Hello everyone,I recently purchased a 2000 F350, crew cab, shortbed in order to acquire a TC so that I can avoid the hour commute to and from work. I am an ICU nurse, things have been very busy lately so I have been picking up a lot of extra shifts. Also had a few mandated 16hour days and shifts.I come seeking knowledge on selecting the appropriate camper which I would like to purchase used. I have been expanding my search since I recently learned a lot of people mount longer TC's on 1 ton shortbed trucks with airbags and beefier shocks/springs. This opens up my options, plus I have a family id like to take on the road someday and having more space would be nice. The truck I bought has 6" lift, airbags, heavier springs, shocks, and lower gears. The guy i bought it from towed a 5th wheel with it. It also has a shift kit and it's a diesel. I hope this topic isn't oppressively beat to death already, there are some dead posts I've read which still leave me with questions like:How do i figure out the COG on certain models like: 2014 Arctic fox 811; 97' Bigfoot 3000 series; etc...?Also, should I install tie down mounts now or after I find my TC? I kinda want to drive away with it the day I buy it, but who knows? I'm leaning towards torklift, i often camp down in Baja on 4x4 type roads (when there is no pandemic.)And should I remove the tailgate now or wait? I guess i could leave it on then remove onsite if needed. Thanks for reading this.

Hi and welcome!Sorry if you know any or all of this already:You need to be aware of the payload and (rear-) axle capacity of your truck.The official numbers can be found on two stickers that you can see when you open the driver's door. One contains the weights (Gross/GVWR, Front axle (FAWR), Rear Axle (RAWR).The other one contains the payload.I assume the truck is single rear wheel. The rear axle rating will probably be limited/determined by the load capacity of the two single rear tires.The center of gravity of the camper determines where the camper's weight will be carried.On a short bed truck, the weight of the camper will usually go all to the rear axle.If the cog is in front of the axle, some of the weight goes to the front axle.If the cog is behind the rear axle, some weight will be transferred from the front axle to the rear in addition to all of the camper weight.The longer the camper is, the further back its cog usually is (depending on design decisions of the camper mfg).The most reliable way to determine the available capacity of your truck: Take your truck to a scale and get the individual axle weights. The truck should be packed in the way that you usually travel, probably mostly empty, but with a full tank of gas.The difference between the RAWR and the actual (empty) weight on the rear axle comes pretty close to the weight of the camper that you can safely carry in the back without modifications. How far you can exceed this is a topic of hot discussion on this forum. I will not get into this. A few 100 lbs are likely not going to be a problem.The stated dry weights of a truck camper are usually grossly underrated and do often not contain lpg, battery, a/c on the roof, sometimes not even the jacks. And they do not contain anything you load into the camper, such as water, food, all of your belongings. Only a scale can tell the actual weight. Assume that any camper will be a lot heavier than what the brochure states.You say that your truck is lifted. This will not help with the handling of the rig. A TC is already top-heavy.Your questions: Camper cog: Some campers come with a cog marked on the side.Some state the cog position somewhere in the specifications, usually as a distance from the front bulkhead.The actual cog is obviously subject to the way the camper is loaded (and outfitted) and may be a bit fore or aft of the stated position. As a rule of thumb, it is usually around 1/3 back from the front bulkhead. If you need to know where exactly, you are probably pushing limits already.Tie down mounts: Have them installed and ready before you pick up the camper. It will be stressful enough the first time, so get that out of the way.Tailgate: If your first trip with the camper takes you home, you can certainly leave the tailgate in place and carry it home inside the camper (maybe wrapped in a blanket?). They are easy enough to remove, unless the PO has installed some anti-theft device, in which case you should know about this beforehand.So much for initial information. I am sure there will be more coming. Do not worry, the truck will carry a camper just fine.

The official numbers can be found on two stickers that you can see when you open the driver's door. One contains the weights (Gross/GVWR, Front axle (FAWR), Rear Axle (RAWR).The other one contains the payload. I doubt the older '00 truck has a payload sticker but will have a FAWR/RAWR. Those GVWR based payload stickers didn't become mandatory industry wide till '06. Back then we weighed the empty trucks rear axle. Subtract that number from the trucks RAWR for a in the bed payload.

That 6” lift is going to make hauling a heavy and tall TC a miserable experience, I’m sorry to say. I would consider removing it, as it’s just going to make it harder to load, and put your loaded CG up higher which will make it wallow around more with the TC on it.Lifted trucks typically don’t stick with the OE tires and wheels, so you should look at those first before loading any TC on it. You may not even have the load capacity listed on the door sticker. I can’t stress this enough. Overloading your tires and wheels is the quickest way to turn a fun TC trip onto a problem. Tires and wheels chosen for lifted, off-road use aren’t always the best choice for hauling a TC, especially of the size you seem to be looking for. Make sure your wheels are rated for more than the load you intend to haul, and make sure they aren’t some after-market eye candy. The wheels need to be hub-centric like the OE wheels were, not lug-centric. The best TC hauling tire is going to have a load rating that exceeds the weight of your load, and has the stiffest sidewalls available. If you can find tires with “all steel casing”, meaning the steel belts extend into the sidewalls like the Micheline XPS Traction tire, those would be best. I don’t think the XPS is made in a size for your truck, just using that as an example. Voice of experience here, take it for what it’s worth. :W:):)

Stay away from any TC with a slide out and yes, remove that lift kit.

