Best used truck campers for ~4400lbs payload SRW 1T 8' F-350

[BeMurda]

Hi all,

Looking to buy my first truck camper, used. Looking relatively modern (less than 15 years old) with good construction and power jacks. Are there any models you recommend for this size truck? Any that you think would be ideal?

What should I look out for as a first time buyer? Thank you.

[Grit_dog]

jimh406 wrote:

JimK-NY wrote:
My current truck is a 2018 3500 Ram with 20" rims. Max tire load capacity I could find was 3640#.

Michelin Defenders are rated at 4080.

MICHELIN
Defender LTX M/S
295/65 R20 129R

I think there are some other brands that have similar rated tires.

Depends on tire size but 17” LT tires have been the bass turd size for years. Very few tires available over 3195lb cap. Idk why. Although I see Toyo still offers high load cap MTs.
Ran 295-70-17s with 4000lb load with our first camper.

Yes one will have to get a bit bigger than stock size to get close to or at 4000lbs but any new HD 4x4 will fit 35” tires no problem. (Maybe not GM with the square wheel wells…)

[jimh406]

JimK-NY wrote:
My current truck is a 2018 3500 Ram with 20" rims. Max tire load capacity I could find was 3640#.

Michelin Defenders are rated at 4080.

MICHELIN
Defender LTX M/S
295/65 R20 129R

I think there are some other brands that have similar rated tires.

[JimK-NY]

Grit dog wrote:
Tires are 3rd as it’s easy to get 4000lb rated LT tires.

That has not been my experience. My first truck was a 2500 2010 Ram. It came with 17" rims. I could not find any tires with a rating over 3400# so I upgraded to 19.5 rims and tires at a cost of close to $3k.

My current truck is a 2018 3500 Ram with 20" rims. Max tire load capacity I could find was 3640#.

[Grit_dog]

No tone intended, it’s just tough to write 1000 words explaining what those who aren’t well versed in heavy use of light duty trucks don’t understand.
Bottom line, the limiting factors for load carrying in virtually any/all srw HD pickup is OE spring capacity and/or OE rim rating. Tires are 3rd as it’s easy to get 4000lb rated LT tires.
If you’re already spending $60-100k for a truck and $15-50k for a camper what’s $500-1000 in suspension upgrades or a couple grand for higher rated 18” wheels or 19.5s if you’re not comfortable exceeding rim ratings?
You may want or need the suspension upgrades even if within the OE payload. Mostly due for the higher cog of a TC compared to, say, a 4000lb pallet of brick or a load of wet firewood in the bed.
Think about it this way. DRW trucks (which now have a bit stouter rear axles in the last few years but used to all run approx 10klb versions of the same axles as srws for years) have the same frame/chassis but have let’s say avg 6klb payload ratings. What’s the difference? Springs and 2 more tires. That’s it.
All without getting into the propensity for failure, or lack thereof, of OE srw rims at their ~3600lb ratings. Have abused and overloaded enough trucks/wheels over the last 35 years to have a great deal of confidence that a slightly overloaded OE rim will not fail, short of some serious extenuating circumstance type of loading (severe impact). But you’re already past that point since you’re comfortable maxxing out a srw without the added security of training wheels.

[StirCrazy]

BeMurda wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

BeMurda wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

BeMurda wrote:
I think I will stick to fiberglass or aluminum types of construction. Lance, Wolf Creek, Northern Lite,

There is a Lance 950S with factory weight 3154 that I really want to look at getting but should probably go lighter. I did order the highest payload Dana rear axle.

You’re not quite understanding the camper construction types.
Aluminum is used in reference to the basic frame skeleton vs wood. I noticed zero difference between our 2 TCs which were identical except the wood one was older and we owned it longer. There’s still copious amounts of wood in most any camper that will be damaged by leaks. If it’s to the point that the frame is rotting it likely already has more damage than feasibly repairable to the other wood components. And even an aluminum frame camper would be basically destroyed due to the “other” parts rotting or delaminating.
Didn’t notice any weight savings or vice versa either with our campers.
The fiberglass were speaking of is clam shell exterior. (which will still have a bunch of wood under it). But it won’t have the full length seams at every corner that are all potential leak sources.
And realize that there isn’t an axle option under basically any 3/4 or 1 ton truck from the last 25 ish years or more that isnt rated to around 10klbs capacity. The axle is actually the strongest part of the truck equation for HD srw trucks. You didn’t get anything special axle wise to figure into your acceptable payload decision.

