New (to me) Truck Camper ?'s

[LineC]

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 weight

Question is inside the glove box it says "cargo weight rating" 2120lb
Anyone 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?

[mkirsch]

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.

[narcodog]

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.

[bobndot]

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 choices
1. 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 .