Stay with a camper built for a short bed truck. The 3000 Bigfoots are all for long beds and the structure on them is not all that great even then. Agree with the lift kit removal. For stock size wheels the factory ones are stronger than many aftermarket ones and with a camper that means a lot as you will be close to or over the GVW(we all are). Make sure you have E rated tires due to the load. The 7.3 Ford is still a great truck, motors run forever, transmissions good for 150-200k miles, a bit noisy, but not $80-90k like new ones. I think the 2000 had an improve transmission cooler setup, if not it is a great upgrade.

New F350 owner seeks TC information | Good Sam Community

Buzzcut1
Nomad II
Mar 06, 2021
F-350shortBed wrote:
My rig is dope, it handles fine.

When I’m rolling down the Baja peninsula and all the haters be posting about raised trucks being death traps from the safety of a KOA campground, I’ll be even happier about my setup.

Go do a shakedown cruise on to the Carizzo Plain just south of you and have a blast.

https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/california/carrizo-plain-national-monument
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Mar 06, 2021
There is lifted truck and lifted truck.
Scrolling youtube, I found a guy who lifted his Ford and put wheels big enough to make it floating.
Speed was lousy, but the truck did float.
Could become handy in Baja.
noteven
Explorer III
Mar 06, 2021
Grit dog wrote:
F-350shortBed wrote:
My rig is dope, it handles fine.

When I’m rolling down the Baja peninsula and all the haters be posting about raised trucks being death traps from the safety of a KOA campground, I’ll be even happier about my setup.

Truth!

Yep.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 06, 2021
F-350shortBed wrote:
My rig is dope, it handles fine.

When I’m rolling down the Baja peninsula and all the haters be posting about raised trucks being death traps from the safety of a KOA campground, I’ll be even happier about my setup.

Truth!
F-350shortBed
Explorer
Mar 06, 2021
My rig is dope, it handles fine.

When I’m rolling down the Baja peninsula and all the haters be posting about raised trucks being death traps from the safety of a KOA campground, I’ll be even happier about my setup.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 02, 2021
Kayteg1 wrote:
Lifting COG a foot definitely is not helping in hard cornering.
I never felt danger in hard cornering with my setup.

You know, a FOOT or 2" like the OP posted.
He don't care what the antagonists think. I'm sure he's happy with his setup no matter how much someone tries to talk down about it.
Bert_the_Welder
Explorer II
Mar 02, 2021
Kayteg and Noteven: Those are part of the point I was trying to make. Wasn't intended to slag off Charlie. Posting a link to a video without knowing what the actual cause was of the result is misleading, especially since the guy in the video obviously was talking out his backside.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Mar 02, 2021
Lifting COG a foot definitely is not helping in hard cornering.
I never felt danger in hard cornering with my setup.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Mar 01, 2021
F-350shortBed wrote:
PastorCharlie wrote:
Here is the problem with a short bed, SRW, raised truck hauling an excessive large truck camper. Real Life situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Y4ZjO8Lyw&feature=emb_logo

Also- I measured the height of bed of the stock 3/4 ton GMC pickup that carried the camper that I bought without the camper inside the bed. It was 3inches shorter than my bed, but the GMC had rails for a fifth wheel hitch so it sat on 1” plywood.

So this camper sits 2” s higher on after market stiffer 3600# springs, airbags AND it’s in a ONE ton truck with E rated tires versus a stock suspension 3/4 ton truck. Which vehicle do you think could corner more safely, mine or the stock setup of the former owner ?

Nice looking setup!
And in regards to the above post, welcome to rvnet! The land of grumpy ole men who would probably find something to complain about while receiving a briefcase full of $100 bills while getting a __ from a supermodel!
Will be so nice to climb into your “home” after work. Looks like you found a great truck AND camper!
F-350shortBed
Explorer
Feb 28, 2021
PastorCharlie wrote:
Here is the problem with a short bed, SRW, raised truck hauling an excessive large truck camper. Real Life situation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Y4ZjO8Lyw&feature=emb_logo

Also- I measured the height of bed of the stock 3/4 ton GMC pickup that carried the camper that I bought without the camper inside the bed. It was 3inches shorter than my bed, but the GMC had rails for a fifth wheel hitch so it sat on 1” plywood.

So this camper sits 2” s higher on after market stiffer 3600# springs, airbags AND it’s in a ONE ton truck with E rated tires versus a stock suspension 3/4 ton truck. Which vehicle do you think could corner more safely, mine or the stock setup of the former owner ?

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