I sold my 5th wheel that we've had for 13 years & am now seriously considering getting a TC. I've owned TT & 5th wheel but never TC...so I'm ignorant when it comes to what I need etc. We've decided to try it for a couple of years to see which we prefer before making what will probably be our final RV purchase.My truck is a '98 Dodge 2500 desiel 4x4 short bed (6.5'), GVWR 8800. Front axle 4850, rear 6084. My truck weighs 6600 with me in it. (weighed it today :) )My tires are Goodrich LT265/75 R16 Load range E with Max. weight of 3415. Not sure if this matters but I have 4 leaf springs with 2 more above those (6 total on each side). I'm not real mechanically skilled so please excuse any unnecessary info or incorrect terminology.So, oh learned ones, my questions are as follows:1. My max pay load is 2200, correct?2. Given the above weight restrictions, what campers do u recommend? ( probably just hard sided as we sometimes camp late fall when the temps get below freezing at night.) oh, and please don't tell me to buy a 3500...it's not happening.3. Tie downs. Anybody with any experience with these: http://www.amazon.com/CR-Brophy-Machine-Works-HSSF/dp/B004OCM0C6/ref=sr_1_1/180-6986593-3422315?ie=UTF8&qid=1428002765&sr=8-1&keywords=truck+camper+tie+downs I don't really want to put out the $ for Torklifts & not sure I'm competent for DIY install, so until we determine we are sticking with the TC as our RV of choice will these be adequate? Given that my camper can't be real heavy I was hoping these would work.4.Do I need the "Stableload" from Torklift?I guess that's it...for now :)THX in advance!

If you decide to be strict about your payload rating and subtract the weight of your gear, the family, gas and water you will be pitching a tent in the bed of your truck.

You have to ask yourself "Do I want a good solid frost resistant camper with double windows and good insulation?" Then ask yourself "How much can I afford?" Often it seems people want a lot more than the truck will handle, however there is ways to make the wheels and tires and the suspension carry more than the posted GVW. Best thing to do is have a look in the forum for heavy and weigh and GVW and see what people carry and how they modify their truck to do it safer than the OEM that the truck came off the factory with.

Here is the link for the tie downs you have questions about;http://www.amazon.com/CR-Brophy-Machine-Works-HSSF/dp/B004OCM0C6/ref=sr_1_1/180-6986593-3422315?ie=UTF8&qid=1428002765&sr=8-1&keywords=truck+camper+tie+downsIf you are considering a hard sided camper I would suggest you look closely at Torklift or Happijac. They should be much more stable than the ones you referenced on Amazon.

I would look at 8' campers as light as possible. If a popup will work you, that would fall within your capacity.My son carries a Lance 820 on a Chevy 3/4 Ton w/6.5' bed. He added Torklift Stableloads and Airbags.He has carried the Lance 820 several thousand miles with no problem. Same tire specs as yours too.

Unfortunately, you really do not have the truck to haul a very big camper,, as someone else said you may want to look at about the 8 foot campers Certainly you Do not have anything big enough for a slide-out unit --and without doing some major major modifications to your three quarter ton truck, being that you have the diesel engine anyway (which creates a big load on your whole G.V.W.R. weight rating )you're very much going to be limited :Eif you want to do a real truck camper you really have no choice but to go with a 3500 dually ---Now lot of people say oh you can hold a Big camper- with what you have --but how safe do you want to feel and how confident do you want to be when you go around the corner or you get caught in a big cross Wind. With the semi coming by?????The choice is up to you --and I really don't think you have a big enough truck. Yes I have hauled truck campers:W

Bunch of Questions! | Good Sam Community

sue_t
Explorer
Apr 04, 2015
BTW, with the 8' camper on our shortbox (pictured above) the centre of gravity is in front of the rear axle. The CoG marker is about 12" ahead of our rear axle. The red marker can barely be seen in the picture above.

This camper, the Adventurer 80W, also has a toilet, which was a must-have for me. I'm not a fan of getting up in the middle of the night and heading into the dark in bear country for a pee.
Reddog1
Explorer II
Apr 04, 2015
JIMNLIN wrote:
I wouldn't add any suspension product till you take a short drive or trip and see how any truck handles the load.

My previous 2500 Dodge/Cummins had the 4 leaf main with a aux overload spring pack on top. I've had my fully loaded 16K GN stock trailer on this truck many times with 3500-3800 lb on the ball and it sagged little to none.

Point is don't waste money on bags till your sure the truck actually needs them.
This would be my suggestion.
tonymull
Explorer
Apr 03, 2015
I've found etrailer.com to be the cheapest source for torklifts. If you want to save a few $ use turnbuckles rather than fastguns. As far as installation look into having a local shop do them instead of an RV dealer, save a couple hundred right there. How easy they are to install depends on the truck, they are different for each model.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Apr 03, 2015
I wouldn't add any suspension product till you take a short drive or trip and see how any truck handles the load.

