I have a 2000 F150 4x4, I would like to put a Hallmark pop up camper on it, my questions are,1. Should anything be done to the suspension on the rear?2. is it okay to put the tailgate gate for the camper?3. What needs to be done to the truck itself to attach a camper?The Camper fully loaded with water, food and clothes would be about 2800 LBS

1)Yes, have you figured out how much over you will be on your payload rating at that weight? You will certainly need air bags to correct the amount of sag you are going to have.2)Doesn't really hurt or help. With a Ford, you might need to build a frame in the bed to to cab clearance anyways.3)Add Torklift or Happijac tie down mounts.

You'll need an outlet to plug it in too. In the bed, behind the cab. Make sure it matches the plug on the camper!

I had a 1995 F150 short bed PU. I built an 8 ft camper and put it on the PU. It sagged in the rear so I installed Firestone riderites air bags in the rear. It was light in the front but put 50,000 miles on that PU. Too much weight and too much load for the 1/2 ton. Replaced tranny but when it need another tranny traded it off. The PU was basically junk by the time I sold it. Read the posts every day and you will see the problems. Saw a post couple of days ago RVer has new tranny in 2003 1/2 ton PU. Why? Transmissions should last the life of the vehicle unless it was overloaded or a bused like my 1/2 ton PU. Probably not the answer you were looking for but I would get a 3/4 ton PU and install TC.

You will be close to double your payload. Slow death for the truck. Hallmark does make campers that would work. For the last year I have used a camper of similar wet weight on my Tundra. Works OK but as I will be driving back and forth to AK for the summers from now own I am going to a one ton truck in the next few months. I have air bags and e rated tires but no other suspension upgrades. You will need tie downs. I have torklift ones. I use an extension to hook up the electrical rather than installing another plug in the bed. And most likely you will need to build a platform in the bed to raise the camper 2-4 inches above the sidewalls and cab. Do this right and you can add some storage for long skinny things. I use homemade pallets, two for portability, and rubber mat between that and the camper. Done a lot of mountain passes some "bat stops" and have never felt underpowered, overloaded, or dangerous. I do have several years experience driving professionally under the worst of conditions in my past for whatever that's worth. Tailgate should be fine...but if your camper extends that far your center of gravity is probably too far back, and you WILL feel that. How much it affects handling depends on the truck. With my tires at 80lbs and airbags up to 60 my truck does fine. Were I you I'd look at one of the lightest model Hallmarks or get a bigger truck. Half tons are really made for towing, not hauling.

F150 and a Camper | Good Sam Community

34 Replies

DanoT
Explorer
Sep 23, 2014
I have a custom Phoenix popup camper built for the Canadian winter with 2" insulated walls, insulated cabinets for gen. set and 2 20lb propane tanks, lots of extra gear like tire chains, extra skis and clothing, shovels, tow chain, etc. and enough gear for a 3 to 4 week trip. It probably weighs 3300 lbs. wet.

Truck and camper wet weight with me and the dog on board is 8800lbs. This exceeds the GVWR of my 91 Dodge diesel 3/4 ton by 300lbs. but does not exceed axle load rating or E load rated tires.

Because of the very heavy Cummins engine the front axle weight is heavier than the rear. I have a Kelderman air bag suspension which includes front axle air bags.:B

The truck handles great, stopping distances are good.
rickeoni
Explorer
Sep 23, 2014
mlts22 wrote:
I have two F-150s. My older one, a 1998, just doesn't have the braking power which would make me comfortable with that heavy a load, no matter how well the suspension system was rebuilt. My newer one with bigger rotors has a decent 60-0 stopping distance... but it has a 5.5' bed, which makes it worthless for a truck camper.

My solution is going to be a one ton, perhaps a dually with the Rickson DRW to SRW converion, since with any decent Lance or Arctic Fox rig, one is likely going to be overweight on a SRW once all the toys are packed in and the tanks filled.

Exactly my 99 f150 was unstoppable when carrying a heavy load. It didn't squat with the camper on, was able to keep up with traffic but when it came to stop, better plan ahead, way ahead!
mlts22
Explorer II
Sep 22, 2014
I have two F-150s. My older one, a 1998, just doesn't have the braking power which would make me comfortable with that heavy a load, no matter how well the suspension system was rebuilt. My newer one with bigger rotors has a decent 60-0 stopping distance... but it has a 5.5' bed, which makes it worthless for a truck camper.

My solution is going to be a one ton, perhaps a dually with the Rickson DRW to SRW converion, since with any decent Lance or Arctic Fox rig, one is likely going to be overweight on a SRW once all the toys are packed in and the tanks filled.
twodownzero
Explorer
Sep 22, 2014
mkirsch wrote:
One person's definition of "work fine" is another person's "white knuckle drive." I've put (inadvertently) 2800lbs in the back of a 1/2 ton truck and it did "work fine" in that I got the pile of gravel to its destination with no lasting ill effects, but I still would not want to do it on a regular basis.

If I had it to do all over again I'd have a DRW truck. Compared to that, everything is a white knuckle drive.
djg
Explorer
Sep 21, 2014
I have a northern lite on a chev 1500 camper dry weight is 1450, loaded on the deck is about 1000 over weight, added 2 leaf springs, and e rated tires rides well but I drove professionally all my life use caution I still think you need at least a 3/4 ton truck but this is how I bought it and just added the mods plan on a new truck in the future, in Ontario Canada I called the ministry of transportation they said all is fine just keep receipts in the truck as proof of upgrades an insurance said I was OK
RichandLiz
Explorer
Sep 21, 2014
I have a '96 pop up I run on my 1/2 ton dakota. It was made for mini trucks 39" between wheel welsh. My dakota is 44". TC with water and propane is stated at 990 lbs. we try to pack light but I have not honestly had it weighed. Handles well, as far ras I have noticed. Upgrades are super springs (before camper so nothing to compare) and e-rated tires. Did run p- rated before replacing. When time came due, did because reading up seemed right. Feel more secure anyway and makes sense based on reading. I usually remove tailgate for weight and to keep it looking pretty. TC sticks out back, but COG is over wheels. Took me a while to findd the right TC to fit and for what I wanted to pay. ;-)
twodownzero
Explorer
Sep 20, 2014
CaveRun wrote:
How can a pop-up TC would weigh 2800lbs ??

Can someone please tell me ?? :B

Loaded or empty?

My 2300 lb hard side camper weighed 3100 lbs the last time I took it out. Surely an 1800 lb pop up can do the same?
CaveRun
Explorer
Sep 20, 2014
How can a pop-up TC would weigh 2800lbs ??

Can someone please tell me ?? :B
mkirsch
Nomad II
Sep 19, 2014
One person's definition of "work fine" is another person's "white knuckle drive." I've put (inadvertently) 2800lbs in the back of a 1/2 ton truck and it did "work fine" in that I got the pile of gravel to its destination with no lasting ill effects, but I still would not want to do it on a regular basis.
Geewizard
Explorer
Sep 19, 2014
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F150 and a Camper

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