Trish123 wrote:
My thanks to you for your input, and guidance about what other information is helpful.
After a text message exchange with my spouse, I have the truck towing capacity information.
It's a 1996 Chevy Silverado half ton, with a towing capacity of 8,000 lbs. We've also used the truck to tow our 28' 1964 Pearson Express cruiser (fiberglass), a heft of a boat.
Hi Trish,
The rear living campers are very nice floor plan. We are on our second one. The first was a non slide camper, 26.6 feet and fully loaded for us was ~ 6,500# with a 1,200# loaded tongue weight. I started with a 1500 Tahoe that quickly changed to a 2500 Suburban after I loaded the camper.
The floor plan
Some pics
Our next one was the same floor plan just all grown up... bigger, longer and heavier. Now 9,950# with a 1,600# loaded tongue weight (TW) after re-balancing the camper or it would be closer to 1,750# TW. This time I knew I needed a new truck to go with the new camper and planed for it.
Having this floor plan has taught me a lot about how campers load in weight. What camper folk bring and where they put it on a particular floor plan drives the loaded camper tongue weight. Many rear living camper layouts tow very stable, partly due to the high percentage of tongue weight. The floor plan does not provide a lot of storage aft of the camper axles. The kitchen is over the axles, which is good, some storage space is a little behind the axles however a lot of the storage is in the bath, the front bed room and most often the large pass through cargo hole up front, which drives loaded camper tongue weight up.
The higher tongue weights are not a bad thing, they create a very stable towing camper which is a real good thing. However that comes with the need to have a truck that can handle the higher tongue weights. This is the friendly heads up, do more research into what loaded rear living floor plans weigh on the camper and brand you are looking for. And the dealer may not be your best source of info. Search out people with that brand who load them and have weighed it. The older models in many brands started with a 13 to 14% dry (unloaded) TW to later go up past 15% to 18% and beyond which is driven by this floor plan. That nice big rear window and swivel rocker does not do much to offset all the gear up front. So the tongue weight rises. After a while the TT manufactures figured out this floor plan loaded so heavy to the front they finally shifted the axles a little to help the issue on "some" brands.
Your 96 1500 Chevy is a good truck, but it has limits in what it can hold up as far as weight for a camper tongue and pull and all the stuff you put in the truck bed.
Point in this, research the truck at the same time. You will not be able to pull 8,000# of loaded TT ready to go camping with your truck and not run over a truck limit, axle, GVW or GVWR. Hubby will not be happy with the truck to pull that much load (8,000#)or hold up the TW of a rear living layout that comes with it. That tow rating has gotten more good camper folks in trouble from day one then any other rating.
Unless you plan on upgrading the truck in the very near future, you are going to have to work through having the TT match the trucks ability. I'm sharing this with you so you can hopefully not repeat the same mistake many of us have made, me included, and get too much camper for the truck to soon find you love the camper too much and the truck has to go....
Good luck on your hunt for the perfect camper for your family.
Hope this helps
John