My previous 2500 Dodge/Cummins had the 4 leaf main with a aux overload spring pack on top. I've had my fully loaded 16K GN stock trailer on this truck many times with 3500-3800 lb on the ball and it sagged little to none.

Point is don't waste money on bags till your sure the truck actually needs them.
B-J1
Explorer
Apr 03, 2015
Thx for the help folks.
Great pics Sue,t!

So, after ur replies & some more research it looks like I'll be buying some Torklift tie downs and Stableloads. Going to try to get away w/o airbags if possible.

I think we'll be ok with approx 8 ft camper. I'm also seriously considering a pop up to keep the weight down. It does appear that I'll probably go a little over the 2200# once I'm all loaded. At least the wife & I only add 300# total..lol.

Lance has a couple small/light campers as does Northstar pop ups.

Thx again!
Reddog1
Explorer II
Apr 03, 2015
I would not use that for anything other than a ultra light TC, and then only long enough to replace it. I have used them in the past, and have a set in my shop. Todays truck sheet metal is too light, and easily damaged. Strong side winds could get you in trouble.

I think the short bed and your tires and wheels will be your limiting factors. I doubt you would be very happy with the center of gravity behind the rear axle.

Personally, I do not agree with the "gotta have a 3500" truck. You need only to do a search on the Forum, and you will see many others have the same belief as I on the necessity of the 3500. It is my preference to install 19.5 tires and wheels, anti-sway bar, and airbags.

I have had my present 1996 Dodge 2500 truck 2WD and 11.5' Bigfoot TC for over ten years and 150,000 miles (with the TC). The truck weight is 6200 pounds, and the TC is 4200. My TC adds about 4000 pounds to the rear axle, and 200 pounds to the front axle. It has, and does, serve me well. I now have over 250,000 miles on the truck. I have no interest or need for a 3500 truck, certainly not a duelly.

This post is simply to state what has worked for me. I encourage others to do what works for them based on their beliefs, driving skills, and comfort level.
sue_t
Explorer
Apr 03, 2015
We have an 8' camper for our 2002 F-250 7.3L PSD, 4x4 shortbox supercab.
Torklift tiedowns, installed at home without issue. No suspension upgrades.
Dryweight of the camper is listed at 1752 lbs.

Haven't had any issues. We do a lot of backcountry bush camping, rough trails in, often 4-wheeling. The truck handles the camper very nicely.

This was the test fit at the dealer when we bought it, they let us drive around too, to be sure we felt comfy with the combination.
ISBRAM
Explorer
Apr 03, 2015
I have the same 4 leaf with 2 overloads on my RAM; the Stable Loads helped a lot and were the best bang for the buck. You may already know that your RAWR of 6084 was because that was the load limit of the stock tires.
Dana rates the rear axle at 7500 lbs. and that’s more than your rear springs can handle without squatting. Because your truck is a short bed your going to come up against center of gravity issues if you get a camper over 8 to 8 ½ ft. long.
The 8800 GVWR is going to be almost impossible to stay under; most published camper weights are dry without any options. It’s all adds up so fast that you will be shocked to find out what a 2000 lb. camper weighs loaded with water and gear etc.

For example my rig is just under 11,000 lbs. loaded without people and grocery’s. I had to make a lot of modifications to get the suspension to the point that my truck once again handles like it not overloaded.
dave17352
Explorer
Apr 03, 2015
In my opinion you need a different truck if you want much of a truck camper. You can probably find something that will work but not all that well. We have a 5th wheel and a truck camper and we spend more time with the truck camper now just because it is so mobile. It is pretty heavy but it has lots of room and storage and water capacity. All the things you may want. If you can go comfortable enough for you with very limited capacities, then you can probably make it work. Depends on what you need to be happy. I needed something with all the comforts otherwise the DW would not want to go along. Especially after traveling in the 5th wheel. Also a short bed limits your choices for a truck camper. I have had short bed truck campers and there is a big difference with a long bed truck camper. Just go and check them out at a truck camper dealer.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Apr 03, 2015
Actually a trucks payload is determined by the trucks GAWRs and in particular the trucks 6084 RAWR as its gonna' carry all the load. GVWR doesn't determine how much load a truck can carry from a legal perspective. You can use the GVWR or RAWR payloads if you choose. Both are safe.
RAWR payload example; the '98 2500 with the four spring pack main plus the over load spring pack is a haulers dream for that size truck.
You didn't give us any front or rear axle weights but many may weigh in the 2700-2800 lbs range which leaves around 3200-3300 lbs for a payload. Your choice but which ever route you go a truck should always have front and rear axles weights. You sure don't want to go over OEM rear suspension/wheels/tire capacities.