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Wife put an add in one of the fiberglass rv forums and darned if we didn't get a call the next day from a couple in Polson (about 60 miles down the road) with the exact model we were looking for. Now all we have to do is find a truck - anyone got a 1/2 ton 4x4 they're looking to sell?
Regards,
Scott
Nice looking rig Scott, that should be fun. As for the pickup, does anyone make what is considered a half ton anymore?
Uncle Jesse,
Thanks. They still call the F150, GM/Chevy/Dodge 1500s, Tundras and Titans 1/2 tons even though payload and tow rating are a lot more than that; I imagine when they first came out, the payload was closer to 1000 lbs. Same thing with the 3/4 and 1 ton pickups.
Regards,
Scott
Scott,
I know I'm a old fossil but a F-100 and the F-1 before that were 1/2 ton pickups. I'm always a little amazed how many F-150 and their like are out there and how few every actually haul anything. The mileage rankings on the new trucks is getting better.
It's like all the sport-utes with brush guards I used to see in the drop off line at school; usually driven by well-groomed women who I doubt had any intention of letting their vehicle anywhere near what they were designed for.
Regards,
Scott
OMG, get mud on my baby!! I spent a lot of my life on or around farms and worked by way through college doing road construction in south Louisiana. I am used to beds full of not so nice stuff.
How big is your new abode? It appears around 20 ft. of so. That FRP shell should be low maintenance.
17'. Definitely not a full-timer, but we can do 1 month trips without feeling squeezed.
Definitely one of the big selling points to us; just a good waxing every now and then and a cover when we store it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Jesse
Regards,
Scott
Congrats! You are gonna love i and the places it takes you to!
I found that the most important part of trailer life concerns electricity. Have enough battery power. or whatever power source you use, to get you through all of your trips. Replace all bulbs with the most efficient ones you can buy.
You are about to have a lot of comfort and fun while seeing some spectacular sites. Enjoy!
Very nice Scott. We love ours and are camping in it right now for 5 weeks here in Montana, loving it. We've had ours since 2010, Outback 5th Wheel pulled by our Ford 250 Super Duty. It's a great set up that we and our dog can live in for months at a time. Enjoy the new digs!
That looks nice, Scott. I've been toying with the idea of buying something like that myself, for 2-3 day fishing side trips that are just a bit longer than what we can do in a day from here, south of Livingston. (Like a 3 hour one way drive to Hebgen Lake, for example.). I don't know about staying in one that size with my wife for a month though!
I'm sure a 1/2 ton would pull it just fine, but personally I think I'd feel safer towing it with something like an F250 if I were going to be in the mountains much, for the extra braking capabilities, and I'd want a long wheel based truck, but that's just me. (I have a 4x4 F150 and a 4x4 F350 dually now)
That looks great! I'm too far from retirement right now to truly enjoy all the travel and fishing opportunities that would open up...but someday. Someday. :)
Dave, I would encourage you to do as much travel and take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves while you are young and healthy. The twenty years between 45 and 65 pass in about a quarter of the time of the first twenty years of your life. My wife's health prevents her from traveling very far at a time, so if I go on a trip it's alone or find a buddy who want to do the same thing.
Wife and I have been discussing the class C motorhome/small pull along, no decision but we are discussing it. Agree with UJ, do when the opportunity comes, don't wait to long, may be able to then.
Nice rig, hope you enjoy for years to come.
I agree with that! I'm to the point that someone has to take me to keep an eye on me. I can't go anywhere alone anymore and when I do go somewhere, there is the O2 to consider and drag along as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Jesse
Travel before life catches up with you.
John,Quote:
Originally Posted by John Rhoades
I agree, more truck is definitely better. The Casita, loaded, comes in around 3200 lbs - in theory, our 2002 minivan could tow it; I could take Marias Pass through the Rockies, a pretty gentile climb and drop, but I'm pretty sure we'd have a dead Caravan long before we hit the Eastern time zone.
I'm pretty confident that a relatively newer 1/2 ton, with add-on electronic brake control for the trailer, will handle rig, but I'll take a look at the 3/4 tonners, too.
Regards,
Scott
Scott: I've been towing a camper of one kind or another for a lot of years and so I've sort of been to the "River Jordan" tow vehicle and hitching wise. And my favorite tow vehicle (in fact, all around vehicle) has been a pick'em up truck. I just don't feel or set right or know how to act, in a regular run of the mill car!
