13 replies to this topic

[LosAngeles]

Thanks to Beach and everyone for all the good thoughts.

I just recently spoke with the manufacturer of the pop up, and the new (to me) info is that the issue with any Ford supplied power to the pop up campers house battery is that the voltage is generally too low to get the lithium batteries charged to 100 % - however the lithium capable charge controller in the camper will take care of this by taking power from the 380 watts of roof mounted solar and top up the lithium batteries, using a higher voltage.... and get the lithium to full charge.

So in some ways the ford power delivery isn’t 100% super important - the 380 watts of solar (plus a lithium charge controller) is.

makes sense to me, from what little I know. :-)

and a number of people with similar campers and the 6.2 L Ford Gasser have said it is totally fine - and this is with the 6 speed... so hoping to avoid the $2,000 up charge for the 7.3 L gas, and go with a tried and true 6.2L. It only has a bit less HP and torque compared to the 7.3L so I think we will be ok.

 

i found that the current 6.2L V8 gasser produces 385 HP and 430 lb.-ft. of torque,

 

and the new 7.3L V8 produces 430 HP and 475 lb.-ft. of torque,

 

according to #’s just released by Ford, according to this (and a few other) websites.

https://www.motor1.c...series-engines/

 

 

Hope we have enough power. The pop up camper wet will be about 2,500 lbs to 2,750 lbs, plus us 3 and some stuff in the crew cab.
 

If you have a lot of 12v electrical appliances and want the 5th wheel electrical connection to charge the house battery, keep in mind it has 14-12ga wire on the charge circuit(check to see if the factory harness has heavier ga wiring) which will limit the amount of charging that will take place, especially on short runs. I have a minimal requirement for 12v power and don't require a lot of house battery charging while driving but it is something I wanted,. I added my own for way less than $500, I think I paid about $75 for the kit, bought it from Etrailer and it took about an 1.5hrs. to install. Have you considered the new 7.3 gasser that should be avail. this year? I have the 6.2 w/3.73 gear in a 2012 super cab short bed and while it is adequate for me, you'll be pushing a lot more weight down the road. I don't have any experience with the 10spd and the 4.30 configuration so you might be fine.

Edited by LosAngeles, 22 September 2019 - 04:14 PM.

[smlobx]

LosAngeles- a couple of thoughts from a long time F-350 owner.

1. Regarding the shocks being lousy on the FX4 package I think you’ll quickly find out that any Ford supplied shocks are terrible. I switched out my shocks on my latest non FX4 model and the shocks had zero rebound on them! This was after only 600 miles...I replaced them with 5100 Series Bilstiens and have been very happy with the bang for the buck performance.

2. The regular headlights on Ford trucks are lousy. If they offer LED as an option I would strongly suggest them as anything has to be an improvement over standard equipment. I recently bought a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and spent $995 for the optional LED lights and they are probably the best lights i’ve Ever seen on a vehicle...

[LosAngeles]

Thanks much Steve - for some unusual reasons I wont bore you with... we can't do a flatbed model, as much as I'd like one. 

 

Maybe in my next life. ;-)

 

thanks for the thoughts...

 

Much the same options as the Ram Chassis Cab I ordered last year. (I liked the Ford but she-who-must-be-obeyed preferred the Ram cab and interior- guess what we bought?) Two comments:

 

A) If you are going to mount your camper permanently I'd strongly recommend a flatbed model. They are MUCH more livable. You can do a "bed delete" and save like 400 bucks. Or even better consider a Chassis Cab model that is designed for flat beds. (However, you can't get the super high trim models in some Chassis Cab models.)

 

A Crew Cab with an 8' bed is going to be really loooooong. But I'm sure you folks have though this one through. We went with a regular cab (just the two of us) with a 22 wide crossbox behind it and a Grandby Flatbed and can (barely) fit in a standard shopping center parking space. (Sure wish I could post photos here.)

 

Best wishes,

Steve

[LosAngeles]

Thanks much Eddie - yeah good advice about the LED headlights... after 19 of 20 people highly recommended them... I finally figured i should get them. ;-)

 

thanks for all the good thoughts. :-)

 

LosAngeles- a couple of thoughts from a long time F-350 owner.

1. Regarding the shocks being lousy on the FX4 package I think you’ll quickly find out that any Ford supplied shocks are terrible. I switched out my shocks on my latest non FX4 model and the shocks had zero rebound on them! This was after only 600 miles...I replaced them with 5100 Series Bilstiens and have been very happy with the bang for the buck performance.

2. The regular headlights on Ford trucks are lousy. If they offer LED as an option I would strongly suggest them as anything has to be an improvement over standard equipment. I recently bought a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and spent $995 for the optional LED lights and they are probably the best lights i’ve Ever seen on a vehicle...