Truck & Camper compatibility

Had my 2011 AF 811S (slide-out) on a 2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4X4 with rear hellwig swaybar, Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks, extra leaf spring, air bags, Vision 19.5 wheel/tires combo and a 2" levelling kit at the front. Not sure but the levelling kit may have impacted the typical GM front low "stance" & balance. The end results were that I was white knuckling it the whole time particularly on narrow bumpy roads, so much that it felt the front end was airborne at times. Thousands wasted. Less than a year later I bought a 2008 F-350 4X4 short box dually with camper package, 19.5 wheel/tires combo, air bags and I added Torqlift uppers. The difference is day and night!

Also tires.

You need E rated tires at 3600 pounds or more. Run at 80 psi (max pressure).

Add Bilstein shocks and NO rear sway bar.

Hi, I also have a 2011 855 and a 2006 chevy 2500. I have added airbags (your Timbrens will do fine.) I also added a Big wig sway bar, but honestly cannot tell a difference. The truck handles it just fine.

Timbrens will get you home and may be all you need. I’d haul the camper first as suggested above.
If it holds the load good, then a sway bar may be a worthy addition.

scout4trout wrote:
I was presuming you got the camper package on the F250.

This^

If not, I believe adding overload springs would help a lot. On my old F250 I had the camper package with overloads and I also had air bags. When I put too much air in the bags lifting it off of the overloads, I knew it. Upper stable loads engaging my overload springs was the most stable feeling mod I had.

I was presuming you got the camper package on the F250.

We also have a 2017 F250, and our old Alpenlite which had a similar base weight as the Lance 855 was easy to carry with just the addition of airbags. We really liked the Alpenlite on our Chevy 2500 as well as on the Ford. The Northern Lite we now have is a bit heavier and is still fine on this truck. The only other addition we have considered is the Hellwig Big Wig sway bar which would be better than the OEM sway bar.

Used to have a Maverick model 8801. I think the weight was comparable to an 855.

My F250 came from the factory with the plow prep package. It had a 1 - 1.5 inch squat, without putting anything in the bed. I replaced the spring blocks with a set for an F350 (they are two inches taller the F250 blocks) and I installed Timbrens. With the camper, the truck sat level. Without the camper, the rear end sat higher by a little over an inch. I also, added Big Wig sway bar.


Note: When you load the camper, you'll want to increase pressure in your tires, and if you stop somewhere for an oil change, the grease monkeys are trained to let air out to get it back down to what the door sticker says.

As always, best to wait on spending a ton of money upgrading your truck until you see what you need. Start with tiedowns and a rubber mat. I haven't done anything more than that to my truck and I've gone across the country twice with no issues at all. See how the truck sits once you load the camper on. You already have timbrens so I doubt you'll have much squat in the back. Drive around a bit with the camper on and see how it handles on turns. And only do one upgrade at a time so you can see which ones work for you.