39 replies to this topic

[ThinAir]

No pic's till tomorrow, it's still at the dealer getting it's final prep. But my honey and me took it for a nice long test drive, then took the Dodge out for the same ride. Fortunately it was a wildly windy day here in Wisconsin which accentuated the near unbearable cabin noise for my wife and I to experience one last time. Then we jumped back in the new Ford and it was only then that we looked at each other and had an "ah ha" moment. The only issue with the new truck is the Continental "street" tires when I thought I was getting Michelin LTX or ATX tires. Good news is the dealer is going to install my tire of choice as part of the deal. So other than the more compact rear storage, I'm completely satisfied with my choice given my lengthly research, test drives, thorough due diligence and price on the new vehicle. I've had many Chevy trucks, three Fords, one Dodge, one Nissan and they've all been great experiences to get me to a knowledge base that brought me to this newest, but certainly not last truck purchase. If Dodge would re-make the 07' 5.9 engine and body with a fit an finish of the newest truck engineering of quietness, power, and comfort, they would have one killer truck. Deliver once again the highest fuel economy in the class but with a bullet proof automatic trans this time around in a compact crew and I'd be the first in line. For now though I do feel this truck is the best choice for folks who have $40k to spend. Five years from now, this truck will have a 100k on it and by that time the new 1/2t diesels will have been delivered to the market and the clear choice having surfaced after a couple of years of the bugs worked out of them. Until then I'll have five years of sweet silence and comfort that these newest trucks deliver. The style of my Gen 3 Ram 2500 will be missed, it made my wife sweaty just looking at it. The Ford and Chevy are dull in exterior style points. Somebody is going to get a killer deal on a very well thought out and performing 07' 5.9 really soon at a dealer nearby.

New BFG AT TKO's being put on by dealer, pics tomorrow. My old Dodge is on Craigslist Milwaukee 07 Dodge 2500 CTD $26,900. No buyer yet.

[Timothy McGowen]

New Hawk and F150 with the HD package and the Ecoboost engine. I have been impressed thus far, feels stable and plenty of power. You might want to consider this engine as well but I think the 5.0 is also a nice choice.

What kind of mileage are you getting?

[ThinAir]

What kind of mileage are you getting?

No idea yet, I've used only about 1/8 tank around town without the camper on. I won't know until I start using it, probably do a report in early May when I head to S. Dakota. Then in June if all goes well we're off to Alaska. Then I'll be able to do a detailed report of this vehicle, including but not limited to fuel consumption, DEF experience, off road prowess vs. the Dodge, etc. Installing the old kit for the FWC today. Back bottom seats have been removed and I've ordered all materials for the cargo platform I've designed and will build in lieu of the rear seat. Also having a manual Carlite slider installed this week.

Didn't want a power slider so I've got to go this route. Power sliders inhibit the ability to do a safe and quick escape when stealth camping in the backcountry.

[ThinAir]

No idea yet, I've used only about 1/8 tank around town without the camper on. I won't know until I start using it, probably do a report in early May when I head to S. Dakota. Then in June if all goes well we're off to Alaska. Then I'll be able to do a detailed report of this vehicle, including but not limited to fuel consumption, DEF experience, off road prowess vs. the Dodge, etc. Installing the old kit for the FWC today. Back bottom seats have been removed and I've ordered all materials for the cargo platform I've designed and will build in lieu of the rear seat. Also having a manual Carlite slider installed this week.

Didn't want a power slider so I've got to go this route. Power sliders inhibit the ability to do a safe and quick escape when stealth camping in the backcountry.

