Truck and camper roll-over?

I found the SAT view of the park and boat ramp. The ramp is pretty long. Would I back down it? I don't know, because I haven't seen it in person.

My job was always to launch the boat with our Class C. I told my dad I was worried about driving down, turning and driving up to position for a back down. I was afraid of toppling over as I drove across the ramp. My dad drove an 18-wheeler. I can still remember this lesson vividly. He rode with me down the ramp, boat attached. When I made the turn and was crossways on the ramp, he said, "Now stop." I did. He jumped up, moved back aways in the RV, put his hands up on the ceiling and rocked that rig back and forth. He said, "Is this what was worrying you?" He said. . . "She ain't goin nowhere." I could put my tractor here and do the same. He convinced me then that I wasn't as top heavy as I thought. I continued to launch boats for years after that and never again got scared.

Dale

jefe 4x4 wrote:
There is so much weight down low and so little weight up high that there is almost no way you could roll your TC over. It's a lot of air up high. It just looks like it's top heavy like the leaning tower of Pisa the top is so far from the ground. This was taken on the Mojave road a few years ago. The people taking the pic gasped at the angle, but no rollover seemed imminent to me. It hardly deformed the suspension. Now if you have a very pliable suspension suseptible to leaning and no anti sway bar, maybe. It did help to have an extra wide rear axle track with those 12" wide wheels and 375x65R16 tires. jefe

I was going to post your pic but you beat me to it!!! :)

Tune your radio to a station way over on the left side of the dial to help prevent rolling to the right, and vice versa. Unless you have one of those newfangled digital radios.

Rolling your windows down will lower your center of gravity a little.

There is so much weight down low and so little weight up high that there is almost no way you could roll your TC over. It's a lot of air up high. It just looks like it's top heavy like the leaning tower of Pisa the top is so far from the ground. This was taken on the Mojave road a few years ago. The people taking the pic gasped at the angle, but no rollover seemed imminent to me. It hardly deformed the suspension. Now if you have a very pliable suspension suseptible to leaning and no anti sway bar, maybe. It did help to have an extra wide rear axle track with those 12" wide wheels and 375x65R16 tires. jefe

Launch on a steep boat ramp alot, haven't felt like it was tipsy, was concerned the first time though.

Grit dog wrote:
He's talking about tipping the truck when side hilling it making a u turn at the bottom of the ramp.

That was a guess too, but I wasn't sure since he said "is it likely to roll over the truck and camper" with "it" possibly being the boat. Either way, eventually the OP will tell us, and we have both cases covered. :)

Oasisbob, I've had my truck/camper on some pretty angled roads. Unclear what too steep might be.

I believe our original poster is concerned with the camper & truck rolling over when he turns around on the steep ramp prior to boat launch. A valid concern? I would be. Is there a degree measurement for concern?

jimh425 wrote:
Assuming you still have the boat tiedowns on, it will be fine. BTW, bad idea to take the boat tiedowns and strap loose until you are very near the water if it is steep. More than one boat has slid off a trailer on a steep ramp when the driver stops quickly!

He's talking about tipping the truck when side hilling it making a u turn at the bottom of the ramp.
For everyone else, there are a lot of launches that are looong and the order of ops is to drive down one side, line up and then cut across to an open lane, turn back up and back in. Can't back down, can't unhook and put on a front hitch. At least not without being "that guy."
To the OP, in my experience, big long ramps that require this are not overly steep. I "think" I've had my camper on fairly steep side slopes, but they may seem a lot steeper when it looks and feels like your CoG is 10' in the air!
I'd estimate the actual CoG of a truck camper is maybe 4' up from the floor of the bed, so going slow and not introducing any large dynamic forces will keep er rubber side down.
I've hooked a few turns on mountain highways that felt far to fast for my butt o meter and truck didn't tip over. Creeping across a boat ramp will be fine. Especially as long as the rear suspension is pretty stiff/sway controlled to keep the suspension roll to a minimum.

The Fort Spokane launch they are talking about is steep and you have to turn you truck and boat around on the slope. It is a very busy launch for Lake Roosevelt and a busy campground with a lot of truck campers there launching their boats. Motorhomes too. I have done it many times and just go slow. More worried about stuff shifting in the camper, did I get everything off the counter tops, and are my cabinets latched than tipping over

You could ask the camp host or park rangers if they have every heard of anyone tipping over.