Hesitant owner of 1/2 ton, need 3/4 ton?

Photomike wrote:
I love Toyota vehicles but would NEVER add more than a shell to one. They are not made to carry, pull okay up to a limit but that is it.

Get a used 3/4 ton and put a camper on it and keep the Toyota for a daily vehicle.

I agree with this. I will go further and say get a full size bed. You will have more options on TCs.

You stated Diesels have higher maintenance cost. I do not agree with that at all. I have had my 1996 Dodge diesel since 2001, and about 200,000 miles. I see no more maintenance than on my gas vehicles. Other than maybe a larger volume of engine oil, what does a diesel have that a gasoline engine does not? If you chose a gas truck, do not let the decision be based on less maintenance.

Wayne

I love Nissan vehicles but would NEVER add more than a shell to one. They are not made to carry, pull okay up to a limit but that is it.

Get a used 3/4 ton and put a camper on it and keep the Nissan for a daily vehicle.


(corrected for Nissan not Toyota - was doing to many things when I was typing. Sorry)

Several years ago I went into a RV dealership to buy a TT. They told me they didn't have anything on the lot that could be towed with a F150. I was looking at a 16 ft TT. I had just purchased the PU so I was not going to trade it. I bought some plans and built a TC. My F150 did the job. However, when I took the TC off at about 50K miles the truck was totally worn out. I went through 2 transmissions and traded it before replacing the 3rd. Looking at the PU after 4 years it looked brand new. The running gear, springs and shocks were junk. There are some limits for PUs. Can you do it? Yes. I would never do it again.

When we went to a truck camper, I already had a short bed 3/4t truck. I was not ready replace that truck, so I found a camper that fit the truck and was still able to tow my toys. Last year we decided we like this TC setup but want a bigger camper. I upgraded the truck so I can carry the camper we want to buy in the next couple of years yet still haul the smaller camper on it until our finances are in place to make a purchase.

We have followed both lines of advise in this thread. The first time, we sized the camper to our current truck. The second time, we have sized the truck to our desired future camper.

The 1/2t trucks are limited by their semi floating rear axle capacity. Once you get to next larger class of truck, the full floating axles give you more payload which results in more camper choices.

Look at your rating and get some actual weights of your current truck give you an idea of what you have left for payload. Now you can look at campers with dry weights that are 500 lbs or less under your payload and see if any appeal to you. If the larger ones (that are too heavy) are what you want, get an appropriate sized truck before trying to overload your current one.

bighatnohorse wrote:
The truck is EVERYTHING when it comes to truck campers.
Don't even think about a 1/2 ton truck.

Once you explore the trails of truck camping, you will begin to see the potential for extending or expanding your experiences. And you will wish that you had a truck with more capacity.

That Nissan looks pretty nice.
But you've got to tell us what is it's payload?

x2 regarding a 1/2 ton truck. I had a TC on a 1/2 ton when I already had the truck and my neighbor wanted to sell his TC for $500 - we tried it, but only took it on one trip before realizing how overloaded and poorly it handled, then bought a 3/4 ton. It was significantly better. Eventually we traded for a heavier camper and wanted to tow our Jeep, so we traded for a 1 ton DRW. I think a SRW would have been OK as well, but the extra stability is worth it. Even a pop-up will push most 1/2 tons to theirweight limit. As others have said, pick the camper first, then match the truck's payload to the camper. Don't forget anything else you'd like to add, including a small trailer to haul toys or a boat one of these days. Dry weights listed on the camper are often way less than the actual weights, too. Consider at least a 3/4 ton for pop-ups and the smaller hard side campers. I'd look at 1 tons (either SWR or DRW, depending on the camper weight)for the larger TCs and any with a slide-out. Go drive some of the 3/4 and 1 tons. You'll be amazed how well they ride.

The truck is EVERYTHING when it comes to truck campers.
Don't even think about a 1/2 ton truck.

Once you explore the trails of truck camping, you will begin to see the potential for extending or expanding your experiences. And you will wish that you had a truck with more capacity.

That Nissan looks pretty nice.
But you've got to tell us what is it's payload?

