Hi,

Without going into the whole saga, suffice it to say I am thinking of selling darned near EVERYTHING including my shops and home here in Kentucky, and going to a FULL TIME RV lifestyle.

I am thinking of a LARGE ... No ... a Friggin' HUGE Toy Hauler with modest living quarters in front, and a LARGE "garage" space in the rear. I would keep a few of my favorite machines and place them into the "shop" area of the trailer. Traveling around the USA until the aliens beam us up ... I would stop here and there, and maybe sell the artsy-fartsy things I make in the shop while sitting in a campground or RV park. I would NOT need to sell them for income. more of a "something to do" hobby.

Okay, so assuming I have taken this GIANT leap of Faith, I currently drive a 2022 F250, and I do not believe it has enough UMPH! to tow something like this, FULL TIME, as I meander around the country.

So what do I buy, if I trade up? It seems that no matter WHAT I look at, there is always someone who will say, "Oh, definitely do not buy THAT year model ... the engine is bad ... or the tranny is bad ... or it has other problems..."

So WHAT GOOD TRUCK (presumably diesel) should I look at, while I am also shopping for a 'YUGE toy hauler and making a major change in my life?

I would like your honest feedback about this idea. I have no wife, no kids, no pets, and no plants to water. I keep things SIMPLE.

Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. What I have been doing over the pasr 14 YEARS has not worked. So I am about to "GO NUCLEAR" and completely change everything about my life.

All input is welcomed.

Joe

 

The F450, F550, F650 cab and chassis trucks all have de rated engines.
the F450 pickup is the biggest truck you can get that isn't de rated.
my work trucks, 12 F550, 16 F550 and the 17 F550 loaded, 30,000 to 35,000 lbs are down to 30 plus mph pulling 6% grades.
when I got my hay this year with my 19 F450 I pulled a 7% grade and never got below 60 mph at 30,000 lbs.
Our 25 F550 is being upfitted right now, we will se what it does next fire season.


Less than 5 gallons of fuel and my wife and I were not in the truck or on the scales

 

I suggest an F-450 from somewhere in the last decade, preferably well kept with luxury interior (so that you know it wasn't a contractor truck).

 

Thank you for your reply, but now I am confused! You write ...

Then you write ...

Please define the difference between a "cab and chassis" a "pickup." I thought they were the same. Oh ... a cab and chassis is a cab with a bare frame over the rear axle?

What does "derated" mean? Is that a bad thing? Can that be corrected without voiding the warranty?

I don't want to use swear words here but what about the D*dge trucks with their Cummins engines and Allison transmissions?

I am not trying to ask stupid questions, but I just don't know.

I did have a 1999 F450 with a 7.3L diesel engine which I purchased NEW for $55K. I got TIRED of pouring money into that engine and transmission to keep them running. I finally traded it in with 240K on the odometer, for a Sprinter 2500 with a cab and chassis when they told me how many THOUSANDS of dollars they wanted, to replace all eight of the igniters, or glow plugs or whatever they are called. (My memory is quickly failing me) Also, they wanted to replace two wiring harnesses that run THROUGH the engine block UNDER the cylinder heads! Who is the genius who thought THAT was a good idea?

I put TWO ADDITIONAL transmissions in that truck beyond the original factory tranny, both "out of warranty." The VERY reputable tranny shop I used told me, "Ford make these transmissions out of ice cream and unicorn poop. No LEAD. No ASBESTOS. Plastic where metal should be used ... There is NOTHING in these transmissions that is intended to make them LAST. There are 1963 Chevrolets STILL running around on the original transmissions!"

Okay, he MAY have been biased, but I do have over $10K in receipts for replacement trannys to back up his claim. I did ALL of the regular maintenance on that Ford, and then some.

My 2004 diesel D*dge Sprinter ran 188,000 miles before the very FIRST repair OF ANY KIND was required, when a headlight bulb burned out. I was VERY impressed with that Mercedes engine and tranny, and the entire truck in general. My friends kept telling me, "It HAS to break down some time!" It's indestructible performance became the topic of several conversations.


What is "upfitted?"

I do not understand the significance of tis weight scale document. Please explain to a rookie, what I am supposed to be seeing here. Thanks!

Joe

 

cab and chassis ( CC ) is just what it says it is a drivable truck with no bed, basically a commercial vehicle.
my 19 F450 has a pickup bed installed by the factory and in Arizona it is rated as a 1 ton truck the same as an F350.
de rated, they reduced the engines power electronically with the PCM
I don't know if any of the tuners can or will program it to the same power as a pickup.
the scale ticket was load of hay, most people tell me I am exaggerating about the weight I carry.
up fitter or up fitting refers to installing the specialty bed and associated items to make the truck do what the job requires.
as for ram trucks, our 22 ram 5500, it had a catastrophic transmission failure before it's 2nd oil change and was out of service almost 4 months.