Camper Tie-down Pros/Cons

[ColoradoCorbo]

I'm just starting down this journey of truck-camper life. I managed to find a solid slide-in camper that is 1500 lbs. dry and 1900 lbs. wet for a good price. I'm looking to live in it and pimp it out (I'm a carpenter). My current vehicle is a 2001 Chevy Silverado 1500 Ext. Cab. My plans include upgrading my vehicle within the next 12 months.

The question comes when I'm looking at the tie-down situations. I understand that frame-mounts are MUCH sturdier, however I'm wondering if I may be able to get away with either happijacks or burphy mounts until I upgrade my vehicle. I'd hate to spend $1000 on mounts that I won't even be able to use in the next iteration. Am I thinking about this clearly? What am I missing and how big of a deal would it be to go with the less sturdy/less reliable non-frame mounted hooks for the next 12 months until I can upgrade my truck?

Thanks in advance,
~Corbo

[notsobigjoe]

mbloof wrote:
Ok, sure your just looking to get the EMPTY camper home or some place to store it while you sort out getting a more capable truck.

I've seen folks use the Brophies or even two rachet-straps to hold a camper on the bed before. After all - how many miles of paved road are we talking about here?

My only REAL concern is what does your current truck have for rear tires?

Generally %100 of the campers weight is going to be on the rear tires so making sure they are rated well enough and inflated properly (usually 80PSI) to carry the camper would be my #1 concern.

BTW: 1/2T trucks don't usually come with very high rated tires.


- Mark0.

Would he need load "e" with a 1500 pound camper? I know eventually he will. I do not know...

[mbloof]

Ok, sure your just looking to get the EMPTY camper home or some place to store it while you sort out getting a more capable truck.

I've seen folks use the Brophies or even two rachet-straps to hold a camper on the bed before. After all - how many miles of paved road are we talking about here?

My only REAL concern is what does your current truck have for rear tires?

Generally %100 of the campers weight is going to be on the rear tires so making sure they are rated well enough and inflated properly (usually 80PSI) to carry the camper would be my #1 concern.

BTW: 1/2T trucks don't usually come with very high rated tires.


- Mark0.

[notsobigjoe]

d3500ram wrote:

ColoradoCorbo wrote:
~... Any suggestions or insight that I've overlooked at this point would be greatly appreciated. ...~

Take the tailgate off and leave it at home before you head out to pick up the camper.

Pop the backseat out, that will give you about 60 LBS.

[Grit_dog]

I’m not the weight cops but you will need something added to the suspension just to get home.
Just looking at 1 pic of that model camper and knowing it’s in the 8-9’ long range, it’ll be about 2000lbs.
The biggest issue with a half ton isn’t the suspension or tires as you can upgrade all that easily. Within reason. But moreso the axle capacity.
Sucks but your plan needs to include a 3/4 ton truck right outta the gates I think.

[JimK-NY]

I would look for some options. Perhaps you can find a reasonably priced and safe place to store the camper until you have a suitable truck. Another option would be to pay to have it transported.

[S_Davis]

Make sure you have a good spare tire, and if It was me I would weigh the truck and check what your tire capacity is. That way you will know how overloaded you will be on this first trip.

[d3500ram]

ColoradoCorbo wrote:
~... Any suggestions or insight that I've overlooked at this point would be greatly appreciated. ...~

Take the tailgate off and leave it at home before you head out to pick up the camper.

[ColoradoCorbo]

I thought I had shared the camper make & model, but after looking through the post again I neglected to mention it.

The camper topper is a 1998 Northwood Koala 850.

[ColoradoCorbo]

joerg68 wrote:
The Brophys will probably work just fine for you on paved roads.
As has been said, the camper will overload your truck. This is not neccessarily a problem, but you need to know by how much, and you need to know what you are doing.
Stated weights for trucks and campers are chronically "optimistic", and just adding up numbers from sales brochures or even camper placards will usually not give a reliable total weight. Only a scale knows the truth.
For your own sake, you should have the rig weighed and know the actual axle weights without / with camper. The limiting factor is typically the Rear Axle Weight Rating (RAWR), which is often limited by the carrying capacity of the rear tires. That is one number you should try not to exceed.

How will it handle? Depends on your driving and expectations...

You say you are a carpenter and want to live in the truck. Where are your tools and how much do they weigh? Are you planning to pull a trailer? If so, the tongue weight of the trailer will reduce the available carrying capacity.

Also... when you start making modifications to the camper, you will typically add more weight.

I have a storage unit for now. As I upgrade the parts of my rig (the truck) I'm planning on investing in an 8x14 trailer to pull behind my rig which will hold my tools & also be able to store some materials. Also planning on installing solar arrays on both camper & trailer for off-grid energy production purposes.

My thoughts were when I have a job, I can get to the job. Drop my camper off my truck, go get my tools and stage them at the site, then put the camper back on. Yes I know this is extra steps, but in the short term I'm fine with it as I typically end up on a job site for anywhere between 2 weeks and 4 months before having to move tools again.

The answer seems to continue to be "I need a new truck". With that being said, what are things I should be looking for besides payload & bed-size?

Thank you to everybody who has taken the time to write a response and help me wrap my head around this monumental decision.

