Suspension mods

mkirsch wrote:

What 1/2 ton truck, save for the "fake" 1/2 tons, is going to be able to comfortably haul a camper like this? You're looking at 2500+ by the time all is said and done, 1000+ over your real available payload capacity.

Just using my 2005 Dodge as an example, my truck is a 1 ton, which has a 9900 lb GVWR. A 3/4 ton of the same year has an 8800 lb GVWR. My truck weighs 7,080 pounds with nothing in it, full of fuel.

That puts a 1 ton at 2,820 lbs of payload. A 3/4 ton of the same year would have just 1,720 lbs of payload.

What that means is that in your example, not only are you far beyond the capability of a 1/2 ton truck, but by the time you put two passengers in a 1 ton SRW, you're right at the weight limit, and a 3/4 ton would be 1000 pounds or more overloaded the minute two passengers got in the truck.

Giving up 4wd would save you a few hundred pounds and a gasoline engine probably even more than that, but considering how close the ratings are, good luck staying within them.

This is why I am skeptical that a 1/2 ton or smaller truck really can safely carry any truck camper at all by the time it's loaded to go out for a trip. I'm similarly skeptical of any camper with a slideout on a SRW truck--every single one I've looked at would put me 20-30% overloaded.

My next truck will be a dually. When I bought this one I never thought I'd max it out, but I have managed to do so not only with the camper but with trailers as well.

The numbers above demonstrate why so many here use 19.5" wheels and tires. The tires on a single wheel truck are always the weakest component. Still, it's quite a surprise when you start adding up weights.