Prospective buyer here. Will a base F150 and a FWC Shell model work?

[Sleddog]

I drive a 2010 Toyota Tundra, double cab, work truck package, 6.5 foot bed with added airbags and E tires, and have a remodeled 83 Fleet. My specs are about the same as the new F150. The Fleet is right around 1200 lbs fully loaded, add two people and two dogs and we are right at max stated capacity. I think the truck actually drives better with the camper on. Gas mileage drops a little, but otherwise no issues after 3 years with the Fleet. I live in the Rockies and have travelled all over the mountains and desert southwest both on and off pavement, no problems. I am also cheap and wouldn't even consider a 3/4 ton truck because it's too much truck for everything else I do and I've simply never had any issues getting it done with a 1/2 ton, added air bags, and E tires.

 

[Happyjax]

Further research. This is interesting to me and reinforces what others have been saying. I'm playing around on the Ford website and the price of a base F150 plus heavy duty payload package plus V8 etc etc is actually higher than the price of a base F250 that has an excessive max payload for my needs over 4000lbs 2wd, 3000lbs+ 4wd.

So, the ideal F150 would need lots of upgrades to handle the 1000lb FWC shell plus people and stuff whereas the F250 is more than capable out of the box and may actually cost less. The base F150 engine would be working harder and probably bring down the mpg to ~15 whereas the F250 gets 15mpg anyway and wont notice the camper. The lowest price choice is a base F150 with its 1900lbs+ stock payload with no upgrades, which "should" be "ok" with the FWC shell + people + stuff, but could be "iffy" and overworked, running at near max payload, depending on numerous factors and will need upgrades down the road.

I had high hopes someone would tell me that base/stock F150 is going to be just fine and I wont be disappointed. guess not.

what a rabbit hole.

I spent 2 years looking at that rabbit hole and eventually bought the 250 for the exact reasons you said. By the time I made a 150 do what I needed I could buy the 250 and have a better vehicle for the job!

 

[Machinebuilder]

to the OP's original question.

the short answer is yes you can get away with a shell on a F150.



My longer answer.

I have a 2011 F150, Extended cab 8'bed 4x4, 5.0 Heavy Payload, trailer tow. the payload rating is 2200lbs (8800GVW).
I have a 2017 Granby shell.

Before I was fully loaded to go on a 3 week vacation I weighed it at 7600lbs and thought WOW I still have 800Lbs left.

Then I realized 800 - me, 2 large dogs, food, water, beer, 4 seasons worth of clothes cameras recovery equipment etc, Damn I don't have enough for my 350Lb motorcycle and carrier, I'm right at GVW.

I did not have a good opportunity to weigh with a full load.


I see many people pushing to get the heavy payload package. I WOULD NOT do it again.
I had the truck long before the camper
I bought this truck because I wanted an 8'bed and they are very hard to find any more.
I live in the country parking isn't a problem for me most places.
My truck has 7 lug wheels, they are unobtainium, IF you find a used one it is a very rusty steel wheel for $150.
After market suspension is not available unless you go to one of the very pricey custom shocks. the stock suspension is not made for rougher off pavement driving, it is very under damped.

I added Firestone Air bags, mostly to help with the wallowing feel with the camper on, just putting the camper in the truck settles it about 3" in the front, and 4-5 in the back, with the air bags at 10PSI I get about 1.5-2" in the back.

I am making do with this truck, I do not consider it adequate for longer term travels. I do not like using anything for a longer time at 90+% capacity.
My current desire is to take a months long trip and I plan to replace this truck with a F350 Flatbed and put toolboxes along the sides. that would give me so much more storage and flexibility.


I see many people say the F250 is "too much Truck" that its "So much bigger", the bodies on the current trucks are the same, there are differences in the drive train and suspensions.

YMMV these are my opinions

 

[SCHawk]

My own experience indicates that an F-150 works well carrying a Hawk camper. There are two modifications to stock that I would recommend but otherwise we've had no problems with this combination over about eleven months of use over the past 4 1/2 years. The first are air bags on the rear axle and the second is E rated tires, both essential upgrades. Since F-150s come in a wide variety of configurations, I should perhaps be specific about ours. It's an XL with the SuperCab and the 6.5' bed, 4x4 Off Road with the 3.5 EcoBoost engine. We added the 36 gal fuel tank and the lesser of the towing packages. Basically we got the cheapest truck and added what we wanted to it. The EAA discount helped pay for some of that. I think the only option we got that we have never used is the locking rear differential. But it might come in handy some time! The SuperCab gives needed storage (ours is piled high), the Off Road gives slightly better shocks and the towing package has increased transmission cooling as well as the essential towing mirrors. I couldn't drive this rig without them. The Hawk has lots of options, including some we found we don't use and since we generally go out for months at a time it is pretty well loaded. I'm sure we're somewhat beyond the load limit but it's never evidenced itself as an issue. I don't know what percentage of safety factor Ford uses but it would seem that we are within it. The odometer shows 50,000 miles, almost all of which are with the camper mounted. We get about 16 miles to the gallon on average and have plenty of power. There are definitely roads I would not attempt with this sort of weight on the truck but we have been on lots of sandy and/or rocky roads whose conditions we didn't expect and the truck pulled through on all of them. So far. Well, except in the KOFA but that was the stock tires which are now in the attic.

