Granville on a F150?

[bajabill]

I currently have my Granby on a 1988 F250. I'm planning on upgrading to a newer truck (2010-2014).
Can a F150 handle this camper, or should I be looking at a F250?
If I get a F150, will a six- cylinder be enough, or should I go for an eight?
Are there any problem fitting a Granby made in 2002 on a newer truck?
Thanks for your help!

 

[K6ON]

Did you mean a FWC Grandby ??

 

[100acrehuphalump]

If you're talking about a Grandby I would go with the F250 unless you have an F150 with both the 8' bed and a payload package. I just spent a bunch of extra money attempting to strengthen my F150's suspension. Most 1/2 tons aren't really suitable for carrying a 8' Grandby. My two centavos

 

[bajabill]

Oh, ya, a Grandby Thanks for the comments so far, they help!
I'm wondering how much work is it to beef up the F150? Cost? I'd rather go with the F150 because it gets better gas mileage and there are more available for sale.

 

[Smokecreek1]

See another on going forum here right now that talks about that same problem (try google or sometimes the search engine on this site works to get a good view of the problem/answers). Me it took specialized 3/4 ton suspension made by a local blacksmith, who specializes in turning 1/2 ton rear suspensions into 3/4 ton rear suspensions, to turn my 99F150, 61/2 f00t bed/05 Grandby into a nice and workable machine !

Smoke

 

[Happyjax]

I am reading this post also as I am the "other" post

 

[2020]

My FWC dealer actually advised against a 3/4 ton truck because of poorer gas mileage. I put my new Grandby on a Ford F150 ext cab 8 foot box 5.4 liter V8 tow package. Truck came with E series tires. I put two load bearing shocks on the back (the kind with the springs). No noticeable sag with fully loaded camper - no need for air bags. Looks & rides great. 5.4 liter motor has plenty of power. Tow package is definitely advised.

 

[Happyjax]

What year is your Ford F150?

 

[2020]

My F150 is 2006.

 

[Toad]

I believe the camper will not fit the newer truck bed without being modified. Check out FWC website for fitment chart. I carried a 1983 keystone in my 1984 F150 with some mods to the truck. Air bags and shocks mostly but the truck did fine.

 

[Happyjax]

2020 how is your gas mileage with that setup?
Thanks

 

[2020]

I haven't made an accurate measurement of my mileage yet, but I know I'm getting better mileage with my F150 & camper than I get with my Jeep Cherokee with no load (the Cherokee is ALWAYS 4X4). I'm guessing around 18 MPG. I'm not afraid to use OD at highway speeds on even grade. This summer I'll give it a real test.

I'm think the FWCs will fit the newer Fords OK, but for a Chev Silverado 2007 or later the camper needs a special factory mod.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

My FWC dealer actually advised against a 3/4 ton truck because of poorer gas mileage. I put my new Grandby on a Ford F150 ext cab 8 foot box 5.4 liter V8 tow package. Truck came with E series tires. I put two load bearing shocks on the back (the kind with the springs). No noticeable sag with fully loaded camper - no need for air bags. Looks & rides great. 5.4 liter motor has plenty of power. Tow package is definitely advised.

How does the tow package aid in carrying the camper?

 

[billharr]

How does the tow package aid in carrying the camper?

Most tow packages add extra cooling both engine radiator and trans radiator. This is why I have the tow package on my 2005 Tundra.

 

[100acrehuphalump]

Excellent and Thanks Bill, I do have a tow package on my F150. I just didn't know it would help.

 

[2020]

Tow package includes transmission cooling system.

 

[raymondmom]

I have a Grandby on my 2006 F150 4x4 screw 6.5 bed with tow package. I put on a Hellwig Sway bar and SuperSprings. Tailgate stays down.
When I drove cross country, mpg varied from 11 to 15.
Eventually, I'll get a bigger truck, but this setup seems to be working just fine, so I bought a Jeep instead.

 

[wvtradbow]

I'm putting my old (late 80s) Grandby on a 89 f150 4.9 six and don't expect any problems cause when I bought the camper in the late 80s in Denver I drove a an early 80s F150 an it did well,I did put helper springs on it an it didn't sag at all.thats why I'm going back to an old f150. I also believe you'll have to modify the camper to fit a newer truck,it'll probably be a little to wide to fit in the box..I'll post pics when I get this truck and camper done...

 

[longshanks]

I researched this fully when I bought my truck two years ago. My camper is a Grandby shell, so less heavy than the full camper. I occasionally tow my boat (#2500 w trailer) behind the rig. I wanted a 6.5' bed, and so decided to go with a 3/4t truck instead of the F-150, which is what I really wanted.

In hindsight, I think I made the correct decision. Only if I were going to buy the 8' bed truck, would I go for the 1/2 ton. The 3/4 handles the camper comfortably, and most importantly, it can stop quickly if needed. If your camper is the same length as the truck bed, I think the 1/2 ton would be adequate for most people. My truck is a 2011 F-250 gasser and it gives a respectable 13-14mpg on highway, with fully loaded camper. Not that much different than a F-150. And there's no restriction for us on how much gear we can take. It's nice to have the extra room and capacity.

Best of luck!

 

[CamperCarl]

I have the Grandby on my 2014 F-150, Super cab (not crew) and 8 ft bed with extra payload package and the 5.0L V-8 . The setup handles just fine and gets 16 MPG . For the configuration of medium cab and 8 ft bed I had to wait for a while as the combo isn't too popular and required a special "build." Chev and Dodge didn't offer the combination at all.

I will add one gripe:
The camper carries 22 gallons of water but there's quite poor access to the liquid. The sink pump drains battery and cannot fill a large container in the sink. The outlet on the rear of the Grandby when opened full drains maybe 1/2 gallon a minute. !!