New Truck Camper Owner seeks truck advice

I personally think your truck will barely handle it. I'm betting you'll be over 14K GVW....

I just went from a 2011 to a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW CC 14K GVW and I carry a Arctic Fox 1150 which is pretty heavy on its own.

Frame mounts are getting done next week. For weight carrying I will start with Stabil loads. I'll load up and try it. I'm figuring I will end up with Super Springs and a BigWig Rear stabilzer bar too in short order.

Airbags will be a last resort for fine tuning not taking all the load.

If you add spring capacity and rate by adding air helper springs (aka air "bags") or using Stableloads or similar overload spring engagers, consider changing your rear shocks to full hydraulic rather than gas shocks.

With a base weight of 4,751 lbs. before options, batteries, propane, your stuff and a little water the GM 3500HD dually will not safely carry that camper. The truck is slide-in camper rated at 4,913 lbs.. With the multiple slides and a high center of gravity that camper is better suited on a 5500/550 truck.

Since all that TC weight sits on the rear axle, it leaves a Class 3 little left for tongue weight if you also want to tow. I am expecting my next TC to weigh over 3 tons once filled with supplies and even a Class 4 truck will be at its rear axle limit once you add a heavy trailer on an extension.

Unless you are towing behind the TC, the performance of any of the gasoline engines is more than enough. Add 3-5 tons in tow in addition to what you are hauling and the diesel cost and payload penalty starts to make sense.

Bedlam wrote:

daily double wrote:
I started looking around yesterday for something to replace me 2012 F350, and looking at the brochures from Ford, the PAYLOAD of a new F350 DRW is 7050# Thats people ,gear and stuff we carry. The 450 is worse for payload! I would have to go to am F550, to be legal and safe for my 3400# (dry) camper. I could do the 350 but that won't give much if any to play with. The GCVW is not the problem it's the payload. I could do it but if ever in a wreck, overloaded, it won't be pretty!

The models that have over 7000 lbs payload are usually the gassers with 2wd. Expect that most will be closer to 6000 lbs once you add options.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/topics/2015/2015_SD_F-Series_v1-1.pdf

Look at page 9 of 62 in the PDF linked above.

Pretty much right. My gas, 4wd, DRW, CC, in Lariat trim with a few extra's had a payload rating of 6,200+ pounds.

I would add that the gas engine handles the payload very easily.

Owner wrote:
New BF Goodrich 235/85/16 (ten ply with the 3 ply sidewall) All Terrain KO tires all the way around (6 tires) and 2" Fred's Wheel Spacers 2" of solid US steel, not from China. This gave 4" wider stance on the rear wheels.
This made an amazing, amazing difference the way the truck handled!!!! I now love the way the truck handles the mammoth Camper!!!!

From the previously provided link - wheels and tires will be the weak point for your truck.

You might find this to be good reading...

daily double wrote:
I started looking around yesterday for something to replace me 2012 F350, and looking at the brochures from Ford, the PAYLOAD of a new F350 DRW is 7050# Thats people ,gear and stuff we carry. The 450 is worse for payload! I would have to go to am F550, to be legal and safe for my 3400# (dry) camper. I could do the 350 but that won't give much if any to play with. The GCVW is not the problem it's the payload. I could do it but if ever in a wreck, overloaded, it won't be pretty!

The models that have over 7000 lbs payload are usually the gassers with 2wd. Expect that most will be closer to 6000 lbs once you add options.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/topics/2015/2015_SD_F-Series_v1-1.pdf

Look at page 9 of 62 in the PDF linked above.

Another option to airbags that I forgot to mention are Timbren's. Check those out as well.

Torklift Stableloads will help immensely.

I wish I would have added Stableloads before spending the money on airbags.
But, with that heavy of a camper, airbags will help.