New RV
We are hard core campers (well not really camping – hunting/fishing as well :biggrinn: ) here in Missouri. There are roughly 200 parks in the state and over half are just south of me in the Ozarks. Anyways, my wife decided we needed something to test out the new truck which is setup to tow nearly 12k lbs max. We only went 7122 dry weight. 😉 After she loads all of her stuff who really knows.
Its a Coachman Freedom Express – Liberty Edition (37′ – 3 slides – sleeps 10) (2 kids, spouses and a baby often join or some of them) (it’s loaded like a Platinum Ford truck 😛 ) Don’t believe the asking price there is a lot of markup on these things so I paid a lot less. I also had them throw in a $1000 hitch upgrade over our current one with the 25 ft trailer we are trading in and also adding a 2nd solo AC in the master bedroom. It comes with central heat and air with ducts but has an option for a second one just for the master bedroom. I like the fan at night. 😉 That was another $1000. :suprisedn: It’s setup with two HDTVs and two Blu-ray players and we take our PS4 for rain and some nights after fires. lol I am working on a portable DISH sat and it is all setup for it. They let you buy the programming monthly on the RV ones. No contract. It’s maiden flight is trout fishing leaving on this Friday.
(this is ours)
http://www.mwrvcenter.com/rv/2016-Coachmen-Freedom-Express-312BHDS-4163
(same model but leatherette seats and better pictures IMO – ours has cloth seats at above link) Second TV goes in back. Dinette is a 7′ queen bed. Couch folds out to a queen bed. Master bedroom is a queen bed. Then the back room has a queen bed (from futons), a dinette that is a full bed and two bunks. The bunks are only 6′ for short people or kids. 😛 In reality the kids and baby can use the back room so we don’t have to mess up the main room at night. Ceiling is 6′ 9″.
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Mine with the 3.73 has great acceleration and braking with the big trailer. I figure the trailer loaded is about 9400 lbs. (7900 lbs empty). it is very stable on the highway at 65 mph but that is partially because of the Husky Centerline weight distribution hitch. It can handle 1200 lb max tongue weight and 12,000 max tow. The tongue weight for my rig is about 975 lbs. There is no sway with this system. They have recently gone to a wider dual wheel stance which seems to have helped them pull nicely. I am still over 20% below the max for the setup. For a large fifth wheel I would jump to a F350. The problem with Fifth wheels is backing up. It can be challenging. Ours is a piece of cake and the rear camera we use on the camper makes it a one-person task.
Some of the folks in the Colorado mountains on my Forest River rv forum said they will always buy a turbo engine for out there now.
LOL nice. Maybe my next one will be a 3.5 Eco-boost with the 3:55 rear axle. Right now my 5.0 V8 gets better mileage than my buddy’s 3.5, but he has the 3:31 rear end.
I surprised my wife with an RV warning gift. She was a bit surprised but loves it.
For 2016 Consumer Reports recommends only the Ford F150 pickup trucks. Specifically, they recommended the F150 with the 3.5 Eco boost V6 as the best truck to get. It also had the highest reliability rating. You know who doesn’t like Consumer Reports? Chrysler and Harley owners. lol
Ford F-150 (3.5 EcoBoost) Full-sized pickup trucks
Highs Quietness, acceleration, fuel economy, available towing and payload capacities, Sync 3 infotainment system, lots of clever features, reliability.
I had my previous Lariat for 14 years and 240,000 miles. It never had a problem other than normal maintenance until the tranny got rebuilt at 230k and I gave it to my son shortly thereafter. I paid $31k for it in 2001 new. That is a very low total cost of ownership for a truck I think.
I only paid $36k for this one with 7500 miles on it and 11 months old and basically every option available to the Lariat. I just don’t see why they take such a bath on year old trucks and buy new ones every year (as this guy does they said). Must be independently wealthy?
As I mentioned now some options are restricted to the KR or Platinum that were allowed on the Lariat. Ford is forcing folks up as they can. I couldn’t be happier with the truck. I am amazed how strong that ecoboost engine is pulling that heavy trailer. I hope it is reliable with those twin turbos. 😛
Ford took that engine boosted the HP up even more and put it in the 2017 Raptor (500 HP) and Ford GT (600 HP).
that’s why I like to buy new every 3 to 4 years. I only have to come up with around $ 25,000 to $ 30,000
The MSRP on Mine was $60,555. lol The guy put nearly every option on it. I was wondering why he just didn’t go ahead with a KR but I found it is still another good jump for the KR specific things on the interior. There is so much overlap.
Yep Coda real wood in the KR also. Holly Shit, $66,500??? :suprisedn: :suprisedn: :suprisedn: I remember my first new truck, a 1972 F100 it cost $2800. Nice looking camper too.
Zonk – for fun I built a King Ranch 2016 configured just like my Lariat (loaded with a lot of crap lol) It came to $66,555 MSRP. Wow That is about $6k more than the the MSRP loaded as the Lariat. The primary difference was the embossed fancier leather vs plain and the interior improvements. Is that real wood trim like the Platinum?
Happy birthday to me. Every RV needs this. It works amazingly well for how small that dish antenna is. I have 150 ft of coax to try to find clear spots in the trees. 😉
No contract on the mobile setups. Just pay for months you use it. I had to add a few movie channels. 🙂 I also donated a portable 1TB HD for the DVR.
I just ordered a King DISH portable sat and receiver and a 1TB HD for the DVR – all for the new trailer. DISH lets you pay for the months you use for the RV ones. The trailer now has two HDTVs, two Blu-ray players and a PlayStation (which counts as one of the Blu-ray players). Of course there are connections for outdoors. 😛
It should arrive on Friday so I can get it activated at home for camping at Table Rock Lake Missouri next week. 😉
BTW – that F150 Lariat setup for max tow with the ecoboost surprised me how well and strong it tows it. I got 13.5 mpg (@ 65 mph) towing the entire load (truck, rv, and supplies) which has to be approaching 15,000 lb (about 14500). I was impressed. Max is 17,000 lbs per specs. Trailer is about 8500+ loaded. I am sure that 3.73 rear-end helped as does the centerline weight-distribution hitch I had to go to. The bed of the truck rides at the same height as if it is empty – towing. These new trailers sit way off of the ground above the tires so there are three full steps plus one more to get inside to floor level.
The dealer told these max tow/load F150s are eating pretty well into the F250 niche.
Bennett Springs State Park – Trout fishing last weekend
Storage 1 mile from home
De rig
Daughter-in-law with my 4 mo old grandbaby :biggrinn:
The 3rd slide switch is near back
Portable camera uses magnets to attach to camper rear bumper. Works great.
Optical lights in master bedroom
Son fishing
Who is that handsome guy (see how high the floor is)
Picked up a wireless camera system for the back of the camper. 😉
Nice on the barrel. We are always on Indian controlled land and they try to make a buck on everything. The private areas off of the reservation cost even more from what I hear.
I have never bought a license to shoot dogs. All our shooting is on private land also. I just bought a Tony Kidd 18″ match bull barrel, receiver and 2 stage 6oz trigger for this years trip
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Very nice! Me and my son miss ours badly. Tons of fun to be had in them.