1/2, 3/4, 1 TON

[egarant]

Please educate me on why one would purchase a 3/4 ton pickup for a truck camper.

I've owned all three and I do remember the capacities between the 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton were minimal at that time (1980). I don't know if that is the case today. The capacities between the 3/4 ton and 1 ton were much greater.

I ask because I just saw a post where a TC owner purchased a 3/4 ton and a friend of mine purchased a 3/4 ton short bed for a Wolf Creek TC.

What am I missing? Why are people not going straight to the 1 ton, especially for a TC?

[GeoBoy]

hotrodfords wrote:

jimh425 wrote:
It will be interesting to see the weight difference of your new truck. For sure, diesel, 4x4, more doors, longer bed, and people add weight.

You will see the truth data here. I'll set it up just like the old silverado and run it across the same scales.

My guess is the new truck is 1400#s more than the old one. New truck is a 2016 GMC 3500HD WT, double cab (not crew cab - double is the smaller of the 2), 4WD(!), same 6.0L gas (but the new one has an aluminum block and 60 more HP).

Stayed true to the WT theme as this has the rubber floor mats, but has power windows and locks and on-star with wifi hotspot (a nod to the wife and daughter)

There were 2 different SRW GAWR with the 6.0L: 10k and 11k. I made sure I found one with the 11k MGVW, though after deep inspection between the 2 I am at a loss as to the difference with the possible exception of the tires. They had the same spring pack in the rear with overloads.

Will be fun finding out - I'll keep you posted.

The 6 liter GM motor is still cast iron, the increased torque and horsepower is nice but the 6 speed really helps. I have basically the same truck but in a dually.

[run100]

hotrodfords,
Congratulations on the new truck. It will be interesting to hear and see your comparisons. As family size changes, the needs in our truck and campers do too.

After adding our second child, we felt the move to a crew cab would make traveling a lot more comfortable - and it has. We also found we were cramped in our non-slide camper, so upgraded to a slide and really love having the traditional booth dinette and the needed sleeping arrangements.

[hotrodfords]

jimh425 wrote:
It will be interesting to see the weight difference of your new truck. For sure, diesel, 4x4, more doors, longer bed, and people add weight.

You will see the truth data here. I'll set it up just like the old silverado and run it across the same scales.

My guess is the new truck is 1400#s more than the old one. New truck is a 2016 GMC 3500HD WT, double cab (not crew cab - double is the smaller of the 2), 4WD(!), same 6.0L gas (but the new one has an aluminum block and 60 more HP).

Stayed true to the WT theme as this has the rubber floor mats, but has power windows and locks and on-star with wifi hotspot (a nod to the wife and daughter)

There were 2 different SRW GAWR with the 6.0L: 10k and 11k. I made sure I found one with the 11k MGVW, though after deep inspection between the 2 I am at a loss as to the difference with the possible exception of the tires. They had the same spring pack in the rear with overloads.

Will be fun finding out - I'll keep you posted.

[jimh406]

It will be interesting to see the weight difference of your new truck. For sure, diesel, 4x4, more doors, longer bed, and people add weight.

[hotrodfords]

The truck is a single cab, WT (i.e no additional fluff) gas truck (no diesel penalty), 2WD. Don't know what else to say, other than the weight was taken with no passengers or me in it. The truck sits level with the camper in it, no strap-on crutches for the springs.

I don't think you realize how much weight 4WD, additional cab space, sound deadener, power everything, Diesel, etc. really add to the equation. This thing has manual crank windows. :0

I sold it 1 month ago to get more cab and upgraded to a 3500. When I bought it, it was just me and the wife. Now it's me and the wife, 2 dogs, and a kid. I would have loved to have kept it (2500HD), but the single cab won't fly anymore.

I'm putting Happijac tie downs in the new truck this weekend - our first foray in that will be over T-Day weekend.

Gravity remains 1G here.

This picture has been posted on this site before, but here it is all loaded up for 3 days in Death Valley:

[2oldnslow]

That does seem light. My 2005 2500HD GMC (gasoline) with a 1998 Lance 845 was 3500 on the front axle, 5850 in the rear axle, and 9350 gross when I weighed it at a closed scale in Oregon in 2015. My GVWR is 9200. That was with full fuel, water, groceries, beer, and tools while on a trip.

Maybe the gravity is less in Las Vegas. 🙂

[Grit_dog]

Ya that's only like a 1400lb camper. Seems way light. Truck will have 3k giver take on the rear axle empty.

[jimh406]

hotrodfords wrote:
Here is my "caring" '06 2500HD/Lance 835 weight slip:

Hard to believe your loaded truck with camper is the same weight as my F350 was unloaded and over 1000 lb less than most new DRW diesels. Amazing, really.

[Kayteg1]

Somehow it often escape the attention that weight is not the only thing.
I could load 4500 lb of gravel on my F250 flatbed just fine, as I put most of it behind the cabin.
The 4200 lb camper overloaded F250 rear axle pretty badly as the center of gravity went on the axle.
Also there is more technical details beside 1/2 ton v/s 1 ton.
My present F350 come as cab&chassis. Not only the springs on it are heavier than on older F450 I used to have, but longer wheelbase makes it WAY easier on camper weight distribution. I am actually putting the camper with a foot space in front of the bed to have storage space for small generator and gasoline.

[Kayteg1]

Gaetan wrote:
In some provinces if you have a 1ton you have to have it inspected every year, I have not check if licensing is the same
Gaetan

That might be due to commercial licencing.
My dually has GVWR listed below 15k lb, what avoids some registration requirements, but I have it licences as RV (they have different name for it in CA), what saves me about $400 annually from weight fee.
Worth checking as almost each state/province has similar laws.

[hotrodfords]

twodownzero wrote:
My Lance 815 overloads my 1 ton SRW.

I'm really curious what those of you who actually care about GVWR are doing with your 3/4 ton trucks.

Those of you with 1/2 tons, I already know the answer. You're ignoring capacity and hoping for the best.

Man you got quite a puzzle there.

Are you filling the 815 with rocks? That's one of the lightest hard sides out there.

Please post the year/model/configuration of that 1-ton so we can steer clear when making truck purchasing decisions.

Here is my "caring" '06 2500HD/Lance 835 weight slip:



Thanks.

[Grit_dog]

MORSNOW wrote:
Resale! Used 250/2500's are more popular and sell quicker and at a better price, 350/3500 are assumed to be work trucks (abused) and resale is less. Many of us know this not to always be true, but it is assumed by many buyers.

Yup, and marketing by the dealers and mfgs. Go to most any new car lot and most of the HD pickups are 2500s and maybe a couple srw 3500s if you're lucky.
I'd rather have a 3500srw but a 2500 is what presented itself when I bought a new truck. Used to be just springs. Still is for the most part but I would shy away from a new 2500 now for 2 reasons. Primary reason being tpms monitoring and in the case of Ram I'd rather have leafs so I could overload the snot out of it, like my current truck! Lol

[jimh406]

I don't know if it is broad or not. Based on actual weights posted here over the past 10 years, I think the majority of the trucks are overweight. 🙂

[JIMNLIN]

Thats a very big broad statement which some of us know isn't the case for all 1/2 ton truck owners.
Your making the same mistake many folks do and just assume all 1/2 ton trucks have the same capacities and all TC's are heavy.......and everyone without a one ton truck is overloaded.