Lance(lite) 815--the 1/2 ton capable camper?
So I recall when I first came to the forum, many were happy to point out to me that the Lancelite 815 camper--which when it was made was the smallest Lance camper, is designed to be 1/2 ton capable.
Here's mine:
And here's my weight ticket:
My 1 ton, SRW truck is overloaded by 500 pounds. Those of you with newer 1 ton SRWs would be fine, as newer trucks have more payload because they generally come with 18" wheels, which have ~3600 lb capacities at least for the tires, whereas my truck has a 6200 lb Rear GAWR and has 17" wheels, with tires that were originally 3195 lbs. per.
I have long been skeptical of claims by companies that their campers are suitable for 1/2 ton trucks. I have serious doubts that any hard side camper is suitable for a 1/2 ton and even pop-ups with toilets are probably questionable as well.
I don't think it's the crime of the century that my 1 ton truck is ~5% overloaded but a 3/4 ton with the same features as my truck would be much more overloaded and the message really is, to me, that all but the smallest hard side campers belong on dual wheel trucks if we're talking about diesel, 4wd, 4 door trucks like mine where much of the GVWR is eaten up by the truck itself.
I know many of you disagree that the GVWR is an important number and instead focus on what the axles, wheels, and tires are capable of and by that measure, perhaps even a much larger and heavier camper would be okay on my truck. I would much prefer to be within my GVWR and I may pack lighter in the future to accommodate.
In the picture, I was loaded for a 5 day trip, but without my two dogs and their gear, and I was packing 25 gallons of fresh water as I was headed for the Grand Canyon where having a little extra water kinda comes in handy.
It's kinda like how you turn a 12 second car into a 16 second one: take it to the strip! Weigh your rig and I bet most of you would be very surprised at just how quickly the weight adds up.
The sticker weight on my camper (wet) is 2222 and the truck itself weighs 7,300.
Here's mine:
And here's my weight ticket:
My 1 ton, SRW truck is overloaded by 500 pounds. Those of you with newer 1 ton SRWs would be fine, as newer trucks have more payload because they generally come with 18" wheels, which have ~3600 lb capacities at least for the tires, whereas my truck has a 6200 lb Rear GAWR and has 17" wheels, with tires that were originally 3195 lbs. per.
I have long been skeptical of claims by companies that their campers are suitable for 1/2 ton trucks. I have serious doubts that any hard side camper is suitable for a 1/2 ton and even pop-ups with toilets are probably questionable as well.
I don't think it's the crime of the century that my 1 ton truck is ~5% overloaded but a 3/4 ton with the same features as my truck would be much more overloaded and the message really is, to me, that all but the smallest hard side campers belong on dual wheel trucks if we're talking about diesel, 4wd, 4 door trucks like mine where much of the GVWR is eaten up by the truck itself.
I know many of you disagree that the GVWR is an important number and instead focus on what the axles, wheels, and tires are capable of and by that measure, perhaps even a much larger and heavier camper would be okay on my truck. I would much prefer to be within my GVWR and I may pack lighter in the future to accommodate.
In the picture, I was loaded for a 5 day trip, but without my two dogs and their gear, and I was packing 25 gallons of fresh water as I was headed for the Grand Canyon where having a little extra water kinda comes in handy.
It's kinda like how you turn a 12 second car into a 16 second one: take it to the strip! Weigh your rig and I bet most of you would be very surprised at just how quickly the weight adds up.
The sticker weight on my camper (wet) is 2222 and the truck itself weighs 7,300.
My 2012 Adventurer 86 fb I should not have sold because I listened too much of the weight police here..
1998 Lance 990 Legend 11' 6" model
