I've been hauling a 5er for 20 years and frankly I'm getting tired of it. I've been thinking of leaving my 5er down south and travelling to / from it for the winter; in fact we done it once already. Our 5er is a toy hauler (2 Harleys) so we got a 16 foot cargo trailer to haul the bikes (about 5000lbs all up). We really didn't like having to stay in motels 4 nights in a row (too much stuff to carry for us and the cats). I'm thinking about getting a truck camper so we can stay in it vs. motels.I'll be the first to admit that while I know a lot about RVing, I know next to nothing about truck campers. My very first question is this: will a camper fit OK on top of the 5er hitch rails? The hitch is easy to get out but not the rails.My second question is: is it reasonable to expect my 2011 Silverado 3500HD CCLB dually diesel to handle a camper and a 5000 pound cargo trailer?Thanks in advance.

I had both a fiver and a truck camper for many years. I used to take the hitch out of the truck and lay a framework of 2"x4"s in the bed. This was enough to raise the camper above the rails. It worked fine.

I bought a new truck camper back in 2019. Knew nothing about truck campers. I did research the payload of the bed of my 2500 HD Dodge Ram crew cab, long bed. I found a truck camper that came in about 800# less than the payload, which was great. Allowed for "some" stuff. Turned out it was a perfect match with air bags installed. No sway. So, I would suggest researching the payload of your truck bed and go from there. I would think pulling the 5000# trailer, IMO, would be OK. I agree with HappyCamper...2x4's in truck bed should allow for the rails.

LadyRVer wrote:I would think pulling the 5000# trailer, IMO, would be OK.The 5er I pull is 19,000lbs but I suspect its pin weight is less than a truck camper and a trailer.

Yes and yes but you’ll have to pad up the truck bed to bury the rails.

joebedford wrote:My second question is: is it reasonable to expect my 2011 Silverado 3500HD CCLB dually diesel to handle a camper and a 5000 pound cargo trailer?Depends on what you get for a camper.Considering you're used to a giant 5th wheel, you probably won't be happy with a basic 8' camper even "roughing it" for 4 days. You'll probably fall in love with one of the 6000lb triple slide behemoths.If you can settle on one of the middle ground campers, no problem.Have you considered what you will do with the camper while you're wintering in the 5th wheel?

Will a truck camper fit over the 5er rails in the truck bed?

27 Replies

joebedford
Nomad II
Jul 11, 2023
mkirsch wrote:
Have you considered what you will do with the camper while you're wintering in the 5th wheel?
I'm hoping to leave it on the truck. If not possible, there's on site storage.

We can use our motorcycles for most things; last winter we only drove the truck maybe once a week
Grit_dog
Navigator II
Jul 11, 2023
joebedford wrote:
LadyRVer wrote:
I would think pulling the 5000# trailer, IMO, would be OK.
The 5er I pull is 19,000lbs but I suspect its pin weight is less than a truck camper and a trailer.

Your truck will have no problem with any TC save for maybe the biggest ones on the market. And even those will haul, but will be heavier than your pin weight.
Figure 3-4klb for anything hardside no slide that’s longer than 8’. And 4-5k for any of the 9-10’ with a slide out.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Jul 11, 2023
joebedford wrote:
My second question is: is it reasonable to expect my 2011 Silverado 3500HD CCLB dually diesel to handle a camper and a 5000 pound cargo trailer?

Depends on what you get for a camper.

Considering you're used to a giant 5th wheel, you probably won't be happy with a basic 8' camper even "roughing it" for 4 days. You'll probably fall in love with one of the 6000lb triple slide behemoths.

If you can settle on one of the middle ground campers, no problem.

Have you considered what you will do with the camper while you're wintering in the 5th wheel?
Grit_dog
Navigator II
Jul 11, 2023
Yes and yes but you’ll have to pad up the truck bed to bury the rails.
joebedford
Nomad II
Jul 11, 2023
LadyRVer wrote:
I would think pulling the 5000# trailer, IMO, would be OK.
The 5er I pull is 19,000lbs but I suspect its pin weight is less than a truck camper and a trailer.
LadyRVer
Explorer II
Jul 11, 2023
I bought a new truck camper back in 2019. Knew nothing about truck campers. I did research the payload of the bed of my 2500 HD Dodge Ram crew cab, long bed. I found a truck camper that came in about 800# less than the payload, which was great. Allowed for "some" stuff. Turned out it was a perfect match with air bags installed. No sway. So, I would suggest researching the payload of your truck bed and go from there. I would think pulling the 5000# trailer, IMO, would be OK.

I agree with HappyCamper...2x4's in truck bed should allow for the rails.
happycamper1942
Explorer
Jul 11, 2023
I had both a fiver and a truck camper for many years. I used to take the hitch out of the truck and lay a framework of 2"x4"s in the bed. This was enough to raise the camper above the rails. It worked fine.

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Will a truck camper fit over the 5er rails in the truck bed?

27 Replies

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