Looks like F350's and duallys is the most popular... I guess you would most definitely want 4X4 drive. I have always wanted to go with the truck camper as it would really fit in great with my OFF-ROAD type camping. Probably the most secure way to do it safety wise... You are not alone anymore camping off-road around here locally.

I see alot of the very long beds with duallys under most of the Truck campers photos...

I love my F150 with 6.5 foot bed and super cab layout so I never really could get into the truck campers as bad as I would love to have one..

I also would have the other problems with truck campers and that is what to do to run around the neighbor in after you setup camp and how do you carry all of the must have items along with you... Truck campers are lacking for inside storage space it seems.

My F150 rear bed, back seat area, and my POPUP trailer large front deck area will carry some serious supplies.


If I ever went with the truck camper I would be wanting to pull my Jeep Wrangler behind it all the time but then there would be where would I carry all of my extra 'MUST HAVE' supplies to support my somewhat LARGER off-road setups and my other 'hobby' being ham radio operations. This would require me to have an enclosed trailer being pulled behind the truck camper. Then how would I be able to tow my Jeep.

Someone suggested getting one of those hugh utility flat bed trailers and carry your Jeep and Camper on it- All of the space you have under the overcab bed area would be tons of of room for all those extra supplies..

might look something like this google image...


Or get a longer flat bed trailer and carry the Jeep too...


Kinda defeats the purpose of having a truck camper I would think.

SO here I sit dreaming about having a Truck Camper haha...

Roy Ken

I don't know why the other posters are fixated with 3/4 -1 ton lables! Get the GRoss Vehicle and axle numbers of the Truck you want/can afford and then look at TC'S that will be under that.

Number of TC'S that may fit are limited or non-existent so you may have to move to a bigger truck.

(there are people with 450 & 550 and want a 650 on this forum, but that's not me)

If you are willing to sleep in the bed of your truck there are many light weight options and some may not be a TC.

Here's what I did when I wanted a truck camper. FIRST, I looked for the lightest TC with the features I wanted. SECOND, I looked for a smaller truck with a gasoline engine that was capable of hauling the chosen TC.

My logic? I did not want to take all the amenities I have in my home with me on a camping trip. I wanted a serious step up from a camper shell or tent but not the TV, not the microwave, not the king size bed, not the sound system, not the (you name it). I wanted a TC that wasn't huge and bloated and required a dually to haul it.
I also wanted the TC to fit on either a Toyota Tundra Doublecab or a Nissan Titan. We drove both the Tundra and Nissan and liked the Tundra far far better than the Titan.

I wanted a gasoline engine rather than a diesel because of less costly maintenance, lighter overall truck weight, and easier starting in very cold weather since I lived in Fairbanks, AK at the time of purchase.

I also knew that many TC owners beefed up their trucks with airbag suspensions and other mods such as E-range tires. I did both of these to my Tundra.

What I ended up with is exactly what I wanted. And for 11 years since purchasing both new in 2004, my Toyota Tundra and Outfitter Apex 8 have performed above and beyond.

You will get flooded with comments on how a "half-ton" pickup like the Tundra or Titan won't carry a camper. You will hear that the frame and axle and bearings won't stand the weight. You will hear a lot of negative things about what many perceive as a "half-ton" pickup.

I encourage you to talk to TC owners and camper dealers who have put campers on Tundra and Titan pickups. Talk to Outfitter and Hallmark, for example. See the pictures on their websites of Tundras and Titans set up with their campers.

Or....you can listen to the armchair pilots who swear up and down that putting any TC on anything less than a one-ton dually is folly.

I'll help you if you want. PM me.

As much as Nissans are great vehicles, what is important is the GAWR, tire ratings and GVWR. An improved towing capacity does not necessarily translate into payload for a truck camper.

A 1/2 ton of any make will limit the size of the camper you can carry. My advice to anyone who is contemplating buying a new truck is always to choose your camper first. Look at all the options out there, then pick one the you will be happy with long term. Lot's of good used units out there for those of us on limited budgets,

Then when you know the size and wieght of your desired TC, get the truck that will carry it without exceeding the ratings/limits. We all have our favouite brands, but all trucks on the market these days are good buys.

P.S. My golden rule is to always buy the biggest truck you can afford. :B