Looking for advice - Getting old, no more tents!

[Happy on Mondays]

New to this site....

Just picked up a 2018 Hawk and would like some thoughts on what truck would be good for our needs...

Many years tent camping in a jeep then on to a platform bed/snugtop in a tacoma w/6ft bed

I plan on lots of hwy miles and want to spend time off road, mostly fire roads (easy/moderate) no crazy rock crawling. I'm a bit concerned about wheel base as I am comming from a jeep/tacoma and expect to spend a fair amount of time in the Sierra Nevada & Rocky mtns. I am wide open to anything but currently thinking a F150 with the 5.0. I have concerns from reading various sites about the 3.5 turbo reliability. I have been told I should step up to a 250 but most are dbl cabs and are about 21' long. If I go with a 150 or tundra type, I expect to improve the suspension and add e rated tires. Just seeking comments/suggestions.

Thanks

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Howdy, Happy! Welcome to WTW.

I think a F150/5.0 would be a great rig. Our member, Missing Link has that combination, and would be a good person to provide feedback, and mods (like air bags) needed. I suspect there are several more folks, too.

Happy Campering...

 

[TGK]

I'm not an expert on this, but I believe most of the reliability issues with the F150 3.5L Ecoboost were addressed when they introduced the 2nd generation 3.5L coupled with the 10 spd transmission for 2017 models going forward. I have a 2017 and have been very impressed with it, although I primarily tow with it when not using as a daily driver. I had a FWC Grandby on a '99 F250 5.4L V8 for years which performed admirably. Having said that, at least as far as towing is concerned, my current 3.5L Ecoboost out performs that old school 1999 V8 in all respects.

 

[BBZ]

I have a 14 F150 with 5.0 and a grandby (light build about 1000 lbs). I have been constantly impressed with this truck. I bought it brand new and now have almost 80k on it. Its been perfect and the MPG is very solid. 18 mpg overall for life of the truck.

With camper I typically get around 16. Its been from Colorado down to the tip of Baja and back twice.

Mechanically it has been perfect.. new front brakes at 60k.. oil changes and tires..

 

[Beach]

F150 with a suspension upgrade and E rated tires will do the job. I hauled my hawk around for 3 years with a 1st gen Tundra(4.0 six) for 3 years before moving up to a F250. I think moving up to a full size truck is the smart move. See if you can find/get a 150 with the factory HD payload option instead of modifying the suspension. If its the wheel base of the F250 that turns you off, get a extended cab shortbed, tight turning radius is on mine is great when you get into the switch backs.

 

[JaSAn]

I am an advocate of getting enough truck to start with and not messing with aftermarket additions and modifications. I have an old Grandby on a Ram 2500. It scales out to 7900+ lbs fully loaded for 2 plus weeks away from civilization.

 

[Frank_in_AZ]

I have a 2017 hawk on a 2017 F150 with the 3.5 turbo and 10 speed. I have over 80,000 miles so far with zero problems.
Ran the original D rated tires before placing them with E tires at 75,000 miles.

 

[steve whiteside]

I have a 2012 F350- crew cab long bed. Plenty of capacity but plenty unpleasant to drive around town/park. If I were you I would try to guess how much stuff you plan to take camping and how long you will be without the ability to re-supply. Water, gas, coolers, shade, toys, etc. In that manner you determine how much truck you actually need. I think the F150 would be a much more suitable truck as an all around vehicle unless you are going to be heavy.

In my case I want the ability to go heavy so the 350 is still a good choice for me. But I pretty much cringe when I need to take that truck to home depot or costco.

One other thing to keep in mind is that I heard the rule of thumb is that the F250 is optimized for towing big loads and the F350 is optimized for carrying big loads. If you want bigger than the F150 you might want to consider the 350 vs the 250.

steve

 

[ckent323]

I recommend a 3/4 ton truck of your flavor brand. Gas engine if newer model or diesel before about 2006 (watch out for newer Diesels).

We have a 1993 Dodge W250 Clubcab Diesel Long bed. Love it. We carry a 2007 FWC Keystone (a model that is no longer made). Love it.

 

[Vic Harder]

I recommend a 3/4 ton truck of your flavor brand. Gas engine if newer model or diesel before about 2006 (watch out for newer Diesels).

We have a 1993 Dodge W250 Clubcab Diesel Long bed. Love it. We carry a 2007 FWC Keystone (a model that is no longer made). Love it.

Kent, Is "clubcab" the equivalent of a Chevy "access cab"? As in, not quite a full size cab? Just wondering how big your rig is.

 

[CougarCouple]

Hello HoM
Congrats on your Hawk. Here is a IG link and think you might find the answer your looking for. As for the small turbo motors I feel they are exactly that small motors. That's just me. Good luck sir.


https://www.instagram.com/_bringles/

 

[ckent323]

Vic,

A clubcab is a cab and a half. There are two jump seats that face each other behind the two front seats. We have no need for them now that the nephews and grandkids have grown up so I removed them. We use the area behind the seats for extra cargo space as well as for our Dometic CFX-35 refrigerator that is easily reached for a cold drink or snacks while on the road. The Front seats are high back captains chair style buckets with arm rest separated by a center console with storage, cup holders and a folding jump seat on top of it. The bucket seats also recline.

