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I’m sorry to break it to you but a one-ton dually pickup isn’t always enough machine. It’s definitely more capable than a lot of people will ever need, but if you plan on putting a huge camper in the bed, you better double-check your truck’s payload capacity or you might end up with a broken frame. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that with this 2023 Ford F-550 Limitless pickup conversion from Elevation Off-Grid.
New F-550s start out as cab and chassis trucks, ready for upfitters to install dump beds, cranes, etc. Elevation instead adds a proprietary pickup bed assembly with 8 feet of interior space, a lot like you’d find on a regular factory F-350. That means it’s rated to carry 10,300 pounds, which is quite a bit more than even the heaviest slide-in campers.
This provides the overlanding crowd with a more capable pickup that will stand up to whatever they throw at it. In this case, Elevation says the customer is adding a Host Industries Mammoth camper and pulling a 28-foot boat. According to the manufacturer, the triple-slide Mammoth weighs 3,955 pounds dry. Meanwhile, that boat is sure to come in under the F-550’s max conventional tow capacity of 18,500 pounds. This thing won’t even break a sweat, and the Torklift SuperMagnum hitch is rated to hold 3,000 pounds of tongue weight—with a name like that, it ought to be tough.
It’s sure to tow and haul that weight in comfort, too, thanks to its Liquid Spring smart suspension. That’s a high-end aftermarket kit that incorporates a five-link setup with active adjustability, meaning it can raise or lower while the truck is in motion. You can find this type of suspension underpinning overland rigs from multiple manufacturers, largely because they’re extremely stout and comfortable. Elevation promises a ride like a half-ton truck, which certainly can’t be said of a stock F-550.
Because this is a cab and chassis truck from the factory, it features a detuned 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel making 330 horsepower and “just” 950 pound-feet of torque. Sure, it might not be the new high-output variant making 500 hp and 1,200 pound-feet, but that’s still plenty of grunt to cruise on the highway at 80 miles per hour. Since it runs at a lower power level, it might even be more reliable in the long run.
At a time when droves of new, well-to-do enthusiasts are flocking to the overland space, it’s crucial that they know the limits of their trucks. Clearly, not everyone needs one like this, but it’s way better—and safer—to run a rig that’s built to work hard if that’s what you plan to do with it. Just bring plenty of cash if you plan on picking one up.
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