chevy 3500 6.0 vortec and truck camper

[ridinpreacher]

Is anyone using a chevy or gmc SRW or DRW with the 6.0L with any of
the single or double slide truck campers that are out there.

The Lance and Palomino double slides push 3700 lbs. even over 4000
considering the Lance 1172.

Bottom line are these dually only diesel only once you get to 3700 and over?

[ridinpreacher]

What are pros / cons of considering a nice flat bed dually; the flat beds that have the tool boxes mounted underneath the bed look like they could be very user friendly.

[gregchambers]

ridinpreacher, your dad was correct, vehicles can generally pull much more than they can carry! That is more a function of suspension and girth than engine size. A late model Chevy/GMC 3500 will carry 4,000 lbs give or take but it will tow 13,000 lbs with the 4:10 differential. Although I would not want to pull near the rated limit, the biggest campers wet are well under half that amount so the gas engine will be fine.

[RZAR66]

mkirsch wrote:
Why do people question a gas engine's ability to move a measly 4000-5000lbs?

If that TC had wheels of its own you wouldn't even be asking the question! You'd hitch up and hit the road without a second thought.

A TC is easier to move than a trailer because there's no rolling resistance and less total frontal area than a conventional travel trailer + truck.

You took the words right outta my mouth. If my TC had wheels I would have something with a V6 to tow it.

[ridinpreacher]

I remember my Dad's warning to me when I was hauling wood in my 1972 Ford 1 Ton van with 4.10 gear. Son, he'd say, be careful how much you load in that thing. A truck can pull a lot more than it can carry.


That is at the bottom of my inquisitiveness in posting this topic.

[mkirsch]

Why do people question a gas engine's ability to move a measly 4000-5000lbs?

If that TC had wheels of its own you wouldn't even be asking the question! You'd hitch up and hit the road without a second thought.

A TC is easier to move than a trailer because there's no rolling resistance and less total frontal area than a conventional travel trailer + truck.

[sky_free]

With less water capacity, I figure the Lance 1172 weighs about 80 lbs less than my AF 990, or 4,520 lbs wet. I have a spreadsheet I used during my TC shopping that has proven to be pretty accurate. Adding gear and 2 people will put you at 5,100 lbs easily. Here's my weight slip from last weekend completely loaded for camping with people and dogs on board + full water and all my gear and food.

The COG on the 990 is 5" in front of the rear axle, so some of the weight is on the front axle -- about 500 lbs including the contents of the cab. I wish I had an empty CAT scale weight, but didn't have time to take the TC off.

The 6.2 gas engine handles the load really well. No problem with power. The GM 6.0 has a bit less power, but shouldn't make a big difference. I have 3.73 gears FWIW.

[SugarHillCTD]

hmknightnc wrote:
Let's say 3700# empty truck weight on rear axle then 4300# payload for a total of 8000# on two rear wheels meaning a minimum tire rating of 4000#? Maybe so, but I have yet to actually see it anywhere on a stock PU. How about providing a stock tire manufacture name, size, and tire rating that supports over 4k#

You are estimating high on the empty weight on a pickup's rear axle.

But tire capacity? I have aftermarket tires rated at 3970# each. Nitto Dura Grapplers 285/75-17

[Bigimac]

Been looking at 2013 v/s 2015 chevy 1-ton specs here: GM order guide

1-select year; select "2"
2-select "Chevrolet Truck" from bottom navigation;
3-select "Print Book"
4-select "Silverado 3500HD" from drop down
5-check "Specs"; and "Print"

You'll get a .pdf downloaded in a browser window that can be saved for leisure (aka: toilet) reading. At step-5 one can also check "Print Book" & get everything.

& there you go - full specs for: Reg, Crew; 6.0, diesel; std, long box; SRW, DRW

[hmknightnc]

CAJW wrote:
These links might be of interest to you. Good luck with your decision, lots to consider.
2013 Chevy
Payload Match Part 1
Payload Match Part 2

I stand corrected on my previous post about SRW weight restrictions. That is pretty impressive

[travelnutz]

hmknightnc,

The rear axle of a GM 6.0L gas crew cab long box 4X4 truck does NOT weigh 3700 lbs empty. Our 2004.5 Chevy 2500 HD D/A crew cab long box 4X4 truck unloaded rear axle truck ordered new scale weighed 2986 lbs OEM as I had weighed it. The gas engined 6.0L is much lighter and so is the unloaded rear axle weight less. Our truck came OEM with 245/75/16 "E" tires at 3042 lbs capacity tires. When worn out I replaced them with Michelin 265/75/16 "E" tires that have 3415 lbs each. Have been hauling our way over 3000 lb 11'4" fully optioned out including a 3400 watt propane gen and two 30 lb tanks Lance Legend TC on it since 2009 and close to 60,000 miles now with the Legend TC on and never had any problems at all and it hauls and handles excellent even in the high western mountains. The truck has just north of 150,000 on it now and nothing has ever needed or been repaired. The Air Lift System 5,000 lb capacity airbags on the rear I inflate to 65-70 psi with the big Lance on. Yes, we do often pull our 2150 lb boat behind the big Lance TC also or our 6' X 12' X 6' high vee nose enclosed trailer with up to 3500 lbs total weight.

Prior to the 11'4" Lance Legend there was our 9'6" Lance on the truck or still our 29' Carriage 5th wheel that scale weighs 12,840 lbs loaded and ready to travel. When the 5th wheel in on the truck, our 106 gal 100 gal usable diesel aux tank is usually in the front of the bed too.

GM only makes ONE HD pickup chassis and it's exactly the same truck for the 2500 HD. 3500 HD SRW, and the 3500 HD DRW version with only OEM tire capacity/number of wheels, spring capacity, and shock piston diameter being the difference. So easy to enhance a GM 2500 HD to a 3500 HD. Conversion kits including offest wheels for the dually version and box hips for the dual rear wheels are readily avaliable off the shelf to do about anything you want to with a GM HD truck if you want. The 2500 HD with 265's and airbags easily hauls an over 3000 lb TC and we know so well.

[CAJW]

These links might be of interest to you. Good luck with your decision, lots to consider.
2013 Chevy
Payload Match Part 1
Payload Match Part 2

[Peg_Leg]

My 2012 hauls my 13,500 lb 5er just fine. I think the load capacity could go up to 5500 lb. At any rate with the 4.10 gears my 5er is near max for the rating. I think the rating was 10-11k for the 3.73's. I was pleasantly surprised after being a big block fan.

[shooker99]

I should say 3500 Diesel!!

[shooker99]

I have a 6.0 3/4 ton (2008) And a 2012 3500. When you compare pulling power the 6.0 won't pull all that much very fast,,