Yes, I did know all that about the construction, but it is still a good summary thanks 🙂

Regarding the axle, I'm sure you are correct that they are all rated for far more. What I was referring to is the Dana 4.30 axle increases the GVWR 400lbs relative to the Sterling 3.73 axle.

I also picked the 18 inch wheels and AT tires with the highest rating from the factory.

Actually you don’t understand any of it if you think deeper gears increases payload.
You could easily haul a 4400lb Truck camper around on a 30 year old F350 with a 351 Windsor and whatever gears they came with.
And 18” OE rims dont carry any more than the 20s.

You’ve ordered a very nice truck, congrats and good luck with your search for a camper.

Not sure where that tone came from, no, I don't think deeper gears increases payload in and of itself. On the 2023 F-350's, opting for the Dana 4.30 axle over the Sterling 3.73 axle, with the right tires, increases the GVWR by 400lbs. In fact, it's the only way to get the 11,900 GVWR package.

but when I got mine , opting for the sterling with 20" tires got me an extra 500. might be the difference with the gas vs the diesel in that package, but I can tell you the sterling is raed way higher than they use it for also. its probably the 430's that they are using as it makes starting easier , so it will save you fuel in town but man whould I hate to have a gear that steep on the highway. but it might not be to bad with new transmssions...

[JIMNLIN]

I don't think deeper gears increases payload in and of itself. On the 2023 F-350's, opting for the Dana 4.30 axle over the Sterling 3.73 axle, with the right tires, increases the GVWR by 400lbs. In fact, it's the only way to get the 11,900 GVWR package.

The Sterling may well be a stronger axle assy than the Dana. Many times our LDT mfg may have to use a different axle mfg to get the desired gear ratio.
However GVWR doesn't carry the the load in the bed from a truck camper/heavy GN or 5th wheel trailer hitch weight. Your still limited by Fords 7230 rawr which is the lessor of a tire/wheel /rear spring pack.

Fords F350 srw has over a dozen different GVWR's from 10000 gvwr on up to 12400 gvwr.....with the same 7230 rawr... regardless of axle mfg.

[BeMurda]

Grit dog wrote:

BeMurda wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

BeMurda wrote:
I think I will stick to fiberglass or aluminum types of construction. Lance, Wolf Creek, Northern Lite,

There is a Lance 950S with factory weight 3154 that I really want to look at getting but should probably go lighter. I did order the highest payload Dana rear axle.

You’re not quite understanding the camper construction types.
Aluminum is used in reference to the basic frame skeleton vs wood. I noticed zero difference between our 2 TCs which were identical except the wood one was older and we owned it longer. There’s still copious amounts of wood in most any camper that will be damaged by leaks. If it’s to the point that the frame is rotting it likely already has more damage than feasibly repairable to the other wood components. And even an aluminum frame camper would be basically destroyed due to the “other” parts rotting or delaminating.
Didn’t notice any weight savings or vice versa either with our campers.
The fiberglass were speaking of is clam shell exterior. (which will still have a bunch of wood under it). But it won’t have the full length seams at every corner that are all potential leak sources.
And realize that there isn’t an axle option under basically any 3/4 or 1 ton truck from the last 25 ish years or more that isnt rated to around 10klbs capacity. The axle is actually the strongest part of the truck equation for HD srw trucks. You didn’t get anything special axle wise to figure into your acceptable payload decision.

Yes, I did know all that about the construction, but it is still a good summary thanks 🙂

Regarding the axle, I'm sure you are correct that they are all rated for far more. What I was referring to is the Dana 4.30 axle increases the GVWR 400lbs relative to the Sterling 3.73 axle.

I also picked the 18 inch wheels and AT tires with the highest rating from the factory.

