What would you do?
Well, I have a dilemma on my hands. After buying a 2017 XD Titan last year only to find out I severely underestimated my research as to actual payload capacity of the truck. I decided I’d do even more research this time, then find a truck with lots of actual payload capacity! Voila, I found a Ram 3500 Mega Cab, SRW, 4x4 with an actual capacity of 4069 lbs, traded in Nissan and bought the truck! Then the search was on for a camper to put on it. After much consternation, I decided to buy a used 2012 Ascent S85RS with lots of bells and whistles from truck camper warehouse! While not perfect, everything worked, it had everything we wanted, with a good floor plan for our needs, and was half the price of a new Arctic Fox 811 and listed listed wet weight was 3200lbs. I figured water and propane and did the best I could to get a ready to travel weight figured out, and came up with roughly 4200 lb travel weight. Long story short, I drive 1400 miles to New Hampshire start driving home and get to the 1st Cat Scale only to find this hulk weighs 4000lbs dry with full propane! OUCH. Anyway, in dismay, I drive Home without incident. Then me and the fiance fill it full of water, groceries and gear jump in the truck and head to the scales to see just how fat this pig can get! Truck and camper fully wet and ready for travel, 13,100lb Gross weight with a truck that's rated for 11400, with 8,700 on the rear axle that's only rated to 7000 YIKES!The Camper with an advertised wet weight of 3200 is actually an elephant at 5000lbs ready to go! And that’s with the spare tire on a front mounted carrier. Well it was worrisome to say the least. We safely made a 5700 mile trip to California and back home this Summer with a bone stock Truck with the factory air suspension then did a 500 mile stretch last month. Which leads to my question what would you do? With that in mind we do boon-dock a lot as we can carry 50 gallons of fresh water and have an Onan Generator on board, so there’s really no weight to cut. Would you go to 19.5 wheels and call it good? Would you bite the bullet and get a dually with 6000lbs of payload capacity 9750 lb rear axle capacity? Would you get mad and torch it (kidding)! The thing that worries me most is blowouts (tires rated for 3600 each)followed by bending the axle housing! Love my set up but question it’s ability to hold up over time. What say you?
