memilanuk

Not saying we're "saving" any money in the process, but our current mode of operation is a slide-in truck camper. Go where the people *aren't* - or at least, where they're further apart. Lots of good spots out there if you're willing to boondock / dry camp - and even that takes some setup on your part, most RVs are ill-equipped for that off the lot.

Looks cool! Although, at that price, you're most of the way to just having a diesel...

Not entirely apples to apples, but... We've done several (5) trips over the last 6 years from WA state to Bismarck ND, about half with a loop down into western NE - so 2200-3000+ mi per trip. First with an F250 CCSB 6.2L gasser and 30ft TT, the last few with a F350 SCLB SRW 6.2L gasser & heavy TC, both trucks with the 6 spd and 4.30 rear end. Only reason we're looking at a DRW now is because frankly, that TC puts us well over both the GVWR and the rear GAWR. We generally set our cruise at whatever the truck speed limit is, and the gassers go up and over the mountain passes about as fast as I'm comfortable with handling. The fuel anxiety thing is easily handled with some route planning on something like rvtripwizard.com. We find that stopping every ~3 hrs is just about right for time to stretch the legs, hit the bathroom, etc. YMMV.

I was looking at some of the available aftermarket gooseneck / 5th wheel mounts... they were estimating 4-5 hours for installation, but I'm guessing that's for a shop that does has all the right tooling on hand and has done it more than zero times before. And none of the 'user installs' I saw had the fit/finish of the factory package. It's a little bit of a conundrum, as we don't really *need* that particular option at this time - we're actually getting the truck to haul a slide-in camper. But a few years down the road, a 5'ver is very likely in our plans. Hopefully, we'll still have the same truck...

We've been dealing with a 6 speed (Ford) that tends to over-shift (too far down) or gets to the point where it should upshift, but can't/won't, for whatever reason. Sits there stuck at the RPM for shifting up, and after a bit, things start sounding... not good. Options are either slow to a crawl in the middle of the road (interstate mountain pass) or manually kick it up a gear. Yes, it slows down a bit then, but it doesn't sound like there's a second engine starting up under the hood either.

Interesting. Too bad they don't tell you what that might be right off the bat. So... I emailed the build sheet to another (larger volume) dealer, and the salesperson there believed the constraint was being a double-cab. So I pulled up another build I had for a crew-cab version... still no price. Went back to the first screen, yup, there's a price. Changed it to an LT... still have a price. Dually, yup. Add the gooseneck/5th wheel package, plow/camper package and gooseneck completion package... wait a minute, the price disappeared. Hmmm... Went back removing packages until the price came back. Apparently the sticking point is the factory gooseneck/5th wheel package - either that, or the spray-in bedliner that is part of it. Tried the same process on the double-cab build... same thing. Which kind of sucks... but that's stuff I can get added later locally if it means getting the truck in a timely fashion.

@Dustin Marshall you've had both the Ford 7.3L w/ the 10 spd and the GM 6.6L w/ their 10 spd... do you miss not having 'M'anual shifter control?

Is there something hinky going on with the build/order system? I worked up a 'build sheet' for what we wanted; previously it listed what MSRP should be for that build with those options. Now it just says "see dealer for pricing" What's even more 'curious' is that the dealer I've been talking to says that *they* couldn't nail down a price - and they went through the build three times, manually, after printing out what I had sent them.

So... the 'L' mode on the GM/Allison works like the normal 'lock out' on a Ford? I'd been skimming the manual, but I was looking more for info on what gear was displayed, etc. I missed this: That there is *no* manual mode at all is a little off-putting. I've been using that quite a bit lately hauling a heavy truck camper, to keep the 6spd / integrated trailer brake control from down shifting too far when I tap the brakes coming down a steep mountain pass. Or to manually manage the gears going *up* a steep grade. Then again, with a different transmission, maybe I won't need it as much? How do you know what gear the transmission is actually in *prior* to going to 'L'?

This is another of those 'coming from Ford' things... So... on my current rig (2018 F350 XL 6.2L 6spd) if I'm hauling something and don't want the truck to keep over shifting from 6th down to 4th on every little hill, I can use the +/- rocker switch on the shifter to 'lock out' 6th gear. The driver's display console will then only show 5th on down, with whatever gear the transmission is currently in (5th, 4th, 3rd, etc.) highlighted. This is separate from going to 'M'anual mode on the column shifter and then using the +/- rocker switch to manually *change* gears - although if I'm in 6th and lock that out, the tranny will bump down automagically. From what I've heard/read, the GM/Chevy driver console only shows what gear/mode the column shifter is in i.e. PNRDL, unless you physically move it to 'L' which sounds like it's the analog to 'M'anual mode on the Ford. Is that about right? How then, do you know what gear you're in when the transmission is running in automatic? Is there a function for 'locking out' say 10th or 9th gear, short of going to 'L' and having to run things manually? Conversely, the manual shows that if one goes from 'D' to 'L' the transmission will automagically downshift from 10th down to 7th (or lower, depending on where it starts from). Is it not possible to run in anything above 7th in manual or 'L' mode?

