Heavy Half?

[longshanks]

I can clearly see the merits of using a 3/4 or 1-ton truck for hauling a camper. There is no question that they provide a safer and sturdier platform to haul any substantial weight. On the other hand, for use as a daily driver (80% of it's use in my case) they consume a lot more fuel and are less comfortable to drive.

I've been watching the market and considering the range of options for a reasonably fuel-efficient daily driver, but one that could (legally) haul a lightweight camper like a FWC Grandby or Hawk on occasion. The one that comes to mind is Ford's newer Ecoboost F-150 with the Heavy Duty payload package. You can get it with either a 6.5' or 8' box and it has about 1000 lbs more payload than the standard half tons (about 2300lbs total). I've talked to some owners that say the fuel efficiency is only slightly worse than the standard F150s. I know that GM made a number of heavy half trucks in the past as well, but the engines were not as efficient as these newer trucks.

So, I've been patiently reading the WtW forums in the hopes that somebody has bought one of these trucks, and can report back on how suitable they'd be for hauling a lightweight pop-up like the FWC brand... Anybody?

 

[brett13]

A friend has the F150 ecoboost. MPG is comparable to most half tons, maybe a bit better. Power is excellent- lots of torque and it feels like a diesel. I'm not sure the "payload" package does much, except use stiffer springs and better tires, maybe a tranny cooler. You should check to see what the package actually adds because I think most components are the same, which means that most half tons can carry the weight with the same mods. Of course, getting Ford's stated payload may make some more comfortable legally.

 

[longshanks]

10-ply tires, heavy duty shocks, engine and tranny cooler, upgraded springs and radiator, heavier rear axle, 9.75" gear set, and 7-lug wheels. Plus, the legal stated payload of 8200lbs. Here in Canada it seems that the Dept. of Transportation is more closely watching legal load limits than they have in the past. A friend with a 1/2 ton and large camper was pulled off the road last summer...

 

[Overland Hadley]

A friend with a 1/2 ton and large camper was pulled off the road last summer...


Ticketed? Or just a warning?

 

[busboy66]

Took an eco-boost for a test drive last summer. You can tell the eco-boost from other engine types as their license plate is off to one side. This is to make more vent space for the extra cooling req'd for the twin turbos. Open the hood and there is a big radiator and a surprisingly large intercooler.
The truck has excellent get up and go, and you can hear the turbo sneeze on gear changes. The truck will drink fuel when your foot is in it. Some message boards I have read indicate the mileage claims by Ford are more optimistic than normal.

 

[pods8]

Some message boards I have read indicate the mileage claims by Ford are more optimistic than normal.


My buddy has one, babying it on the highway gets 23+, regular driving with some moderate acceleration but not going nuts lands about 19. If you get on top of it all day long it'll be right there with a gas engine doing the same. The major perk on that engine is a FLAT torque curve which is huge for our uses, however that may require to turbos to be spooling which if that occurs then it'll cost you mileage. Basically that engine can tow major loads however when fully loaded it gets the same mileage as a loaded down big V8 engine. However when unloaded it gets substantially better. This has been shown by towing studies done on it with larger trailers. However none of that really factors into our usage which is moderate payload with increased air resistance so I'd say the jury is still out there. There were a couple posts on her by someone with an ecoboost but I haven't seen anything recently/long term on it.

 

[Marc]

If mileage is what your after,save yourself some money and buy a low mileage 05-07 Dodge CTD. Plenty of power, will carry/haul anything you want and gets good mileage. I get an honest 19-20 city and 23-24 hwy.

marc

 

[chnlisle]

What he said!

 

[longshanks]

The guy that was pulled off the road by the D.O.T. was driving a standard half ton, with a camper of about 2000lbs, and towing an 18' boat. He was not ticketed, but given a warning and directed to 'go straight home'.

I understand that most any truck can be modified to increase it's safe carrying capacity, but an important factor for me is 'legal' carrying capacity. I'm not sure what the legal payload is on the 3/4 ton dodge cummins is, but I inquired about a couple and they were rated less than the HD 1/2 ton I've been eyeing up. Am I mistaken about this? I guess the additional weight of the diesel motor cuts into a truck's hauling capacity? I agree that they are more efficient than the gas motor when hauling or towing heavy weight, but I have been leaning towards the gasser because

1) The heaviest I'll ever tow is my 2500lb boat, and potentially a 1500lb camper.
2) the cost of diesel lately has been higher than gas prices
3) my wife complains heartily about the smell of diesel!

