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Old 03-01-2013, 02:00 AM   #41
davidjsimons
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As I said, I'm not saying it won't last. Aside from driving 330,000 miles, set up pretty hot, I also then sold the truck, still running great, to a good friend of mine. Just be mindful of what is actually going on under the hood and drive accordingly. Have fun! I love a quick vehicle.


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Old 03-01-2013, 03:54 AM   #42
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I've never understood the obsession of buying a tool much too small for the job and then spending good money to make it work... But I guess that's no different than heading out to catch a 300 pound fish with 10 pound line... Or going after Kodiak bear with a 22 LR...
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Old 03-01-2013, 06:32 AM   #43
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I've never understood the obsession of buying a tool much too small for the job and then spending good money to make it work... But I guess that's no different than heading out to catch a 300 pound fish with 10 pound line... Or going after Kodiak bear with a 22 LR...
Javi,

There are as many "modifications" in the 3/4 ton crowd as in the half ton crowd. I can say, that my truck is absolute stock with the exception of the fifth wheel hitch, wheel well liners and the back up camera. Otherwise, it's just like Ford built it. Not even a Fram air cleaner. When I got ready to buy, I sat down and looked at all the available trucks, considered my garage, the weather, the trucks that would fit into our current lifestyle. I got the Ford build sheet, looked specifically at axle ratings, spring ratings between different models of the same truck, looked at each and every option and specifically built my truck to my specifications. And after building the truck, then we went looking for an RV based on pre-defined criteria. We didn't go looking at RV's and meander through the big rigs, we knew we couldn't tow that kind of fifth wheel. We didn't look at the ones with a GVW bigger than 8500 lbs, we knew we didn't have the capability to tow it. We didn't look at rigs with a tongue weight greater than our payload (minus 800 lbs) we knew the rear axle wouldn't support it, we didn't ..... We were looking for a specific trailer.

We camp in some pretty back woods areas, places where I needed a small RV to even get to. Remember, we moved from a 2005 Ranger and a pop-up truck camper to this rig. We aren't towing the "Taj" behind a F150, we're towing a reasonably sized fifth wheel weighing less than many 30' travel trailers with essentially the same "tongue weight" as them on the pin.

I could (will) answer your comment by stating the opposite side of the coin you tossed..... I never understood why my fishing buddy used to insist on bringing his deep sea rig every time we went Crappie fishing. His 50 lbs test "rope" slapped the water and scared more fish than he caught.

I really think that each person should critically look at his situation and determine if he wants a "big rig", a "medium rig" or a "light rig" and buy the appropriate setup that meets the criteria established.

There are those small families, say two people, who always buy a 50 lb "sack of 'taters" and end up throwing away 40 lbs of rotten ones, there are those who buy a 25 lb sack and throw away 15 lbs, there are those who buy 10 lbs and use them all, and then there are those who like fresh potatoes and buy enough to last the week. Are any of them "wrong"? Nope, to each his own, as long as they can justify their purchase.
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Old 03-01-2013, 05:08 PM   #44
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I've never understood the obsession of buying a tool much too small for the job and then spending good money to make it work... But I guess that's no different than heading out to catch a 300 pound fish with 10 pound line... Or going after Kodiak bear with a 22 LR...
I will bet you that I can take my rig anywhere you go and be just as or more comfortable when we get there. It IS set up right and will go. When and IF we decide to upgrade our camper we will probably want to get a new/bigger truck. Had them before and may get one again. I don't HAVE to ride this truck out to it's last days as we are not married to it...it is just another tool in the tool box...
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Old 03-01-2013, 07:31 PM   #45
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Nicely put, JR and Red! I think the three of us were thinking along the same lines. I put 70 non-towing miles/day on my truck and like my comfort and fuel mileage. And I love that it can pull my fiver comfortably as well.
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Old 03-01-2013, 07:49 PM   #46
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Nicely put, JR and Red! I think the three of us were thinking along the same lines. I put 70 non-towing miles/day on my truck and like my comfort and fuel mileage. And I love that it can pull my fiver comfortably as well.
I also drive my truck on a daily basis... fuel mileage is just fine and better than I got with my '11 F-150 driving the same miles... The difference is the new truck doesn't raise a sweat pulling my trailer and rarely gets out of 6th... 12 to 14 mpg while towing... vs 7 to 9 with the F-150... The correct tool for the job..... and no reason to spend extra money of special hitches, overloads, or tuners... just get in, fuel up, hook up and go...

