F-250

[68 Overlander]

You have to justify the cost of a diesel and quite frankly, it doesn't make sense in the long run of the "average" user. Having said that, I own one and would not own anything else, but its a cost I absorb in my own taste, preference and Peace of mind. Most of us are losing money because you will trade or die before you recoup the benefits, dollar for dollar. Not all, but most and I'm talking about just towing RVs. Some use them for business as well and that's different. You just have to weigh the benefits. The last calculation I did years ago when diesel was the same price as regular gas was that it would take 90K miles to break even with the added MPG of a diesel, given the price of the diesel upgrade.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by BillTex

Interesting...what is the ball-park $ of mor-rydes?

as i recall around 5-700$ depending on model and install.

can be done at the factory, by your local mechanic or at home..

the unit basically replaces the rear shackle on the leaf springs...

so the leafs continue to function for large bumps and load carrying,

while the rubber units dampen high frequency 'road' harshness...

cheers
2air'

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by ITOWAIR

We currently have a F250 Harley davidson edition. We tow a 28foot CCD and put the Harley in the bed. We get around 10mpg fully loaded and towing. I try to stay around 65mph any faster and the gas milage really takes a nose dive.

Is that gas or diesel?


2air-thanx for the info on mor-ryde...

Bill

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

As for your infinity theory, infinity would not stop at 100,000 miles. Infinity goes on forever.

Bob

In all actuallity, division by zero is undefined so it wouldn't be infinity after all. It would be...well it wouldn't be.

[ITOWAIR]

Ours has the 6.8 liter Triton V10 gasoline engine, the diesel was a $6,000 option and at the time that would buy a lot of gas.

The seceret to being able to get the bike in the back and still tow the trailer is an 8 foot bed. This makes for a very long truck , around 27 feet long but you get use to it.

Our truck is also my wifes daily driver, last time it went in for service she was give a Taurus as a loaner, She hated it , she refuse to ever go back to a car.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by ITOWAIR

The seceret to being able to get the bike in the back and still tow the trailer is an 8 foot bed. This makes for a very long truck , around 27 feet long but you get use to it.

Twenty SEVEN feet? Holy Harley Haulers, Batman!

[FordTruck]

Thanks for the suggestion but the bike won't fit if the gate is removed with the 6.5 ft bed

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by ITOWAIR

The seceret to being able to get the bike in the back and still tow the trailer is an 8 foot bed. This makes for a very long truck , around 27 feet long but you get use to it.

Are you sure about that length? My F-250 crew cab with short bed is just shy, and I mean really shy, of 20'. I measured my garage depth and it is a miniscule amount over 20' and I can pull into the garage and just barely NOT touch the back wall and close the garage door behind the back bumper. I have to walk arount behind the truck and close the door after I get past the truck, but it fits. I have a "parking pad" that has a bump in front of and behind the front tire so I know when I am in far enough without being in too far. (I fess up, I have hit the back wall a few times and left holes from the tow points. ) If it rains I enter on the passenger side and climb across the console or enter the back seat and slide across and exit the back door and re-enter the driver's side door. My F-150 was just an extended cab and I could walk like and Egptian between the wall and the front of it.

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by FordTruck

Thanks for the suggestion but the bike won't fit if the gate is removed with the 6.5 ft bed

Have you thought of an extra long draw bar? The Hensley Hitch has a long one so I guess that weight distribution will work with them. I wouldn't go out and pay between $2,500-$3,000 for the Hensley just for this, but you might could order a hitch head with extended draw bar for your current system that might give you enough extra room to leave the tail gate down. I have hauled my golf cart in the back of mine and had the tail gate up at about a 40-45 degree angle and had clearance room between the jack motor and the gas tank cover in turns.

If you look in the thread below on page 4, post number 46, I have a few pictures of my golf cart in the back of my truck. I selected a special rear seat with a fold-up foot pan so that I could lift the tail gate partially to clear the gas tanks in turns. The tail gate cleared the jack motor, but I was afraid it would hit the tank cover when I made sharp turns like entering and exiting fuel stations, etc. You might not need more than 4-6 inches of extra length. Of course you would need to reconfigure your washers/chain links/brackets, but that would be a one time set change.

http://www.airforums.com/forum...tml#post278211

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by Minnie's Mate

Are you sure about that length? My F-250 crew cab with short bed is just shy, and I mean really shy, of 20'. I measured my garage depth and it is a miniscule amount over 20' and I can pull into the garage and just barely NOT touch the back wall and close the garage door behind the back bumper. I have to walk arount behind the truck and close the door after I get past the truck, but it fits. I have a "parking pad" that has a bump in front of and behind the front tire so I know when I am in far enough without being in too far. (I fess up, I have hit the back wall a few times and left holes from the tow points. ) If it rains I enter on the passenger side and climb across the console or enter the back seat and slide across and exit the back door and re-enter the driver's side door. My F-150 was just an extended cab and I could walk like and Egptian between the wall and the front of it.

From Ford website;
Crew Cab Exterior Dimensions Pickup Bed Style 6.75-ft. Styleside 8.0-ft. Styleside Drive System 4x2 4x4 4x2 4x4 A. Wheelbase (in.) 156.2 156.2 172.4 172.4 B. Length (in.) 245.6 245.6 261.8 261.
According to this, the crewcab, 8 ft bed, would be almost 22'. Of course that is for current model year, and doesn't really talk about the Harley edition specificaly. From what I could see, the CC/LB is the longest truck, maybe I missed something...