Actually you don’t understand any of it if you think deeper gears increases payload.
You could easily haul a 4400lb Truck camper around on a 30 year old F350 with a 351 Windsor and whatever gears they came with.
And 18” OE rims dont carry any more than the 20s.

You’ve ordered a very nice truck, congrats and good luck with your search for a camper.

Not sure where that tone came from, no, I don't think deeper gears increases payload in and of itself. On the 2023 F-350's, opting for the Dana 4.30 axle over the Sterling 3.73 axle, with the right tires, increases the GVWR by 400lbs. In fact, it's the only way to get the 11,900 GVWR package.

[jimh406]

Grit dog wrote:

Oh ok….lol.
Hard to believe someone whose had that Host in your pic for god knows how long would actually say that….

It will be 17 years in May with no leaks. The seam sealant is super easy to replace and visible if it's cracking. Window and marker light seals aren't very visible.

You've been around here for long enough to hear about the marker light leaks and window leaks. Fwiw, my Host doesn't have front marker lights or a front window.

In theory, Bigfoots and NorthernLites wouldn't leak, but they do. Again, they aren't leaking through the clamshell, but windows and marker lights.

Fiberglass boats don't usually leak unless you drill or cut holes in them. The same goes for TCs.

[Grit_dog]

jimh406 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
They have probably 50' less of seams that are susceptible to leaking compared to the other style of TC construction. Idk why you'd say that.

Because seams aren't usually where they leak.

Oh ok….lol.
Hard to believe someone whose had that Host in your pic for god knows how long would actually say that….

[Grit_dog]

BeMurda wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

BeMurda wrote:
I think I will stick to fiberglass or aluminum types of construction. Lance, Wolf Creek, Northern Lite,

There is a Lance 950S with factory weight 3154 that I really want to look at getting but should probably go lighter. I did order the highest payload Dana rear axle.

You’re not quite understanding the camper construction types.
Aluminum is used in reference to the basic frame skeleton vs wood. I noticed zero difference between our 2 TCs which were identical except the wood one was older and we owned it longer. There’s still copious amounts of wood in most any camper that will be damaged by leaks. If it’s to the point that the frame is rotting it likely already has more damage than feasibly repairable to the other wood components. And even an aluminum frame camper would be basically destroyed due to the “other” parts rotting or delaminating.
Didn’t notice any weight savings or vice versa either with our campers.
The fiberglass were speaking of is clam shell exterior. (which will still have a bunch of wood under it). But it won’t have the full length seams at every corner that are all potential leak sources.
And realize that there isn’t an axle option under basically any 3/4 or 1 ton truck from the last 25 ish years or more that isnt rated to around 10klbs capacity. The axle is actually the strongest part of the truck equation for HD srw trucks. You didn’t get anything special axle wise to figure into your acceptable payload decision.

Yes, I did know all that about the construction, but it is still a good summary thanks 🙂

Regarding the axle, I'm sure you are correct that they are all rated for far more. What I was referring to is the Dana 4.30 axle increases the GVWR 400lbs relative to the Sterling 3.73 axle.

I also picked the 18 inch wheels and AT tires with the highest rating from the factory.

Actually you don’t understand any of it if you think deeper gears increases payload.
You could easily haul a 4400lb Truck camper around on a 30 year old F350 with a 351 Windsor and whatever gears they came with.
And 18” OE rims dont carry any more than the 20s.

You’ve ordered a very nice truck, congrats and good luck with your search for a camper.

[BeMurda]

Grit dog wrote:

BeMurda wrote:
I think I will stick to fiberglass or aluminum types of construction. Lance, Wolf Creek, Northern Lite,

There is a Lance 950S with factory weight 3154 that I really want to look at getting but should probably go lighter. I did order the highest payload Dana rear axle.

