Truck camper payload question?
I have a truck camper payload question. If this is the wrong forum, I apologize in advance. I also posted this in the truck forum. We recently put a deposit down on a flatbed Northstar Escape Pod ...
Forum Discussion
Sure, you can go over the GVWR (though most everyone agrees not to go over axle limits.) My old rig was well over GVWR, and I band-aided it a lot and it worked pretty well. It was a 2850# camper, which weighed about 3500 with all gear and fluids, but my truck was a gas engine, extended cab 2500, so my payload was technically about 2500 and I was over by 1000 pounds. It drove fine on the highway and felt pretty safe overall with my improvements (learned over 7 years of using that combo. Being that overweight, and top-heavy to boot, is really not the way I would want to travel to Central and/or South America, or even into the way way remote places in the USA and certainly NOT the way I want to be setup when hitting that pothole in the middle of the highway in Mexico and having a blowout. Tippy forest service roads are no fun either, in an overloaded top-heavy vehicle.
There is no issue putting on dually swing-out brackets on the Northstar to make them wide enough to clear a flatbed, even of standard width. You'd want very good beefy ones to extend that far of course. But of course, you'd be wasting 1' of bed width in terms of space.
I would certainly consider a dually if heading off southward and were concerned about weight, safety, and preparedness for anything.
As an example, the people that put my rig together bought the Kodiak 4500 from a lot with a flatbed already on it. Did some chopping on the bed to allow it to sit all the way forward, bought a Lance 1191 camper off the lot, dropped it on the flatbed, and spent their first night in the Lance, on their way from Connecticut to Argentina (shipping by boat from Panama to Peru, and on the way back from Buenos Aires to Panama.) They took a plug kit and no spare tires. had no truck or camper issue to speak of during their 11 month trip.
The more capable of handling heavy weights, the better likelihood of having no issues with your truck.
I'm just posting this for your consideration of your options. Food for thought if you will. It sounds like this might be a dream trip for you, and I hope it goes really well either way. No reason you can't setup without going to a dually, and truth-be-told no reason you couldn't put a 7' wide flatbed on it, but another consideration, unless you go with a really high-end aluminum flatbed (probably the "best" route) you will also be adding significant weight to your truck over the flimsy sheet metal bed that it comes with. Going that route I picture the bed on one of those Home Depot rental trucks with your little Northstar and it could be a sweet setup, no doubt. But in terms of the truck itself I'd be seeing an extended cab (not crew) and a gas engine to maximize your weight capacities.
Good luck.
There is no issue putting on dually swing-out brackets on the Northstar to make them wide enough to clear a flatbed, even of standard width. You'd want very good beefy ones to extend that far of course. But of course, you'd be wasting 1' of bed width in terms of space.
I would certainly consider a dually if heading off southward and were concerned about weight, safety, and preparedness for anything.
As an example, the people that put my rig together bought the Kodiak 4500 from a lot with a flatbed already on it. Did some chopping on the bed to allow it to sit all the way forward, bought a Lance 1191 camper off the lot, dropped it on the flatbed, and spent their first night in the Lance, on their way from Connecticut to Argentina (shipping by boat from Panama to Peru, and on the way back from Buenos Aires to Panama.) They took a plug kit and no spare tires. had no truck or camper issue to speak of during their 11 month trip.
The more capable of handling heavy weights, the better likelihood of having no issues with your truck.
I'm just posting this for your consideration of your options. Food for thought if you will. It sounds like this might be a dream trip for you, and I hope it goes really well either way. No reason you can't setup without going to a dually, and truth-be-told no reason you couldn't put a 7' wide flatbed on it, but another consideration, unless you go with a really high-end aluminum flatbed (probably the "best" route) you will also be adding significant weight to your truck over the flimsy sheet metal bed that it comes with. Going that route I picture the bed on one of those Home Depot rental trucks with your little Northstar and it could be a sweet setup, no doubt. But in terms of the truck itself I'd be seeing an extended cab (not crew) and a gas engine to maximize your weight capacities.
Good luck.