The answer to your fuel consumption question will be difficult. What season is the report done in, is it winter with winter blend fuel. At what altitude is the report being done, altitude and the typical mountainous terrain have a serious affect on mileage. If a person's truck camper lives it's life east river (east of the Missouri) the ave. mileage will be different than west river units. But my decision for this vehicle was based on an average of 14 to 15 mpg with the camper, or similar to my Dodge 5.9 CTD (yes I've gotten 18 too on my CTD). What I've done to give myself the benefit is to go with a 3:31 rear gear and a manual transfer case along with manual locking hubs. My Dodge CTD at 70 mph ran at 2,000 rmp, the Ford 6.7 runs at 1,700 rpm. Also I can unlock the front end and not be spinning all that mass up front just waiting until the need for 4wd occurs. As a side note I also have a stock e-locker and "Select Shift" electronic shifting with the 6 speed trans. I wouldn't be shocked if I got better mileage. I know from experience the gasser vs. diesel is gong to be 4 to 6 mpg ave. difference out west on ave. For the $5,000 in difference between the costs and Diesel just 20 cents difference a gallon now, that difference gets eaten up quickly. Then there is pleasure of the comfort and torque of the diesel, the resale value, the longevity if it comes to that which all weighed in.

Right now there are several 2012 Ford diesel's still available and you can get a nicely equipped XLT in a CC or SC for $40,000 to $42,000, not a bad deal at all for a new truck with new warranty.

[ThinAir]

Well finally I got the camper on my new beast. The rear end of the new Super Duty Super Cab 6.7 diesel sit's 1" higher than the front, with the camper on it sit's 1.25" lower, or sags about 2.25", which is less than my prior Dodge 2500 CTD. I have ordered a Proryde block set for the rear springs to bring that back up 1" or maybe I'll go with the 1.5" block combo. I ripped out the rear bottom seat and left the back bolster in, had a Carlite manual rear slider installed, and then built my own storage unit in the rear for a nice flat front to back area for gear. One of the many things I do like about the new truck is that the camper sit's even with the back of the bed and this allows me to use the factory bumper as the second step to get in the camper.... nice !! The truck handles the camper much differently than the Dodge did, I was surprised at the difference. There is no noticeable nose dive when hitting the brakes quickly for starters, then the amount of sway or body roll is significantly less. I spent a considerable amount of money getting the Dodge to handle the camper better in those two respects, but even after all the expense it still doesn't ride as nice and secure as the new truck. I have no idea of fuel economy as of yet, but I'll be taking a long long several month trip soon and will report the findings. I can say that I knew the camper was on the back of the Dodge, the Ford, not so much. I think the camper's weight is more over the axle on the Ford than my old Dodge, the front end seem much more stable and planted. I have a Versa Hauler which I put a Yamaha WR250R on the back of, so we'll see how that 1.5" block does with the bike on the back for keeping things level without adding springs, bags, timbrens, etc. I'd rater have the truck sit 2" or so higher when the camper's off than deal with the other options.

[pods8]

Looks nice. I presume that the newer super duty fords don't have the extra tall cab anymore or is your camper shimmed up?

Get those jacks off.

[ThinAir]

Don't know about cab height but it fits like a glove on this truck. 2" above the cab and 1.5 above bedrails. Jacks are going as far as South Dakota with me... Long story.

[pods8]

My old 2000 fit my dodge with 1.5" of clearance over the cab. Maybe sizing changed or such.

[agate]

Congrats Thinair, I as well just moved into the 3/4 ton world. After many Toyotas I made the jump last week. 2012 3/4 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.75 box. Now I am jumping into rigging the truck for the camper and off to the woods. I am very excited, snow almost gone here on the North Shore! Crazy it is opening fishing Saturday and the lakes still have 30+ inches of ice.

--mike

[lundexplorer]

Hi Everyone.New member as of a few minutes ago, but have trolled this site for at least two years in researching truck campers. Having read your forums countless times has hopefully given me a great start to my truckcamping career. The truck already came last year,as the old 02 Ford got totaled by hail, so I ordered a 2012 Ford xlt crewcab 4x4 ecoboost, with the heavy payload option,and the 6.5 ft. box. This year it was camper time, and with all the information found on this site, decided on a FWC Hawk.It should be here in about 6 weeks. The only thing that I have done so far is installed the Torklift Stableloads, which should be enough to handle this weight.Getting a 3/4 t. pickup did not make sense for me as usually the truck is use with very little cargo weight, and a 1/2 ton should handle a Hawk quite well.Thanks for all the insight.