Camper Package on F-350
Looking at used F-350 Dually's for my camper. Not seeing many with the camper package. Anyone found a solution to modify F-350 for that so it can carry large camper safely?
Forum Discussion
Since you’ve been around this forum for a longtime and I remember your participation I’ll assume your question is serious.
A dually, any dually, any make, virtually any year will be the highest GVW offering in a class 3 vehicle.
I don’t even know what a camper package consists of on the rigs you’re looking at. But it’s almost certainly not safety (weight carrying) related and it’s not offering tie downs. So buy whatever dually you want and then outfit it to receive a camper. Which is basically adding tie downs and a bed mat if it doesn’t have one. And possibly an extension to the plug in for the camper lights.
Since you’re unspecific about the camper and its weight, can’t recommend any suspension upgrades or their necessity.
If you identify the camper and the specific truck we can tell yoo what yoo need.
Camper weighs Front 4000 Back 7375 on my current 99 SRW F350 w/V10
I also have 19.5 vision wheels and tires along with upper and lower torklift along with the camper package on that truck.
Been looking around at what is out there thinking of getting a newer truck. Haven't fully decided to switch to DRW or stay with SRW. If I do decide to stay with SRW I would keep the 19.5 wheels and tires. I think they would fit and the new truck would be right at the max spec for the rear weight not way over spec like it is on my 99 F350.
I think Ford is putting a sheet in the glove box now that says truck is not certified to carry slide-in camper if the truck wasn't ordered with camper package.
I do think a dually would carry my camper better than my SRW F350 but am exploring what other DRW owners have done to suspension especially if the truck didn't have the camper package.
Would like to stick with gas engine since I don't drive a lot of miles.
so if you put the springs from a dually on your f350 SRW it will ride pretty close to the same as a dually (going to start a whole argument here, please don't lets take that argument to a different topic) it won't legally raise your load carrying legally, but it will be very similar to a dually with out the extra width. then add the sway bar, a Hellwig bigwig is a very good one. ya the springs and sway bar will cost a big but it is not a lot compared to getting a new vehicle. how much are you over the rear axel weight right now?
the camper package actually has nothing to do with a camper, just a old name carried forward over time, springs and a sway bar is pretty much it if you get a gas motor, if you have diesel you already have the front springs so its just rear springs and a sway bar.
as for the gas / diesel debate engine weight is minimal, in the ford its 480lbs difference over the base, and 400lbs difference over the 7.3 gas (including all the parts that go with it) so with campers engine weight isn't an issue unless you want to put a motor bike carrier on a front receiver and haul a Harley. seeing you have the V10 that is probably less of a difference.
as for the reason you stated of low milage, I am not sure that I would go that way either.. gas goes bad diesel pretty much lasts forever, where gas starts to degrade in 3 to 4 months diesel can go up to 2 years before you have to worry about it. so just from a fuel system standpoint for something that's not used as much the diesel is better.
Thanks for posting.
Dually springs on a SWR haven't heard of that. It rides perfectly level now with the lower stableloads. Always thought the better stability of the duallys was due to the wider stance. Have you actually done this? How much is due to the springs and how much does the wider stance contribute to the increased stability?
the spring mounts and shock mounts are all identical, so that negates the wider stance issue when it comes to the body/frame moving relative to the axel. the only difference between the leaf springs is in some cases an extra spring in the pack in other cases just heavier springs.
I have not don't it in my 2014, yet, but I did do it with my 1999 F250. I had the springs from a dually in it. wider stance doesn't contribute to it at all, that is just a function of them trying to get 4 tires under the rear end so they can put heaver springs to carry the heavier load. the increase in stability you are felling when going from a SRW to a DRW is nothing more than the function of the factory sway bar and factory heavier rated springs.
Current Truck/Camper weighs Front 4000 Rear 7375 on my current 99 SRW F350 w/V10
Front GAWR for that truck is 4400. Rear GAWR is 6830. So 545 over on just the rear.
Truck handles ok except for curves banked the wrong way and there is a little back and forth sway when entering/exiting driveways. Springs aren't a problem with the upper/lower stableloads. It does have a sway bar bar but it is the stock one. I fill up the gas in fall and it goes all winter on the same tank without any problems.