In fact... we're leaving in the morning for a few days of fishing, eating and sittin' got the bed full of fire wood and the trailer loaded up

Y'all have fun...
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Old 03-01-2013, 08:11 PM   #47
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Nicely put, JR and Red! I think the three of us were thinking along the same lines. I put 70 non-towing miles/day on my truck and like my comfort and fuel mileage. And I love that it can pull my fiver comfortably as well.
SkiSmuggs,

Like you, I tow a limited amount of the time with my truck. I'd say probably less than 10% of my truck operating time is spent towing either my boat or my RV. The RV is behind my truck maybe 5% of my towing time. That leaves 95% of my truck's operation either solo or with a 2500 pound boat in tow. We live in an area where for practical purposes, vehicles MUST be garaged during the winter. I know many people who choose not to garage their truck, but I'm not one that chooses to dig out of a snow bank or scrape windows every morning. A F250 supercab will not fit in my garage, it is too tall, too long and the towing mirrors are too wide. So I elected to purchase an appropriately equipped half ton truck.

We selected an RV with a GVW of 8200 lbs, a pin weight of 1200 lbs (loaded to GVW) and a truck that is matched to the trailer (AND FITS IN THE GARAGE). To me, it suits our lifestyle and meets our needs. I'm not opposed to anyone buying what they think they need or what they want, even if it might be overkill in my opinion. It is their choice not mine. My concern with some of the comments being made is that they simply aren't factual and they present a biased "opinion" rather than fact. Any newcomer to the forum could come to the conclusion that they can't RV because they can't afford or can't compromise and buy a 3/4 ton truck. Or they could readily be steered away from making appropriate choices by such remarks. That does nothing to enhance their decision making, the biased opinions could influence them to potentially make mistakes in how they choose their vehicle and RV.

I would encourage anyone who has data to support the theory that fifth wheel towing with an F150 (or any other properly equipped half ton truck) is unsafe to please present that engineering data, the double blind studies to support the outcome and the results of such studies. I guess I'm asking you to provide the documentation to support your opinion. I am, at this point, convinced that towing an appropriately sized fifth wheel with an appropriately equipped half ton truck is safe and a reasonable alternative to a larger tow vehicle. It is, for some people the appropriate choice. To unequivocally state, "Towing a fifth wheel with a half ton truck is unsafe" or to state, "A half ton truck is too small to do the job" is simply not true. I welcome the data to support either of those statements. Otherwise, it's just an opinion and to a novice, it may well hamper their decision making process.

I carefully built my truck to meet my needs, according to Ford's engineering department and the certifications on the truck and in the owner's manual support those capabilities. Unless and until someone provides me with hard data to refute Ford's engineering data, I think it's prudent to believe Ford and their certified engineering system.
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Old 03-02-2013, 05:00 AM   #48
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I don’t recall ever saying that your particular rig was unsafe, however I did say something about buying a tool (truck) an adding a bunch of stuff to make it do the job… I don’t reckon it really makes a difference whether you add all the stuff at the factory or after you get the truck to the house…. That there ½ ton pickup has been beefed up by ordering and paying extra so that it ain't really a 1/2 ton no more…
I disagree with telling folks that a 11K trailer is ½ ton towable cause them trucks they is calling ½ ton is beefed up with bigger axles, springs, wheels and tires and then rated waaaaaayyyy beyond what a normal ½ ton has in payload…. I notice that the manufacturers use a disclaimer “properly equipped ½ ton” meaning “BEEFED UP to be a mini 3/4 ton”
On my way out the door...

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Old 03-02-2013, 06:05 AM   #49
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Lots of two things going on in this thread...

1) chest beating
2) defensive rationalizing

This type of conversation is the reason I don't like to discuss trucks AND rvs on the forums....

I'd prefer to discuss JUST RVs
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Old 03-02-2013, 07:17 AM   #50
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Lots of two things going on in this thread...

1) chest beating
2) defensive rationalizing

This type of conversation is the reason I don't like to discuss trucks AND rvs on the forums....

