Looking for recommendations
As a solo traveller I am tired of the packing, hitching, towing, backing, unhitching, unpacking (wash, rinse, repeat) aspect of owning a travel trailer. I love my trailer but its too much work for a ...
Forum Discussion
The Bigfoot has an official weight of 2820 lbs. but by the time items like a battery and AC are added by the dealer the weight is going to be around 32000 lbs. and with your gear and food and water etc. it will be close to 4,000 lbs. in total.
You can get a 1-ton truck that will handle this load and be SRW. The limiting factor is the tires and that works out to 7500 for two 18" tires or up to 8800 lbs. for 19.5 tires (and new 19.5 rims). Subtract the 3000-3300 lb. weight of the truck to have the load capacity you can put in the cab and bed of the truck.
The weight of the truck will increase with 19.5 rims and tires, and with the tie-downs, and a WDH should you decide to tow anything.
For the truck I would be sure to get the tow mirrors and the largest tank(s) available and 4.10 gears. For the camper I would want two batteries and a solar panel and controller setup from the factory and the 4-seaon package with the extra insulation if that is offered.
I would give some thought to a regular cab long bed and getting the 25C9.4LB camper. I would bet that the regular cab long bed truck has a comparable wheelbase to a short bed truck with the super/mega/double cab. The longer camper will provide more storage space which would be useful for extended use.
There is a big difference in handling and stability with SRW depending upon the make of truck. The Ram and GM trucks have stronger frames that flex less and need less in the way of aftermarket fixes as a result. SRW handling is also affected by the tires. Having a load that represents 90-100 percent of the tires' load capacity will result in a lot more sidewall flexing which affects handling. With tires the cheapest way for the factory to add capacity is to add two more tires with a DRW option. But for not that much extra one can also upgrade the factory rims and tires on a SRW truck to 19.5's and accomplish the same thing.
DRW is overkill for a camper like the one you selected and will greatly affect the maneuverability of the truck and where you can take it. I would sooner get a class C motorhome than a DRW truck and large slide in camper. The motorhome will be better integrated and really a turnkey setup.
You can get a 1-ton truck that will handle this load and be SRW. The limiting factor is the tires and that works out to 7500 for two 18" tires or up to 8800 lbs. for 19.5 tires (and new 19.5 rims). Subtract the 3000-3300 lb. weight of the truck to have the load capacity you can put in the cab and bed of the truck.
The weight of the truck will increase with 19.5 rims and tires, and with the tie-downs, and a WDH should you decide to tow anything.
For the truck I would be sure to get the tow mirrors and the largest tank(s) available and 4.10 gears. For the camper I would want two batteries and a solar panel and controller setup from the factory and the 4-seaon package with the extra insulation if that is offered.
I would give some thought to a regular cab long bed and getting the 25C9.4LB camper. I would bet that the regular cab long bed truck has a comparable wheelbase to a short bed truck with the super/mega/double cab. The longer camper will provide more storage space which would be useful for extended use.
There is a big difference in handling and stability with SRW depending upon the make of truck. The Ram and GM trucks have stronger frames that flex less and need less in the way of aftermarket fixes as a result. SRW handling is also affected by the tires. Having a load that represents 90-100 percent of the tires' load capacity will result in a lot more sidewall flexing which affects handling. With tires the cheapest way for the factory to add capacity is to add two more tires with a DRW option. But for not that much extra one can also upgrade the factory rims and tires on a SRW truck to 19.5's and accomplish the same thing.
DRW is overkill for a camper like the one you selected and will greatly affect the maneuverability of the truck and where you can take it. I would sooner get a class C motorhome than a DRW truck and large slide in camper. The motorhome will be better integrated and really a turnkey setup.
