Lance 855S

Weighed the truck today empty but for me, DW and the dog (1/2 tank of fuel). 5040 on the steer axle, 3340 on the drive axle. 8380 total. 11500 GVWR. The wet weight on the 855S is listed at 2984, that leaves us with less than 150 lbs for our gear. That's not gonna fly. Oh well, numbers don't lie. Time to re-think this...

We do have an 855S (see signature)

As far as GVWR, you will be hard pressed to find any full featured TC (hardsides, full bathroom, etc) that won't put you over on gross weight unless you go pretty small.

THE FIGURE that many of us go by is axle weight, which is determined by tire capacity.

In our case we have 7940# axle capacity front and rear by changing tires.

BTW, our truck handles the 855S really well. Changed tires and added rear Timbrens and a BigWig swaybar.

Your truck can handle the camper load with no problems. It would be a lot better with 3.73 or 4.10 gears and I would not buy a truck with 3.55 gears which are fine for a SUV that will only handle a passenger load and not be used for towing.

I would guess that the truck itself puts a load on the rear tires of 3200 lbs. and add in 3700 lbs. for the camper fully loaded gives a total load on each tire of 3450 lbs. which is probably over the max load rating for the tires on the truck. This is easy to upgrade with Nitto or Toyo tires that will fit your truck's wheels and provide 3750 lbs. per tire or 7500 lbs. for the pair at the rear axle.

Once you have the camper on the truck go to a CAT scale and check the load on the rear tires. Well worth the $10 cost. Weigh it again when the camper is fully loaded for your first trip.

Something that will help your truck is the addition of a rear anti-sway bar if you did not get the factory option with your truck. Hopefully you got the tow package option as that adds extra cooling capacity for the transmission which is important with a camper load.

If the truck sags in the rear, which is unlikely, then you can easily add a set of SuperSprings (as them what they would recommend in your situation) to gain more payload capacity.

If the springs are up to the task then the other possible weak point is the shocks. The factory shocks are not likely to last very long with the camper load and when they do need to be replaced go with Bilsteins or Rancho 9000XL shocks.

Your truck's rear axle and wheel bearings are rated for more than 11,000 lbs. and the truck's drivetrain and frame is rated for towing half again that amount so don't worry about hauling a load of less than 4,000 lbs. in the bed of the truck.

There is a website and forum devoted to Lance camper owners which is a great source for information that is useful.

Slick Rick: We have the same truck (earlier model year) and have been carrying an 855S for almost two years. The truck handles the load amazingly well - and we're running stock.

Since this is our second truck and camper set-up, we have something to compare it to. Previously, we had a non-slide Lance 820 sitting on a F350, super cab, V10, 4x4. This combination also handled very well, but these new 350's are really much more stout, when properly equipped. In fact, our new truck carries the heavier 855S even better than I thought it would. We are very happy with the set-up.

Slides are a personal preference, but given the choice, I highly recommend the 855S. The extra space is well worth the weight, cost and maintenance that may arise. Take your time and think it through, so you buy the right camper the first time around. It's cheaper that way.

Good luck with your decision.

Slick Rick wrote:
Weighed the truck today empty but for me, DW and the dog (1/2 tank of fuel). 5040 on the steer axle, 3340 on the drive axle. 8380 total. 11500 GVWR. The wet weight on the 855S is listed at 2984, that leaves us with less than 150 lbs for our gear. That's not gonna fly. Oh well, numbers don't lie. Time to re-think this...

Wow, the new trucks have more GVWR but they're heavier, too. Your truck weighs over 1000 lbs more than my 2005 Dodge.

As " Billtex " said Bill Penny is "Truck Camper Warehouse". Was up there the other day and he has 45-50 TC's on site. Worth the trip, beautiful foilage now also.

I think you will be just fine.
I drove my dodge 2500 hard with my Lance 855s from Seattle to Anchorage. If there was ever a time that a tire should have blown or an axle snapped, it should have been then. I have driven the Denali Hwy (130 mile gravel road) a few times loaded with no issues. Tires and trucks are rated below what they are capable of for obvious reasons. I wouldn't let the numbers or the safety specialists on this forum scare you. I realize I could invest safer equipment, but I don't give a crap. Take my advice with a grain of salt because I'm lucky to be alive; I grew up with led based paint, never wore a bike helmet, and played with lawn darts.

Truckin 10 I grew up drinking hose water and I had a BB gun
at a very young age WHEW I thank god every day to have survived :)

I carried a 1050S on a 2008 Dodge RAM 3500 SRW - 19.5 wheels/tires - Torklift StableLoads.

Thousands of miles and NO Problems.

Proper setup with attention to tire capacity and you will have no problem.

I sat on the tailgate of many pickups traveling down gravel roads in the 50's and am still here. Also carried 3,000 lbs. of peaches on a LWB 1/2 Ton Dodge D100 in the 60's.