How get truck and TC with ample weight capacity

[Malone]

Hi all-

We are looking to purchase TC and have been doing all the research we can. It appears truck + camper matching is an ongoing hot topic and it is obviously of great interest to us.

Here’s as many particulars that I can think of and we would love any advice folks might want to pass on.

-We want to be very conservative about payload capacity and have plenty of extra wiggle room. This is paramount. We would like a large margin plus good safe handling.
-We are looking at used for both truck and TC.
-would like 4x4 as we like desert and off road camping
-looking for hard side
-do not want slideouts
-would ultimately like to boondock (can add upgrades in the future)
-don’t care about dry bath, TVs
-edit: crew cab for part time third passenger

As other posters have pointed out it is not generally practical to take prospective trucks or TCs to scales before purchasing used.

We are considering 350 dually. Unsure if diesel or gas. In our price range we are looking at something about 10 years old with less than 200k miles.

For TC there seem to be a lot of used Lances in our area, maybe 15 years old.

Uses would be extended and short trips, remote or dispersed camping. Not really KOA type.

We test drove a Bigfoot on top of a dually and it seemed rather top heavy.

Do we have to worry about cog?

We are unsure if we should just go ahead and get a dually then find the TC. With a dually are we good to go with nonslideouts?

Again, any advice appreciated.

[TxGearhead]

My dually Ram is stock except a Big Wig anti sway bar. Honestly I can't imagine a better match for my 9.4 Bigfoot.
I would go with a gasser if all I was hauling was a truck camper.
My understanding of today's RV market is if you find what you want buy it now, because someone else will buy it away from you.
Maybe I'm a slob but I don't get too worked up about squeeging the wet bath shower. Turn on the overhead fan, step out of the bathroom with the back door open and...

[Grit_dog]

Kayteg1 wrote:

run100 wrote:
One other thought . . .


This approach sure beats trying to put a giant camper, with multiple slides, on a half-ton truck. Hopefully nobody has tried such a thing!

Is Ranger a 1/2 ton?

Polaris Ranger, park ranger, Texas Ranger or Ford Ranger? Lol

[Kayteg1]

run100 wrote:
One other thought . . .


This approach sure beats trying to put a giant camper, with multiple slides, on a half-ton truck. Hopefully nobody has tried such a thing!

Is Ranger a 1/2 ton?

[run100]

One other thought . . .

You're taking the right approach by trying to go minimal on the camper (non-slide, flexible on size) and robust on the truck (350/3500, maybe even drw), which provides best potential for favorable weight ratings.

This approach sure beats trying to put a giant camper, with multiple slides, on a half-ton truck. Hopefully nobody has tried such a thing!

[run100]

Hi Malone. Sounds like you're putting a good amount of thought into the intended use of your truck & camper and some priorities for both. Based on that, here's some thoughts:

For now, you can put most of your focus on finding the camper that meets your needs. Once you find it, then you can match it to the right truck for the job. Many rv'ers have tried doing it in the opposite direction, only to learn they purchased the wrong truck (or tow vehicle) and wind up needing to make a change.

A VERY GENERAL rule of thumb is that short bed campers (with or w/o slides) and 9-foot, non-slide, long bed campers can be carried on srw 350/3500. 10 & 11-ft long bed campers are best on a dually. There's many exceptions, but it's a good starting point. We've had a super cab and now crew cab and find the crew cab provides significant benefits in space and functionality.

Both our campers have been wet baths and we've had no complaints. An often overlooked benefit of wet baths is they are often one-piece fiberglass showers, with no seams and minimal chance of leaks. With dry baths, some owners comment on having water get outside of the shower onto the floor, cabinets, etc. To me, the primary con of a wet bath is the limitation of one-person access. In contrast, dry baths allow one person to use the sink or toilet, while another showers.

Best of luck on your future purchases!

[Z-Peller]

malone wrote:
We test drove a Bigfoot on top of a dually and it seemed rather top heavy.

It sounds like you do not have any previous experience driving a truck/camper rig. I think you should try to rent a unit and try it out for some miles first. You may find you hate the "top heavy feeling", as you call it, and never feel comfortable driving it. What happens then if you have bought the rig?....a dually is night & day difference with stability over a SRW hauling a camper.... I have a larger Bigfoot camper on a dually, and after all the miles I have driven over the years with campers on SRW trucks, I just smile at how solid this rig feels every time I hit the road now...oh, and my truck is factory stock except for upper stableloads I put on to keep my headlights from blinding truckers.

