Am taking a trip to the end of the Dalton Hwy on the north slope of Alaska to stand on the shore of the Artic Ocean all the way from Key West Florida starting at the end of May 2007. Been planning this trip for 3 years and have been waiting for my son to get his drivers license and we are ready to go. Have a 1997 F150 Supercab shortbed with 4.6L and 3.55 rear with no limited slip. Although the truck is 10 years old with 123,000 miles, it is in phenomenal condition. Just had the front suspension rebuilt and major tuneup including transmission flush and it never even coughed a day in its life. The transmission, fuel pump, electronic ignition module, radiator and engine components are all original. Its been a Florida vehicle all its life and well maintained since new. According to the specs I could find its payload is only 1640 lbs and it only has three leaf springs on each end of the axle. I just put a set of load levelor shocks on it and purchased a 2004 Sun Valley "Sunlite" hardside truck camper. Dry weight according to the maufacturer is between 1145 lbs and 1248 lbs and a name plate on the unit saying loaded it weighs 1348 lbs. GVW on the door sticker is 6100 lbs. I have seen higher payloads on these trucks and can't believe it's that wimpy. Am no stranger to long hauls and towing heavy loads, but this is my first truck camper and looking for any advice. My son weighs about 120 and we will be traveling light. Been looking for a truck camper that was light and fit on a shortbed pickup and found a trade in an RV place is wholesaleing it. So what do you think?

 

I'd be most concerned with the rear axle weight and what the trucks rear GAWR is....

With the 4.6, you only have the 8.8" rear end. I think it's axles are smaller then the 9.75" rear end and so would the axle bearings I'd suspect...

I too have a 'wimpy' GVWR on my truck (#6250) and I'm over that by several hundred pounds when I hitch up my little 22' travel trailer and I'm ready to roll.... It's only putting about #600 of tongue weight on the truck too!

My rear GAWR is only #3200 and I'm right at that when all hitched up, but I've got the 9.75" rear end so I don't fret it at all....

That's a long road trip for sure.... I don't think you'll have much issue if something breaks between FL and WA, as you should be able to find a parts store to get whatever let go.... Once you start going North, then I don't know how far in between an auto parts store might be??

A truck with a lot of miles on most of it's original parts is not a bad thing, but you also don't know if that one 'critical' part is going to go another 100,000 miles or 100 miles... Hell, you don't know how a brand new truck is going to do in those conditions either.... I've seen just as many "new" trucks on the side of the road as "old" ones with their hoods up!

Get the truck weighed and if you can get the individual axles weighed, that will be better. Depending on how much over you are on the trucks rear axle is really going to be the difference between a "trip of a lifetime" or "wish I had that full floater rear end after all trip".

Best of luck to you and your Son on that trip... I'm sure it will be the "trip of a lifetime" part, no matter what happens!!

Mitch

 

Just in case, make sure you have a credit card with a high limit and plenty of room on it - towing up there in the middle of nowhere can be 5 bucks a mile both ways and even in "towns" parts may have to be flown in. Bring a CB radio - cellular coverage up there is very spotty. I would also pack a couple extra spare tires, you will be on mostly gravel north of Fairbanks.

Go down to the post office now and get your passports. That will make it easier to re-enter the US and pretty soon they will be required.

 

Thanks for the responses guys. Believe me I have done my homework on this trip and know all about the wilderness aspect of parts of this trip including the $5.00 a mile towing charge. Already have our passports, will have 2 new extra spare tires, rechargeable jumpstart station with compressor, cb radio, etc. Just wanted to see if there was anything I missed. I am picking up the camper next week and see how the truck rides with it. I like that Hellwig suspension mod you made and was actually going to consider that if I have sag or handling problems. I do have a towing package on the truck and it includes the trans cooler and other associated heavy duty components. Will let you know how it works out. The only thing I might replace before I go as a precaution is the radiator. Although I do a lot of my own work, I have a good trusted mechanic who does the hard/big stuff like the front end rebuild. He said the radiator might have some seepage where it meets the plastic tank. My motivation for this trip came from the movie "Dance's with Wolves". Kevin Costner wanted to out west to see the frontier before its gone. Heck, the Dalton highway north of Fairbanks is over 50% paved. Thanks again for your advice and will keep you posted. Will be leaving Memorial Day weekend.

 

If you don't already have it, I would suggest buying a AAA membership (up here it's called CAA).

We have the PLUS membership and get 100 miles of towing for free before we have to pay. We also get free boosts, 5 gal's of free fuel if you run out, free unlocks, etc. and it only cost us about $100 CDN.

Our membership has paid for itself about 5 times over with our POS Plymouth mini-van the Mrs. drives.

PS - Are you going north through Montana - Alberta or through Wahington - B.C.? There are better roads and more towns along the way if you go through Alberta.

 

that sounds like an amazing trip. Hope I have the time to do something like that one day myself. Post back some pics of your travels if you can.

 

Already have the AAA Membership and will be crossing the border in Montana at Glacier National Park. Going to pick up the Alaska Highway in Dawson. Got the route already mapped out. Thanks for the tips!

 

Sounds like an awesome trip with your son! You've got to keep us posted on your progress, and take a lot photos. I would love to make that trip in a few years!

Good Luck!

NCCamper

 

I would get the AAA Plus "RV" (which I have) or better yet the RV towing thru Trailer Life or Camping World. The basic AAA is only 15 miles. Plus RV was only $27 over AAA basic.

You do need all the extra's you named but that weight adds up fast. You may need to upgrade the rear tires to Light Truck if not already.

Do keep us updated and report back after trip. I spent 12 months on the shore of the Bering Sea thanks to Uncle Sam. 1 hour would have been enough.

 

Worked in a shop were we tuned,changed out hoses and belts for a man to go on vacation.The water pump went out on him,you never know what can happen even if you plan it out.I would like to take a trip like that,take pics to post for us and be safe

 

Please remove

 

Here's my post or, ahem, someone else with a similar user name that must have forgotten his password a long time ago...

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...C000+mile+trip


I've driven the Alcan 7 times now with my 98 F-150.

BTW, I live in Alaska now, but went to Lemon Bay HS


Just keep in mind, that you can only get to about 8 miles from the Arctic Ocean... it is closed to the public. There is one place that has tours, but I forget who they are.

Also, last time I drove up there, I couldnt find any oil in Deadhorse! Luckily, one of the oilfield workers there had some 10w30 he gave us. (Military Vehicle)


Oh, and get glass replacement on your insurance policy before you go... you WILL need it hehe.

 

My son is a junior at Lemon Bay HS in Englewood FL. BTW, I know you can't get to the Artic shoreline. You have to sign up for an oilfield tour in Deadhorse. I have several websites bookmarked of people who have made the trip and one guy on a single cylinder motorcycle. He must have had an orthopedic seat to do it.

Thanks for the comments and advice. We leave in 3 months.

 

Yep, some sort of C or D rated tire is a must, IMO. Also, try to get something A/T rated as these tend to have better reinforcement so they will survive things like miles of gravel with a 1300lb load in the bed better.

You can also get a Trickflow aluminum diff cover. This will help keep the temps down and they come with bolts to reinforce the bearing caps as well. I know this because Summit Racing sent my wife an 8.8" cover instead of a 9.75" when she ordered it for me for Christmas. Which reminds me, I still have to ship that off...

 

A gravel screen for the front of the truck would be something nice to have too. Today's plastic headlight covers are a lot more resistant to breakage than the old glass headlights but they can still get pretty messed up. Spares that are worth packing are a couple air filters and headlight bulbs. Sounds like you are doing your homework well - and asking for additional input is very smart.