 

[Helmut]

Hi trying to make this short
- with the camper alone the truck will have no problem.!!
- you probably know what you will take with you and for how long, as what kind of roads you will be travelling. Try to estimate the weight of everything you will be taking with you ( don`t forget water and gas, tools aso) add it to the camper weight and you got it. Also as already has been said, whatever you take with you has to go somewhere, there is no storage room in a small FWC.

we are travelling fulltime (2 1/2 y) in a Grandby on a 8ft bed F150 3.5 ecoboost (35k mls so far). The HD pckg rear springs are not up to the job! added another 4! leafes. Truck came with C-rated tires, no problem, load capacity exeeds our way over GVWR truck.

 

[BBZ]

After owning, building, and camping in quite a number of vehicles from a first-year Toyota 4x4 and up, I would never consider putting a slide-in camper on anything smaller than a 3/4 ton again. You WILL end up way over GVWR; really, you will. The first question you should ask yourself, before all of the other "pros/cons" is: How are you going to handle the insurance company and lawyers when "whatever situation you're in" ends up including the fact that your rig was over the GVWR of the vehicle you were driving?

That is not true.. depends what you have an what you need.
2014 F150 supercrew 6.5 bed with 5.0 motor and old Granby redone and built light.. when fully loaded for a month long trip, 2 adults and 2 dogs we are under GVWR.. not by much, but we are under.

 

[ClimberRob]

That is not true.. depends what you have an what you need.
2014 F150 supercrew 6.5 bed with 5.0 motor and old Granby redone and built light.. when fully loaded for a month long trip, 2 adults and 2 dogs we are under GVWR.. not by much, but we are under.

So, what, you loaded up and weighed yourself one time and you'll never be over the GVWR of your vehicle? Geez. Give me a break.

 

[m.r.h.]

I have been thinking about this post a bunch in terms of what size truck to get. I have a Ram 2500 long bed 5.9 Cummins. Most of the time it is way more truck than I need. However, when I have my Keystone on it, or loaded to the gills with gear it is sure nice to know that I am still under my GVWR and don't really need to worry. Sure is nice to not have to get the calculator out and crunch the numbers.

Before I bought my truck I had a hard time deciding on a Ford vs a Dodge. I wanted a short bed because it would be nicer to cruise around town in. Long beds seem to be a little easier to find used so I gave a long bed Dodge a drive. I could hardly tell a difference it was a couple feet longer. Driving around town is a breeze. Between my person truck, and a couple Ford work trucks (3/4 ton, 1 ton and 1.5 ton) I much prefer my Dodge when driving around town. I don't think I could go back to anything but a 3/4 ton 8' bed.

 

[moveinon]

I have a half ton truck with fully decked out Fleet and run from just below GVWR to 300 lbs over depending on the trip(I have easy access to a scales). We are not minimalist but also have camped and backpacked for years and do not carry a lot of extra stuff so you do not need to be overweight just because you have a 1/2 ton truck. You can see lots of threads on here about weight but basically the GVWR is based on the weakest component of your truck which is almost always the suspension (why you see the towing capacity of every truck much higher than the weight you can carry) Suspension upgrades can cost but are pretty simple upgrades. If you go to FWC get togethers you will see hundreds of 1/2 ton trucks of every make that have successfully run for years on and off road. And the issue of insurance liability - they have never on record weighed a non-commercial truck to asses liability - think about it, no insurance company is going to spend thousands of dollars potentially to deliver a truck to a scales off load it and reload it to asses weight for something that is expected to be on a truck. Yours could be the first, but I believe it is just a fantasy. One of the good things about FWC is that if you want one on a F450 they make one for that or clear down to a bronco or Range Rover, there is one for those also, so you should be able to get just the truck and camper you want and have it work well.

 

[Bjammin]

We've been running our 2017 F150XL for a year now with a Hawk shell and it's worked great. We have the 2.7 Ecoboost engine, air bags, 6.5 foot bed. We top out at 6350 lbs. fully loaded and weighed at a local truck stop. Our vehicle is rated to 6500 lbs. The engine doesn't seem to strain at all, gets 17 MGP, has been on quite a number of road trips throughout the west, including a good bunch of rough driving in the Mojave desert. Couldn't be more pleased.

