350 or 450 ??, Which truck size is best for Lance 971?
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| Capt_Midnight |
 Sep 3 2009, 01:09 PM
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Group: Members Posts: 3 Joined: 1-September 09 Member No.: 3,311 Favorite Truck Camper(s): Lance Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: F250 diesel crew cab Type of Tiedowns used: NA Truck and Camper Setup: Lance 971  |
Recently purchased a Lance 971(dry bath) which has slideout, generator, about 3300 lbs, and requires long bed. I am getting ready to buy a diesel crew cab truck but have not made a final decision. My ol diesel crew cab 250 short bed is too small so I will be trading up.
Question, some truck camper friends say get the biggest truck you can afford and suggest a duelly diesel Ford F450 or GMC 4500. How much better would this be than going with a F350 or GMC 3500 for the Lance 971, since I plan to drive it several times a week and am concerned about fuel consumption. What other differences are there between these 2 truck sizes other than heavier suspension? Lower gear or rear end ratio?? Tire sizes?? Thanks, |
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| garbinator |
Sep 13 2009, 03:15 AM
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Productive Consumer Group: Members Posts: 56 Joined: 7-February 08 Member No.: 2,832 Favorite Truck Camper(s): Lance Type and Brand of Truck(s) Owned: 3500 GMC Dually 4X4 Crew Cab DuraMax w/6sp variable Allison Type of Tiedowns used: Happijac, Altec power jacks Truck and Camper Setup: Lance Legend 990 fully loaded series, Electric Jacks, Air Bags, heavy duty torsion bar, Titan extend-a-hitch, .357 Mag Marlin Lever Action (Cowboy rifle) for camper defense. Bose Acoustic Wave Machine to Ez the nights away... |
If your so worried about fuel consumption don’t even think about a camper.
Keep your old truck and purchase an Argosy or Air Stream trailer. The B-17 style bodies cut through the wind offering less resistance “Like and aircraft” giving you better miles per gallon. Think of your camper as a big box in the sky, what do you expect otherwise? The choice is yours... As for trucks? Ford's F-450 would be my choice, just remember to throw in a couple of 3/4 inch sheets of plywood before loading your camper. Oversized brakes, commercial tires that'll take you over 150,000 miles. 6 to 8 miles to the gallon. Awesome short TURNING RADIUS. Comfort and conveniences are awesome! Anytime one thinks about running any kind of RV, forget expenses. Either you have the $$$ to pay the gipper or you don't. It bugs me every-time I fuel up my rig and some ol' boy walks up and states? "What kind of milage you get wit dat thang?" What difference does it make? It performs a function I choose! Its like any other expense, you pre-plan, you save, then you do. Simple as that. Merely owning any brand of truck is going to sit you back financially due to their propensity for maintenance. Unless your a handy fella and enjoy doing it yourself. But then in the event you have warranty issues proving a costly repair(?) Just my thoughts is all... <<<*>>> |
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