how much truck is needed?

[mattyj]

hi, im looking at a 2007 f350 srw with alot higher gvw than my 8800lb f250 i think it is11400 lbs but i may be mistaken. i have airbags that ill leave in the old truck when i sell it if i dont need them. i am just wondering how many leave thier suspension bone stock. my camper weighs 2300 lbs dry. thank you, Lou

[wintersun]

The gross vehicle weight is a factory calculation and largely irrelevant. 95% or more of the camper load is on the rear axles and its wheels and tires. If you have two tires at the rear rated at 3200@80 PSI the maximum load is going to be 6400 lbs. minus the 3,000+ lb. weight of the truck itself.

The payload rating sticker in the glove box provides information as to what the factory provided leaf springs can support. If it is enough then fine, if not then add springs, i.e. Supersprings.

There are tires from BFG, Toyo, Nitto and possibly other companies that are rated at 3750 or higher and will provide an extra 1100 lbs. of load capacity at the rear axle.

Use a local CAT scale and weight the truck with and without the camper. With the actual weights at the rear axles loaded and unloaded you will have the information you need to make choices as to modifications needed.

Most likely with your F-350 the current weakest link is the tires which can be upgraded. The higher load rated tires will also reduce sway with their stiffer sidewalls which is a bonus.

The camper you mentioned is at the lower end of the weight scale for hard side campers and your truck should be able to easily handle the load and its high center of gravity.

Many trucks also benefit from the addition of an after market anti-sway bar at the rear.

[Bigimac]

jefe 4x4 wrote:
I've yet to hear someone say, "I just purchased too much truck."
Over and over I've heard, "I just purchased too much camper for my truck."
jefe

We'll let me be the 1st then - I have a Chevy 3500HD with north of 4600# payload that I load wet about 2500# with my Capri camper - I purchased way too much truck for my needs ... and am getting ready to do it again ...

[skanj0]

jefe 4x4 wrote:
I've yet to hear someone say, "I just purchased too much truck."
Over and over I've heard, "I just purchased too much camper for my truck."
jefe

Jefe is dead-on with his advice...as usual!

[skanj0]

mattyj wrote:
hi, im looking at a 2007 f350 srw with alot higher gvw than my 8800lb f250 i think it is11400 lbs but i may be mistaken. i have airbags that ill leave in the old truck when i sell it if i dont need them. i am just wondering how many leave thier suspension bone stock. my camper weighs 2300 lbs dry. thank you, Lou

My 06 F250 CCSB 4x4 diesel with a 2005 Lance 845 scales between 12,000 and 12,600 lbs. Lance says the camper is 2,700 lbs ready to camp. With stuff for two people, and two people in the cab, this is the reality.

[jefe_4x4]

I've yet to hear someone say, "I just purchased too much truck."
Over and over I've heard, "I just purchased too much camper for my truck."
jefe

[Artum_Snowbird]

You might think about some Rancho 9000 shocks, and a new steering shock too for that new to you truck. Best option is to take one off and see how well they operate now. When I did that test I realized that my truck shocks were completely shot. I could run them from one end to the other in a half second. The Rancho's on full took me 11 seconds to push them from one end to the other. The steering shock made corners just smooth and they held the line perfectly.

Try that first, before you try anything else.

[Golden_HVAC]

The F-350 SRW should have about 7,000 GVW at the curb, so the truck should carry about 4,400 pounds if you have the GVWR correct. It might be 11,500 pounds? Are you looking at another 4x4? That is a 400 pound option, and will take away some of your capacity.

The old truck might be more value with the airbags. The 865 pound cargo rating of a F-250 diesel 4X4 crewcab is why in 2000 I told my brother - a engineer at Ford to stop putting the diesel in the F-250's. However with nearly 60% of their Super Duty trucks sold with the PSD, they started making the GVWR higher, a wise decision that has helped every truck owner since!

Good luck with your newer truck! Make sure that it already has a coolant filter, or install one right away. Napa #FIL 4070 is the filter, and kit # FIL4019 is the kit to install it on the heater hose of any vehicle. It will filter out the junk from the coolant, and that will keep the radiator and oil cooler clean. .

Fred.

[Super_Dave]

In all reality, you will likely be dead nuts on your max with the camper wet weight, which is okay in my opinion. . With the F350, you will learn what it is like to have overload springs. You will want to mod that to get full utilization from them. Other than that, you'll likely be okay unless your squat creates a headlight issue.