So decided to take the plunge and get into the truck camper world. Been doing a lot of searching and his forum is truly an asset for a newbie. Couple questions though for you experienced guys.My truck is a: 2005 2500hd SRW SB 4x4 Ext-cab w/8.1 & Allison. 1 ton AAM rear axle Put Bilstein 5100 & Stableloads on it Load E 245/75R16 Yokohoma AT/S (max load 3042lb)Camper is a 08 Lance 830 w/2200lb dry weightQuestion is inside the glove box it says "cargo weight rating" 2120lbAnyone have a similar setup and what should I expect. Going to get it weighed once I get it loaded up just looking to see if I can piggyback on anyone else's experiences or other items that would be needed before I head out.On the Lance I noticed they use the 8gauge power wire for the fridge and not the standard 7 way plug. . Thinking I can T off my back harness and utilize all the wires except for the power wire and run a 8ga to the battery. Trying to do this with minimal splicing. Anyone have a better setup or link to a prefabbed wire harness. My truck doesn't have the camper option with the extra harness next to the fuel tank. Also trying to get a list of necessities ready. What would be some of the must haves you guys have learned throughout the years?

my 2004 2500HD needed more beef hauling my 845 dry wt 2400# and that's w/o any Lance options. The 845 does not have a basement, so it sits lower and is not effected as much by crosswinds . Taller basement campers feel the wind more and it can be a real driving test on a 2500 if you don't beef up the springs. real world weight with options was 2900# and I don't have A/C or solar. I'm about 3700# give or take ready to go. I would add two more rear leafs to the springs or use a set of super-springs, they both work well depends what you can install cheaper I guess.That 830 sitting on a 2500 will be in the 6800# range on the rear axle. tires 2 choices1. 19.5's all around . or..........move up from 245 to 265 16E.2. I moved up one 16" size and I have 75k on the combo with no issues and im now under my rear axle weight rating. move up one tire size to an LT265 (3415#) Cooper AT3 or maybe the Toyo offers a little more, maybe. I installed the 265 75 16E 10 ply on my stock wheels (same as yours) which are stronger than most all aftermarkets that are lug centric. They can be installed on your GM stock hub centric wheel (where the hub supports the rear axle weight) even though its a 6.5" rim and the tire says it needs a 7" rim. Many of us run that way for many miles and the tire shops will install them. I would rather do it that way than use an aftermarket wheel on the "suggested correct size" . My tire shop and truck mechanic concur. I inspect my wheels for cracks on a regular basis and I dismounted the tires this year to inspect the wheels in and out. The tire companies,after doing an inspection, have also prorated tires for me that were defective and made no mention of using the stock wheel with the larger size tire. I kept my air bags on but do not use them now and I have a set of adjustable Torklift stable-loads on my rig now . As my rig sits now, its actually fun to drive, it feels great on the open road whether im towing my utility trailer or not .

I also have an 845 on a 2500hd and I would recommend 265 tires on the OEM wheels and after 130K miles I have not experienced problems. I use SuperSprings and my ride is, well, perfect.As far as your wiring I have the Lance setup but if I was going to run my own wiring system I would go with 6ga. The reason the charging of the house battery will be more efficient. I installed a second battery in the engine compartment and when I'm on shore power there is a voltage drop from TC to the battery. It's not much but it's there.

Load the camper and see what happens. It won't do any harm to carefully bring the camper home on the truck without modifications unless your tires are absolutely bald or rotten. Just go slow and easy, especially at first to get a feel for how the truck handles.Odds are you will want/need to add some help for the rear springs to take the sag out of the rear end. With close to 3000lbs in the bed the truck will definitely be squatting.Probably a good idea to upgrade the tires too. That camper WILL weigh around 3000lbs with full propane, water, and all your stuff. Stock 245 width tires have a weight rating of 3042lbs each at 80PSI stamped right in the sidewall, and your truck weighs 2800-2900lbs on the rear end, leaving you only about 3100lbs of payload capacity before you overload the tires. You really don't want to overload the tires.

LineC:Although it is a nice looking front bumper, you may wish to think about putting the stock bumper back on. That thing looks heavy and will contribute to your overweight condition. (The truck, not you personally).You are going to be chasing pounds throughout this project and shedding the unneeded weight sure wouldn't hurt.Good luckBill

I would not worry about the bit of extra weight for the front bumper. It is the weight on the back that is a concern. I recommend super springs. I started with air bags but that made the ride worse with a lot of roll. The super springs handled the extra weight better and allowed me to decrease the Rancho shock settings for a smoother ride.