The V10 seems to have plenty of power, I think the problem is the 4 speed transmission. Going up to mountains in the steepest grades it slugs down to 45mph and if I give it enough gas to shift down it accelerates back up to 55 but then it shifts back and slugs down again.
It does have a 4.30 rear ratio and it was a little better in the hills with 16" tires , now with 19.5 tires it is more like 4.10 ratio. If I decide to keep this truck I would add a larger diameter sway bar but don't know how much that would help.
While a newer truck will do a better job at making anyone a better steering wheel holder without thinking. But on older trucks you gotta be smarter than the basic operation of a 4 speed auto.
or in other words shift manually on hills if need be.
Haha, won’t argue the srw vs drw with ya…I’ve been arguing the same as you for years. However the wider track DOES take some of the body roll out of it. Is it 50%? Idk maybe not but part of the sway or body roll is suspension and part is tires and a dually can/does have more tire capacity and a wider base.
Although the OP has 19.5s he can reuse and obviously ain’t skeered like some folks because he been running this setup for a long time on a srw.
Plus given he says he still uses it for daily duties it sounds like, a srw sounds like the best overall choice. Balancing all the uses and taking into account availability.
Regarding gas vs diesel I think he was making a different point. Yes has gets stale. That probably isn’t a concern. He done has had a gasser for a while and wants one again.
Cost IS the issue. Spend $10-15k more for the same truck that needs more maintenance and you don’t need the extra grunt and the risk of expensive emissions issues and most of all a CP4 ticking away under the hood!! BOOM!! Oops, I’ll take “What was that noise for $10k, Alex.”What I didn’t acknowledge earlier is if he’s looking at new enough models to get a 7.3 or 6.8 gasser, they are more popular and plentiful than the outgoing 6.2. So better chance of finding what he’s after.
But I’d take a clean low mile 6.2 6R140 all day long and twice on Sundays if I found one. Nothing wrong with them!Haha, won’t argue the srw vs drw with ya…I’ve been arguing the same as you for years. However the wider track DOES take some of the body roll out of it. Is it 50%? Idk maybe not but part of the sway or body roll is suspension and part is tires and a dually can/does have more tire capacity and a wider base.
I don't want to take over the thread with this, so I'll keep it as short as I can. I wish this was a gathering in a shop where we had one of each so I could physically show how it works. in most old trucks that was true, they had different frames and the spring mounts were father apart than the SRW trucks, but modern trucks use the exact same frames and the only difference in suspension is the spring rate and the addition of a sway bar for the dually. so keeping that in mind where does the body move in relation to the axel.. at the springs in a ford as they are the widest point. so if you put the exact same springs and sway bar on a SRW ford as on the Dually, they will feel exactly the same with the same load, because the pivot points are identical. The only thing the dually wheels do is give you more weight handling capacity with out going to 19.5", and maybe a bit more rubber on the road so more traction when taking off and such. take my truck for instance, ford has made it so easy for me to change to a dually if I want. I need the complete rear end from a junkyard, and bolt that in, also I need the fender flares and they bolt right up to my SRW box, the only pain in the but is I have to change gears in the rear end to match my front end gears, and I would lose my electronic locker because I have not found a dually rear end with that yet. so that should go to show that every mounting point is exactly the same, in the fords anyways, since the mid/late 90's and it is your pivot points that the load and box move on, not the tires.
now having said that there are advantages to drw, the ability to keep running to a safe place if you get a rear flat, cheaper tires, but in the same breath, there are disadvantages especially in snow and off road.
Ok that’s good info. So you have a truck camper already and it probably weighs 4200-4500lbs. Based on your axle loads.
your 19.5s will fit all newer srw Fords but not GM or Ram.
Any newer dually will haul it fine with no mods. Probably less roll than your 99. Stiffer frame after 2017 as well.
but you may want to engage the overloads for the least body roll.
Gas duallys are fairly scarce. As are 2wd of course. Especially scarce if you want anything bigger or fancier than a XL ext cab.You are right very scarce finding a gas dually. Of course I could order new exactly what I want but not worth the expense for miles I drive. I also use my truck for hauling gravel and misc.
Would actually be ok with 2WD for lower COG and easier for my wife to get but those are even scarcer.
Try searching down south. Texas in particular. You may have a shot at finding a used 2wd dually.
Maybe even one that’s kinda decked out. Also better chance of finding a gasser in the flatlands than out here or in the mountain west.
