops.

 

No issue's, of course excessive tongue weight could lead to a trailer that doesn't pull very nice, but the truck will handle it.

 

Well as I have told everyone before, get the most truck that you can afford. While the extra cab is nice, the crew cab rocks and gives you plenty of room for passengers. Not sure what all you will use it for, or if its a daily driver, but I and tons of others prefer the crew from anything else. The 4x4 part is a must for you and me, as I also tend to play with atvs alot. The towing syste, you describe sounds fine but as stated you need to watch the tongue weight. Put sway bars and Weigh distro hitch on it to help out. Good luck on the purchase.........peace

 

Sounds like you are thinking the right route.
As you can find in several thousand post in the thread PS v/s V10 -the debate about engines will never end, but to make fully educated decision about engine choice take a piece of paper and summarize
1 purchase price
2 operating expenses on the miles you are planning to use it for. (fuel cost is main, oil changes are marginal comparing to fuel)
3 resale value.
Lot of gaser owners "overlook" the last one while downplaying the second.
I bet you are going for a big surprise seeing the results.

 

My thinking is that a good weight distribution hitch should be able to alleviate that. Am I being optimistic?

I would prefer a crew cab but it's not a big deal and this seemed like a pretty good deal to me so I figured I should jump on it instead of wait around longer. Perhaps I am overvaluing the deal I'm looking at?

Yeah I would definitely get a weight distribution hitch, I'm thinking that along with buying a 3/4 ton would alleviate any issues towing wise.

Well I think I'm getting a really good deal (though please, if I'm in denial someone please tell me!!!!) and I don't plan on doing a lot of driving with it as I said 10,000 miles per year at most. As for resale value, I will probably drive this truck for at least 10 years, maybe even until it just flat out fails so I'm not worried about resale value. I did consider diesel for awhile but the cost of entry is just too expensive as I plan on using the money I'm initially saving to buy the camper.

 

Welcome!
Can't help on the price question... every area is different and I rarely buy anything newer than 10 years old anyway....

That truck will absolutely do what you're talking about, and do it so well you'll miss out on all the scary/frustrating/unpleasant moments most newbie towers have to go through. Especially with the WD set up. It will tow like a dream and you'll be wondering what all the commotion is about! Not sure it's fair that you miss out, but maybe that's just my jealousy talking.

The nice thing is it will also be able to handle a nice moderate sized toy hauler if/when you decide to pull that trigger. Either bumper pull or fifth wheel if you shop well.

On the other hand, I think you could find a modern half ton that, if properly equipped, could also handle the loads you're talking about. It would not be as ideal to handle a bigger trailer and wouldn't have the surplus of power the V10 will have, but it will get you a more mpg, especially when not towing.

The might of the V10 means it is a bit thirsty. Assuming you tow at around 60-65 mph, I predict you'll see about 9-10 mpg with the pop up trailer. Not towing, most of us see around 11 mpg in normal use.

Upgrades for 100+ days in mountains: I do a lot of the same... I would suggest adding a transmission temperature gauge and an additional trans cooler - the biggest you can fit. That's it. The stock radiator is massive. Truck has oil and P/S coolers stock. The stock trans cooling is pretty darned good and will be adequate 99.99% of the time, but a second cooler means more in reserve for those outrageous situations.

If you start hauling 5K+ trailers, then add a finned diff cover and use 75W140 synthetic diff oil. I splurged and added Mag-Hytek (6 qt capacity) and the peak temps I see in summer is 250 degrees on hard pulls.

And I'll warn you... if you maintain the truck properly, it will be very difficult to wear out or run into the ground. Mine has 160K and is running strong. I expect at least 300K.

 

If your trailer is only going to weigh 6-7k lbs I wouldn't think you would *need* a WD hitch or sway bars. You are looking at about 800-1,000 lbs of tongue weight at the most.

I think you will be pleased with a v10 for what you are looking for. I wouldn't hesitate to pull that much with a 5.4, much less a v10.

 

What I will say about the purchase price: If you really like the truck and the way it "feels" to you, all that matters is that you think it is worth it to YOU. If you keep it 10 years like you say, I guarantee you will get your money's worth!

 

I agree, but at the same time I'll point out that WD hitches make everything SOOOOO much nicer. I've towed my full size trailer in 50+ mph winds coming from the rear quarter and STILL only needed one hand on the wheel. I didn't even realize how windy it was until I passed another trailer that was whipping back and forth with a seriously white knuckled driver.

I use the Equal-I-Zer WD/anti sway set up and love it. My best friend uses Reese Twin Cam set up and I've driven his rig and it feels equally good. Only advantage I see to either one is it takes a minute or two less to hook up Equal-I-Zer.

Buy them on-line and install yourself (both are easy) and should be around $500. Cheap insurance and comfort.

 

I would never discourage someone from buying extra safety equipment where it is actually needed, but at the same time I think people can tend to be overly cautious with stuff like this. When we are questioning whether a 3/4 ton truck with over 3k lbs of payload and a 365 hp v10 engine can "safely" handle a 6k lb camper, there is something wrong..... My OBS 1/2 ton with a 5.0 handles a 26', 6k lb camper with no swaying or sagging. I don't use it very often because it's weak as water, but the truck itself handles it fine.

It's the same with electric brakes. Guys will put 4-5k lbs in the bed of a 350 and drive like it's not even there, but blast a guy for pulling a 5k lb trailer without brakes with the exact same truck.

 

Thanks for all that info! If it makes ya feel better I have had a few white knuckle experiences, well I guess not so much the danger stuff but I've had those experiences where my fingers are crossed and I'm hoping against hope that the truck I'm in can make it over the next mountain. That sucks so bad and you just feel the truck taking years off it's own life. My whole reason to head out to the mountains is to relax and get away from it all and not stressing about towing would be

I did consider some half tons but I'm just worried about a truck that has to work really hard to get where it's going. To get to where I camp there are several fairly long and steep grades and the first hour of driving you're still fully in the desert so you're also dealing with °110 temps to boot. Combine that with loaf of 7000lbs and a tongue weight that will be over 1000lbs it just didn't seem like a job for a half ton.

I will be having 1200lbs of ATV that will be on the front of the trailer I'd be towing so I think I'll certainly be over 1000lbs of tongue. I'm thinking if I can buy the popup with the single deck in front that would probably yield the lowest tongue weight (of those two options) since one ATV would be in the back of the truck centered over the rear axle.

As for the V10, I'm really hoping so! While I'm not looking for massive overkill I'm also not looking for something that can "technically" pull it either.

 

I'd love more opinions on my original post if anyone has them.

 

Just get the "power of 10" it has everything your looking for. It sips gas like a slurpy from 7/11 sitting in the sun when towing(8-10), but has plenty of power to spare. These engines are really good without the extra expense of the DSL. Your needs will fit the bill just right. If you where talking a much, much heavier trailer than you might think of the DSL. Good luck.

 

Most pop up trailers (PUP) will not have the deck size to carry two ATVs; however, if you can find this, the 36RT it might work. I think it's got the biggest deck of any of the PUPs.


STARCRAFT RV - Folding Camping Trailers - RT Highlights

 

I don't believe I've seen a pop up with a front deck area.