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by BillTex

From Ford website;
Crew Cab Exterior Dimensions Pickup Bed Style 6.75-ft. Styleside 8.0-ft. Styleside Drive System 4x2 4x4 4x2 4x4 A. Wheelbase (in.) 156.2 156.2 172.4 172.4 B. Length (in.) 245.6 245.6 261.8 261.
According to this, the crewcab, 8 ft bed, would be almost 22'. Of course that is for current model year, and doesn't really talk about the Harley edition specificaly. From what I could see, the CC/LB is the longest truck, maybe I missed something...

That would seem about right. That is still a loooong truck. I have a hard enough of a time getting centered in parking spaces in the Wal Mart parking lot with what I have. I can only imagine how many backward and forward and backward and forward again attempts I would have to make to get into one if I had a LWB.

[wahoonc]

Bill,
By the time you add a cowboy bumper, fog lights, and leave the stinger in....maybe they were measuring it with the tailgate down I know mine is a 96 and it close to 24' long cause that is how long my carport is.

Aaron

[thecatsandi]

Well the gas milage of a Diesel is 0 . The fuel milage is going to be around 12-14 depending on the size of the trailer. Stick with the 250 it will tow anything AS has to offer should you want to upgrade. The 150 will not.

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by thecatsandi

Well the gas milage of a Diesel is 0 .

There's that division by zero again. It just isn't.

[Devoman]

So what is the F-250 size?Is it a 3/4 ton?How big of an Airstream can it pull?

[CanoeStream]

The Big Three (Ford, GM & Dodge) use relatively similar conventions:
150 or 1500 = 1/2-ton
250 or 2500 = 3/4-ton
350 or 3500 (and anything dually) = 1 ton

The 3/4 ton will handle the tongue weight and pull anything Airstream makes. For the largest Airstreams you might have to watch other loading in the truck to stay with the TV's payload capacity.

3/4-tons are more necessary for mountain state excursions beginning at the 25' length and above if you're talking newer, heavier Airstreams. 1500-HD is a fair alternative at 25' if you pay attention to details. 3/4-tonners nearly become mandatory by 27-28 feet. Mention has been made that 3/4-ton capacity SUVs (eg, Suburban, ? Excursion) have a softer ride for the hitch and passengers than the corresponding truck. Another mod (overlander63 IIRC) states that a 3/4-ton truck gives a better ride to the trailer hitch if you actually use up more of its payload capacity by using a topper, generator or any other gear to add pounds to the bed.

All disclaimers apply, winners can not have received considerations from the sponsor in the last 6 months, employees not eligible, and the F-250 running 2air' is fully entitled to add more of his two cents when he returns from his prolonged road trip (ahh, if only the rest of us were so lucky!).

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by Canoe stream

The Big Three (Ford, GM & Dodge) use relatively similar conventions:
150 or 1500 = 1/2-ton
250 or 2500 = 3/4-ton
350 or 3500 (and anything dually) = 1 ton

A slight caveat here, you can get 350/3500 in SRW (single rear wheel) and at least Ford makes up to a 550 in the standard body size dually We have a couple of the SRW 350's at work and unless the spec's have changed they are actually rated to tow slightly more than the DRW version. My biggest concern especially with the somewhat lighter vintage units is having too strong a tow vehicle (heavily sprung) I am very seriously considering an AirRide I have seen these in use with amazing results.

Aaron

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Canoe stream

The Big Three (Ford, GM & Dodge) use relatively similar conventions:
150 or 1500 = 1/2-ton
250 or 2500 = 3/4-ton
350 or 3500 (and anything dually) = 1 ton.

I once owned a 1984 F250 Dually, it was a Camper Special (remember those?). A 3/4 ton truck with dual rear wheels for the slide-in truck camper market. They never sold well, and were discontinued when the next round of body style changes were introduced.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by overlander63

I once owned a 1984 F250 Dually, it was a Camper Special (remember those?). A 3/4 ton truck with dual rear wheels for the slide-in truck camper market. They never sold well, and were discontinued when the next round of body style changes were introduced.

I also remember those Chevy C20's with the 9' bed too always thought they were kind of neat. There was one for sale around here a while back... Just remembered they were the Longhorn model....

Aaron

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by Canoe stream

The Big Three (Ford, GM & Dodge) use relatively similar conventions:
150 or 1500 = 1/2-ton
250 or 2500 = 3/4-ton
350 or 3500 (and anything dually) = 1 ton

The 3/4 ton will handle the tongue weight and pull anything Airstream makes. For the largest Airstreams you might have to watch other loading in the truck to stay with the TV's payload capacity.

3/4-tons are more necessary for mountain state excursions beginning at the 25' length and above if you're talking newer, heavier Airstreams. 1500-HD is a fair alternative at 25' if you pay attention to details. 3/4-tonners nearly become mandatory by 27-28 feet. Mention has been made that 3/4-ton capacity SUVs (eg, Suburban, ? Excursion) have a softer ride for the hitch and passengers than the corresponding truck. Another mod (overlander63 IIRC) states that a 3/4-ton truck gives a better ride to the trailer hitch if you actually use up more of its payload capacity by using a topper, generator or any other gear to add pounds to the bed.

All disclaimers apply, winners can not have received considerations from the sponsor in the last 6 months, employees not eligible, and the F-250 running 2air' is fully entitled to add more of his two cents when he returns from his prolonged road trip (ahh, if only the rest of us were so lucky!).

Great synopsis...