Asking for advice setting up truck for tc

Hold on a second. :D Go shop for a TC. Once you pick that out, decide what to do to your truck or maybe you’ll even trade.

As far as tiedowns are concerned, I prefer Torklift tiedown mounts with Fastguns. Again though, make sure you are keeping that truck before you buy parts like tiedown mounts that aren’t universal.

Torklift tie downs. Front rear sway bars, Rancho 9000 shocks or similar flavor rating/performance, solar 1.5 times solar watts as battery amp hours, Fantastic vent or Maxair fan, I have a 600 watt pure sine inverter for those times when you need some AC. That's my short list, best wishes on your comming adventures.

Tie downs should be frame mounted, Torklift is the industry leader for tie downs. As for payload I’m guessing you’re around 1500 lbs with your 3/4 ton truck, and if you plan to tow a trailer that will further complicate the payload problem. Basically you will want to look at a pop-up camper like 4 wheel campers. When it comes to matching campers to trucks I’ve come to believe buy the camper first, then find the truck to match to the camper. If you want good payload numbers and a Diesel engine a dually is the answer. A gas engine will gain you almost a 1000 lbs if payload capacity.

Don’t forget you can also trick out the truck if you need to.

Extra Lifes for the springs, bags, new rims and tires. Mine came all tricked out like that. It’s only a 2500 and they have an arctic fox on it.

Ive had 2 truck campers, on 2 different trucks.
First one was a Lance 165 on f 250
Did NOT need;
air bags, sway bars, torque lift anything,
I got happijack front mounts and on the rear had bumper buttons, with Happijack turn buckles all away around. NO problems what ever in handling, sway, squat, slid it in the bed and hooked up the turnbuckles and off i went. NO problems.
Second one is a Lance 1130 on a f350 drw
Needed;
upgraded Helwig sway bars, got the frame mounted torque lift camper tie downs, Torque lift turnbuckles, homemade lower spring spacers upper helper spring spacers, the truck had air bags already and new
shocks. The handling and sway is very manageable, I got a safe secure ride now. I won't win any road races but it handles ok.
The answer to your questions is a big "it depends" check your payload available and then buy camper accordingly. You may or may not need any variety of items to help with handling for sway, load or even bounce. Depending on the camper, how it handles will dictate your first mod. if it sways, then probably sway bars, if it sags then maybe air bags, may have to supplement the handling with lower and upper helper leaf spring spacers, torquelift makes them but if you research a little you can make your own spacers and even tie downs.

If you have a short box truck a Northern Lite 811, is a great camper for your truck.

Welcome to the forum Mark;
Your tire placard sticker payload is a gvwr based payload. GM gives their trucks a 6200 RAWR for carrying weight. Many can have a rear axle weight in the 3000 lb-3100 lb range leaving the truck with around 3100-3200 lb payload. RAWR = the lessor of a wheel....tire...rear spring pack.
The rear axle assy is a 11.5" AAM axle rated around 10800 lkbs and is the same one used on the 3500 SRW and some 3500 DRW trucks.
I've had three differet size truck campers and always loaded them first on a truck I had at that time and then make a decission if higher rated tires...wheels...rear spring pack is needed.

You have the truck so I would start 1st by weighing front and rearaxles separately. That way you know if your exceeding a tire/wheel rear spring pack.

I have had several truck campers on a 3/4 ton truck,from 8ft to 10ft..The "Only" mod I ever did with any of them,was ad springs whether Helwig(My favorite) or coil on top of leaf springs..

My personal opinion is you would be happier with something like the Helwig spring pack than just air bags, which can actually ad sway.Springs kinda solve most problems with a TC..

1976 Ford F-250(7200 GRWR) with Helwigs spring pack adjusted for the TC with 8.6 ft Lance..This was a great ride..

Aaaand here we go.
OP, I would suggest reading this very forum for truck campers. I bet you only have to go back a few weeks to see this same thing discussed several times.

Weight of the camper has alot to do with what you need and how heavy a camper you can haul is entirely dependent on what mods you do to the truck and how much you believe the debate you'll read about or see on this thread by morning regarding the "capacity of a 3/4 ton truck."

True story though, I and MANY others haul about the heaviest campers you can put on short bed trucks (even if yours is a long bed) at 4000lbs + safely and for many miles and years.

Good luck!

Tie downs? 2 real options. Happijack if you're cheap and torklift if you want nice tie downs.

..... We read several articles on several sites and basically AFTER your TC is fully loaded with batteries, propane, alcohol, clothing, food, entertainment stuff, coats, flashlights, cords & hoses, etc, etc, you’re gonna be over GVWR on a SRW Duramax on any Hard Side TC..... We are FULLTIME in the LIGHTEST Arctic Fox TC, an 865, on a 2019 Duramax Dually..... Fully loaded we’re 1400 over GVWR...So you might wanna go to a Dually unless you wind up with a pop up TC..... Talk to some folks driving a Dually and they will tell you that they wished they had gone that route FIRST... Yes you can do it with a SRW truck but you can enjoy the driving a whole lot more with a Dually....We do a lot of Western states mountains with ups & downs reason we got the diesel ( power going up & exhaust brake going down ).....If we lived on the Right Coast probably woudda gone with a gasser as not so mountainous..... Might not be what you wanna hear but it is what it is.....