 

[BBZ]

So, what, you loaded up and weighed yourself one time and you'll never be over the GVWR of your vehicle? Geez. Give me a break.

why so negative.
Yes I loaded up the most I would ever be loaded up and was fine..
Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it doesn't work for others..

 

[FoxenTec]

2017 Ram Tradesman 1500 with 8' bed and the 3.6 305 hp engine. This truck is about as base of a truck as you can get. Still has power windows/doors, cruise and a 32 gallon tank, so I was happy. GVWR is 6600 but the Payload is 1880 which put us a bit better then most of the Rams. We added a new Grandby in 2018 while updating the Ram with Firestone Air bags and Cooper E rated All Terrains. Mpg runs between 13 and 17 with 15 being typical. We have a small fresh and gray water tank and we try to use a lot of our former motorcycle gear (lightweight) when camping. My only regret with my setup is that I wish I had 4WD and an extended cab for carrying a bit more. However at that point, I would need to jump to a 3/4 ton to stay under the payload setting. Love our 1/2 ton and Grandby.

 

[natetripsus]

We've been running our 2017 F150XL for a year now with a Hawk shell and it's worked great. We have the 2.7 Ecoboost engine, air bags, 6.5 foot bed. We top out at 6350 lbs. fully loaded and weighed at a local truck stop. Our vehicle is rated to 6500 lbs. The engine doesn't seem to strain at all, gets 17 MGP, has been on quite a number of road trips throughout the west, including a good bunch of rough driving in the Mojave desert. Couldn't be more pleased.

Bjammin, Thanks! This is the experience I've been wanting to hear about. So you are saying that the camper plus humans plus stuff and you are still under the max payload? Any issues with rear suspension, handling, upgrades? I see Ford offers the 2.7l EB pyload package, did you get that? Did you consider any other engine options, 4WD? If you could do it over again, what would you change?

 

[m.r.h.]

I enjoy reading these threads as they are very educational. It is fun to read about what mods folks do to make things work. Also what people with they had done differently.

Natetripsus I am curious what you are going to buy now.

 

[natetripsus]

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed to my educational research. I'm so obsessed with wanting a FWC, my S.O. can't stand it any longer. She wants a house, I want a truck and camper. =) The whole thing began with me spec-ing out the most minimalist rig. Actually this journey began a few years ago. I had an 07 Ranger Sport 4x4, 4.0V6, 4:10 axle, 1700lbs max payload. I was aiming to get a FWC Fleet shell on it but the thing got horrid mpg (empty), was not very efficient for my contracting work, had under body surface rust, and about 100k mi on it. My choice was either to get the FWC or get a new vehicle but not both. After months of research we settled on trying out #minivanlife. I bought a compact cargo van- all purpose vehicle for my work, can be converted to a micro camper and is super efficient. Problem is the camping part was not much better than just tent camping. I discovered, after a 2500mi trip around the western US, that I want more than anything the ability to stand up and move around inside, and she wants a heater and insulation. I had bought an amazing work vehicle, an efficient road tripper, but a not so great camper so here we go again.

The new plan was to get a Taco or Frontier and a FWC Swift or Fleet shell but the payload #s don't work despite this popular combo. I don't get it? I must assume that people are just driving over GVWR. I can see it might work with a shell model, just me, and maybe a bag of chips... And yes I know every truck will need a rear suspension and tire upgrade. Now, looking at the F150 specs, the new aluminum bodies mean that the base models actually wight less than a Taco, have more space, capacity, and a lower price (depending).

A real breakthrough in my research happened this week when I discovered CruiseAmerica's Truck Camper rental. Its a Lance hard side (1600lbs dry) on an F150 Scab, V8, 2wd, (no heavy payload pkg). A customer on youtube posted a vid about their experience and said it all worked great and the truck got about 15.5mpg + 2ppl, dog, gas, stuff. Well, if it can handle a camper like that and be good enough for fleet rental use, then the lighter FWC Hawk shell (940lbs) would be even better! Of course, it has to be the 2wd v8 model that has that payload capacity sweet spot of 2320lbs. This F150 config is widely available and affordable. If you add the 4WD then everything goes to hell: payload, efficiency and cost wise. Then you need the heavy payload package and the price becomes greater than an F250. enter the rabbit hole.

So it begs the question, getting a 2wd 1/2 ton costs less in all ways and can carry the FWC Hawk or Grandy shell no problem, but will I regret it? My last 4x4, I think I turned on the 4wd three times since I owned it but never actually needed it. I live and work in the urban world, I like the Sierras (Tahoe, Gold Country) and AZ during mild winter conditions, and I've thought about the occasional off-road campsite but have no interest in over-landing or sport off-roading, Mostly concerned about slippery bad weather conditions. I hope to take long trips around western US and Canada mainly.

Any 2WD Truck campers out there?

4WD: get it or regret it? Must or bust? 2WD seems really efficient to me.