You’re not quite understanding the camper construction types.
Aluminum is used in reference to the basic frame skeleton vs wood. I noticed zero difference between our 2 TCs which were identical except the wood one was older and we owned it longer. There’s still copious amounts of wood in most any camper that will be damaged by leaks. If it’s to the point that the frame is rotting it likely already has more damage than feasibly repairable to the other wood components. And even an aluminum frame camper would be basically destroyed due to the “other” parts rotting or delaminating.
Didn’t notice any weight savings or vice versa either with our campers.
The fiberglass were speaking of is clam shell exterior. (which will still have a bunch of wood under it). But it won’t have the full length seams at every corner that are all potential leak sources.
And realize that there isn’t an axle option under basically any 3/4 or 1 ton truck from the last 25 ish years or more that isnt rated to around 10klbs capacity. The axle is actually the strongest part of the truck equation for HD srw trucks. You didn’t get anything special axle wise to figure into your acceptable payload decision.

Yes, I did know all that about the construction, but it is still a good summary thanks 🙂

Regarding the axle, I'm sure you are correct that they are all rated for far more. What I was referring to is the Dana 4.30 axle increases the GVWR 400lbs relative to the Sterling 3.73 axle.

I also picked the 18 inch wheels and AT tires with the highest rating from the factory.

[StirCrazy]

BeMurda wrote:
Hi all,

Looking to buy my first truck camper, used. Looking relatively modern (less than 15 years old) with good construction and power jacks. Are there any models you recommend for this size truck? Any that you think would be ideal?

What should I look out for as a first time buyer? Thank you.

what other things are you looking for? we originaly bought a 1991 slumberqueen as it got me into the truck camper market for cheep. we are looking at upgrading next fall and have used the last 3 years to decide what we want in a new camper. I want a single slide, a forward bathroom, etc... I am looking at the same weight range as you and I have narrowed it down to eagal cap, adventure, lance, and artic fox. I ruled out bigfoot and northren light (both made localy to me) because they don't have the option for a slide. now if you don't have a 92 lb lab you may not need a slide which you could add them back in. at this time of year they are still way over priced for a new or used one and there is almost a year waiting list for new.

weight wise I am looking at around 3500lbs on the sticker plate to keep me in the range I can handle, you could go a little bit higher depending how much stuff you take with you for adventure, I am looking at there 910db has lots of outside storage that is usefull and a layout that we like.

[jimh406]

Grit dog wrote:
They have probably 50' less of seams that are susceptible to leaking compared to the other style of TC construction. Idk why you'd say that.

Because seams aren't usually where they leak.

[Grit_dog]

BeMurda wrote:
I think I will stick to fiberglass or aluminum types of construction. Lance, Wolf Creek, Northern Lite,

There is a Lance 950S with factory weight 3154 that I really want to look at getting but should probably go lighter. I did order the highest payload Dana rear axle.

You’re not quite understanding the camper construction types.
Aluminum is used in reference to the basic frame skeleton vs wood. I noticed zero difference between our 2 TCs which were identical except the wood one was older and we owned it longer. There’s still copious amounts of wood in most any camper that will be damaged by leaks. If it’s to the point that the frame is rotting it likely already has more damage than feasibly repairable to the other wood components. And even an aluminum frame camper would be basically destroyed due to the “other” parts rotting or delaminating.
Didn’t notice any weight savings or vice versa either with our campers.
The fiberglass were speaking of is clam shell exterior. (which will still have a bunch of wood under it). But it won’t have the full length seams at every corner that are all potential leak sources.
And realize that there isn’t an axle option under basically any 3/4 or 1 ton truck from the last 25 ish years or more that isnt rated to around 10klbs capacity. The axle is actually the strongest part of the truck equation for HD srw trucks. You didn’t get anything special axle wise to figure into your acceptable payload decision.

[otrfun]

jimh406 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
The fiberglass clamshell types like Bigfoot are less susceptible to water intrusion.

Not true since almost all of the water intrusion reported here comes in around marker lights with a bit from other openings in the top for vents, etc.

Most would agree any truck camper can experience water intrusion.

However, any TC that uses only fiberglass and/or aluminum (i.e., no wood) for structural support of the cabover and jack legs will be much less likely to experience a sagging cabover or loose/collapsing jack legs resulting from water intrusion. These are arguably the two most serious structural issues one can have with a TC.