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So the wife and I both turn 50 this year and agreed that our present would be a trailer camper and the truck to pull it with. Yesterday I snagged the second part, a 2007 F150 FX4, and now to figure out the most reasonable tow capacity and research the camper. We are literally in the mountains of Utah and to get anywhere at all will start out with a long grade up or down. Exciting year.
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Jul 14, 2017 19:01
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| # ¿ May 7, 2024 23:45 |
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cakesmith handyman posted:I've no idea of the tow rating on that but wouldn't it have been better to get the camper you want then the rig that can pull it? It's near the top tow rating of F150s. Anything more than that would be diesel which would be a lot more cash. It's around 8000 tow capacity, well within what we had previously been looking at. I think a 21 footer or so will be fine for us until retirement where we'll really splurge if we enjoy it enough, gooseneck or class A. The camper lifestyle, not the retirement age. *There are plenty of other manufacturers, but I am familiar with Ford so...
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Jul 14, 2017 19:50
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Garage2Roadtrip posted:I pull a 30' toy hauler with a diesel dually, and only because it's an older trailer that's like 6500 empty and a 1500# tongue weight. We saw a lot of rigs between AK and NC on our trip last summer and there are a TON of super light, really nice options that are well within an 8k tow capacity. Someone camped next to us in Zion pulling some really nice ultralight 24'er with a Toyota Highlander, and they had started out in southern Florida, so a late-model F150 ought to be more than enough! Folks I have chatted with say I should be fine with the towing, it's the stopping that is of importance. Will have to research the brake controllers. It has the stock tow package - receiver, tranny cooler and such. The F4X also has the 3.73 gears. Yeah it should serve us well. Once we start looking at bigger, we'll likely trade up for a F250 or so and a 5th wheel. Fog Tripper fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Jul 14, 2017 |
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Jul 14, 2017 21:06
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So my wife loves her Jeep Liberty and has said time and again that she'll just keep maintaining it till it's time for a new one. I do tons of research and test drives and negotiating and find the gem of an F150 for a tow vehicle. Last night: "I think when the Liberty dies I will just use the truck" I guess that is an endorsement.
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Jul 19, 2017 18:10
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Fryhtaning posted:Is that a green '02 Explorer in the background? I swear mine has been haunting me since I traded it in (after 15 years of ownership) a couple months ago Haunting you? Why? I am selling my 2001 Sport Trac due to the towing rig purchase. Going to miss it dearly as a daily driver. jonathan posted:$3000 Canadian dollars. So loving clean. Wow, that's pretty sweet.
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Jul 21, 2017 19:19
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Fryhtaning posted:I had that thing since I graduated college, and it felt like leaving my wife. Well, for the whole 30 minutes until I sat in the front seat of my shiny new truck and heard the sound of that sweet, sexy diesel engine. But ever since then, green '02 Explorers have been haunting/stalking me everywhere I go. I had no idea there were so many of them out there. I feel for you. I've had mine since it was a baby. Will really be hard to let it go and am actually considering selling my 2006 Rubicon instead.
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Jul 21, 2017 19:31
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My wife has an aversion to bunks in a trailer and says her parents were told they could not be removed without effecting the structural integrity of the trailer. That said this was when they were looking decades ago. Anyone familiar with the possibility of removal? This is the one we are looking at this evening: https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2011-Cruiser-Rv-Corp-SHADOW-CRUISER-260BHS-122566005 I'd be cool with converting it to an outdoor kitchen area.
