There is so much more to it than the numbers in the brochure.
It’s true, the diesel engine weight is on the front axle, and the camper weight goes almost entirely on the rear. In the real world, you lose nothing with the diesel, and actually the extra front end weight makes it drive better.
Where you’re being mislead is on the total GVW number. It does seem reasonable to assume that’s a real number from the engineering dept indicating what the truck is safely capable of.
But it isn’t. It’s an arbitrary number slapped on so the truck fits a certain licensing classification.
It’s kind of like how boxers diet and try to weigh in as light as they can to fit lower weight classes even though they’re bigger guys.
There is no camper a gas truck will handle that the same truck with a diesel won’t.
Tire loading is the real limit, and the fronts aren’t taking any significant amount of extra weight from a camper. Sometimes they even lose a little.