[ColoradoCorbo]

notsobigjoe wrote:

JimK-NY wrote:
You have a much bigger issue than just tiedowns. If the info I got from a google search is correct, the payload capacity of your truck is about 1400-1500#. Campers always seem to be much heavier than manufacturer specs would indicate. Plus as a full timer, you will likely have at least an additional 1000# of additional gear including clothing, food, tools, generator, lawn chairs, etc, etc.

Get your new truck before you try to use your camper. When upgrading your truck, make sure it has sufficient capacity to include your plans for pimping it out.

I agree with Jim, The payload is to small. Your towing capacity is huge at 9400 Lbs. but your payload is only 1400 Lbs. here's some spec from a blog I use all the time. Being in the Rockies I'm assuming it's a 4x4.
https://www.autoblog.com/buy/2001-Chevrolet-Silverado+1500-
LT__4x4_Extended_Cab_8_ft._box_157.5_in._WB/specs/

Even if you go with a regular cab it only bumps it up to just under 2000 Lbs.

https://www.autoblog.com/buy/2001-Chevrolet-Silverado+1500-Base__4x4_Regular_Cab_8_ft._box_133_in._WB/pricing/?_contentView=true

You are absolutely thinking clearly with the tie down situation. I wouldn't spend big bucks on a tie down system until the combination of truck and camper is finished. I used bumper/bed mount happijacks for years with no problem and they are easily transferable. Also I think if your super careful with the weight you should be OK. But like Jim said it adds up fast and can blow your socks off when you head to the scales for a weigh in.

What camper did you get?

So I did not understand the importance of payloads vs. towing capacity, but I did know that putting this camper into my truck bed was going to be a stretch.

My plan is to currently get it "home" to a friend's house and store it there while I'm getting everything else set up. The responses in this thread have definitely created a sense of urgency with the truck. I think that by saving on rent, I should be able to finance a truck that fits my needs more and do so quickly. (For the record I hate the idea of financing a vehicle)

That being said, I'm planning on taking the easiest (less mountainous but longer) road home. The camper is in a town 4-5 hours from where I live and I'm budgeting 8 hours to get home with it. Any suggestions or insight that I've overlooked at this point would be greatly appreciated. I'm glad that you and Jim have brought the payload issue to my attention. It's the very reason I wanted to join this forum.

Thank you again,
~Corbo

[joerg68]

The Brophys will probably work just fine for you on paved roads.
As has been said, the camper will overload your truck. This is not neccessarily a problem, but you need to know by how much, and you need to know what you are doing.
Stated weights for trucks and campers are chronically "optimistic", and just adding up numbers from sales brochures or even camper placards will usually not give a reliable total weight. Only a scale knows the truth.
For your own sake, you should have the rig weighed and know the actual axle weights without / with camper. The limiting factor is typically the Rear Axle Weight Rating (RAWR), which is often limited by the carrying capacity of the rear tires. That is one number you should try not to exceed.

How will it handle? Depends on your driving and expectations...

You say you are a carpenter and want to live in the truck. Where are your tools and how much do they weigh? Are you planning to pull a trailer? If so, the tongue weight of the trailer will reduce the available carrying capacity.

Also... when you start making modifications to the camper, you will typically add more weight.

[mkirsch]

For sure you won't be going very far or very fast with that camper on your existing truck. A simple set of belly bars will be sufficient to secure the camper for the time being.

[notsobigjoe]

JimK-NY wrote:
You have a much bigger issue than just tiedowns. If the info I got from a google search is correct, the payload capacity of your truck is about 1400-1500#. Campers always seem to be much heavier than manufacturer specs would indicate. Plus as a full timer, you will likely have at least an additional 1000# of additional gear including clothing, food, tools, generator, lawn chairs, etc, etc.

Get your new truck before you try to use your camper. When upgrading your truck, make sure it has sufficient capacity to include your plans for pimping it out.

I agree with Jim, The payload is to small. Your towing capacity is huge at 9400 Lbs. but your payload is only 1400 Lbs. here's some spec from a blog I use all the time. Being in the Rockies I'm assuming it's a 4x4.
https://www.autoblog.com/buy/2001-Chevrolet-Silverado+1500-
LT__4x4_Extended_Cab_8_ft._box_157.5_in._WB/specs/

Even if you go with a regular cab it only bumps it up to just under 2000 Lbs.

https://www.autoblog.com/buy/2001-Chevrolet-Silverado+1500-Base__4x4_Regular_Cab_8_ft._box_133_in._WB/pricing/?_contentView=true

You are absolutely thinking clearly with the tie down situation. I wouldn't spend big bucks on a tie down system until the combination of truck and camper is finished. I used bumper/bed mount happijacks for years with no problem and they are easily transferable. Also I think if your super careful with the weight you should be OK. But like Jim said it adds up fast and can blow your socks off when you head to the scales for a weigh in.

What camper did you get?

[JimK-NY]

You have a much bigger issue than just tiedowns. If the info I got from a google search is correct, the payload capacity of your truck is about 1400-1500#. Campers always seem to be much heavier than manufacturer specs would indicate. Plus as a full timer, you will likely have at least an additional 1000# of additional gear including clothing, food, tools, generator, lawn chairs, etc, etc.

Get your new truck before you try to use your camper. When upgrading your truck, make sure it has sufficient capacity to include your plans for pimping it out.