P.S. By buddy has a newish Taco and we took it on a dirt road in NV (no camper). When we got back to pavement, the 4WD got stuck ON and would not turn off. Turns out the switch failed. Under warranty fortunately but what a hassle for just a flat dirt road.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

You put a lot of great "thinking" into your info/choices.

As stated, I started out with a Ford Ranger 2WD.It worked out well took several long
trips,Alaska the longest and overall the truck was just OK. Had a small V6 so the power wasn't there.
Changing to a "bigger" truck was the option but sure didn't want to buy a new one.

The first gen Toyota Tundra was recommended to me by Marty at ATC. When I found a good match it happened to be a 4WD model.
I have only placed it into 4WD mode once in some snow over Carson Pass and on the Old Denali Highway (for better traction on the 130 mile gravel road).

I Didn't "shop" for a 4WD truck it just turned out that was what my choice at the time.
I don't regret it I actually like the way it drives.

I have looked at the Lance "lite" camper it would fit our camping needs but I would not put it on the 02 Tundra and a new truck is out
of the picture.We just really like our rig and where it can take us.

So back to the choice 2WD vs 4WD our camping is similar to what you have described. A 2WD with good suspension upgrades would
be my choice if I were to start over.

Your thread has been a very interesting one to read with all the other member posts.
Frank

 

[BBZ]

Yes.. lots to think about..

It is interesting how many seem to be driving around over GVWR without a care in the world..

I think a lot comes down to your needs. Like I said earlier, my truck/camper combo when fully loaded is right at GVWR.. That doesn't account for the air bags and good tires (and upgraded front brakes). Honestly, you don't even really feel the camper on there.. my wife was driving it through San Diego and was going fast and had to remind her we were carrying our home for the next 3 weeks, she said she forgot about it and the truck drives just like without it.

For us, simplicity is the key.. We can easily keep the weight with camper and all gear at 1500 or less.. not a problem.. some like more amenities..

with the new F150's (super cab, 6.5 bed) with aluminum frame you can carry closer to 2000 without going over GVWR.. mine is a 14 so it is only rated for 1470 (also a crew cab, 6.5 bed).

 

[klahanie]

For your application I think 2wd will be fine and, from what you describe, better suited to you.

I'm always cautious with mpg projections. Am happy for that couple and don't doubt their numbers but for my own comfort would want to search around for some more reports. Ford has made a real effort to offer engine choices to best match customer use and fuel economy.

Not what you're asking but we did both a house and camper around the same time. With a little luck and good timing each can be rewarding but they also can mop up time, attention and money. Our reality then was that, even working together, we could only handle one of them at a time and the house won out for more years than I care to remember. In the end though we came back to the camper and it has all worked out - thankfully.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[BBZ]

FYI -- 14 F150 Supercrew 6.5 bed, 4x4.. 5.0 motor.. truck has 76k on it and its average for its life is 18mpg.. that counts at least 10k with camper. Last years trip from Golden Co to Southern Baja and back was 4500 miles and averaged 16 for the trip.. not bad in my opinion

 

[natetripsus]

So I did take a new F150 on a test drive at the Ford dealer. They didn't have anything I would buy nor am I ready to buy but I did test drive the 3.3L regular cab short bed 2wd. At least this gave me a baseline comparison. I thought the truck was plenty powerful for the smallest lightest wheelbase with a 1990lbs max payload. With airbags and E tires etc, a FWC Hawk Shell (940lbs) would make a fine, low cost, compact turtle home for one guy and a minimalist amount of gear and provisions. As soon as you add 4WD, the payload drops forcing you to get a longer wheelbase and bigger engine and lots of upgrades if you want max payload. Everything in small space design is a compromise. You want more of something, then you have to subtract from something else.

I was rather disappointed at the quality tho, the dash on this new truck was all warped and bubbled on the passenger side. The outside looks great but the interior has major QC issues. The salesman pretended not to hear me comment on it. I googled the issue and apparently its very common with Ford barely acknowledging the problem, a class action is in the works Really makes me rethink wanting a Ford. I looked at used F150s online and there are some good low mi deals but wow, the interiors all look really worn out.

So I looked at a Nissan Titan XD v8 4x4 King cab with 2500lbs payload. The base model S comes standard with loads of options, the design and quality of the interior was superior and they offer a 5y/100k warranty included. As a small business owner they give all sorts of discounts. Just sayin. If a 1/2 ton truck needs upgrades and a 3/4 seems overkill, then this tweener option is worthy of consideration.

I guess this thread has gone off topic from FWCs to trucks but at least I'm sold on an FWC! I am leaning Hawk shell now as more cab seems better than more camper. Long bed Scab with a Grandly shell is the best of both worlds but seems too long. Anyway, I'm waiting till the 2020's come out and then we'll see.