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I'm looking at bumper pull travel trailers for solo fulltiming. I need to keep the cost @ $30K for the trailer and truck combo, so new or late model trucks are out.
Good luck with that!! Youre going to have to sacrifice one for the other. Maybe 25 for the truck, and 5 for the camper to get anything dependable enough to travel. But its doable, small camper, F150/1500 range truck.
I'm looking at bumper pull travel trailers for solo fulltiming. I need to keep the cost @ $30K for the trailer and truck combo, so new or late model trucks are out.
You first need to lower the size and weight of the trailer you buy, and have a lower amount to pull. You are indicating you can only buy an older truck. You are going to have a difficult time buying an older truck, that has not due to wear and age, still able to pull a large trailer like you are considering. Older trucks due to wear and tear over time, do not have the same ability to tow, and pull the size trailer you want. The upkeep out on the road is going to be high in nearly all cases. An older truck can be in good condition for general pick up duties. But when you start putting heavy strain on it, it can very soon not be in the physical condition to do the job.
Examples:
Shocks probably need replaced. Fine for normal local duties, but with a large trailer the shocks can blow out real fast due to long time wear and tear.
Engine and transmission, may be excellent for local general use. However when you suddenly are pulling a large trailer up hill and down, the strain on the transmission and engine, often exceed the ability they have to carry light loads around town, and give way to serious problems.
And these are just some of the problems, using an older truck to pull a large travel trailer. An older truck may be great, even with a small trailer, but when they are used to pull something like you propose to want they just did not hold up very long. Before you buy a pickup, have it checked by your mechanic for condition, and it's ability to do what you want a pickup for. A F-350 as an example, may now have the ability of a F-150 due to it's age, and the wear and tear on the parts.
A few years ago, I was managing partner of a 250+ space R.V. Park. I saw many times when a couple were staying at the R.V. Park, had an older pickup to pull a large travel trailer and the problems they were facing, or told me about problems they had on their trip.
I'm looking at bumper pull travel trailers for solo fulltiming. I need to keep the cost @ $30K for the trailer and truck combo, so new or late model trucks are out.
You do not want to pull a travel trailer by the bumper. You need a Class III or IV receiver, which will be mounted to your frame.
You first need to lower the size and weight of the trailer you buy, and have a lower amount to pull. You are indicating you can only buy an older truck. You are going to have a difficult time buying an older truck, that has not due to wear and age, still able to pull a large trailer like you are considering. Older trucks due to wear and tear over time, do not have the same ability to tow, and pull the size trailer you want. The upkeep out on the road is going to be high in nearly all cases. An older truck can be in good condition for general pick up duties. But when you start putting heavy strain on it, it can very soon not be in the physical condition to do the job.
Examples:
Shocks probably need replaced. Fine for normal local duties, but with a large trailer the shocks can blow out real fast due to long time wear and tear.
Engine and transmission, may be excellent for local general use. However when you suddenly are pulling a large trailer up hill and down, the strain on the transmission and engine, often exceed the ability they have to carry light loads around town, and give way to serious problems.
And these are just some of the problems, using an older truck to pull a large travel trailer. An older truck may be great, even with a small trailer, but when they are used to pull something like you propose to want they just did not hold up very long. Before you buy a pickup, have it checked by your mechanic for condition, and it's ability to do what you want a pickup for. A F-350 as an example, may now have the ability of a F-150 due to it's age, and the wear and tear on the parts.
A few years ago, I was managing partner of a 250+ space R.V. Park. I saw many times when a couple were staying at the R.V. Park, had an older pickup to pull a large travel trailer and the problems they were facing, or told me about problems they had on their trip.
Excellent points. I'm not planning on traveling much, or very far.
I'm considering purchasing a smallish brand new TT and having the dealer deliver it and set it up after I rent a space in a park that welcomes fulltimers. If/when I move to another park, maybe I can rent a truck for the move. How does that sound?
You might find a nice old F250 (or F350) like my former 2000 that I traded off 2 years ago. It was a nice pickup, had the 7.3 turbo diesel, very clean throughout, even at 150K. I got somewhere around $3.5K-$5K in trade for it, because a few different problems had cropped up in the weeks prior to the trade. Fixed up at a shop, it would have been worth $10K-$12K. But it would have cost $8K-$10K to fix up (turbo waste gate, 2 injectors, clutch).
I had just started driving it 30K per year about 3 years before trading it. Before that, I'd driven it 5-6K miles per year since new. It was a great, reliable truck for that. But once I started driving it a lot, repairs started costing $8-$10K per year. You probably won't be driving it that much, but keep in mind that repairs on these trucks, if you can't do it yourself, will be expensive, and they WILL NEED REPAIRS -- all kinds of little things that cost $1-$2K to fix at the garage.
With the 2000 F250/F350 PSD, the engine itself is very reliable, but the automatic transmissions were apparently weak. Mine was a 6-speed manual. The clutch went out without warning at about 125K miles. (Then the waste gate leaked on it a year later and damaged it.)
The 2001, iirc, had a better automatic transmission. I'd stay away from Ford's 6.0 diesel unless it's been upgraded, especially if it's been "chipped". I think they came out around 2004. Look into it more closely if you decide on a Ford.
You might also consider Ford's V-10 gas engine in the early 2000s. It's a gas hog but a strong, reliable engine... and a fair bit cheaper than a Power Stroke Diesel.
Look for clean, low-milage (under 100K) trucks. They're not easy to find, but there are a few out there.
I'd second the recommendation for a 5th-wheel camper. They pull nice, usually have more storage space, and good, 4-season campers are more common as 5ers. It's what most full-timers use; it's certainly what I'd use if/when we go full-time camping.
But I understand why you don't need something big if camping alone. I'd be tempted to get a big pickup camper if it was just me. I've owned a couple and loved them, but never full-time. And that's another reason why you might want a bigger pickup (F350 dually), as that's what you'd need for a large pickup camper. Bigger pickups give you more options should you want to change campers.
Excellent points. I'm not planning on traveling much, or very far.
I'm considering purchasing a smallish brand new TT and having the dealer deliver it and set it up after I rent a space in a park that welcomes fulltimers. If/when I move to another park, maybe I can rent a truck for the move. How does that sound?
Ahhhhh.... very important information.
Then you won't need a particularly reliable truck, should you decide to get one. That opens up your options quite a bit. In that case, about any decent 3/4-ton would work.
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