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Jul 25, 2017 14:38
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jonathan posted:My trailer has almost the exact same layout. Those bunks are just bracketed in and usually have a warning to not exceed 200lbs. They don't offer much if anything in rigidity for the structure. A slide out grill and a flush mounted beer fridge would go well in there, and extra closet space on the rear. Thanks, that's what I thought. A question about pricing used trailers. I am shopping around for various models/layouts and stuff. When I go to the NADA page it has a list of options to choose from. That said, if a model has a slideout by virtue of the model, should I also count the slideout as an added "option" when working up the NADA pricing? Here is what I am looking at, which has a king bed slideout by virtue of, well that is the whole selling point of the model (not an option). However the used dealer has it added on as an option. Basically I have no idea what is the base model features and what are "options" in regard to NADA. http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2010/Rockwood/M-2102W/4113625 http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2010/Rockwood/M-2102W/4113625/Floorplan
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Jul 25, 2017 22:06
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Getting burnt out on researching. I did a bunch of pricing, test driving and negotiating to get the new/used F150 as tow vehicle. There is a threshold in things like this where if you spend $X more, it opens up some fantastic options. Well since I went "over budget" on the truck by a few thousand, she is telling me we should "stick to our budget" of $11k for the trailer. Even though that surely means that we will regret the purchase due to weight of the trailer, smallness of the bed (I am 6'5"), older components, more potential issues, more used stench, etc. The Windjammer I posted above hits all of the things I was hoping for, and is only 6 years old: King sized bed, comparatively huge bathroom (at opposite end from bed area), a really comfortable weight to tow, great reviews, etc. I really really REALLY don't want to purchase something that I will be uncomfortable using and towing.
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Jul 27, 2017 21:59
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cakesmith handyman posted:Without knowing your situation it sounds not like you went over budget and more that your budget was unrealistically low. You won't regret the extra to get exactly what you want, you will remember you hate it every time you get in it or hitch it up. It was a rough budget to begin with. We originally were thinking of a refurbished motorhome. We saw them and they were around 30k. That got me thinking that we'd end up towing my wrangler behind so that we could leave the camper at the destination and tool about in the jeep. THAT got me thinking why not just get a full size truck and a travel trailer and use that 30k as a budget? Long story short the F150 was priced a bit below NADA and was in such good shape and low miles that it was a smart buy for longevity. But yeah what I wrote about above concerning threshold of decent vehicles/trailers shows the budget was a little low for the truck/trailer combo. I agree that I will hate settling for something that we will regret owning if we do not pay more up front. On another subject: What are the thoughts on a weight distribution hitch? One I saw being recommended starts over $500.
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Jul 28, 2017 15:43
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Fryhtaning posted:As opposed to pulling a big rear end travel trailer with just the ball hitch? Don't skimp on that. I don't know anyone who pulls a TT without one of those. With an F150 I probably wouldn't consider it until you get down to something small enough to be single axle, like those micro/pod trailers. OK, I found this one on Amazon that has decent reviews. NADA shows the "hitch weight" as 585lbs. I am thinking that once loaded (we do not forsee adding more than 1000lb more on when loading the trailer) we should be good with the 750lb rated WDH. Does that sound like a sound plan? The other one I saw with good reviews has a 600, 800 and 1000lb rated for pretty much the same cost. My brain is starting to turn to moosh with all the numbers and formulae.
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Jul 28, 2017 18:28
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Fryhtaning posted:Looks almost exactly like my Eaz-Lift, so probably should do the job as long as you have the right size hitch receiver. That plate for the sway bar is a real bitch to install (had to do that part myself), so make sure you have an AC-powered drill and bits made for metal. You'll also need an impact socket wrench to fasten the shank to the hitch.. or at least that's what the guy that put mine together used. If you pick up the camper from a place that has a service shop they'd probably measure your hitch drop and attach the hitch to the shank for free. The second link is the eaz-lift one. Gonna definitely wait till I actually purchase the tt, as it appears the tounge weight voodoo numbers will have to be known so I can get the best match for it.
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Jul 29, 2017 04:37
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| # ¿ May 7, 2024 23:45 |
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So the wife stubbornly put her foot down and is sticking to her budget. Despite the fact that we both absolutely loved the TT, had everything we wanted and nothing we didn't. It was $4500 over budget.  I am done doing research for these things as this experience wiped out any enthusiasm I might have had. Besides, it was her idea to do this for our 50th birthdays year. Sound bitter? 
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Aug 1, 2017 13:53
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