Truck Camper as towed?

I love the idea and have considered the same thing for ourselves. Here are the things I would consider:

1) Are you going to keep it attached to your pickup truck? If so, it won't be fun to carry around everywhere. If not, you may have to pay for a separate site at the RV campground for each RV.

2) Looks like you can only get a cassette toilet in the models you linked to. That might not give you much capacity or convenience. I've never emptied a cassette toilet, but it sounds marginally worse than a normal RV toilet.

3) I agree with one of the posters above, A/C can be extremely useful. Especially if you are sleeping in that coffin above the cab. The heat can pile up quickly in that enclosed space.

4) A conversion van might offer several advantages such as stealth capability and the ability to park and use the interior conveniences without going outside in the cold or rain.

You will definitely pick up some additional camping options with this setup but may lose some conveniences as well.

A new F150 with a lightweight camper will be MUCH lighter than a Sportsmobile. Close to half the weight. Fully loaded 4x4 SportsMobile extended E350s weigh in close to 12,000 pounds.

I don't know enough about your capacity to even make comment, but will mention I had two 4-Wheel pop ups over the years and they were a nice TC. Mine even fit in the garage.

To put in a bump for Colorado - this is their version, which was always a good competitor to 4-wheel - at times even better.

Hallmark

I tow a 4 door Silverado behind a DP. I definitely know it's back there and can occasionally feel a little push on the back of the coach in certain situations. I later added a Polaris RZR to the bed of the Silverado. It put the truck at it's carrying capacity, so I added air bags to the truck for some additional stability. I was still 2500 pounds under my tow rating for the motor home.

With that said, you are pushing a SHORT Class A gasser past it's limits and now adding weight up high in the bed of the truck. I would be worried that any type of evasive maneuver while on the highway would send the vehicles going in two different directions, while still connected and could be disastrous. I think cautious and smooth driving would allow you to go thousands of miles without issues, but one maneuver to avoid an accident or obstruction in the road and you'll be out of control.

Don't know how much that camper in the link weights, but the new Aluminum F-150's are in the 4500 pound range depending on the configuration. Maybe figure another thousand pounds for the camper and fuel? I know my Dodge Dakota toad weights 4600 pounds, and I've towed it over the Sierras and the Rockies.

azdryheat wrote:


Your 2903 has a GVWR of 20,500 and a GCWR of 26,000 meaning you can't tow more than 5,500 pounds. Well, no one is stopping you. You might want to weigh your truck and camper and I'm sure you'll be way over gross.

This does not state that you can't tow more than 5,500 pounds. It only states that the tow vehicle and the trailer can not exceed 26,000 pounds. If the tow vehicle weighs 15,000 pounds, you could tow an 11,000 pound trailer. But you better not load up the tow vehicle to it's max gvwr! (I have no idea what the rig weighs when loaded, but I doubt it's right at 20,500)

Reading an online brochure, it looks like the 2903 weighs approximately 16,204 pounds. This leaves 9,706 pounds for the user to haul as they see fit.

J-Rooster wrote:
Ductape, I would take your set-up to your home State DOT for a inspection, and get there advice to see if your unlawful. If you get there approval your good to go.

That would only help him in his home state. There is no reciprocity between states on weight or length so he would have to be legal in every state he might travel through.

I realize the chances of getting stopped and weighed are just about nil, but then there's always that chance of being involved in an accident.

Ductape,

Those are neat truck campers. The options list is pretty extensive, although with each option comes additional weight and COST! You'll probably be over on your weights, but if you think it through you can probably do it safely. You definitely will need an auxilliary brake controller on the truck, per the Workhorse (or Ford) owner's manual.

We, too, share your dislike of motels and would love (someday) to have a small RV toad. However, I've always thought along the lines of a Class B/conversion van or Sports Mobile type unit. That way we have everything at our disposal so if it's raining or you're just stopping at a rest area, everything is ready and available. We just like "convenient". :)

The one option I didn't see on the list (maybe I missed it?) was air conditioning. THAT would be a deal breaker for me. I suppose if you know you'll always be in areas which are cooler, I guess it's not as much of a concern.

Good luck in your search.

~Rick

That's a pretty cool slide in set up and at a bit under 900 pounds an F150 will hardly know it's there.

I have seen exactly what you are talking about come through my home town several times in the past so it is being done. So the answer is yes it can. Like everything else, just need to do it smartly