I'd prefer to discuss JUST RVs
I agree with you 100%! And I think you know why....wink wink.
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Old 03-02-2013, 08:23 AM   #51
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Javi,

I think where you're missing the mark is by calling tools (trucks) by the outdated category nomenclature of "half ton" or "3/4 ton". Your F250 is a "3/4 ton" truck. Three fourths of a ton is, by my calculation, 1500 pounds. So, in actuality, what you have is a truck capable of carrying 1500 pounds (by name) that the factory added a bunch of stuff to make it do the job. A "half ton tool" is nothing more than the same concept. So I see no difference (rating wise) between adding parts to your truck or to mine. Certainly there are "different parts" used to obtain the ratings, however, parts added at the factory are engineered to work in unison to perform the task. Ford engineering division designed the parts (or specified their design) and Ford stands behind that engineering concept with a guarantee that the "tool will do the job" Conversely, parts added at the house may or may not be engineered by Ford to act in unison to perform the same job. Ford doesn't stand behind that "modified tool" in the same fashion. So, there is a difference in whether the parts are added at the factory or after you get the truck to the house.

Your truck, could be claimed to be nothing more than a "beefed up" 8800 lb GVW 3/4 ton "tool" that the factory added beefier parts to making it a 10,000 lb GVW. It's the same concept you just used with half ton assembly line construction. Yes, there is a difference in how a "tool" is constructed and how it performs the job it was "DESIGNED" to do. Adding parts at the house may or may not enhance that "DESIGN" adding parts at the factory during construction is "engineered to perform as designed"

Like you, I also disagree with telling folks that an 11K trailer is "half ton towable" not for the same reason as you, but I also disagree with doing that. My concern is with calling the truck a "half ton truck" Just as I disagree with calling a truck with a 3700 pound payload a 3/4 ton truck. We need to stop the "bickering" on this forum and on other forums about names for truck function. The easiest way to do that is to stop saying, "Towing a fifth wheel with a half ton truck is unsafe, or shouldn't be done, or is a mistake, or whatever "statement" you choose." We need to be saying, "Towing any trailer with a truck that is not properly equipped is unsafe."

Building a F150, an F250 or an F350 at the factory to perform a specific job is the key. The engineering data and engineering design that goes into that process assures the "tool" will perform as designed and carries a warranty from the manufacturer who will stand behind that process and that product. When that "properly constructed tool" is employed on the job it was designed to perform, it is expected that satisfactory results will be achieved. It doesn't matter whether the chrome emblem on the fender has a 150, 250 or 350 on it. The design concept is the same and the tool is certified to perform to the capability engineered into it. Surely, we all agree that a stronger tool can perform harder work. But overworking any tool can cause damage or destruction. It stands to reason that a F250 should be designed to haul more than an F150. It does not stand to reason that anyone would claim an F150 can't do the work it was engineered to do. That's my beef. I'm tired of people saying "categorically" that a "tool" won't do what it is designed to do. It's simply a "mis-statement" by whoever says it.

Are there "beefier" F150's in the fleet, the simple answer is "Yes, just as there are "beefier" F250's in the fleet"

Your concern with "its just a F150 that is built to be a mini 3/4 ton truck" is pretty much on track. It IS built much stronger than other trucks in the "half ton series" but that doesn't mean that "half ton trucks" aren't capable just as it doesn't mean that anyone who buys a F250 with a 10K GVW is really getting just a beefed up 8800 lbs GVW truck. They are getting a truck engineered to perform the task. Just like the F150 driver gets a truck engineered to perform the task.

Call apples apples and call oranges oranges. They are no longer "1/2, 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. In fact they haven't been since they were rated to carry 1000, 1500 or 2000 pounds respectively. I'm thinking that was back in the 50's. Times have changed, so have trucks.
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Old 03-02-2013, 08:49 AM   #52
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I've never understood the obsession of buying a tool much too small for the job and then spending good money to make it work... But I guess that's no different than heading out to catch a 300 pound fish with 10 pound line... Or going after Kodiak bear with a 22 LR...
Sounds like you bought a jack hammer to drive a nail. This conversation goes either way. You don't need all that truck but if it helps you sleep at night, it's your life.
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Old 03-03-2013, 05:35 AM   #53
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More like a framing hammer since a little more that 25% of my miles are towing. A jackhammer would have been an F-550.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2 deep in the swamp of Caddo Lake enjoying a wonderful sun rise.
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