[Kayteg1]

Grit dog wrote:
^Careful there bud....may want to add another layer of tinfoil to your hat.

I figured out that since they let you do all the stunts, they should leave me alone. :C

[jimh406]

It would help if some people actually looked at FAQs instead of implying that there is some sort of conspiracy. Some of the topics on weight. 😉

3. Weighing your RV & Weigh Stations
Weighing in
Pin weight??
getting van/TT weight
How to weigh?
Have you weighed your motorhome?
Where can I weigh my rig?
Where do you weigh your class A
Scales
Where/How Do I Weigh?
Terminology
More Terminology
State truck weigh stations on interstate highways
Do MH need to stop at truck stop inspections?
Do Truck Restrictions Apply to Motorhomes?
Rules of the road in a Class C
RV manual lanes only
Do I have to stop at weigh stations?
stopping at wt. stations or state check points
Are RVs required to stop at weigh stations?

[Grit_dog]

^Careful there bud....may want to add another layer of tinfoil to your hat.

[Kayteg1]

billtex wrote:

Everyone should get a real weight on their loaded rig.

I can only guess why this advise never made it to stickies, regardless being pointed 1000's of times.
I did not buy luxury camper to camp with minimum, so buying dually was high priority.
No surprise that my camper, rated by manufacturer at about 3800 lb, did scale 6300lb on some trips.
Than the 6300 lb TC weigh put 6800lb load on rear axle (COG behind the axle) but again, we are talking against sponsors agendas.

[billtex]

BurbMan wrote:
Our Lance 811 paperwork says it's 3017 lbs wet, probably closer to 3600 lbs with gear in it. Does have a dinette slide, but also a wet bath. Our SRW Ram is rated at 4300 lbs cargo capacity, so with 3 adults and gear in the truck we would be right at GVWR, if not slightly over.

No question a dually would handle it better, but we don't really feel any side-to-side sway now....plus a dually can sometimes limit you on where you can go offroad, plus it's a pain to use a dually as a daily. (say 3x fast LOL)

Pay attention to weight ratings on trucks as they vary by box length, cab configuration and engine choice.

You def need to hit the scales locked/loaded. You will be surprised.
However, you should be able to safely carry a single slide on a one ton SRW. You may need to upgrade your tires.
18” and 20” tires now come in LI 129 (4080#).

Everyone should get a real weight on their loaded rig.

[jimh406]

How much you carry is very personal to each person camping. When we had a SRW, we always made sure we brought the minimum. That included carrying empty black/grey tanks and minimal water in the freshwater tank. I could easily see 600 lbs being plenty. After all, people camp with less than that with tents.

But, my F450 has much more capacity, and we no longer worry about what we carry. The only way that it would possibly be an issue is if we went out of way to carry too much.

[JimK-NY]

BurbMan wrote:
Our Lance 811 paperwork says it's 3017 lbs wet, probably closer to 3600 lbs with gear in it. Does have a dinette slide, but also a wet bath. Our SRW Ram is rated at 4300 lbs cargo capacity, so with 3 adults and gear in the truck we would be right at GVWR, if not slightly over.
....

I recommend you weigh your rig. I strongly suspect you are in for a surprise. Six hundred pounds of "gear" is likely to be a gross underestimate. Camping "gear" needs to include any upgrades, additions or mods you have made, generator and fuel, BBQ grill, folding chairs, air compressor/tools, leveling blocks, cleaning supplies, bath supplies, pots/pans/plates/flatware/glasses, clothing, food and drinks, cameras/computers/other hobby stuff, etc, etc.

[BurbMan]

Our Lance 811 paperwork says it's 3017 lbs wet, probably closer to 3600 lbs with gear in it. Does have a dinette slide, but also a wet bath. Our SRW Ram is rated at 4300 lbs cargo capacity, so with 3 adults and gear in the truck we would be right at GVWR, if not slightly over.

No question a dually would handle it better, but we don't really feel any side-to-side sway now....plus a dually can sometimes limit you on where you can go offroad, plus it's a pain to use a dually as a daily. (say 3x fast LOL)

Pay attention to weight ratings on trucks as they vary by box length, cab configuration and engine choice.