Hey guys! Im new around here. Me and my gf LOVE camping. We started out with an Airstream that needed "some" work which turned into a headache. It got sold and a TC took its place. Iv owned it for approximately a week lol. We bought a package deal which was a 1996 F-350 DRW and a 1996 Lance Squire 500. Both are in good shape. I would like to sell the F-350 because I already own a F-250 and the truck is worth more than what I paid, which means I could have possibly got a free camper :)My F-250 is a manual tranny diesel. Itll hold its own but Iv never towed/hauled with it before. It has E-rated tires also. My biggest 2 concerns are this: Will the SRWs be enough or should I really consider keeping the dually? And secondly, my F-250 is a regular cab, and the dually is crew. The front of the TC sits about 3/4 of the way over the hood on my F-250. I have yet to take it on the road with the F-250. My TC has electric jacks. They get the job done... barely. They definitely don't like jacking up much once theyre on the ground. Do they make replacement motors for these? They say Atwood on them.I hope I didn't ramble too much! Thanks guys!

Welcome to our world! We are a good bunch and help where we can.First, how much does the camper weigh? Also....what year is the F250? Have you put the tc on your 250, yet?

Are you sure it's not the 1996 Lance Squire 5000 rather then the 500? Looks like it's 10' floor plan and therefore depending on the year of the F250 may be maxing the truck out. A DRW will always have better stability over a SRW truck when hauling a camper, and the crewcab will be nice for extra storage. Lot depends on year of trucks, mileage, powertrain and condition.

Welcome El Camino Man!Trust me, you'll come to love that DRW.You can also see THIS

If you're going to haul the camper with the F250 you'd better do it quick. The more you haul it with the dually the more you'll realize you made the wrong decision when you have it on the F250.Weigh the dually with no camper. Then weigh it with the camper. Then you'll know what the camper weighs. Now, weigh the F250 and add the camper weight to that. See where that puts you in relation to the truck's capabilities. I'd bet it will be over weight. Probably 90% of TC owners are overweight. I sure am, and I've got a dually.

Whoops Im used to having a signature with all my info on it lol. I need to do that!Anyways, its a 1989 F-250 with the non-turbo 7.3 IDI diesel, 5 speed manual trans, 4x4 and 4.10 gears. The dually is a 1996 F-350 crew long bed, 7.3L Powerstroke turbo diesel, automatic, 2wd and 4.10 gears. I did actually set it in the bed of the F-250 today just for giggles and drove it down the driveway and back. Even at 10 mph it felt tippy lol. Its definitly a pretty heavy camper.

New To TCs. Have A Few Questions | Good Sam Community

recycler
Explorer
May 03, 2013
as for the jacks have you checked all the connections for corrision and tightness.. barring that the jacks might just be getting weak..
El_Camino_Man
Explorer
May 03, 2013
Hey guys, how bout my jack problem? Theyre getting extremely irritating... I can only do one jack at a time for a short time, if it works at all. They barely have enough power to jack up a corner at a time. If I do more than one, whether jacking it up or retracting them, it stops like its blown a fuse, then 10 seconds later, starts up again. Any helps appreciated!!!
El_Camino_Man
Explorer
May 01, 2013
Iv been definitely debating getting some helper air bags. No doubt they'll help the ride 100% and give a better ride. Just gotta decide if I want to blow $350+ lol
spacedoutbob
Explorer
May 01, 2013
I have a Lance 780 on my 1989 F250 Supercab 2WD truck, the only modifications on it are Firestone Ride-Rites, and it handles great with stock 10 ply tires.

Bob in Calif.
recycler
Explorer
May 01, 2013
nice looking rig.. it should be ok just drive like your overloaded cause if your not your close.. the #2,300 for camper is no doubt the base weight
El_Camino_Man
Explorer
Apr 30, 2013
Ready for some pics?
Farmerjon
Explorer
Apr 29, 2013
Hi and Welcome to our world.
We have a 1987 f250 460 4sp 4x4 with 411"s 8800 GVWR. The truck camper sheet that was in the glove box say's we can carry a 1930 lb camper. our truck came with the trailer/camper packages. Your 89 truck should have about the same ratings.
Tough decision to make. Would we keep our 4x4 and use it? knowing we might be overweight, probably.
Consider the age of your tires it might be time to replace them regardless of tread.
Have fun and good luck.
El_Camino_Man
Explorer
Apr 29, 2013
Well I hooked up all the stuff to the ol SRW F-250 and took it for a test drive. Iv made up my mind on what Im going to do:

Im keeping the F-250 and selling the dually. Heres my reasoning:

Is the F-250 underpowered? Yup
Is the dually underpowered? Yup
Dies the F-250 wobble? Yup
Does the dually wobble? Yup
Are either aerodynamic? HA! Nope
Do I need to haul 5 people? Nope
Is the dually better suited for the job? Probably. Its a dually...
Am I going to travel long distances? 9 times out of 10 no

I felt safe as could be in the F-250. It wobbled every time I hit a bump but I never feared it was going over.I couldn't tell whether I was in the dually or not honestly. Theres still no doubt in my mind the dually is better suited for the job but I don't think its $7500 suited for the job compared to paid off and less suited for the job.
El_Camino_Man
Explorer
Apr 28, 2013
Forgot to say:

I have it hooked up to 110V and only do one jack at a time and it still struggles. A lot.
El_Camino_Man
Explorer
Apr 28, 2013
I have a buddy with a scale (farmer). I may have to go visit him someday lol

I put the tie-down equipment on the 4x4 for giggles. Only took a few hours and was easy lol. Im going to take it out on the road to see how it handles. I dont think my rear tires were fully inflated either. I run something like 50-60 psi when unloaded. Filling them to 80 should help the body roll.

If the dually was 4wd, Id done said were keeping it. Here in SO IL, we still get snow. Duallys arnt exactly notorious for traction...

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