zanshin
Advanced Member
Got the world's most expensive oil change yesterday... went in to the dealer to get my F-150's oil change/fluids checked/lube and tire rotation, and left with a completely different truck.
Sitting on the used lot was a 2010 Ford F-250 SuperCrew with the Cabela's package and a 6.5" bed. An honest 25,000 miles on the Powerstroke diesel engine, 10K payload, and just about every flipping accessory we possibly longed for. Only real downside was the original Goodyear Wrangler tires were worn to needing replaced (kid driver, I wonder?). We haggled on price for a while until we got where we wanted to be, and sealed the deal.
Now I have to get the Hawk moved to the new one, and the big challenge: we have to leave in two days for a short but important trip to Florida.
We found a trustworthy trailer shop that's willing to fit us in to their schedule, but they're curious about the wiring set up. The camper has the electrical pigtail and 4WC drilled and wired the new F-150 when we took possession in January 2012. The trailer shop is questioning why we don't just use the electrical connections at the back of the truck which he says are right there to provide power as long as the key is in the ignition.
My question now is if there really is anything special about the pigtail connection used on the stock 4WC connection and set-up. We have an Engel fridge/freezer in the back, and leave the 12v master switch on all the time so it is powered by the accessory AGM battery when the vehicle is off.
Since we're heading into deep heat and humidity country (we'll be camped on the Gulf Shore Island Fort Pickens campground across the water from Pensacola, as well as somewhere in Tennessee or Alabama on the way down and back), we plan on using someplace where we can hook up to shore power and run the little AC unit we have on the back camper wall. I suppose if the only thing we can get right is the truck bed drilled and the camper bolted down, we can put the fridge in the back seat and only use shore power for lights and AC when we're stopped.
I appreciate any suggestions. The dash of the deluxe truck is pre-wired and has switches for running things like plow blades, etc. so accessory electrics can be plugged into the fusebox. Don't know if there's any benefit to using something like that. I'm a bright guy, but don't know diddly about the complexities of modern truck electronics. The set-up used by 4WC when they installed seems pretty simple, but they took about 45 minutes running the wiring from front to back, and in the end, resulted in disconnected my back-up sensor at the bumper, so I wonder if they tied in back there anyway.
Any suggestions appreciated. I have a couple days before the trailer shop gets the vehicles and camper, so if any of you DIY geniuses want to offer suggestions, I'd be deeply grateful.
Next up: to chip or not to chip the engine. Running around about a hundred miles empty is showing me anywhere from 14 to 16mpg. Unfortunately, the deluxe 2010 model doesn't have some of the nice instrument readouts the little 2011 F-150 came with, like the display that showed me degrees of tilt front-to-back and side to side.
Sitting on the used lot was a 2010 Ford F-250 SuperCrew with the Cabela's package and a 6.5" bed. An honest 25,000 miles on the Powerstroke diesel engine, 10K payload, and just about every flipping accessory we possibly longed for. Only real downside was the original Goodyear Wrangler tires were worn to needing replaced (kid driver, I wonder?). We haggled on price for a while until we got where we wanted to be, and sealed the deal.
Now I have to get the Hawk moved to the new one, and the big challenge: we have to leave in two days for a short but important trip to Florida.
We found a trustworthy trailer shop that's willing to fit us in to their schedule, but they're curious about the wiring set up. The camper has the electrical pigtail and 4WC drilled and wired the new F-150 when we took possession in January 2012. The trailer shop is questioning why we don't just use the electrical connections at the back of the truck which he says are right there to provide power as long as the key is in the ignition.
My question now is if there really is anything special about the pigtail connection used on the stock 4WC connection and set-up. We have an Engel fridge/freezer in the back, and leave the 12v master switch on all the time so it is powered by the accessory AGM battery when the vehicle is off.
Since we're heading into deep heat and humidity country (we'll be camped on the Gulf Shore Island Fort Pickens campground across the water from Pensacola, as well as somewhere in Tennessee or Alabama on the way down and back), we plan on using someplace where we can hook up to shore power and run the little AC unit we have on the back camper wall. I suppose if the only thing we can get right is the truck bed drilled and the camper bolted down, we can put the fridge in the back seat and only use shore power for lights and AC when we're stopped.
I appreciate any suggestions. The dash of the deluxe truck is pre-wired and has switches for running things like plow blades, etc. so accessory electrics can be plugged into the fusebox. Don't know if there's any benefit to using something like that. I'm a bright guy, but don't know diddly about the complexities of modern truck electronics. The set-up used by 4WC when they installed seems pretty simple, but they took about 45 minutes running the wiring from front to back, and in the end, resulted in disconnected my back-up sensor at the bumper, so I wonder if they tied in back there anyway.
Any suggestions appreciated. I have a couple days before the trailer shop gets the vehicles and camper, so if any of you DIY geniuses want to offer suggestions, I'd be deeply grateful.
Next up: to chip or not to chip the engine. Running around about a hundred miles empty is showing me anywhere from 14 to 16mpg. Unfortunately, the deluxe 2010 model doesn't have some of the nice instrument readouts the little 2011 F-150 came with, like the display that showed me degrees of tilt front-to-back and side to side.
