Used truck camper

Are you aware that the TC's you desire all will weigh 5,000 lbs or very close to it or maybe even more when you add water, propane, a battery or two, food, personal items, pots an pans, canned goods, liquid foods and beverages, etc. Don't forget the weight of the leveling items needed, hookup items, some tools, and you might want a couple folding chairs for at the fire when you get back to your campsite. Your 3500 truck would have to be a dually rear wheel truck with airbags or overload type suspension addons just to safely handle the ready to travel TC alone.

Then, you want to tow a pontoon boat on a trailer with an outboard motor, Fuel, anchor etc and who knows what else. Likely the trailer/pontoon rig will weigh a min of 3,500 or 4,000 lbs with a tongue weight of 450 to 550 additional lbs on the rear and should have a class 5 - 2-1/2" receiver and a heavy 48" extension just to get the bumper ball hitch back behind the rear of the heavy TC. Honestly, you are adding another 650 to 750 lbs min on the back of your truck. The entire weight of these TC's is carried on the rear axle and the hitch setup and the tongue weight is then added on top of it. Will your truck handle that much weight? Haven't even added your occupants total weight yet or the dogs/food weight either.

The rear of your truck weighs 3000+ lbs unloaded. You really have some serious research and thinking to do before you buy one of those big heavy multiple slide out TC's and want to pull a pontoon boat behind also.

We personally have and use a lot our 2004 Chevy Duramax crew cab long box 4X4 with our 11'4" Lance Legend TC with NO slides on the single rear wheel truck and have since 2004. TC alone scale weighs 4,320 lbs total ready to go and it's maxed out on the truck as for weight. On the oversized E tire capacity too. Our Lance has a 3400 watt built in OEM generator and 3 group 31 deep cycle batteries and 60 lbs of propane.

Buzzcut1 wrote:
Those campers are really heavy. You are going to need a dually period to not overload the rear tires. Most folks would recommend a 450/4500 or 550/5500 to carry them. the newer campers with a rear landing pretty much eliminate the rear door access towing issues.

The 3500.is a dually. A bigger truck is not going to be in the budget.

Those campers are really heavy. You are going to need a dually period to not overload the rear tires. Most folks would recommend a 450/4500 or 550/5500 to carry them. the newer campers with a rear landing pretty much eliminate the rear door access towing issues.