Well, seeing as new HD trucks are almost non-existent at lots around here, and dually gassers *are* non-existent... that's unlikely. Well if anyone has a 3500HD DRW double cab 6.6L gas (kind of a unicorn), I'm all ears.

Is there any way to know what the approximate weight ratings are for a given style (3500HD DRW), cab (double), engine, etc.? Preferably *before* actually buying the truck? Ford makes this reasonably easy - a simple google search will get you a document with tables of all the different configurations for a given model year, with the resulting weight ratings for conventional towing, 5th wheel, and payload. Chevy/GMC... seem to be playing secret squirrel with that particular info And yes, I realize that actual curb weight varies depending on the trim, packages, options, etc. And that actual scale weight trumps calculated values. But FFS, it'd be nice to have something useful to at least try and make an informed decision with.

We checked with some of the local dealerships, and called a few others - even one supposedly ranked as the 'top GM dealership in Washington state' - and got told across the board, 10-14 months out, *after* they got an allocation - *if* they could get one. One salesman did quietly suggest finding some place that did higher volume and things might go faster. So back to looking for used. Started looking at F350 PSD again. Found a promising one, not too far away. Called them, and in the course of the conversation, they said they'd been getting orders in 10-14 *weeks*, not months and had no problem getting allocations. Sent them a build sheet, waiting on a price. Might be getting one after all...

The vehicle alternator neither knows nor cares about whats going on with the 7-pin, or the camper. It has totally separate voltage regulation goals, and limits. The 12 gauge wire *might* be able to carry 30 amps, though that's rightfully more the realm of 10 gauge. 12 gauge is usually good for 20 amps, max. More important, though, is the voltage drop over the length of that 12 gauge wire by the time it leaves the alternator and reaches the battery inside the camper. There's probably 20-30 feet of wire just in the truck side of things alone, and close to that much again inside the camper. Obviously that can vary a lot, depending on where the 7-pin connector is (what side of the truck vs. the alternator, front of bed, bumper, etc.) and where the camper plug is and how it's routed through the RV to the batteries. Realistically, you're probably not getting a high enough voltage from the alternator to the camper battery via the 7-pin and the voltage losses to do jack as far as charging, unless the battery is halfways dead. At best it's a trickle charge, over a long (multiple hours) drive. The setup I went with on ours was a Victron Orion Smart DC-DC charger as close to the camper battery as possible, with #6 AWG cable running down the same side of the truck under the cab and up into the engine bay, to a 50A CB then to the vehicle battery terminal. Used Anderson connectors in the truck bed for the connection. That setup gives a solid 30 amp charging off the engine/alternator with no adverse effects (truck does have the snow plow/camper package with 220A alternator).

Well, I thought I dodged the bullet when I got the current truck in 2021! TBH, it's pretty much exactly the truck we want - has everything we want, nothing that we don't... but didn't realize a) how much the camper manufacturers lie about their weights and b) how quickly the weight balloons even further when you actually use the dang thing. Made the mistake of weighing it 'wet'... started shopping for a dually the next day Initially started looking at the new 7.3L gasser, but reports of how far behind Ford is on production got me looking at the Chevy 6.6L / Allison 10 spd combo. I'm liking what I see/hear about that setup, but trying to find something available with that combo + the camper package is proving elusive.

New guy here... never ordered before, never even bought 'new' before. Strange times. Trying to make heads or tails of the whole process. Reached out to the local dealer - small-town family-owned place - and initial impression is that *if* they can get an allocation, it'd be 6-8 months out from then. The order/build times here sound a little more encouraging - although the whole shipping thing sounds frustrating. Do I need to skip the local dealer and find some place that does more volume so that I can actually get a truck before say, next year's camping season? Do dealers generally let you know that ordering a certain config is going to be more delayed than others, or do they just let you put the order in and wait to see? Seems weird to commit to purchasing a vehicle that I've never even sat in, much less driven. Not that there are many on local lots *to* test drive. Much less one like what I'm actually looking for (3500HD, dually, gas)

Interesting! Guess I always figured it was simple enough to take the GVWR minus the curb weight to get the payload, so long as it didn't exceed the GAWR. Is the dimension 'A' not centered over the rear axle? That's usually the base line assumption - that the camper CG needs to be at, or forward of, that point. The thing that bugs me is that having had a camper, and having put it across CAT scales... I don't really see where there's all that much weight being put on the front axle - and so far as I know, the 'camper' package for Ford and Chevy/GM is mainly just some extra suspension up front. Maybe it matters more in an emergency braking scenario? The frustration for me is that I'm having a hard time finding the truck I want (long story), partly because new or even late model duallys are kind of scarce, more so with the camper package already installed. Not super enthused about having to order and wait. And wait. And wait.

Hey there, I'd be interested in seeing more about that - if you have any pics of the pillar sticker vs. the camper load rating, that'd be awesome. I'm looking at a 3500HD DRW for a truck camper, so it's of particular interest to me. Thanks!