Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Yup it was exactly 1 year ago yesterday (8/24/19) that I flew from Denver to Salt Lake City, was picked up at the SLC airport by the folks at Kentson Car Company who then drove me to their dealership in American Fork (near Provo) to pick up this 2018 F-150:
This photo was taken in a parking lot just after I took delivery of the truck. Drove it back home to Colorado over a 2 day period (could have made it in 1 but the wife insisted that I stop and rest somewhere along the way.)
Specs:
2018 F-150 CCSB XLT "XTR" package (this was a Canadian package that featured chrome bumper, grill, running boards and wheels. I don't love the chrome but it's OK.)
3.5 EB, 10 speed transmission, 4x4, 3.31 final drive, 36 gallon tank, FX4 package with E-locker and skid plates. Trailer tow package with built-in brake controller and trailer backup assist.
As I said, I'm not a fan of chrome but this one had the "big 4" options I wanted: 36 gallon tank, built in trailer brake (I was SO tired of the "knee buster" on my Suburban), E-locker and heated seats (which I don't love but the wife really wanted - happy wife = happy life.)
Had just under 18,000 miles when I bought it last year. Previously had been in Alberta, Canada (and yes I checked the undercarriage for rust - it's clean as a whistle.)
First accessories/mods were: Husky floor liners front and rear, Cover King seat covers, and a Leer 100R topper (cab high.) I specified the topper to have the side win-doors on both sides and the tracks for a Thule/Yakima rack since we carry kayaks when we camp.
Primary function of this truck is to pull our travel trailer (2018 Forest River R-Pod 179 Hood River Edition) which is about 22' long (including the tongue) and has a fully loaded weight I would estimate at ~ 3500lb or so.
It also serves as my daily driver, Home Depot Weekend Project hauler and occasional grandkid carrier (ages 5 and 8.)
Here is our typical setup when traveling. This is from last September but we still pretty much roll like this:
So, now for the report card:
The Good:
Overall, I'm very happy with the truck. The power from the 3.5 EB V6 is incredible and the combination of the EB motor with the 10 speed transmission is a night-and-day difference from our previous setup which was using a 2004 Suburban with a tired 5.3 V8 and the problematic 4L60 transmission (which I killed not once but twice.)
Because we live in the Denver area and do most of our camping in Colorado, driving over 11,000'+ passes is the norm for us. Passes that we used to CRAWL over at 30 mph with the transmission in 1st gear and the engine screaming at nearly 5000 RPM we can now breeze over at 65 mph without breaking a sweat.
I was a little worried that going from a "single cabin" vehicle like the Suburban to a crew cab pickup would cause me to lose storage space, but that worry was unfounded: We actually have almost an embarrassment of riches in terms of space (so much cargo space inside the bed of the truck with the topper that my wife often asks me to bring stuff I know we won't need, with the justification that "well, we have room for it don't we?")
To those who say a 5.5' bed is "useless" I have to say that we can carry more camping gear than 2 people and a dog should ever need. No, I can't sleep in the 5.5' bed but that's not what I bought it for (and actually I probably COULD sleep in the bed if I made a platform and slept diagnoally.)
The 5.5' bed came in real handy when I decided to try and park it in our suburban garage. Yes, I was able to fit it in:
But there wasn't a lot of room left over:
I couldn't have done that if I'd opted for the longer bed, which I'm guessing is the reason that the CCSB is a more popular body style than the CCLB.
The interior of the cab is QUIET which I love! It's even considerably quieter than the wife's CR-V, to the point where if we are going somewhere on a long drive I'd rather take the truck just because it's more pleasant.
The audio system is great, certainly good enough that upgrading it is not a realistic option for me. The simple HVAC controls work as well as (or better than) the "automatic climate control" that my Suburban had (which I seemed to constantly need to fiddle with to keep the cabin comfortable.)
The truck sits high and rides very nicely overall. (to be continued...)
This photo was taken in a parking lot just after I took delivery of the truck. Drove it back home to Colorado over a 2 day period (could have made it in 1 but the wife insisted that I stop and rest somewhere along the way.)
Specs:
2018 F-150 CCSB XLT "XTR" package (this was a Canadian package that featured chrome bumper, grill, running boards and wheels. I don't love the chrome but it's OK.)
3.5 EB, 10 speed transmission, 4x4, 3.31 final drive, 36 gallon tank, FX4 package with E-locker and skid plates. Trailer tow package with built-in brake controller and trailer backup assist.
As I said, I'm not a fan of chrome but this one had the "big 4" options I wanted: 36 gallon tank, built in trailer brake (I was SO tired of the "knee buster" on my Suburban), E-locker and heated seats (which I don't love but the wife really wanted - happy wife = happy life.)
Had just under 18,000 miles when I bought it last year. Previously had been in Alberta, Canada (and yes I checked the undercarriage for rust - it's clean as a whistle.)
First accessories/mods were: Husky floor liners front and rear, Cover King seat covers, and a Leer 100R topper (cab high.) I specified the topper to have the side win-doors on both sides and the tracks for a Thule/Yakima rack since we carry kayaks when we camp.
Primary function of this truck is to pull our travel trailer (2018 Forest River R-Pod 179 Hood River Edition) which is about 22' long (including the tongue) and has a fully loaded weight I would estimate at ~ 3500lb or so.
It also serves as my daily driver, Home Depot Weekend Project hauler and occasional grandkid carrier (ages 5 and 8.)
Here is our typical setup when traveling. This is from last September but we still pretty much roll like this:
So, now for the report card:
The Good:
Overall, I'm very happy with the truck. The power from the 3.5 EB V6 is incredible and the combination of the EB motor with the 10 speed transmission is a night-and-day difference from our previous setup which was using a 2004 Suburban with a tired 5.3 V8 and the problematic 4L60 transmission (which I killed not once but twice.)
Because we live in the Denver area and do most of our camping in Colorado, driving over 11,000'+ passes is the norm for us. Passes that we used to CRAWL over at 30 mph with the transmission in 1st gear and the engine screaming at nearly 5000 RPM we can now breeze over at 65 mph without breaking a sweat.
I was a little worried that going from a "single cabin" vehicle like the Suburban to a crew cab pickup would cause me to lose storage space, but that worry was unfounded: We actually have almost an embarrassment of riches in terms of space (so much cargo space inside the bed of the truck with the topper that my wife often asks me to bring stuff I know we won't need, with the justification that "well, we have room for it don't we?")
To those who say a 5.5' bed is "useless" I have to say that we can carry more camping gear than 2 people and a dog should ever need. No, I can't sleep in the 5.5' bed but that's not what I bought it for (and actually I probably COULD sleep in the bed if I made a platform and slept diagnoally.)
The 5.5' bed came in real handy when I decided to try and park it in our suburban garage. Yes, I was able to fit it in:
But there wasn't a lot of room left over:
I couldn't have done that if I'd opted for the longer bed, which I'm guessing is the reason that the CCSB is a more popular body style than the CCLB.
The interior of the cab is QUIET which I love! It's even considerably quieter than the wife's CR-V, to the point where if we are going somewhere on a long drive I'd rather take the truck just because it's more pleasant.
The audio system is great, certainly good enough that upgrading it is not a realistic option for me. The simple HVAC controls work as well as (or better than) the "automatic climate control" that my Suburban had (which I seemed to constantly need to fiddle with to keep the cabin comfortable.)
The truck sits high and rides very nicely overall. (to be continued...)
