After a lengthy and expensive legal battle, we were finally able to make the RV dealer take the Palomino camper back, plus pay for our damages to our vehicle due to the improper installation (tie downs too loose and no rubber mat between camper and bed damaged the sides of our bed, plus overload caused damage to our suspension). We are now carrying a FWC Eagle shell with minimal gear with no difficulties on steep, FWD roads, and are completely happy with it.
When we went back to weigh our truck without the camper, we were able to calculate that the actual weight of the camper turned out to be 1380#, not the 1056# advertised, but then again, we did add a couple of options (solar panel and awning), but that does not explain why the actual weight was so wildly over the listed weight on the back of the camper.
One thing that the RV dealer either continues to fail to grasp or is in denial about is that load capacity must include all the weight the truck is carrying, not just the load in the bed. This includes the weight of the passengers! Even if the camper's actual weight was 1056#, with our load capacity of 1140# for our Tacoma TRD, we could not use the camper unless it was completely unloaded and only had an 84# driver to stay within the truck's load capacity.
Even Palomino's owner's manual (that we did not receive until delivery) states that the fully loaded camper and truck must NOT exceed the vehicle's GVWR. If you choose to load your vehicle beyond that, and accept the consequences, then that's your choice, I suppose. Of course, there would be no way we could even make that determination until after the camper was already loaded on our truck, so we had to rely on the dealer to tell us that the camper matched our truck.
These numbers are important because load capacity and GVWR translate to more than just what the body of the truck will support. Overloading affects braking and steering as well, and if you are grossly over those recommended numbers and are involved in an accident, you could be held liable for the consequences. I don't want to have to go to a truck scale every time I cross a state line either, and I don't want the government oversight, and I agree that until enough people die as a result of overloaded vehicles, no one is going to take notice. But if you care for yourself, your family, and other people on the road, you should at least think about how much you are carrying and whether it is truly safe, or just "ok".
