3/4 ton upgrade to 1/2 ton......

[ThinAir]

No idea on what pans out with a Hawk on but a couple points on the ecoboost. It does have a rather flat torque curve. 5mpg is quite a hit in general, though maybe with these ultra efficient numbers these engines are more sensitive, I know my hemi doesn't drop off 5mpg but it also doesn't get close to 20 unloaded. The turbo's will keep the engine putting out power at altitude which is helpful.

But like I said above I'd probably be looking at the naturally aspirated 5.0 maybe a tad more for off-road travel. Have you peeked under the ecoboost hood? There is alot of plastic ducting criss crossing in there.


Well, I just got off the phone with the gentleman from the link above. I'll be purchasing a new 2012 F-250 6.7 diesel tomorrow a.m. Turns out that all that glitters is not gold... he himself is looking at a new F-350 6.7. He said he'd update on this link, so I'll let him do a report for others to glean info from. For the measly $5,000, I'm setting myself up for future returns. There may be a travel trailer in my future someday and I'd like to know I've got the right vehicle for that should it come to be.

Thanks to all for the input. The F-150HD is an amazing vehicle, if it were a $10k swing I may have gone that route. I'm sure it will be a nice upgrade for me and my wife.

 

[2wiresDave]

Hi all, I am the one who spoke to Thinair today about the ecoboost. I did sell my Hawk and to be clear my Hawk was a shell which may have affected my mileage. I did generally rely on the "lie-o-meter" but did also occasionally hand calculate. Mileage after a bit was all over the map with the Hawk. Depended on how hard you drove it. With air bags and E load tires it handled just fine, but realistically with people and stuff you are pushing the numbers...yeah I know...someguys are running Tacoma's and they are fine. I personally disagree with that. If a sticker tells me what the limits are I listen. That's just me.

The truck is now at 30k miles. The transmission left me on the side of I70 outside Rifle Colorado on a Sunday night. That was fun Ford and the two local dealers stepped up and had me back on the road by Tuesday afternoon...complete tranny tear down and rebuild. Not bad, but at 18k on the odo, I wasn't expecting to blow the truck up. Waiting currently for a recall part for something or another that is supposed to fix some surging and power loss at highway speeds when starting to pass...occasionally the truck will seemingly lose power for a millisecond and then carry on like nothing happened.

Would I buy the truck again? Maybe. It is a nice truck, the ecoboost motor has serious nuts. I towed a 23 foot travel trailer all over the southwest the fall and winter and the truck doesn't seem to lose any snot even over the biggest passes. Someone commented on towing a trailer vs the weight of a camper. The difference is trailers of any size will have brakes. If I turn up the trailer brake gain high enough you can lock up the brakes on the trailer...no truck camper I know ADDS power to the brakes.

Next truck will be a 3/4 or 1 ton. Does anyone ever say I wish I had LESS truck when towing, hauling etc? I don't want to buy another truck when my wife decides she wants a bigger trailer, or I want to load a Hawk to the gills and feel confident.

 

[pods8]

Did you ever get feedback on what happened with the trans? That truck has a computer display with trans temp available right? Do you keep an eye on that when going up grades and such? Just wondering if you had a heat issue or failure of a bearing/oring or such.

 

[ThinAir]

Did you ever get feedback on what happened with the trans? That truck has a computer display with trans temp available right? Do you keep an eye on that when going up grades and such? Just wondering if you had a heat issue or failure of a bearing/oring or such.


The impression I got after speaking with him is that the issue was possible preventable had his dealer caught something up front, which they didn't. I don't know if there was a TSB out or it would have been based on a visual inspection from the dealers who knew to look out for something that could cause this to happen.

He also stated to me that once he put the necessary airbags and load range E tires on his truck the ride became much different than previously. Much more stiff.

The HD truck I was looking at came with load range E tires, I don't know if that's as of 2012 or 2013, but it appears to be part of the HD package for $1,695.00. If so that's a really good deal for leafs, coils, shocks, 9.25" rear end, and E range tires. Great deal. Of course when you get an eccoboost vs. the 5.0 V8 you also need what is called a "max tow package", adding more money to the already more expensive eccoboost engine.

 

[pods8]

When I was poking around out of curiosity I never did actually figure out what was different in the "max tow package" did you figure that part out?

 

[2wiresDave]

Did you ever get feedback on what happened with the trans? That truck has a computer display with trans temp available right? Do you keep an eye on that when going up grades and such? Just wondering if you had a heat issue or failure of a bearing/oring or such.


Apparently there was a tsb regarding a seal on the bell housing. My understanding was it should have been caught via the VIN upon delivery, or during the two oil changes prior to the seal failing. It sounds like a visual inspection would alert the tech to seepage. Funny thing is that I had mentioned smelling transmission oil smells

I am always watching my gauges as I find it entertaining and going from Fort Collins over to Fruita hauling the trailer on I70 I was curious what the temp would be. It seemed to run around 193 and peaked at 200 and dropped right back down. It runs around there on the highway all the time, so I wasn't alarmed.

The max tow package on mine added telescopic mirrors and the integrated trailer brake controller, which gives you some nifty info on the info screen these trucks have. Really cool is a feature where it tracks miles on trailers you can name, so when you plug in a trailer you pick which ever one it is that you have entered. Nice to know how many miles are on the bearings.

 

[ThinAir]

Well, I did it! Proud owner of a new 2012 Ford F-250 6.7 Super Cab. Looking forward to getting to know and understand it's qualities. I can say that the super cab is tight in the back, but the crew was monstrous. The Dodge Ram I had was absolutely perfect size, four doors and perfect room back there for cargo. The Ford does not stack up from a compartment design perspective, Dodge had it nailed. But, the truck is whisper quiet, uber powerful and mine with a 3:31 runs at 1,600 rpm at 70 mph. I just wish they'd have added 3" to the super's wheelbase to give you some nicer storage in back. We're planning on removing the back seat completely and building a nice storage area back there. Furthermore I wish the door folded back like Chevy's to make access more welcoming. I also love the manual hubs and manual shift lever on the floor for 4h and low. I also picked up a real locker that I didn't have before. Stoked!!!

 

[generubin]

Congrats Thinair. Nice to see you have the manual hubs and lever actuated 4wd. Push button 4wd/Auto hubs creeps me out. I'm a minimalist. For me, I have to have a manual trans as well. Good choice on going with a 3/4. Diesel is great. I had an F250 gasser once, got only 11 mpg with no camper. Now I am at 19 mpg with an ATC, as long as I stay at 65 mph or less. Good choice on the Super Cab rather than the huge crew cab.

 

[pods8]

Pictures or it didn't happen!


Yeah I'm in the same boat as you liking the extra room in the quad cab w/o being a monsterous crew cab/mega cab. The other manufacturers need to take not and add a little more to their super cab designs.

 

[ThinAir]

Pictures or it didn't happen!


Yeah I'm in the same boat as you liking the extra room in the quad cab w/o being a monsterous crew cab/mega cab. The other manufacturers need to take not and add a little more to their super cab designs.


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.

 

[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.