Lots of coastal people weighing in here...
Take it from a guy that actually lives where it snows, don't buy a snowplow just to plow your driveway.
Unless you are planning on plowing out all of your neighbors, just buy a snowblower and keep your tow rig... a tow rig.
You will be money ahead, and you can still clear your walkways.

Also, I have a 7.3 F350. I love it, but I agree that chevy options are good as well.

 

7.3 F-250 Manual
I saw this in person last night. Very clean underneath. Needs a new exhaust, unless you like the ignorant white-trash pipes coming out the bed.

 

That price just makes me go a little crazy. I so far have not been able to justify doubling how much I want to spend to goto a manual truck over a auto van.

 

There's a few danger signs with this one... The black rotary **** on the dash panel below the steering wheel looks just like the one I had on my 7.3 Ford... it's for a multiple tune ECU mod. That in itself is not really an issue, but with the stupid coal roller stacks, and the note about a new transmission just being installed I would be cautious...

Other than that, I had the same (2001) truck, and it was a great truck. But I didn't beat the **** out of mine.

 

I'm a huge fan of manuals, but not in my tow vehicle. If you're going to spend that much, get a Duramax with the Allison, that transmission is magical.

But the Suburban is fine.

--Ian

 

For a tow vehicle I'm with the majority- I'd go with automatic over manual. Need to ask my boss for a bonus, because I'm pretty sure I'd rather go with a truck or 3/4ton SUV than a van....

 

My 350 has an automatic. The truck has 350K and has spent most of its life towing a massive horse trailer/ living quarters. No complaints so far.

 

The truck verse van debate comes down to, where are you going to sleep. If you are cool with sleeping in a tent, enclosed trailer, or getting a hotel then truck all the way. If you want to sleep in the vehicle then the van is a bit easier to do that in.

I want the van to sleep in, and so I have a vehicle to make my bondagevan.com videos in.

 

******* hate you

 

Hmmm. Just Googled Bondagevan at work. Will not do again. Thanks for trying to get me fired. But: No job, no house: live in van.

 

 

Solution to sleeping in the truck...



Can't help you with the whole bondagevan thing though... you're on your own there.

 

That is another way to do it. Are the campers easy to put on and remove from the pickup?

 

I like it!

 

It takes about 30-45 minutes off or on, taking my time. The process is complicated for me by having to navigate between my house and a fence through a space that's about 6" wider than the camper (which I keep in my back yard). Hint... if marital bliss is important, don't have your wife help...

Cons are it weighs (packed and wet) nearly as much as our NA and NC combined and they're expensive.

Pros are I have a place to stay anywhere I go, I can use it as an extra guest bedroom if needed (kids love it!), and it's considered a 2nd house for tax purposes, so there are some write offs.

The pic above was taken on a trip to Utah last month. Hauled the NC up, parked in an RV park and lit out every day in the NC to go hiking in Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands, and Arches Nat'l parks.

 

Yeah, you need a pretty beefy truck to haul a camper *and* a trailer.

--Ian