AF990 on F350 CC SRW
OK, so I've spent gobs of time reading about weights and trucks and what to do and what not to do. I've noticed many DRW owners have 9 foot campers and many have 11-12 footers, I've witnessed a Dodge...
Forum Discussion
SO I've spent a bunch more time researching my truck specifically and it appears that it may actually have the 9,750lb rear axle though it's also possible it's a Dana 80 which I think is over 10k. I'm still looking to find some better numbers but this seems to be the answer.
I've also learned that virtually EVERY truck manufacturer lists the GAWR rating based on 'the weakest link' which always seems to be the tires themselves. If the tires, stock, are rated at 3500lbs than the axle is listed at 7000lbs
With that being the case (or at least that's what my research tells me) then with my 3650lbs E rated tires (I need to double check them as I think they are actually over 3800 but the print is too small for my eyes), I should be good to 7300lbs on the rear axle. Upgrading to some Toyo's that are 4000+lbs and my next issue is wheels which I believe are rated at 3500lbs also. SO an upgrade to something better to match the tires should be in order.
So, my thought is that if my research pans out and the axle is actually rated at or close to 10,000lbs and I can get the wheels and tires to handle 8000lbs than a camper weighing in at say, 4500lbs fully loaded will put me around 7300lbs on the rear axle and a couple hundred pounds more on the front. The heaviest I've seen anyone quote for the 990 fully loaded is I believe 4785lbs (Truck Camper Magazine) which would put me around 7500-7600lbs on the rear axle assuming a couple hundred pounds rides on the front.
I can't find good info on the rear leafs but they appear to be rated around 7000lbs however I see direct OEM replacements that show as much as 13,600lbs so it's possible to swap them out. Best I can figure so far is that I have a 5400lbs spring pack with a 5th leaf referred to as a 'helper spring' (3/1 pack plus the helper) so I'm guessing the helper ads the extra capacity but I can see the OEM SD spring pack is rated at 8800lbs.
In short, with good E rated tires, 8800lbs spring pack ($189), good wheels and all else being equal I could conceivably be quite fine with a rear axle weight of 7500lbs-7800lbs with the camper loaded up. Add in some stable loads and or air bags and maybe a sway bar and I should be good.
Not to mention I won't actually be over the real axle weight rating of the truck when you check on that rated via the manufacturer when not considering tires and wheels etc.
OK...more research to do.
On a side note I did a BUNCH of looking for a decent camper in the weight range that would not cause me to have to do the above but I just didn't find anything I liked.
So, a DRW may be in the future if the above proves wrong but I'm willing to dot he above first to test it out and see how it feels.
I've also learned that virtually EVERY truck manufacturer lists the GAWR rating based on 'the weakest link' which always seems to be the tires themselves. If the tires, stock, are rated at 3500lbs than the axle is listed at 7000lbs
With that being the case (or at least that's what my research tells me) then with my 3650lbs E rated tires (I need to double check them as I think they are actually over 3800 but the print is too small for my eyes), I should be good to 7300lbs on the rear axle. Upgrading to some Toyo's that are 4000+lbs and my next issue is wheels which I believe are rated at 3500lbs also. SO an upgrade to something better to match the tires should be in order.
So, my thought is that if my research pans out and the axle is actually rated at or close to 10,000lbs and I can get the wheels and tires to handle 8000lbs than a camper weighing in at say, 4500lbs fully loaded will put me around 7300lbs on the rear axle and a couple hundred pounds more on the front. The heaviest I've seen anyone quote for the 990 fully loaded is I believe 4785lbs (Truck Camper Magazine) which would put me around 7500-7600lbs on the rear axle assuming a couple hundred pounds rides on the front.
I can't find good info on the rear leafs but they appear to be rated around 7000lbs however I see direct OEM replacements that show as much as 13,600lbs so it's possible to swap them out. Best I can figure so far is that I have a 5400lbs spring pack with a 5th leaf referred to as a 'helper spring' (3/1 pack plus the helper) so I'm guessing the helper ads the extra capacity but I can see the OEM SD spring pack is rated at 8800lbs.
In short, with good E rated tires, 8800lbs spring pack ($189), good wheels and all else being equal I could conceivably be quite fine with a rear axle weight of 7500lbs-7800lbs with the camper loaded up. Add in some stable loads and or air bags and maybe a sway bar and I should be good.
Not to mention I won't actually be over the real axle weight rating of the truck when you check on that rated via the manufacturer when not considering tires and wheels etc.
OK...more research to do.
On a side note I did a BUNCH of looking for a decent camper in the weight range that would not cause me to have to do the above but I just didn't find anything I liked.
So, a DRW may be in the future if the above proves wrong but I'm willing to dot he above first to test it out and see how it feels.
