Forum Discussion

Ziggy81's avatar
Ziggy81
Explorer
Dec 23, 2016

Truck camper + Towing

Looking for some help understanding my options since I don't math so good... I don't really understand the payload + tow+ hitch extension setups and which campers would be best for my need.

I own a 2016 f250 6.7 srw w/6.5' bed, 3.31 gears, No camper package

What are my best options for a Slide-in camper for my truck but it's required that I can tow my 16' car trailer and heavily modified Jeep at about 6500lbs. I'm always towing in the mountains so tow performance and safety is a big factor. Not in a rush to get anything but curious about what my truck can handle. I already plan on adding airbags for general towing comfort.

It would be awesome to have a camper with atleast 1 slide out to have floor room for 2 dogs but with weight restrictions may prevent a slide out. I know a dully with 8' bed would help but simply won't be a option since I already have a truck. Worst case, I'll continue to tent camp (which I still enjoy) if it's not worth the investment. Thanks in advance
Truck Campers
  • burningman's avatar
    burningman
    Explorer II
    Dec 24, 2016
    Carrying a camper and towing your trailer is 4.10 gear territory.
    By the time you re-gear your truck and buy a Superhitch and a shortbed type camper with a slide-out, you'll be a lot of $$ into it.
    You really have the wrong truck, I'd sooner sell/trade into a long bed with lower gears.
    Then you have a large selection of older affordable campers (a shortbed with slide is going to be pretty new and very expensive) and if you stay with the same 8 or 9 foot length you were already considering, you wouldn't need the Superhitch. It would handle it all better too.

    I know, you run what you've got... another possibility is a redneck toy hauler, that's a big enough trailer to put a camper on the front and your Jeep on the back.

    But you still have those tall gears.
  • kohldad's avatar
    kohldad
    Explorer III
    Dec 24, 2016
    One of the problems you have is the short bed. So even the shortest 8'6" camper will hang about 2' out the back of the truck. This will require a super hitch and equalizer bars or a longer than standard trailer tongue to reach under the camper. Regardless, the trailer will about about 700 pounds to the rear axle.

    If you go with a smaller lighter camper without slide, you may be able to pull it off. I purchased a lightweight camper which only weighs 2,400# and 8'6" long. This was my setup on a 3500 LWB 2004 Dodge. I was over my GVWR but slightly under the axle ratings and well under my GCVWR.



    If you need to go to 19.5" wheels, then you really need to move up to a dually for the stability and safety.
  • Powerdude's avatar
    Powerdude
    Explorer
    Dec 24, 2016
    Ziggy81 wrote:
    That all spells it out pretty clearly. I'll weigh everything and look into the suspension upgrades. As of now for me it's looking like the initial investment is out weighing the benefit for me. But it's still worth looking into some overall costs so a man can dream right.....?


    That's half the fun of it...hehe.

    A lightly used, fairly light camper would be good, if you can find one reasonably priced. That's kind of the thing I'm looking for.

    The "reasonable price" think is the difficult part, as is the approval by the better half...
  • Ziggy81's avatar
    Ziggy81
    Explorer
    Dec 23, 2016
    That all spells it out pretty clearly. I'll weigh everything and look into the suspension upgrades. As of now for me it's looking like the initial investment is out weighing the benefit for me. But it's still worth looking into some overall costs so a man can dream right.....?
  • Bedlam's avatar
    Bedlam
    Moderator
    Dec 23, 2016
    Expect to upgrade to 19.5" wheels to get sufficient rear axle capacity for your camper and trailer tongue weight. The truck will need at least StableLoads, bags, shocks and stabilizer bars to upgrade the suspension. Towing will require a SuperHitch, SuperTruss and weight distribution hitch.

    Been using here and done that for 30k miles on my Ford F250 carrying an Arctic Fox 811 while towing an 8k lb 20' enclosed trailer.

    In your case without the camper package, I would go to F550 rear spring pack and stabilizer bar before trying to aid your stock suspension.
  • kohldad's avatar
    kohldad
    Explorer III
    Dec 23, 2016
    Weighing is the best way, but here is a chart you can reference: Fleet Ford.

    Could be from could be as low as 2,426 to a high of 3,806 depending on cab configuration and 2wd/4wd.
  • TxGearhead's avatar
    TxGearhead
    Explorer II
    Dec 23, 2016
    First weigh the truck empty at a CAT scale. Then weigh the truck with the contents you will have when traveling and the loaded trailer. Subtract to find the difference. Compare this number to the yellow payload sticker inside the driver door. The target is to see how much payload you have left for the camper after loading the truck and the tongue weight of the trailer. My guess is you won't have enough.

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