To add to this, 80% + of my driving is daily back and forth to work, unloaded, and weekends towing the boat. I've been managing fine with a Toyota Tacoma for the last 8 years, but would like something with similar fuel economy but better hauling capacity, if there is such a beast!

 

[buzzman]

It can be a difficult decision to decide between a 1/2 t or 3/4 t truck. I traveled around with a 1977 Chevy " heavy half" (GVWR 6200 lbs) and Grandby for about four years. I used that truck because it's what I had. I had upgraded the engine, transmission, cooling, suspension, etc. It was always 600 to 700 lbs over the GVWR when loaded for an extended trip and I could tell. It did okay in the flat lands, but really struggled in the mountains. Admittedly that truck was old school without the power and cargo capacity of the modern 1/2 ton trucks available today.

Be sure you get a very accurate weight of the camper you intend to use with all the options in it. The 2007 extended bed Grandby I bought was listed at 795 lbs with standard equipment. My Grandby had most of the options, except no hot water system, and no house battery. After I got it home, I weighed it on certified CAT scales at a truck stop and the dry weight, and with no corner jacks, was 1300lbs. Add in food, gear, 20 gals fresh water, beer, and wine, a small tool box, etc., and I had a load of about 1900 lbs. If you got a Hawk camper it should weigh less. Last year I bought a low mileage 1998.5 Dodge 2500 24v CTD. Gosh, what an improvement! Better power, better fuel mileage, "E" rated tires, better brakes, and I'm well under the max GVWR. It's just much more comfortable driving the truck with a loaded Grandby on board compared to the 1/2 ton truck. That's especially true when it's Sherri's turn to drive. And I get about 17.5 to 18.5 mpg with the loaded camper.

That's just my experience. I recommend a 3/4 ton truck, especially if you get a Grandby. It will give you the ability to pull a trailer without over loading the truck, you can carry more gear, add more weighty options to the camper, and you never know, you might want to get a heavier camper or bigger boat sometime in the future.

 

[pods8]

I understand that most any truck can be modified to increase it's safe carrying capacity, but an important factor for me is 'legal' carrying capacity. I'm not sure what the legal payload is on the 3/4 ton dodge cummins is, but I inquired about a couple and they were rated less than the HD 1/2 ton I've been eyeing up. Am I mistaken about this?



The dodge 3/4T quad cab GVWR is 8800lb (for the non-power wagon), not sure what the curb weight of the diesel is but there is a still a good chunk of room on there for payload.

 

[buzzman]

I weighed my Dodge 3/4t CTD, quad cab, long box, 2wd, auto, at the same truck scale. I did it with no tail gate, no driver or passenger, full 35 gal of fuel. It weighed 6200 lbs. That CTD is heavy! So figure 300 lbs for driver and passenger = 6500 lbs. Load on the 1300 lb Grandby = 7800 lbs. That leaves 1000 lbs for other stuff.

Hope I didn't high jack this thread.

Buzz

 

[Marc]

The guy that was pulled off the road by the D.O.T. was driving a standard half ton, with a camper of about 2000lbs, and towing an 18' boat. He was not ticketed, but given a warning and directed to 'go straight home'.

I understand that most any truck can be modified to increase it's safe carrying capacity, but an important factor for me is 'legal' carrying capacity. I'm not sure what the legal payload is on the 3/4 ton dodge cummins is, but I inquired about a couple and they were rated less than the HD 1/2 ton I've been eyeing up. Am I mistaken about this? I guess the additional weight of the diesel motor cuts into a truck's hauling capacity? I agree that they are more efficient than the gas motor when hauling or towing heavy weight, but I have been leaning towards the gasser because

1) The heaviest I'll ever tow is my 2500lb boat, and potentially a 1500lb camper.
2) the cost of diesel lately has been higher than gas prices
3) my wife complains heartily about the smell of diesel!

To add to this, 80% + of my driving is daily back and forth to work, unloaded, and weekends towing the boat. I've been managing fine with a Toyota Tacoma for the last 8 years, but would like something with similar fuel economy but better hauling capacity, if there is such a beast!



