23 replies to this topic

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Now that we have two fur babies, plus a desire for a little more torque/power when pulling the Bobcat up the passes, I’m thinking about getting a small crew cab truck with a 6’ bed. Right now, the Colorado/Canyon with diesel, and the Tacoma trucks are most interesting to me. I haven’t looked at the Nissans yet, and the new Ford Ranger won’t be out until late summer, but I haven’t ruled them out.

The feedback I’m interested in is how your truck does on the highway (going over the passes) and what kind of warts/disappointments you’ve discovered about your truck while hauling your camper. I rarely drive faster than 65 mph, and prefer to go slower if it’s safe to do so. By warts, I’m thinking along lines of needing overly high RPM to keep up with traffic on passes, suspension issues, charging problems to the camper, mileage, reliability and things along those lines.

Thoughts?

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Steve have you considered maybe a 1st gen Tundra?

I know they would be older then you might want but they do carry the Bobcat very nicely.

 

I saw the news release on the "new" Ranger.Looks like it might be a nice truck.
I never understood why Ford discontinued it here in the states.

Frank

[takesiteasy]

We love our Tacoma but I would be tempted to wait and see what the new Ranger looks like. All the small trucks so far have the same problem of payload. I suppose the manufacturers don't want to cannibalize sales of their bigger trucks so they don't offer a higher payload on the small ones. Maybe the Ranger will break the mold in that regard (wishful thinking?- probably).

 

The Tacoma does fine on acceleration, cruising, braking with the camper on. We get about 16-18 mpg on average. We have the V6 engine, off-road TRD so comes with towing package, bigger alternator, traction aids, etc. We are very happy with the truck- no issues other than payload. Having said that, we could address the payload problem with new suspension components but haven't really felt the need so far.

 

One thought- the crew cab with 6 foot bed approaches the length of a full size truck so you give up some of the advantages of the small truck.

Edited by takesiteasy, 20 January 2018 - 06:04 PM.

[moveinon]

I have no experience with the Canyon/Colorado except test driving one, but they seam like a good truck.  I have about 400,000 miles on two tacoma’s and have been happy with them.

My Tacoma pros:

1. If maintained they hold up forever with little repair.
2. Mileage is OK with camper - at about 16 mpg.
3. Power is adequate for the passes -I go over Hood and Santiam passes regularly in Oregon.
4. Turning radius is good for getting into and out of tight spots in the woods and parking.
5. Mechanical support is everywhere with lots of choices to find a good one.
6. Secondary market for accessaries and upgrades is strong so maintenance is less expensive than some newer model trucks.
7. They hold their value better by almost 20% over other mid-sized trucks which means they also have the lowest cost of ownership.
8. They have a beefed up charging system with the tow package that works well with the camper.
9. Camper fits without raising it for bed rail clearance.

 

My Tacoma cons:

1. Notoriously weak suspension so worthwhile to upgrade with springs and/or airbags and shocks.
2. Braking with camper is adequate but not stellar -upgrades available and improve it a lot.
3. Major upgrades have not happened in a long time for Tacoma’s.
4. Their depreciation is less than most trucks so buying used trucks tend to be more expensive in comparison to new truck cost.
5. Considering their MPG they could use a larger or second gas tank.
6. With my access cab Tacoma I am 300 lbs overweight when carrying the Fleet and most of that weight is over the rear axle.

 

Wandering Sagebrush -since you are in northern Oregon I would invite you to take my Tacoma for a ride with the camper, but I take it off for the winter.  The wishful me would really like a hybrid of the diesel Hilux and Tacoma that would result in a 3/4 ton mid-sized truck, boxed frame, steel bed, suspension between the two and diesel engine.  But I guess that will never happen. 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

<snip>

Wandering Sagebrush -since you are in northern Oregon I would invite you to take my Tacoma for a ride with the camper, but I take it off for the winter.  The wishful me would really like a hybrid of the diesel Hilux and Tacoma that would result in a 3/4 ton mid-sized truck, boxed frame, steel bed, suspension between the two and diesel engine.  But I guess that will never happen. 

 

Thank you, that is a very kind offer.   PM sent.

[Mark G]

I have an '03 Ranger with the 3.0 L V-6, extended cab, and 2WD.  I feel that it hauls my Eagle just fine.  It's got 250,000 miles on it.  I put a new tranny in it last year and plan to put a new engine in when the time comes.  Way less expensive than replacing it.

[Squatch]

Steve have you considered maybe a 1st gen Tundra?

I know they would be older then you might want but they do carry the Bobcat very nicely.

 

Frank

I've been real impressed with my '06 Crewcab Tundra. Even towing the bassboat behind the camper always plenty of power. I bought mine last year like new with 43K miles and 1/2 the original price. Like a new truck.

 

For some reason I've actually found that there seems to be a few of these around with similar low mileage on Cars.com. Maybe they appealed to retirees that rarely use them for some reason.

 

Other than a tad wider it's not much bigger than the '05 on Tacoma's. V8 power makes things easy.

 

I love the way the Eagle fits so tight on it. Almost like a truck cap. Very quiet truck and the camper fit makes for little wind noise till about 75 MPH. Not bad then but almost non-existent under 70.

Edited by Squatch, 21 January 2018 - 01:45 AM.

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I see a lot of the double cab 1st gen Tundras around.

Also the AC cab are very popular.

I am very pleased in our Tundra.

Did you have to add some spacers so that the Eagle

wouldn't ride on the bed top rails?

Frank

[Squatch]

I see a lot of the double cab 1st gen Tundras around.

Also the AC cab are very popular.

I am very pleased in our Tundra.

Did you have to add some spacers so that the Eagle

wouldn't ride on the bed top rails?

Frank

 

 

 

I made a platform from 2x3's and 3/8" plywood. I insulated it with 2" blue foam underneath. Camper fits perfect now. Most 1st gen Tundra's should not need it. I believe they have 17" beds. The '05-'06 double cab has a 20" deep bed. I have about 1/4" clearance between the bed rails and the camper.

 

I couldn't be happier with the fit now!

Edited by Squatch, 22 January 2018 - 09:08 AM.

[Mickey Bitsko]

Sage, I was in your boat two years ago with Eagle/Ranger combo. Don't know what your budget is but,
Being older and fixed income no way can afford anything new. I have always been a Ford owner, so I kinda know what to expect from the older generation of F-150. Along my travels I met a wonderful travel lady and her two fur babies to add to mine, now I have quite the payload. I really liked the nimbleness of the ranger and wanted to stay with smaller platform but obviously needed higher payload without sacrificing safety. After much research I found the 97'-03' F-150 have one of the smaller overall platforms and configured f150 generation. I got lucky and found a 99' xlt extra cab (4 door) 150 4*4 5.4 engine automatic. Tow pkg, 2400 lb rear springs and everything works as it should. Like my old ranger it's a work in progress mostly cause it's a high mileage truck. All that being said, I get about the same mpgs I did with the ranger living in the Rockies, of course I'm still at or above gvw. Also went from one ATV to two so hauling heavy at times. As with any older vehicle an unknown maintenance problem can occur, but that's rolling the dice.
Initial out lay was 3k , after replacing worn out parts total investment is +/- 8k and not afraid to tackle anything the Rockies can throw at me.

Good luck,

Mickey

Edit; you mentioned you don't want a high revving engine to make hp, my 5.4 engine power band starts at about 23-2400 rpms. 3rd gear sweet spot 2200, not too bad.

Edited by Mickey Bitsko, 22 January 2018 - 02:36 PM.