1/2 ton Chevy

mkirsch wrote:
You'll see a lot of wild generalizations thrown about on both sides of the discussion.

To stay within the factory ratings on a 1500 pickup, there are NO options out there unless you camp naked, cold, and hungry. Most of us like to bring along clothing, food, water, fuel, and most importantly, GEAR for the activity we enjoy while camping.

You can install suspension helpers on your truck to help with the weight, heavier tires, stronger wheels, etc.. It might cause some excess wear and tear on suspension and axle parts over the long haul, but that depends on how often you use it. Most don't use their RVs more than a few times a year, so if that's you, you will probably trade trucks long before you notice any undue strain.

The biggest risk here is financial. There is a good chance that you won't be comfortable with driving it. There is a good chance you won't like everything you have to do to the truck to get it to carry the load. There is a good chance that even after you do make all the changes, you won't like how it drives. This, after spending how much money? How many tens of thousands of dollars did you put into the rig, and how many more will it take before you're happy with it?

It's a huge financial risk, and your only way out will be to take a loss. Either sell the camper at a huge loss, or trade trucks at a huge loss. This is why starting out right makes more sense...