My 06 Dodge 2500 CTD 4x4 Reg Cab scaled in at 6700 witha quarter tank. My GVWR is 9900 lbs. This gives me 3200 pounds of payload. I haven't seen a half ton that can match that. Food for thought.

 

[craig333]

You can go back and see my posts on why I own a fwc. An overloaded truck with poor brakes is what brought me there in a nutshell. I survived that poor decision, barely. I can't say what will do me in but it won't be a truck and camper that can't stop on corner on highway 80.

 

[longshanks]

I appreciate all the responses and I have to admit that the CTD/Dodge is tempting. In northern Canada there are many for sale. Can anybody tell me what the payload might be for a 4x4 quad cab 2500 dodge?

The reason I've been leaning towards the heavy half is that I can get a legal payload of about 2300lbs with the comfort and quiet of a half ton gasser. I suspect that many of you that have posted spend a great deal of time with your camper on the truck, and if I were in that case I'd probably prefer the heavier trucks as well.

cheers

 

[pods8]

I appreciate all the responses and I have to admit that the CTD/Dodge is tempting. In northern Canada there are many for sale. Can anybody tell me what the payload might be for a 4x4 quad cab 2500 dodge?


I'm pretty sure the gas 2500 4x4 quad cab GVWR is 8800lb on my 2007. I haven't hit the scale with a full gas tank and me in it but I know I should easily have 1 TON available.

 

[longshanks]

What's interesting to me is that the legal payload of a truck is commonly overlooked. I'm not sure how much to make of it, but if I am going to buy a truck that will occasionally haul a camper, I might as well buy one that will legally haul it.

So, if you have 2240lb available payload for a quad cab 3/4 ton gas crew cab Dodge, presumably the payload on a diesel would be significantly less because of the weight of the motor. Based on what I've seen, the only diesel crew cab that you could legally carry a camper with is probably the one ton diesel. My friend has a GMC one ton and it has about 2600lbs available payload. I suspect many of the 3/4 ton diesels are overloaded with a camper, especially if they are crew cab trucks?

The gas 3/4. or 1-ton truck has available payload, but the 2011/2012 heavy half ford crew cab has about 2250lb payload as well. I test drove one a few weeks ago and it rides very nicely, is very quiet, and is considerably more efficient than the 3/4 or 1T gas truck. On paper it has enough legal payload to haul a light camper, but I do understand the concerns about braking, wear, etc, particularly if you were buying the truck as a dedicated hauler.

The silver lining in the cloud (I guess) is that I can't afford one for a year or two!

 

[Barko1]

My 3/4 Ford 7.3 has enough capacity to stay legal with a loaded Grandby, too many people, dogs, and supplies including solar, extra batteries, chains, farm jack, etc. but not by much. If I were shopping new or used I would focus on a 1 ton and if I had any thoughts about getting a hardside then I'd contemplate a dually. There all all sorts of 3/4t out there hauling big arsed truck campers that have to be 1000# over the legal limit.

 

[panzerkw]

when i picked up my 07 Grandby from the seller in my 05 dodge 3500 srw qc 4x4 I made a rest stop run. I ran into an owner of a hard side Okegan that was on a chevy 3/4. he just recently picked it up from the dealer.
I had looked at all the weights on campers and that's why I went with a grandby. He had one of the biggerst Okegans I had ever seen.
I asked if he ever put it on a scale. No...was the answer. what's a scale?
I was familiar with the weight limits of the trucks
If I'm correct I looked up the camper and it was at the 3500# plus range. i wouldn't run that camper unless I had the Heaviest duty 1 ton dually available. Delta rocket class pickup.
he said the dealer told him the 3/4 ton was perfect and not to worry.
I said good luck and left the rest stop before he did. i didn't want to possibly see an accident down the road.
I'm sure we've all heard or seen trucks with campers way overthe limit. That' whys I traded in my 2003 fordF-250 5.4l for the dodge.
On the right coast here I always say hello to other truck camper ownwers and see how's it going. I've met quite a few that rely strictly on what the dealer told them.
good luck, happy and safe camping

 

[Barko1]

I've met quite a few that rely strictly on what the dealer told them.




Not a good source of trustworthy knowledge I think RV salespeople (some)were too sleazy for the used car lots. A friend female, bought a new Subaru wagon because the dealer said it was safer, had a "truck chassis". I broke the news.