Hey mmelfi, I have a 2002 F250 with the 7.3 diesel. Initially I had an 08 F150 but I didn't want to hurt it pulling the Whitehawk over the hills and mountains over here.
I found the F250 after doing a bit of research on pre-2008 (before emission requirements went crazy) diesels and narrowed it down to 3 makes and models known for longevity (Chevy/GMC, Ford, and Dodge). My F-250 (my wife named it 'Stinky") was the first one that turned up in good condition.
I bought it with 215k miles on it for $12k. It was in really good condition. I took it to a diesel shop before the purchase for an inspection. They said it should be good for another 200k if I keep up on the maintenance. So far so good. :-) We only use it to pull and haul things so it should outlast me by a few 100k. :-)
It has plenty of power for the Idaho mountains and sounds like a beast. I'm sure the neighbors love it when I pull into a campground. :-P Are you still pulling with your F-150?
Hello mmelfi, glad to hear from you. We were able to pick up our 27RB on a pre-order from the dealer here in Idaho. We were able to take it out once before winter hit in November and do the initial shakedown. So far, we've been really happy with it. There were a couple small issues but very minimal.
I also had an F-150 but it was a 2008 with the 5.4 Triton engine. It pulled the trailer OK but going over hills worked it over pretty good. I ended up buying an older F-250 (2002) with the 7.3L powerstroke. I use it only as a tow vehicle and it does the job nicely. We looked at some newer trucks but the costs were SO expensive. I just couldn't feel good about spending 50K for a truck we'd use a couple dozen times a year.
Anyway, we love the trailer and have had it out 5 times now. We love the layout and the front window. Nothing quite like laying in bed and staring up at the stars. :-)
