fuelhauler wrote: So why the big step up to a 5500. I see you have a 9.4 Bigfoot. Do you also tow something that put you over your gvwr?
I have a 10.6 Bigfoot & I'm right at my gvwr when loaded with fresh water & everything for a week outing. Thats on a Dodge dually, so I know I'll be a little over when I find the boat that I want.
Well I was on a SRW and although I had made upgrades, I was limited on what I could carry, and I do tow sometimes and would like to in the future. Also, to have a dedicated rig, ready to go , without having to spend a lot of time taking cover off truck, taking off tailgate and the such on both ends of a trip, make it easier and more likely to use on more shorter trips. Now I have plenty of room to bring whatever I may need. I tend to go overboard on things I do, so its in my nature!
2005xFord King Ranch F250SB Diesel
2006 Bigfoot 25C9.4SB
Firestone Airbags
KVH inmotion Satellite
Vision 81's and 19.5 Bridgestones
Stable Lift
Oh nothing wrong with having all the truck you will need to cover what ever you want to carry or tow. I'm a firm believer in the right truck for the right job.
I don't blame you , I thank you for being the inspiration. The short wheelbase does make for tighter turning than my ford.I hadn't thought about adding anything until I get my stablelift parts in about a month, but now you mention it I will add some wood beams on top of the platform to keep from going side to side. The only negative on the ride down with it was with no weight on the back, when the road got crappy, I thought I was on a bull in the rodeo. Hoping the ride changes with the weight on the back. The truck squats less than an inch loaded. I have the 5 speed transmission, 63 mph is 2000rpm, I assume you have the 6 speed.I am excited about all the storage, always having the golf, fishing and prospecting equipment onboard, priceless. Anyway, thanks, its good to be a member of the nosebleed club
That's nice to hear and you are welcomed to the nose-bleed club. Members are welcome from any elevation (sea-level to 14 thousand.)
Actually, we have the 5-speed also....so at 70MPH I am cranking at...not sure exactly...but something more like 2600RPMs and that's why the mileage goes down so fast. Those 5.13 gears are mighty low. Speaking of which, I dragged a 5000 pound boulder at my house last night just using the bumper and not a tire spun one bit and hardly had to even give it gas. Dragged it while basically idling. Pretty cool.
We drove a 5500 cab-chassis (no bed at all) and I still have missing fillings in my teeth and my wife said she didn't think she could take it if we bought one unless the loaded ride was quite different. It is. Even just the steel flatbed helps a ton (your bed must weigh a lot less than ours...and the short wheelbase/regular cab also must reduce weight a LOT.) Granted we have the 4500 (and the slightly less-stiff springs) but the camper makes all the difference in the world. I asked a dealer that if the only difference was the springs, if I could swap the 5500's in and get a builder (or the dealer) to re-stamp it as a 5500 and all he said was "do you want to make it ride worse?" The reality is that even though my sticker says 17,500 and I am at 18,250 at last weigh, it probably would be silly to change anything. It drives like a champ fully loaded.
One of these days I'll take a few pictures of all the junk I store in my side compartments, but it's a lot....chairs, dutch ovens of several sizes, satellite stuff, big boiling pots for gumbo, tools, all of our dirt bike riding gear, more tools, a ton of various blocks, firewood, 100' of air-hose and air-tools, water hoses and septic stuff, winch accessories...heck sometimes even my (now extra) Honda 2000 generator since it is so much quieter than my on-board propane genny....an extra 20# propane bottle...the list goes on and on.
I think like you I like to go overboard on things at times, but it sure is fun to literally have no concern about weight (other than fuel mileage I guess.) Should I take "x"? SURE!!!!!! Why not?
I just happens to see this rig last night in Lac La Hache, British Columbia.
Right away I was thinking about this thread. Luckely I had my camera with me.
(Why I take my camera with me when I go to the garbage dump beats me!)
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