Here is a truck nearly identical to ours

 

[m.r.h.]

I personally drive an 02 Ram 2500 long bed. Went with a long bed because the short beds were hard to find, and driving/maneuverability felt about the same. I have a fleet of work rigs I drive often and include a 99 F250 long bed, 06 F450, and a 06 Ram 3500. Both Dodge trucks maneuver like go-carts compared to the Ford.

All of the trucks are excellent in their own right. However, if you are worried about city/town/parking lot type driving go test drive a Dodge and compare it to a Ford.

 

[Dandil]

for what ever it's worth; I have a 2016 F150 with a 6.5' bed with a FWC Fleet (the Fleet is actually designed for a mid size truck). All though I don't have that many miles on the rig yet, the truck handles the camper just fine, is not laboring on hills and has plenty of pick up. I have the twin turbo 2.7 6cyl. I added E rated tires and added a leaf to the rear leaf springs. So far everything is good. When we head out on a 5 week road trip we tend to be really loaded up so I may in the future add airbags if I need to level the weight the truck is carrying.

 

[Missing Link]

Happy - Congrats on your new camper. We have a 2017 F-150 Supercab with the 5.0 V8 and the 2,200 lbs. payload pkg. If I keep my foot out of it, I average 16 MPG on trips (manually calculated). It is the first Ford I have ever owned and I am very pleased with it. I did add E rated tires, air bags and an HD rear sway bar. Not sure if the air bags and sway bar were necessary, but I did it anyway. The relatively short wheel base provides decent maneuverability off road and the 36 gallon fuel tank gives us great range. For my wife and I, this F-150/Hawk combination has been a perfect set-up. It has taken us comfortably on two very long trips and many shorter ones in the past three years. It is currently sitting in my driveway chomping at the bit to get back on the road once the pandemic subsides. Good luck with your decision. Feel free to PM if you have any additional specific questions.,

 

[BBZ]

36 gallon fuel tank is my favorite thing about the F150.. so much range...

 

[Bjammin]

My F150 is probably one of the least capable since it's only got a 2.7 engine, but it has been a great choice. Our Hawk fits perfectly, we top out at 6,350 lbs., and get 17 MPG. The only addition to suspension we added was air bags to balance out. We've had it for almost two years and we have no complaints.

 

[BBZ]

My F150 is probably one of the least capable since it's only got a 2.7 engine, but it has been a great choice. Our Hawk fits perfectly, we top out at 6,350 lbs., and get 17 MPG. The only addition to suspension we added was air bags to balance out. We've had it for almost two years and we have no complaints.

Thats the problem with the ecoboost, does not get great MPG when loaded.. 5.0 on mine (super crew, 6.5 bed) with Grandby and we regularly get 18 mpg with camper on (as long as I stay under 70 mpg, goes downhill fast after that)... 17 is not bad by any means, but you are paying more for the ecoboost to start..

 

[Vic Harder]

Vic,

A clubcab is a cab and a half. There are two jump seats that face each other behind the two front seats. We have no need for them now that the nephews and grandkids have grown up so I removed them. We use the area behind the seats for extra cargo space as well as for our Dometic CFX-35 refrigerator that is easily reached for a cold drink or snacks while on the road. The Front seats are high back captains chair style buckets with arm rest separated by a center console with storage, cup holders and a folding jump seat on top of it. The bucket seats also recline.

Here is a truck nearly identical to ours

good to know! Reclining buckets.. wow. Your truck is then roughly the same as mine, except my rear seats face forward and there are suicide doors for the back.

 

[ckent323]

Vic,

good to know! Reclining buckets.. wow. Your truck is then roughly the same as mine, except my rear seats face forward and there are suicide doors for the back.


I looked longingly at the mid 1990's Dodge Ram 2500 extra cab models for awhile. I like the rear doors, the rolled off front fenders instead of the big square boxy front on mine, the quieter interior and the softer ride.

But all of the post 1993 Dodge truck models are less reliable, do not have a gear driven transfer case (chain driven), the engine compartment is smaller and the engine extends back under the dash making access more difficult, and need emission checks every 2 years here in Calif. unlike the 1993 Dodge W250 (last year of no emission checks).

There is no perfect. I added sound damping which helped, we will be putting in Scheel-Mann Traveler model seats with armrests as soon as we are comfortable travelling to Oregon since our OEM seats are at the end of their useful life. Drive train is still solid and reliable with 400,000 or so miles on it. It gets good MPG and I expect to use this truck for many more years. Maintenance and occasional repairs run around $1,000 a year on average but that beats spending big money for a newer less reliable truck that would have higher annual maintenance and repair costs.

I can still sell it for close to what I paid for it used with 125,000 miles on it in 1999 ($12,250). ;-)

Regards,

Craig