What am I missing on GVWR??
I have a Ram 3500 SRW crew cab short box. The door sticker shows GVWR as 10,100lbs. The front axle max weight is 5200, Rear 6200. Truck weight 7300lbs (diesel).
I thought the calculation to carry a truck camper was simple: Take the GVWR - base weight - passenger weight = weight of loaded camper possible.
So in my example 10100-7300-300 (us plus our dog)= 2500lbs
So the max loaded camper I can carry is 2500 lbs.
I have been looking at a cirrus 820. Dry weight of this camper is 2500lbs, but could be as much as 2800 with options. So you are looking at over 3000lbs wet which is way too heavy for my truck. I find it crazy that I can't carry a midsized camper with a 1t truck but there it is. Even the Laredo I was also considering pushes it at 2100lbs dry. These are non slide campers.
When I told the dealer I'd have to pass on the Cirrus because it was too heavy he was incredulous. He insists that he loads these on 3/4 and 1t trucks all the time and that I don't know what I'm talking about because the camper is distributed to both axles. When you look at the combined axle rating on my truck it is 11,400lb. Is this my true starting weight? Of course he suggests timbren upgrades to truck, but my understanding was that these don't increase the load you can carry,they just make that load travel better and create less sag on the back of the truck and less sway.I also thought the equipment itself has to be calculated in your total weight numbers.
I am already looking at much smaller campers but wonder why I see so many much larger campers on trucks like mine.
Insight appreciated.
I thought the calculation to carry a truck camper was simple: Take the GVWR - base weight - passenger weight = weight of loaded camper possible.
So in my example 10100-7300-300 (us plus our dog)= 2500lbs
So the max loaded camper I can carry is 2500 lbs.
I have been looking at a cirrus 820. Dry weight of this camper is 2500lbs, but could be as much as 2800 with options. So you are looking at over 3000lbs wet which is way too heavy for my truck. I find it crazy that I can't carry a midsized camper with a 1t truck but there it is. Even the Laredo I was also considering pushes it at 2100lbs dry. These are non slide campers.
When I told the dealer I'd have to pass on the Cirrus because it was too heavy he was incredulous. He insists that he loads these on 3/4 and 1t trucks all the time and that I don't know what I'm talking about because the camper is distributed to both axles. When you look at the combined axle rating on my truck it is 11,400lb. Is this my true starting weight? Of course he suggests timbren upgrades to truck, but my understanding was that these don't increase the load you can carry,they just make that load travel better and create less sag on the back of the truck and less sway.I also thought the equipment itself has to be calculated in your total weight numbers.
I am already looking at much smaller campers but wonder why I see so many much larger campers on trucks like mine.
Insight appreciated.
