If you could start over.....

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

Hello

Look what we got today

Beautiful!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Doggmeat]

i would have gotten my cummins earlier then i did. it took about 2 tanks of cheap gas to get to orlando and back to tallahassee in my old 01 dakota. last trip to orlando round trip in the cummins less then a tank. gets about 20-21 mpg and its only got 32k on it.

 

[LONE-STAR]

Dodge diesel with the 5.9 rules good mpg and power out the tail pipe.

 

[auntie]

Hello

Look what we got today


I drove the new truck tonight. It is bigger than our old Tundra, but drives very smoothly and is soooo quiet. That may be because DH had a dual exhaust with a set of 40 series flowmaster mufflers and TRD headers It was one of those trucks that had men actually laying on the ground checking it out at campgrounds He had custom built the exhaust for more towing power. Add in your best Tim the Toolman grunt here

Well, I won't grunt..and you wouldn't find me laying on the ground ..but I'm soooo jealous...the truck is BEAUTIFUL! Best of luck, and let us know how the trip goes.

 

[big kahuna1]

honestly WANT an F150....regardless of whether I end up getting a camper or not. The DW may be the most indecisive woman on the planet though. She says she doesnt care what we get, then I say "Lets go to the ford dealership", she says "but Im not sure I wanna truck".......her idea of "I DONT CARE WHAT WE GET" is apparently different in her world than in mine. I guess Im supposed to figure out what thats code for!!!!

We use to think the same way about trucks then we purchased a crew cab. Havn't been without one yet and, in fact, Wife is thinking of trading in her SUV for a truck. The space in the back really is not wasted space. You will use all the time.

 

[clkelley]

We use to think the same way about trucks then we purchased a crew cab. Havn't been without one yet and, in fact, Wife is thinking of trading in her SUV for a truck. The space in the back really is not wasted space. You will use all the time.

A crew cab is definitely the way to go. When I bought my Sport Trac, I was mom's taxi for Boy Scouts and High School Baseball players and now I fold the back seat down and put all kinds of stuff back there. Another good thing about the Sport Trac, (not sure if it's available in the F-150) is that it has vinyl floors. I can hose down the floors and vacuum with a wet vac if necessary!!

 

[PanFanAL]

The XL and STX package on the F150 both have vinyl floors.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I never thought of the vinyl floors as a good thing...but thats a great point!!! Having s'damn many young'ns...my vehicle carpets DO get NASTY. Thats an arguement I can definately use.

 

[lovetomow]

Since my big truck is for towing only (I commute in a Dodge Dakota) I'm glad I got a gasser. Its a 2003 Dodge 2500 4x4 Hemi. I put a whopping 4000 miles on it last year so it should last me a while. I was on the edge of buying a 2500 cummins but am very glad I didn't now.

 

[mrsgus06]

Look at the Keystone Outback 27V. It is a travel trailer, toy hauler and pop up all in one. If there is a bed in the garage section, that camper sleeps a ton of people. And during raining spells, you can sit on the second floor and gawk at the neighbors.

 

[stacktester]

Look at the Keystone Outback 27V. It is a travel trailer, toy hauler and pop up all in one. If there is a bed in the garage section, that camper sleeps a ton of people. And during raining spells, you can sit on the second floor and gawk at the neighbors.

Could you imagine having that thing. I'd be worried about rood leaks for sure. It's a cool idea though.

 

[momoffive]

That looks cool. I couldn't find many details on it. # of sleepers ? But way cool. I'll keep dreaming
Loretta aka momoffive

 

[Boomer1]

We haul our 32' TT with a 2002 GMC Yukon XL SLT This is probably the nicest vehicle for towing, comfort and capacity wise, however I think we got a lovely Christmas card from Exxon last year thanking us for our contribution to their record profits To compensate for the extra expense I drive a 4 cyl Cavalier (aka The Clown Car) back and forth to university. I've been watching some programs on the new Hybrid trucks and I'm wondering if this would be something to consider for our next tow vehicle. Does anyone have any experience with Hybrid trucks? DH and I have been talking about just keeping our current TT until the kids decide they don't want to camp with us anymore and then buying a MH

 

[WeCampDisney]

