Bigger Truck

Question

Greetings, after much tug of war the dear man and I have decided we need a bigger truck. Have a F150 that I love to drive, except when we tow the 31' Jayco White Hawk we lived in as we sorted out a mold situation in the house. It tows it well enough, its the fueling aspect of near 50' I despise. Ok my poor attitude of "just get a MH" and his "we don't need another engine to maintain" hasn't help matters. LOL
It's my daily drive to work 5 miles twice a day where I train drivers/drive school buses. Not a diesel friendly commute unfortunately. :( Also we live in the land of salt and snow where we wash the vehicles every 2nd or 3rd fueling. Truck needs to be car wash friendly. So not the right time for a dually.
We want to try a slide in camper with the optional 5th wheel or TT down the road.
We typically find vehicles with 10 to 30k miles. Leaning towards an F350 SRW, long bed, and if we can find it a super cab rather than a crew cab.
The point to this rambling is: Can any 1 ton truck be fitted with a camper or does it need the camper options from the factory? If its rated for 4000 payload it a 3000 pound camper pushing the limits?
Thank you for any wisdom you may have, I'm sure we are not the first couple with an on going battle of the best way to get out of town with the kitchen sink, bed and bath. :B

davef-250sd · Answer

With a 4,000 lb. payload, a 3,000 lb. camper will be a perfect match for the truck. Between you and your Husband, and all the stuff you load in the camper, you should be comfortable with that setup. A dually will give great stability with a slide in camper, but, as you stated, automatic car washes will be out, and parking can be a concern due to the extra width.

winged_one · Answer

Mommalu wrote:  If its rated for 4000 payload it a 3000 pound camper pushing the limits?Look at the door sticker.  Ensure it has the capacity.  Ratings are generally bs.

jus2shy · Answer

You state that you are looking at used vehicles. Definitely need to check the door sticker to ensure you have the payload package needed for a camper setup. Since you're going gasser, 2011 and up Fords come with an excellent 6.2L v-8 motor. Until recently, they have been the leaders in payload as well. 2013+ HD Rams have an optional 6.4L Hemi that you should really look for. Starting in 2013 for 3500's, RAM has had an upgraded Frame. The upgraded frame was passed on to 2014+ 2500's as well. This frame has bulked up their payload to insane levels which currently puts them and Ford on pretty even footing rating wise. However, RAM does indeed have a stiffer chassis, so if you go off the beaten path with a camper, it would certainly be a consideration. As for GM, They still have the tried and true 6.0L motor, however the chassis seems to typically have a lower payload than the other two for SRW vehicles, at least for 2013 and up. I think this is more due to the smaller tires they tend to spec versus RAM and Ford. But the placard on the door is the final word on payload as far as the OEM is concerned.

mommalu · Answer

Thanks for the input, I looked at Rams but thought the bigger hemi and SRW 3500's started on 2014's, that being new dropped them from the search. Will look into them, just getting all the info lined up to make the best choice for the current circumstances.
Thanks again,

mowin · Answer

Ths Ram 6.4 was available starting 2014. Going to be tuff finding a used one.

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