New (to me) Truck Camper ?'s | Good Sam Community

dakonthemountai
Explorer
Aug 02, 2015
SAWEET!! Now go camping!! :) Congratulations!!

Dak
LineC
Explorer
Aug 01, 2015
Well finally picked it up. Worked out great. Ended up having the same truck as mine so he threw this stuff in for free:
Super Hitch 20k
48" Hitch extension
Front & Rear Torklift Mounts
Fastguns
Mike_Hohnstein
Explorer
Jul 29, 2015
Nice piece, we have a 2010 1040, a stretched 830 16" longer, Arctic Pack?, rear tent and twin beds. Widest center aisle of any camper I've ever been in.
You've got plenty of truck for the 830.
LineC
Explorer
Jul 29, 2015
Thanks guys.

I will post some pictures of how it sits with just the stableloads engaged once I pick it up. First trip is two weeks from today and will roll it over some scales to see how heavy it really is on my truck.
smooth1
Explorer
Jul 28, 2015
Congrats on the 830. Awesome camper. We have had ours since 2009.

Just run the fridge on propane and never run it on DC. You don't need the 8ga charge wire and can just go to the 7-way on the truck.

Your dry weight is 2200, the sticker on the side should say 2500, the sticker in the closet with the options should say 2800-2900, and add you 500lbs of stuff you are up around 3500.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Jul 28, 2015
DITTO on taking it to the scales.
Weigh rear corners with camper on- if you can as that can show quite big difference.
When glove box note is written with lowering your taxes in mind, the usual limit is tires carrying capacity.
With campers having center of gravity in the rear, it is possible that 2000 lb camper will add 2500lb on the rear axle and in this case heavy front bumper can help in evening the load between the axles.
I think considering moving spare wheel on front bumper would be in order as well.
bobndot
Explorer II
Jul 28, 2015
Some 3-way RV absorption fridges will draw 25 amps/hr on 12v. Some alts. can't keep up depending on the alt. plus the charge line gauge and length of run .
Im not sure how the isolator works in a situation like that but I would think it would protect the truck battery .
I run my fridge on gas all the time , even while driving it stays lit. Sometimes the power jack or side awning arm creates a draft situation that blows out the flame . You can place some ductape on the bottom row of the fridge vent. That usually solves that problem.

80 lbs air to go pick it up in the rears. You can do 70 up front.
Before you buy anything, weigh the truck first, then add the camper on and take it the same scale and weigh the combined rig.
Most of carry about 500# of personal stuff on top of the Lance camper options and the propane, water and batteries. Your rolling down the road weight all loaded for a trip will be the real number. Once you load it all up for a trip, go back to a scale and see the difference .

I do not think the 05 GM trucks come with a rear sway bar as OEM . IF that is correct then installing a good thick bar will be an improvement with the side to side rocking. They install around the undercarriage spare tire.
CptnBG
Explorer
Jul 28, 2015
As far as the glovebox cargo rating...GM assumes all seats are occupied by a 150lb person. You can adjust according to the actual weight of the passengers and of course whatever gear weight.
LineC
Explorer
Jul 28, 2015
Thanks for the tips. I will make sure tires are at max load when I pick it up and stableloads engaged. Going to have to get some tires it looks like. Hard to swallow since these only have 5k on them. Ohh well pay to play.

Good to hear about the super springs I never knew they were so popular. Always assumed airbags were the way to go.

I hit 3 deer in Utah and after the third one I grabbed a decent bumper. They just bounce off but the weight is pretty extreme on it.

So the issue with the DC on the fridge. Is it that it will pull more power than the alternator can take and discharge the batteries when driving? Or will it just run it down when the truck is off if there is no isolator inline? I will make sure I run 8 gauge minimum. I got some 6ga laying around also if it will fit in the connector.
bobndot
Explorer II
Jul 28, 2015
Good point about running the fridge on 12 v. that is something I always forget to mention.
One other possible benefit to the 8 ga. line .
I drive my rig from fishing hole to fishing hole , that's how I charge things up.
The 8 ga . seems to charge the batteries faster than when I used lighter wire set up off the rear 7-way Bargman plug from the factory . Having AGM batteries now, it seems to charge even faster than the old wet cells .

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