Hello Rog! Everyone has giving you some good stuff to chew on. Here's my 2 cents: First, most rv rigs, be it a tt, 5'er, or mh get about 7-10 mpg when cruising on the highway. The weight differences in rigs has less to do with mpg than does WIND RESISTANCE. Any conventional trailer or mh will catch a lot of wind, and the faster you drive the worse it is. The point is, don't get too caught up in weight as far as mpg. Just be sure your trailer, loaded for travel isn't too heavy for the truck. Most of us grizled old rvers consider the trailer loaded up shouldn't weigh more than 70 to 80 % of your truck tow rating, and remember that a lot of weight in the truck will take away from your tow capacity. If you get the f150 do get the 5.4 engine, just so much better for towing even if you get a really lite trailer. Now, I think its about impossible to have a good duel purpose tv these days if you are concerned about gas costs, just my opinion. I was using my 5.4 expedition to tow our 30 ft Trail-Lite (4760lbs dry). It was my dual purpose ride. Anything dual purpose is a compomise, pretty good at both towing or not, but not too great at the towing part or the commuting part. So, I recently made a big change. I studied this for months. I love our trail-Lite so its staying. By the way, I got 8.5 to 9.5 mpg towing from Texas to the fort. I hated stopping every 3 hours or so for gas, a 27-30 gal tank don't go far when towing! So, I recently bought a super nice, 2000 Excursion, V-10, big towing mirrors, a one owner, only 78,000 miles. It has a 44 gal tank so instead of 5 gas stops, now I can do our 1035 mile trip easy with 3 gas stops. Plus, the Excursion is a great tv, 10,000 lb tow cap. with my 3.73 gears. I go to a Ford enthusiast board and learned a lot. I expect to get about the same mpg as before, maybe even a little better, cause now i can use overdrive on I 10 thanks to the Super Duty trans and chassis. Plus it has a lot more room in the back, almost 2 feet more than the expedition. With 4 adults, a baby, 2 Siberian Huskies and a dashhound, we need the room. Now I have a wonderfull tv with a long range gas tank and heavyduty trans and lots of room. No compromise here. I am selling the expedition, then i will buy an older 4 cyl car for my daily driver. No compromise here either. I am looking at a Honda Accord, about a 96-98 with low mileage for around $4000. I only paid 10,000 for my Ex. I will be happy to occasionally drive it when I need it, but mostly keep it parked, saving gas and wear and tear, keeping it in its current like new condition. I am very very sure that for myself, I am doing the right thing. You know the accords are legendary for reliability and long life, and great mpg. Also, word is, the V-10 may be the best big engine Ford ever made. Guys are driving them 150,000 , 200,000 miles and more with normal maintenace. I did look long and hard at the 2000 to 2002 Ex with the 7.3 psd. It is a fine engine for towing, decent power, great mpg, very strong and reliable. I just couldn't afford it. The same Ex I bought would have been around $18,000 with the 7.3psd. My v-10 is silky smooth, powerfull, and I actually got 17 mpg on the 325 mile trip home when i bought it! Thank you autotrader. Now, know this, I have the trailer for the wife. I would have been very happy in a nice popup. We used to tent camp when we were young and loved it. But my wife wanted a big trailer, like a 36 ft 5'er, so we did compromise and got the Trail-lite 8306S. We chose not to get bunks because they tend to take away from living space. To get bunks, a Queen bed, and a spacious living area, you are getting a very big trailer, and thats just not for me. I will close by saying the only way to get good gas milage is to get a popup or a Hi-Lo (hard sided, top drops hydrolically). I kind of wish I had a Hi-Lo, probably getting about 13mpg . That would cut my vacation gas bill by 30% and extend my range by 30%. Then I could easily drive from east texas to the Fort with only 2 gas stops. I enjoy stopping at the big rest areas, but hate the gas stops! Of course I would also use my cabin tent, guys and dogs in the tent (fun camping), girls and baby in the Hi-Lo. So I guess I would change but my wife would beat me up over it. I think she would like the Hi-Lo if she would try it. They do have a full bathroom and everthing. They are very expensive new, I would get a used one in my budget. Dang, my 2 cents became a 2 bits, I hope my rambling makes sense.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Wow...what a well informed and usefull opinion. You really seem to have done ALOT of homework on this....thanks for sharing!!!!

 

[WeCampDisney]

My Pleasure, Rog. My wife laughs at me for spending so much time studing this stuff, but I believe my past experiances along with reading other guys stories has helped me to make the best choices in rving, best for me in my budget.

 

[FtWildrns5]

I would keep things exactly the same. On the average trip the gas price increase is only adding maybe $40.00 to the overall cost. Even on my maiden voyage down to FW it will still be cheaper than flying the 5 of us down.

 

[auntie]

I'm not so sure that would be the case from Long Island..we have been getting some pretty good fares from Jet Blue and Southwest..if you plan in advance. Sometimes less than $200.00 a person. We're a family of 5 also..and I think the trip towing is going to run at least that much and with the $4.00 plus a gallon..probably more. Of course we are looking at about 7 to 8 gallons TOPS when we tow.(maybe less) We drove several times when the kids were younger..and airfare for 5 just wasn't as affordable. Now I think it's the drive that's getting less afordable than the flights. Of course having the benefit of staying in your own RV is a huge plus..and can be a cost saver also. I think it's getting to be more a matter of preference than savings as to drive or fly...but that's a whole other thread.

 

[FtWildrns5]

I priced SW a couple weeks ago from Providence and the total was $1460.00. I'm figuring the gas will be about $1000.00 round trip, plus we're saving about $100 a night by staying at FW vs POR. Then there is the savings of having most of our meals in the RV and the fact that we are getting a 16 day vacation, 7 at FW then on to Tybee Island and then on to DC for a few days. This time next year it may be cheaper to fly and stay in a hotel but I certainly hope not.

 

[auntie]

Sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned..enjoy!