Greenhorn

[Colefishing]

I need help,fixing to buy a truck camper never owned one,I have a dually pick up is there a certain size I have to buy for this style truck,also probably going with used any thing I need to watch for when doing this and where can I find one at a good price.I want to be able to drop it when I get to destination.Thanks for any advice!!!!

[VW_Factor]

Slow and easy will get ya where you are going.

That is all.

Just please, be able to stop and control what you are pullin around.

[Colefishing]

Man think I'll just get a hotel room didn't know I had to get my trigg book back out LOL!!!!!

[KD4UPL]

Weighing your truck fully loaded with passengers and fuel (and without the tailgate) is excellent advice. Then you will know exactly where you stand in regards to remaining cargo capacity.
I don't mean to start a weight debate, nor do I want someone new to truck campers to get frustrated in a hurry.
If your dually is a 4x4, diesel, crew cab, etc. like so many of them are it is probably already quite heavy and doesn't have a lot of payload left. You will find that only campers much smaller than you thought can be loaded while still keeping the truck under it's GVWR. You may wonder what other people are doing to haul around such large, heavy campers.
The answer is they are hauling weights over their truck's GVWR. I would speculate that around 80% or more of truck's hauling TCs are over their GVWR. Is it a good idea? That debate rages thru pages and pages of posts. Just be aware that for better or worse that's how many TC rigs are.
As an example: my rig is an '05 Chevy dually, rated for 11,400 GVWR. Fully loaded with my camper, family, and pulling the boat it weighs in around 13,500.

[handye9]

Weigh the truck, subtract that from GVWR, then subtract tongue weight of the loaded boat trailer. What is left, is available payload for passengers, cargo, and camper.

[Colefishing]

Also will be towing a bass boat

[1492]

Moved from Forum Technical Support

[Eycom]

Just check your door tag for GVWR. Best to weigh your truck full of fuel, subtracting that total from the GVWR on the sticker. The remaining figure is the the amount of weight you have to work with for a stock camper weight, plus any accessories, ie air conditioning, awnings, batteries, propane, generator, water, etc. In addition, it would be safe to assume you'll add between 600-1,000 lbs of personal gear, ready to camp. Remember, you'll want to keep all this below or at the GVWR of the truck. You'll more than likely need E rated tires, probably heavy duty shocks, like Rancho and anti-sway bars. Air bags may be needed, but I'd see how the rig sits before before ordering. Someone else may have some ideas that may be helpful outside of these thoughts. Good luck.

On edit: moderator notified to transfer this to the TC forum for better response.