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doineedabiggert's avatar
doineedabiggert
Explorer
Jul 08, 2013

1992 F250 HD and 1998 Lance Legend 990

I just purchased a 1998 Lance Legend 990 camper and the weight of the camper including all optional equipment is about 3,470 lbs. The weight of my truck with 2 full tanks of fuel is 5,580 lbs. I have the 7.5L motor and the camper/trailer package which includes front and rear sway bar and the factory 7-wire harness. The GVWR of the truck is 8,800 lbs, so my payload capacity is 3,220 lbs. Obviously, I am a little over my GVWR. The camper lacked about an inch being flush with the front of the truck bed and my rear axle weight was 6,220 lbs which is only rated for 6,084 lbs. I might be able to get the axle weight down a little by shifting the camper forward in the bed where it should be. Since the truck is an HD, it has a full floating axle in the rear and has the same springs as the F350. In fact, the spring brackets are stamped "F350". I also have 3.55 gears in the rear.

I don't have the camper certification sticker on my truck but I have all of the equipment it included. I have hauled the camper with no problems other than a little sway in the rear and some rebound from the rear springs. I realize that I am pushing the limits of my truck and was wondering if I could get some feedback about my situation. I am considering purchasing a 1997 F350 with the 7.5L and DRWs which also has the camper package and was wondering what sort of improvement I could expect. It has a 10,000 lb GVWR and 4,567 lb payload capacity.

Since I just purchased the camper, I really can't spend too much getting another truck unless I could maybe get an even swap, which is unlikely. I am planning a 3 week trip to Yellowstone and then to the Grand Canyon that starts in about 30 days. My concern is the stress I am putting on a truck that seems to handle the load but I might be risking major problems on my trip.

Any and all thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Truck Campers
  • doineedabiggert's avatar
    doineedabiggert
    Explorer
    Jul 10, 2013
    Okay, I did a little more analysis of the last weigh-in at the scales and my original post was a little misleading. My truck does weigh in at 5,580 lbs with me and 2 full tanks of fuel (3,120 lbs in the front and 2,460 lbs in the rear). When I weighed the camper and truck on the way back from purchasing it, my total weight was 9,600 lbs. I had 3,380 lbs in the front and 6,220 lbs in the rear. This was with my wife in the truck and an extra Happijac kit and, a 48" Class V hitch extension with chains and 2 full tanks of fuel. So, the camper weighed more than the 3,470 lbs on the sticker on the camper. After subtracting my wife and the hitch extension which were in the extended cab part, I estimate the camper to be at least 3,720 lbs or maybe I must've have had a big lunch that day!

    Anyhoo, I just wanted to clear up some of the numbers.
  • doineedabiggert's avatar
    doineedabiggert
    Explorer
    Jul 10, 2013
    Sorry everyone for not replying sooner. Let me try to catch up with some responses:

    I am using "E" rated tires that are brand new and I think they are rated at 3,042 lbs each at 80 psi. The 6,220 rear axle weight was the empty weight. The guy I bought it from emptied all the tanks before I picked it up.

    When I was hauling the camper home, it handled pretty well. There was a small amount of swag in the front and rear and once or twice, on the interstate, it started bouncing up and down in rear but quickly came under control. I think the float I was feeling was because my rear tires were under-inflated by 10 pounds. The front tires were under inflated by about 9-10 lbs as well. I know, this was a rookie mistake and should have been the first thing I checked before I left home to go pick it up :-(

    I am considering a set of Timbrens for the rear to help with some of the sway I was feeling or possibly installing a Ride Rite airbag system. I never felt out of control of the truck and it was surprisingly stable but there were a few white knuckle moments with the sway and bouncing. I am using Rancho 5000 shocks all around and the truck rides pretty stiff when it is unloaded. With the camper loaded, the suspension moved about an inch or so but there was no bowing of the rear springs. I have a good 2 to 2 1/2 inches between the bumper and the axle with the camper loaded.

    I am still considering upgrading to an F350 but I am more confident now that my F250 HD can do the job. I really appreciate all of the feedback and advice. Please keep it coming!
  • bjbear's avatar
    bjbear
    Explorer
    Jul 09, 2013
    Just a question. When you wieghed your rear axle @ 6220 lbs, was the rig loaded for a trip (water, food, propane, passengers, etc)? Or was it empty?
  • Sparky87k5's avatar
    Sparky87k5
    Explorer
    Jul 09, 2013
    From an axle standpoint, your rear axle is rated for at least 6800 and is limited by the tires you're running. I hauled my present camper (3500#) on a 6 week trip of 7200 miles on my old 04 F250 (8800GVW) and had axle weights of 6450 for the rear and a gross weight of 10,500. Tires were rated for 3700 each. Installed airbags was only add on. Did well but I knew I was pushing it, bought present DRW truck and much happier now.
  • KD4UPL's avatar
    KD4UPL
    Explorer
    Jul 09, 2013
    A dually would be a night and day difference hauling that camper. You would love it.
    Having said that, you're in pretty good shape weight wise. Most TC hauling trucks are further over their GVWR than that. Ford seems to make their RAWR exactly the sum of the weight ratings on the rear tires. If you upgrade to higher capacity tires you can gain some capacity until you hit the limits of the wheels or axle. Moving the camper an inch will make very little difference.
    I used to haul my 11' camper on a Chevy 3500 SRW. I weighted 11,410 on a truck rated for 9,900. I put several thousand trouble free miles on it. I then put the camper on a Chevy dually. I weighed 13,140 on a truck rated for 11,400. I drove it from the house to the local gas station to fill the propane tanks for the first outing and could tell a huge improvement just in that trip. It had far less bounce and sway then when on the SRW truck.
  • Moomba2002's avatar
    Moomba2002
    Explorer
    Jul 08, 2013
    I had a 97 Lance 11ft. on my 1992 Ford F250 4x4 with the 7.3 and with air bags it did fine. The only thing the camper didn't have was a generator. There are better suspension upgrades than I had back then so I would say try it and see how it works. My inlaws have been carrying a 11 ft. Caribeau on there 1992 Ford 2wd. F250 with many happy miles of camping. Good luck and happy camping.

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