Need some help

wnjj wrote:
I think cargo weight rating may assume you have every seat full with a 150# person. If you don't, then you can add that into the rating.

Also, many (most) of us camper guys go by rear axle/tire capacity and are over our GWVR and payload.

I would not even think twice about carrying a popup on 2500.

X2, been there, done 3300# hard side TC with only Tembrens on a 04 2500 SRW dodge

Factory alloy wheels were my truck's weakest link. Next was tires. Why not get a 3500 class for future proofing your wants/needs? Is the price that different? I have been out of the truck market for a long time.

My truck's options added about 1000 lbs. and suppressed my cargo rating. Be careful how much stuff you add to the truck. Whatever you do weigh the thing at a scale on the test drive for real data. It was the only way I could get my mind around the numbers and have real facts. Truth is better than guessing.

GVWR on 2500HD trucks is limited to the delta between 10,000lbs (general class 2 truck rating) and the weight of the truck, which is 7-8000lbs depending on model. Take a extended cab gasser 2wd, rated payload may be 3000lbs. Same chassis, 4x4, crewcab loaded diesel, payload will be more like 2000lbs.......to saty under the 10k class 2 limit.
Additionally mfgs either add in some additional cargo assumed in the truck before figuring the truck camper rating, or reduce the recommended payload due to the high and rearward CoG of a TC.
Either way, any newer 2500HD, has ample rating to put around 3klbs in the bed with minimal modifications to the truck. Same axle, chassis and drivetrain as 3500s. Lighter spring rate and the 10klb class gvw restriction are typically the differences.
If you're really sticking with a lighter camper (under 3klb ready to roll), don't scare yourself out of a 2500....unless you want to. 3500s have their virtues too.

Thank you for all the responses guys. Particularly with explaining what the sticker actually means. I'm fairly confident I'll have no issues with a pop up on a 2500HD.

Thanks again guys. I am really grateful for all your help. I really felt like I was chasing my tail trying to grasp the ratings.

This subject is always a controversial. If you have the money go with the 350/3500. I may someday.

I tow a 5th W with 2200 lbs pin weight with no issues what so ever.

I carried a Palomino M8801 hard side TC (2300+ lbs empty) with no modifications to the truck for a couple of years and didn't know it was on the truck except for gas mileage.

Your rear axle weight (which is what the TC will add) is usually limited by the weight capacity of the tires. Axle weight on my truck was 6200 lbs. as was the tire maximum (3100 x 2 tires). Keep in mind that for the same truck, a gas burner will carry more than a diesel.

How the truck feels to each individual while carrying the TC is a matter of taste, so you may or may not be comfortable with the feel.

My truck handled our current TC fairly good with no mods but was down 6" in the rear. I added air bags to keep the headlights level (the overloads just touching the springs) and tires capable of handling the axle weight. We were comfortable with the feel but last year I did add a rear sway bar which really stops most body roll.

Again, it's all in what you feel comfortable and safe with.

Yes, that number accounts for a 150lb person in every seat in the truck. The yellow sticker on the driver's door or door frame gives you the full payload capacity of the truck, if the truck is new enough.

Now, forget about this whole LEGAL business. There is nothing legally binding about any of those numbers in any state in the United States when it comes to private vehicles and RVs. You can register your truck for whatever you expect it to weigh.

If you take your truck to the weigh station, with an empty bed it will weigh around 2800lbs on the rear axle. The RAWR is 6084lbs. That means you have almost 3300lbs of payload capacity on the rear axle before you run into the first limit, which is the tires.

There are people who haul 4000lb campers on their 2500HD trucks, with no issues. They are of course heavily modified, running 19.5" commercial truck tires and suspension add-ons like airbags. I'm not sure I'd go that far myself, but it has been done.

2500lbs is well within the comfortable capability of a 2500HD pickup truck.

I'll just say that I carry a NorthStar 850SC on my GMC 2500HD with the towing package. No problems.

I think cargo weight rating may assume you have every seat full with a 150# person. If you don't, then you can add that into the rating.

Also, many (most) of us camper guys go by rear axle/tire capacity and are over our GWVR and payload.

I would not even think twice about carrying a popup on 2500.

A Four Wheel Camper is about the only brand that will be light enough because most campers have too many features.

It means Chevy is not built like a Rock....

Seriously though, 250/2500 trucks don't usually have the spring/ tire and wheel set ups to carry heavy loads in the bed, they can tow really well but not carry.
go with a 350/3500 to carry unless you want to beef up the suspension after purchase.