Below is a pic of my half ton GMC, short bed, V-8, automatic, two wheel drive - hitched to a previous owned popup camper that had a GVWR of 2,200 lbs (and was always pretty much close to - had it weighed one time and with all the gear came in at 2,127 lbs. (the tire load capacity was also 2,200 lbs). Anyway, it was an easy tow - in fact, considering the truck's tow rating of 6,400 lbs, could have towed two of them! Should also say this little camper did not have brakes and was no issue with this "husky" tow vehicle - however - the weight was right at the cutting edge. Personally, with a 3,000 lb trailer I would want the trailer brakes. Also, to remember, there are two types of trailer brakes ... the electric that requires an electrical control mounted inside the truck, and the other is hydraulic (or better know as surge) brakes. Both have their advantages and dis-advantages. As for 4-wheel drive, where I live and mostly go there is no need for it. I've found 2-wheel drive does the job just fine, plus costs a little less to get into AND is a little better on gas mileage. That's a decision you'll just have to make for your circumstances.
Another issue is the hitch. Obviously, with my half ton GMC, it sported the class III hitch (a weight bearing hitch and rated to 5,000 lbs.). Now, that does NOT mean I could hook up to 5,000 lbs ... you have to read the fine print. GM says with my particular truck the weight bearing class III is only good for 4,000 lbs. - beyond that it requires a weight distribution hitch. With my truck I would not hesitate to hook up to a 3,200 lbs Casita with the class III hitch but I sure would want a sway control bar just in case a strong cross wind got hold of the trailer. And, maybe, rear extra shock/spring support to handle the tongue weight, so that the trailer and tow vehicle are level.
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By all measures, I'm pretty sure that a half ton could handle your trailer. I was only saying that I'd consider a 3/4 ton for myself for lots of mountain towing.
My F150 is a 2012 5.0L V8 with a 3.55 gear ratio rear end. While it is rated to tow a 5,000# bumper pull trailer (using a weight distribution hitch, I believe), and has a payload capacity of around 3,100# (the rear axle has a weight limit of 3,700#), I feel like the transmission is straining whenever I tow my Polaris Ranger side by side over the Bozeman Pass on I-90. It downshifts to 3rd gear (from 6th) going up one side, and then I'm always careful not to use the brakes too much going down the other side. I've got electric brakes on my trailer, and I doubt that my total loaded trailer weight is much more than 2,500 pounds. The truck does have what Ford calls "Tow Haul Mode" on the transmission, which can be used to downshift to lower gears, when needed going downhill, which is a nice feature.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottP
John,
I don't consider Bozeman Pass to be that bad (Homestake seems a lot steeper) and neither compare to some of the ones we drove over in the San Juans, or even Montezuma Grade out of Borrego. Thanks for that info; I'll definitely take that into consideration.
Dale,
That's a very nice rig you have. Definitely going to have an anti-sway bar, maybe a weight-distribution hitch (probably overkill, but that's okay), electronic trailer brakes; the 4wd isn't for towing the trailer back in the boonies, but I have to drive some pretty bad trails for some work I do for Montana Audubon in the spring and need it there.
Regards,
Scott
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2006 Tundra. Found it on Craigslist. Mechanic checked it out. Buyer happy. Seller Happy Was gonna pull the cattle guard, but after t-boning a bambi in the van, reconsidered.
Regards,
Scott
That is a nice ride Scott, it should serve you well for many years. The shell on the bed should be handy also, give you another bedroom.
That'll be where I end up when I'm in the doghouse with the wife ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Jesse
Regards,
Scott
Ah, yes ... the camper shell "bedroom" ...
Actually a great idea. Here's a simply layout, ideal to supplementing a small camper (tent or otherwise), and maybe even for the weekend fly fishing get-away, saving huge motel bucks.
http://www.accrete.com/p-tgl/taco/taco2.htm
That also provides some nice concealed storage for rods and other items. Too many people turn their brains off when they travel and leave GPS, cell phones, computers in open view when they leave their vehicles. If you have one of those mounts with a suction cup that attaches to your windshield, the resultant circle screams 'there's a GPS in the armrest." Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread I guess I have been in the loss prevention business too long.
very neat and practical idea for a mini-camper so to speak.Quote:
Originally Posted by DaleW